Trudy's Promise

by Marcia Preston

An act of desperation divides a mother and her child. Only an act of faith can reunite them.

Trudy Hulst has no idea if her husband survived his attempted escape past the newly constructed Berlin Wall. But she knows too well the consequences of his actions. Now branded the wife of a defector, she faces a life in prison. With no real choice, she is forced to follow, praying she can find a way to claim their child once she’s in West Berlin.

Trudy survives a harrowing break for freedom…only to learn her husband was shot during his escape. Terribly alone, she wanders the wall like a ghost, living for brief glimpses of her son, now out of reach behind barbed wire and armed soldiers. Desperate to regain her child, Trudy begins a journey that leads her to America,where she continues an odyssey of hope to find her son.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Historical, World War II, Germany, Drama

368 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2008

About the author

Marcia Preston (M.K. Preston) grew up on a wheat farm in central Oklahoma. From her father she learned the art of storytelling; from her mother, a reverence for books; and from Oklahoma's red earth, a love of wildlife and the outdoors.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is set just after the Berlin Wall went up. It is about a woman who ends up separated from her little boy by the wall. It is a very touching story that deals with freedom and the love of a mother. I think I was particularly moved by the story because I have a little boy myself, and cannot imagine being separated from him.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book,flowed nicely. The only thing I thought while reading this book was maybe the author's lack of emotion in the story. The mother cries and misses her child but doesn't adequately describe deeply emotional events. Loved the historical ties and the vast differences in a city so widely divided.

[Sheary Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trudy's story is fiction however anyone who lived through this period will recognize that there is also truth within these pages. I cannot imagine what it would be like to live through this young woman's story. No doubt in my mind that some of this shows what it was like.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overall story but was disappointed in the ending. Thought she could have added more in after all that happened in the first 3/4 of the book.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was nothing like I expected. It is the story of Trudy who lived in East Berlin while the wall was there. Her husband began helping people cross the wall. Finally, he crossed the wall into West Berlin because of possible imprisonment. Trudy and her son remained in East Berlin with her mother-in-law. She worked in a factory until there was a possibility of her own imprisonment. She also would have to leave but would have to leave her 2-year-old son behind. The story is about her leaving and if she will ever see her son again.

[Nancy Cook-senn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evokes the starkness and fear of living in East Berlin in 1963, the terrors of escaping to the West, the culture shock there and in going to America. Story of young widow trying to get her toddler to freedom is believable and satisfying.

[Deb Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! Growing up a teenager in Cold War Berlin and the Wall separating some of my family members, the description of life in Berlin at that time is spot on. It brought back memories for me in a story that was well written, and at times, very hard to put down.

[Tiffany Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book more then I thought I was going to. It was very intriguing and kept me interested all the way though. It was a really fast read.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love historical fiction and this story shows a mom who braves many obstacles and the end of a significant structure.

[Chelsea Quam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably my favorite book, what a story of a pure love for an innocent child in a time of war, beautifully told

[Amber Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. Progresses well. You get to know the characters, and they are written well. I would read it again. It's a page turner at times, which is nice. I wanted to see where the story went.

[Denise J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Lives in Edmond

[Gail Waite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical fiction. Excellent. Berlin wall. Families divided.

[eRin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Berlin Wall hasn't been up for very long and Trudy is wondering whether her husband has made it safely across. She is stuck in East Berlin with her mother-in-law and young son. Then she receives word that she is to be interrogated as the wife of a defector and most likely thrown into prison. She has a choice: attempt to cross the wall herself, or go to prison; both of which will take her away from her son. Getting to West Berlin is only the beginning of her struggles, especially when she finds that her husband died during his journey. Now her only hope for happiness lies with the impossible hope of getting the rest of her family across the wall.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. It didn't really keep my attention for the first 100 pages or so, but then I got in to it. But I'm not sure if it's because it was good, or I just wanted to finish it. It has some interesting twists that are fantastical, but still makes for a decent story. I guess I'd say 2 1/2 stars, rounded up to three. It wasn't that great.

[Megan Franks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows Trudy, a woman who escapes communist East Germany following the death of her husband. However, as she flees, she has to leave her only family behind: her aging mother-in-law and baby son. The story focuses on her efforts to reunite her family and securing freedom for them all. While the story is enjoyable, it does require quite a bit of suspension of reality. After all, it's highly unlikely that that someone like Trudy would have met an American politician and immediately been given an all-expense-paid trip to the USA and put on a tour of television programs. Stranger things have happened, but it's still very fictional. However, unbelievability is nicely rounded with tragedy which keeps the story engaging.

Personally, I enjoyed the challenge of dissecting the many Deutsch words and sentences because it allowed me to brush off my German language skills from my college days. Yet, even if readers are unfamiliar with the language, the German words/phrases will be completely understandable given the context.

[Rachel Carrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcia Preston invested her soul in this book, and it shows. This is a powerful subject, set during a time when so many people were separated from their loved ones, and in this story, so was Trudy.

Torn from her son because of her husband's flight to freedom, Trudy has to save herself or risk ending up in prison for the rest of her life.

The only downside to this book, in my opinion, is the late in the book, abrupt segue to another character's POV. I didn't understand why it was necessary for us to know what Wolfgang was thinking, although Trudy did make it work. It just seemed a bit thrown in there, in my opinion.

I would and do recommend this book, though, as it's really an eye-opening read, and it provides insight into a period of time most of us have forgotten about or have little knowledge of.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law bought this book for me and I've finally gotten around to reading it. It takes place in Berlin after the wall goes up. I'm a big fan of historical fiction books. I've never read a WWII historical fiction book that takes place just after the wall went up. It's about a mother who sneaks across the wall from East to West Berlin but has to leave her infant son and her journey to try and get him back. There was one section of the book that seemed totally unrealistic, but it's a fiction book and it did serve it's purpose in the end. I really enjoyed reading it! Thanks Kerri and Laynie!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was completely unpredictable and I really liked it, other than it was sad. I liked the author's writing style. It seems like so many books I've read lately have felt "forced" and I didn't feel that way at all with this one. Before reading this I really had no idea what the Berlin wall truly meant and so it gave me an appreciation for the freedom that I enjoy and for being able to remember when the wall came down. Well written and well worth reading.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This booked had me hooked from the very beginning. It brought me into contact with a time I know very little about. A story about a mother trying to get back her child after they are separated due to the Berlin Wall and the consequences from her husband escaping from east to West Berlin. I can't imagine what it must have been like for those living through it and am once more grateful for the privileges and freedoms I enjoy.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an historic fiction taking place in Germany in the 60s when the Berlin Wall was erected so the history part of the story was very interesting. The rest of the story was good and a quick read. I used to read historic fiction all the time and it was my favorite genre but I don't see much of it at the library anymore.

[Nielson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fabulous book! It was about the separation of a mother and son because of the Berlin Wall. I have never read a book on this topic so I learned a lot about this time period. I thought the book was well written. It took some turns I didn't expect, but I was still satisfied with what happened. It is just a really great book about love, heroism, and courage.

[Lanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Military Spouses' Bookclub 11/09

I enjoyed this book. It was a little slow in starting, but it opened my eyes to a world I was very unfamiliar with... that of East Germany in the 1960's. The ending was satisfying and nicely tied things up... definitely recommend IF you can find it. Not many libraries have it.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't normally read these types of books, but after so many chic lit books in a row I welcomed this recommendation from a friend. It was a great read, and I learned a little about history in the process. While books like this aren't the funest to read, I don't want to ever forget what has happened in the past --so that I am always grateful for the freedoms I have now.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need goodreads to add half stars - this one is a 3 1/2. My only qualm with the book is the trip to America, which seems a little disjointing, but does somewhat serve a purpose in the book. I have read many books about WWII and Germany, but few that take place after the war. This book with it's setting in both East & West Berlin describes the contrast beautifully.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trudy Hulst has no idea if her husband survived his attempted escape past the newly constructed Berlin Wall. But she knows too well the consequences of his actions. Now branded the wife of a defector, she faces a life in prison. With no real choice, she is forced to follow, praying she can find a way to claim their child once she's in West Berlin.

[Elyse Rudin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3 1/2 stars. An east Berliner escapes to the west leaving his mother, wife and child. The wife must then escape as the secret police are after her due to her husband's secret activities. This is a book you've read before. It is predictable but I enjoyed it and it kept my interest until the end. It was a good fast read.

[Bernadette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heartwarming at times , the author should have stuck to the story of a Mother's forced separation from her child rather than bring in Cold War-style espionage and intrigue into the story. I was more interested in Trudy's growth from a woman who seemed to powerless to make her own no choices to a woman who finally took control of her own destiny. Still the story made me cry.

[Mom2nine · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I thoroughly enjoy Preston's books. She writes a good story, without being graphic. The story about the Berlin wall is heartwrenching and doesn't need to be elaborated for one to wonder how they would handle it. So many issues: seperating families, political beliefs and how far does anyone go for either

[Kori · Rating 4 out of 5]

What living under communism is like for one woman trapped on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall: the threats, the guilt by association, the desperation, the hopelessness.. I was drawn to the bright spots in the story featuring the kindness of strangers - and the realization of how much these people needed to rely on each other. Highly recommend.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. It is the story of a mother who gets separated from her son in post-WWII Berlin and her struggle to get him back from opposite sides of the wall. There is a lot to learn about east and west Germany and the politics of this time.