Mutti's Dream

by Beverly Hopper

Towards the end of the Second World War, a tragedy unfolded that many people are still not aware of. The granddaughter of a Countess, Anita, learns not to follow the traditional way of doing things. Heavily reliant on her intuition, which ultimately saved the life of herself and her daughter. She guides her family as they make their escape from East Prussia as the Russians make their final advance. In the coldest winter for decades, millions of refugees took flight from their homeland, and those who survived were unlikely ever to return. Anita was known as Mutti to all her family, and she and her daughter Inge achieved their goal of reaching a ship that would take them to safety. After spending a night aboard the ship, warm and safe at last, Mutti had a dream. Because of that dream, and amidst her daughter's protestations, they disembarked the Wilhelm Gustloff. The ship was to set sail the next day.
In this unbiased account, hear about what happened next in this shocking true story of incredible proportions that knocks Titanic out of the ballpark.

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2021

Reviews

[Hayley Galpin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mutti’s dream is based on a true story and follows the remarkable journey of a family based in East Prussia during World War Two. I think it’s so important to hear the stories and records of families and people who have these lived experiences and I felt I learnt so much from reading this account - especially the story of the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff and the statistics of this which were pretty shocking!

The way the book is set up makes you feel that you are being given an extraordinary glimpse into a family’s history and that of their neighbours and friends. The book is hard hitting, heartbreaking and harrowing! I loved the spirit and determination captured and I found the story completely captivating, eye opening and powerful. I can’t recommend this book enough

[Sam | Sambooka23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a poignant read. I knew as soon as I read the synopsis that this was a book I was going to absolutely adore and hold close to me.

Then the book came through the door, the cover is gorgeous, heartbreaking but gorgeous and what’s even more touching is that Beverly’s son created the cover.

The story itself was absolutely heartbreaking, so much loss yet the family carried on as one. They came together when they needed to and made sure they supported each other. I cannot imagine going through what this family did and during such a hard time in the first place.

It was so in depth, so many intricate details that just made my heart tug in places. The loss throughout the book was absolutely heartbreaking and tore at me each time, a family that suffered a lot of loss yet stuck together so tightly was tremendous.

The ending of the book, the few closing lines tore me in half. I actually did shed a few tears at the end of the book. I knew it would happen - it sort of had to - but still, Beverly wrote it with such pain, sorrow and heartache that the readers felt it.

I can’t recommend this book enough, it was truly an inspiring and eye-opening read. I can only hope to be as strong as Anita and her family despite what they were going through.

Thank you Beverly for allowing me a copy of your phenomenal book and to @kaleidoscopictours for allowing me on this tour.

[Leigh's Little Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like an historical book, even more so when it's based on true events. This book was about a family of Germans that didn't agree with the Nazi regime and how they had to flee from their home to avoid the conflict of the war. These people became refugees and suffered hardship and loss and frightening situations. It was tough to read in some parts but still enlightening at how much resilience some can have to save themselves and their families.

[Karen Kingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A fascinating story about a family caught in the middle of World War 2 in East Prussia, living between Germany and Russia. The story follows Mutti (Anita) from birth, through school, becoming a mother and trying to keep her family safe.

I had never heard of the Wilhelm Gustloff before and this tragedy is discussed towards the end of the book. A heartbreaking event that became just one more horrendous statistic during the War.

This book is an important record about what happened to one family, their friends and neighbours. We need to remember what happened and to work together to ensure it never happens again.