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A Feather on the Water
For three women in postwar Germany, 1945 is a time of hope—lost and found—in this powerful novel by the bestselling author of The Woman on the Orient Express.
Just weeks after World War II ends, three women from different corners of the world arrive in Germany to run a displaced-persons camp. They long to help rebuild shattered lives—including their own…
For Martha, going to Germany provides an opportunity to escape Brooklyn and a violent marriage. Arriving from England is orphaned Kitty. She hopes working at the camp will bring her closer to her parents, last seen before the war began. For Delphine, Paris has been a city of ghosts after her husband and son died in Dachau. Working at the camp is her chance to find meaning again by helping other victims of Hitler’s regime.
Charged with the care of more than two thousand camp residents, Martha, Delphine, and Kitty draw on each other’s strength to endure and to give hope when all seems lost. Among these strangers and survivors, they might find the love and closure they need to heal their hearts and leave their troubled pasts behind.
Just weeks after World War II ends, three women from different corners of the world arrive in Germany to run a displaced-persons camp. They long to help rebuild shattered lives—including their own…
For Martha, going to Germany provides an opportunity to escape Brooklyn and a violent marriage. Arriving from England is orphaned Kitty. She hopes working at the camp will bring her closer to her parents, last seen before the war began. For Delphine, Paris has been a city of ghosts after her husband and son died in Dachau. Working at the camp is her chance to find meaning again by helping other victims of Hitler’s regime.
Charged with the care of more than two thousand camp residents, Martha, Delphine, and Kitty draw on each other’s strength to endure and to give hope when all seems lost. Among these strangers and survivors, they might find the love and closure they need to heal their hearts and leave their troubled pasts behind.
345 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 809 reviews
July 1, 2022
I chose “A Feather on the Water” because I’ve enjoyed, very much, some of the historical novels offered by Amazon’s “First Reads” program and because of the post-WWII Displaced Person (DP) camp subject matter. While I've read novels that include references to or scenes in those camps, I've never read one exclusively devoted to them.
While I found the history interesting, the story left something to be desired.
Martha from Brooklyn seeks to escape an alcoholic and abusive husband. Kitty from Newhaven, England (by way of Poland and Austria) searches for her Jewish family who sent her away but remained trapped inside the Third Reich. Delphine from Paris survived the war but may have lost her husband and son to the camp at Dachau. All three women join the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and are sent to run a DP camp near Dachau in Germany.
Author Lindsay Jayne Ashford does a good job of highlighting the difficulties faced by camp administrators. Shelter and beds, food, clean water, wood for heat, medical facilities, schooling for children—all are in short supply in a war-torn, conquered Germany. German resentment is high, as is their general unwillingness to help the displaced Poles and Czechoslovakians sent to the camp. Readers interested in knowing what the DP camps were like will find something of interest in this novel's pages.
In addition, the prose and dialogue are clear and competent and not at all difficult to read.
However, I thought the story itself was not well executed. While the three main characters are initially intriguing, they turn out to be pretty static. While the point of view shifts from character to character, which gives the story something of a disjointed quality, the plot itself meanders from incident to incident and challenge to challenge, all of which seem relatively easily resolved. A problem presents itself, a character wonders “how on earth” it will ever be solved (indeed that “how on earth” phrase appears seven times throughout the novel), and several pages or paragraphs later, voila, it’s fixed! In other words, I found almost no urgency or tension in the novel and little to keep me eagerly turning the pages to learn what happened next.
In addition, I thought the treatment of the displaced persons, themselves, problematic. They seemed more props than characters. There’s little exploration or portrayal of them as three-dimensional individuals. There’s simply an assumption that because they’re displaced, readers will feel sorry for them. But it takes more than the portrayal of generalized suffering to keep readers engaged. And the three main characters’ reactions to that generalized suffering often struck me as more melodramatic than dramatic.
All in all, a three-star performance.
While I found the history interesting, the story left something to be desired.
Martha from Brooklyn seeks to escape an alcoholic and abusive husband. Kitty from Newhaven, England (by way of Poland and Austria) searches for her Jewish family who sent her away but remained trapped inside the Third Reich. Delphine from Paris survived the war but may have lost her husband and son to the camp at Dachau. All three women join the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and are sent to run a DP camp near Dachau in Germany.
Author Lindsay Jayne Ashford does a good job of highlighting the difficulties faced by camp administrators. Shelter and beds, food, clean water, wood for heat, medical facilities, schooling for children—all are in short supply in a war-torn, conquered Germany. German resentment is high, as is their general unwillingness to help the displaced Poles and Czechoslovakians sent to the camp. Readers interested in knowing what the DP camps were like will find something of interest in this novel's pages.
In addition, the prose and dialogue are clear and competent and not at all difficult to read.
However, I thought the story itself was not well executed. While the three main characters are initially intriguing, they turn out to be pretty static. While the point of view shifts from character to character, which gives the story something of a disjointed quality, the plot itself meanders from incident to incident and challenge to challenge, all of which seem relatively easily resolved. A problem presents itself, a character wonders “how on earth” it will ever be solved (indeed that “how on earth” phrase appears seven times throughout the novel), and several pages or paragraphs later, voila, it’s fixed! In other words, I found almost no urgency or tension in the novel and little to keep me eagerly turning the pages to learn what happened next.
In addition, I thought the treatment of the displaced persons, themselves, problematic. They seemed more props than characters. There’s little exploration or portrayal of them as three-dimensional individuals. There’s simply an assumption that because they’re displaced, readers will feel sorry for them. But it takes more than the portrayal of generalized suffering to keep readers engaged. And the three main characters’ reactions to that generalized suffering often struck me as more melodramatic than dramatic.
All in all, a three-star performance.
September 19, 2022
A Feather on the Water by Lindsay Jayne Ashford is about 3 women who arrived at a displacement camp to run it until those that are located there can get back home. It was an interesting book. Not many books are about after the war. It was slow moving in places especially at the end. The end seemed to drag on. It was interesting to learn what happened after the war. The emotions these women went through in order to assist these displaced persons get their lives back on track and how some of these women were able to get back on track as well.
January 5, 2025
This is NOT the “same old thing thing” in WW2 novels - “A Feather on the Water”, by L. J. Ashford, is full of hope & healing, characters that learn & grow, painful history that gives way to possibilities and holding it all together is love.
Three young women meet at a camp in Germany for Displaced People. Each arrives with their own burdens but are determined to focus on the mass of people needing care until they can be repatriated. Conditions are desperate and these young women are all that’s between survival and devastation for these war torn people. Compassion looms large as they try to erase the feeling of prison from the horrible conditions.
Ashford presents this story in three parts. Part one is 50% of the book and devoted to introducing the three main characters, secondary characters, backstories and developing the setting and historical elements. If you read the author’s note prior to starting the book it will be helpful.
Part two represents the next 35% and is loaded with action. Each of the main characters has a personal big event, (or many), and the progress for the camp is significant. These pages move swiftly into the last 15% where Ashford brings resolutions. At times, part three felt a bit too convenient but after the events in real world USA of late June 2022, it was a joy to be immersed in a world that was positive and uplifting.
Lovely prose with descriptions that are not overwhelming and dialogue that moves the story forward and is free from disgusting foul language are hallmarks of Ashford’s writing. You might stumble across a very few soft expletives but I’m having a hard time recalling them. Violence is minimal and sexual content is limited to embracing, chaste kisses and hand holding. This story is safely read by your mature 12-14 year olds.
One of my favorite aspects to reading historical fiction is learning about those that have gone before me and learning from the difficult experiences they’ve had. “A Feather on the Water” gives a look at love and resilience, horror and hope and in Martha’s final salutation, “To life - wherever it takes us”📚
Three young women meet at a camp in Germany for Displaced People. Each arrives with their own burdens but are determined to focus on the mass of people needing care until they can be repatriated. Conditions are desperate and these young women are all that’s between survival and devastation for these war torn people. Compassion looms large as they try to erase the feeling of prison from the horrible conditions.
Ashford presents this story in three parts. Part one is 50% of the book and devoted to introducing the three main characters, secondary characters, backstories and developing the setting and historical elements. If you read the author’s note prior to starting the book it will be helpful.
Part two represents the next 35% and is loaded with action. Each of the main characters has a personal big event, (or many), and the progress for the camp is significant. These pages move swiftly into the last 15% where Ashford brings resolutions. At times, part three felt a bit too convenient but after the events in real world USA of late June 2022, it was a joy to be immersed in a world that was positive and uplifting.
Lovely prose with descriptions that are not overwhelming and dialogue that moves the story forward and is free from disgusting foul language are hallmarks of Ashford’s writing. You might stumble across a very few soft expletives but I’m having a hard time recalling them. Violence is minimal and sexual content is limited to embracing, chaste kisses and hand holding. This story is safely read by your mature 12-14 year olds.
One of my favorite aspects to reading historical fiction is learning about those that have gone before me and learning from the difficult experiences they’ve had. “A Feather on the Water” gives a look at love and resilience, horror and hope and in Martha’s final salutation, “To life - wherever it takes us”📚
August 2, 2022
Displacement camps in post World War II Europe were established in Germany, Austria and Italy. These camps were primarily for refugees from Eastern Europe and the German concentration camps. They were set up as temporary facilities. However two years after the war had ended 850,000 people still lived in these camps. The Allies assigned the responsibility for their care to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA).
Set in 1945 A Feather on the Water is the story of three women, Martha, Delphine, and Kitty, who volunteer to work for the UNRRA. These three women have left behind troubled pasts, they are carrying emotional baggage and are seeking some sort of redemption. When they arrive at their designated camp they discovery a world they didn’t think existed as they are put in charge of more than two thousand camp residents.
The concept of A Feather on the Water is a good one. The story of these people is harrowing and draws parallels with what is happening today in modern Europe. The potential of the story is immense, providing a hatful of themes and emotions to consider. However Lindsay Jayne Ashford’s novel fails to draw on any of this. As another reviewer has pointed out it’s an easy read - but it shouldn’t be. One of the problems is the three main characters, they just don’t draw enough sympathy or empathy, they are sadly a bit flat. When they do encounter atrocities it just doesn’t pack enough punch. It is on the whole unfocused as the story jumps between the three women. Also everything is too obvious, too easy, all the solutions to their problems fall easily into place. And sadly it eventually dissolves into a Mills & Boon style romance. I am not knocking this, I understand there is a lot of people out there who like this type of literature, it just isn’t my cup of tea. It’s all a bit too tame. It’s disappointing as the story had great potential.
Set in 1945 A Feather on the Water is the story of three women, Martha, Delphine, and Kitty, who volunteer to work for the UNRRA. These three women have left behind troubled pasts, they are carrying emotional baggage and are seeking some sort of redemption. When they arrive at their designated camp they discovery a world they didn’t think existed as they are put in charge of more than two thousand camp residents.
The concept of A Feather on the Water is a good one. The story of these people is harrowing and draws parallels with what is happening today in modern Europe. The potential of the story is immense, providing a hatful of themes and emotions to consider. However Lindsay Jayne Ashford’s novel fails to draw on any of this. As another reviewer has pointed out it’s an easy read - but it shouldn’t be. One of the problems is the three main characters, they just don’t draw enough sympathy or empathy, they are sadly a bit flat. When they do encounter atrocities it just doesn’t pack enough punch. It is on the whole unfocused as the story jumps between the three women. Also everything is too obvious, too easy, all the solutions to their problems fall easily into place. And sadly it eventually dissolves into a Mills & Boon style romance. I am not knocking this, I understand there is a lot of people out there who like this type of literature, it just isn’t my cup of tea. It’s all a bit too tame. It’s disappointing as the story had great potential.
July 6, 2022
I’ve read a lot of books that take place during WWII but never one about all the displaced people and what happened with them after the war was over. This was a rather eye opening portrait of that for me. It wasn’t such a cut & dried time for these people. Many of them couldn’t even return to their homelands, as there was nothing left of their previous lives.
April 18, 2024
A few weeks after VE Day, three women arrive at a displaced persons (DP) camp in Germany not far from Dachau. They are the new team employed by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration to run the camp charged with looking after the DPs in preparation for getting them back to their homes. The three women come from very different backgrounds – one is French nurse whose husband and children have died in the war, one is originally from Austria who had been sent to England on the Kindertransport and is looking for her Jewish parents, and the third is an American fleeing an abusive marriage. The storyline follows these three women as they form a deep friendship and form relationships with the people they meet.
I very much enjoyed the historic context and the descriptions of how the DP camps were operated. The characters are well developed and interesting. The women grow in their friendships over the course of the story, and these relationships are beautifully portrayed. I felt these three had a “real” connection by the end in a manner that shows how close bonds can form in these types of challenging conditions. I particularly enjoyed Delphine’s storyline as she heals from her loss and forms bonds with several children in the DP camp. I was less enthused about the two romance plotlines. I appreciated this novel about a less-covered aspect of WWII – the aftermath and the difficulties experienced by the multiple millions of displaced persons.
I very much enjoyed the historic context and the descriptions of how the DP camps were operated. The characters are well developed and interesting. The women grow in their friendships over the course of the story, and these relationships are beautifully portrayed. I felt these three had a “real” connection by the end in a manner that shows how close bonds can form in these types of challenging conditions. I particularly enjoyed Delphine’s storyline as she heals from her loss and forms bonds with several children in the DP camp. I was less enthused about the two romance plotlines. I appreciated this novel about a less-covered aspect of WWII – the aftermath and the difficulties experienced by the multiple millions of displaced persons.
September 16, 2022
A unique story set at the end of WWII. It shows the life in the camps that assisted refugees return home or become reassigned jobs in other countries. I really liked it.
October 3, 2023
Esperava um pouco mais.
Delphine, Kitty e Martha decidem mudar-se para a Alemanha para trabalhar num campo de refugiados da Segunda Guerra Mundial. As três mulheres tornam-se amigas depressa. Todas fogem de algo que as atormenta, procuram respostas para as suas perguntas, e tentam criar o melhor com as condições que têm. Tanto para elas, como para os refugiados.
A história foca-se muito nas três personagens principais, e nalguns refugiados. Acho que devia haver um melhor equilíbrio entre os dois.
Também não me apeguei a nenhuma das personagens e acho que os seus problemas foram todos resolvidos de forma rápida e simples. Demoraram tanto tempo a explicar os seus tormentos, depois contavam a história vezes sem conta e parecia que não passava disso. Até que a solução para tudo se encontrava mesmo debaixo dos seus narizes.
Sim, explica o processo de repatriação, emigração, as dificuldades que os refugiados tiveram em voltar às suas vidas, a burocracia de gerir um campo, e as decisões que precisam de ser tomadas, mas achei tudo muito superficial.
Delphine, Kitty e Martha decidem mudar-se para a Alemanha para trabalhar num campo de refugiados da Segunda Guerra Mundial. As três mulheres tornam-se amigas depressa. Todas fogem de algo que as atormenta, procuram respostas para as suas perguntas, e tentam criar o melhor com as condições que têm. Tanto para elas, como para os refugiados.
A história foca-se muito nas três personagens principais, e nalguns refugiados. Acho que devia haver um melhor equilíbrio entre os dois.
Também não me apeguei a nenhuma das personagens e acho que os seus problemas foram todos resolvidos de forma rápida e simples. Demoraram tanto tempo a explicar os seus tormentos, depois contavam a história vezes sem conta e parecia que não passava disso. Até que a solução para tudo se encontrava mesmo debaixo dos seus narizes.
Sim, explica o processo de repatriação, emigração, as dificuldades que os refugiados tiveram em voltar às suas vidas, a burocracia de gerir um campo, e as decisões que precisam de ser tomadas, mas achei tudo muito superficial.
October 6, 2022
After reading so many accounts of the Holocaust, I have become intrigued to learn more about how life following the war played out. Millions of people were displaced, homes and families destroyed… how did people move forward from that? How did they rebuild and reestablish not only their lives, but even a place to call home? This book gave some insight into life immediately following the end of the war. The politics that complicates people finding a home and the process and reality of people caught in between.
October 24, 2022
Interesting content, but the characters were all the same. Three women who were all sweet, but fretful, strong when they had to be, but damsels in distress if there was a man around. No depth of character.
December 30, 2022
Pleasant read about a “displaced persons” (DP) camp set in Germany after WWII. I was never really aware of the workings of a DP camp. My own father was a refugee who spent months at a New Jersey camp after fleeing Hungary. Learning about how these various camps processed DPs, were run and operated was quite interesting. They were far from ideal settings made bearable by caring individuals who tried to help one another.
This story is about one such camp and three women who chose to travel there to help with the camp administration; Martha, an estranged wife, Kitty, a daughter of two parents she was separated from during the war, and Delphine, a widow who lost her husband and son at Dachau.
This book came out recently and I found on my library’s New Fiction section. I found the intertwined lives of the three women (who become understandably close at the camp), and the descriptions of the DPs’ experiences, history, hardships and fears well written. It gave me new appreciation for how long it takes for individuals to begin the slow recovery process following the tragedies of war.
This story is about one such camp and three women who chose to travel there to help with the camp administration; Martha, an estranged wife, Kitty, a daughter of two parents she was separated from during the war, and Delphine, a widow who lost her husband and son at Dachau.
This book came out recently and I found on my library’s New Fiction section. I found the intertwined lives of the three women (who become understandably close at the camp), and the descriptions of the DPs’ experiences, history, hardships and fears well written. It gave me new appreciation for how long it takes for individuals to begin the slow recovery process following the tragedies of war.
July 31, 2022
What a disappointing book. Such a promising premise being set in a displaced persons camp in Germany at the end of WW2, but then we have three rather cliched women, each with a past hurt or tragedy. The characters are never developed, and everything about the story is trite and glib. No, no alternative opinions, oh, and everyone has a happy ending.
February 24, 2023
I have to give credit to Lindsay Jayne Ashford for taking A Feather on the Water and not making it just another WW2 story. Instead, Lindsay focused on what happened after WW2 and the refugees and survivors that had been in the camps when the war ended. It was a creative perspective that not many authors have exclusively devoted a whole story to.
Sadly, while I found the history of A Feather on the Water to be interesting, the story itself left something to be desired and wasn't executed well. The story shifts between the three main character's points of view and at first I was excited to see where their journey would take them. Unfortunately, I quickly began to lose interest and the three characters fell flat. I struggled to keep up with Delphine and Martha's backstories and mixed up their stories multiple times throughout the book. I felt that every obstacle the three women faced was easily solved and everything came together in a nice little bow. Because of the premise of this book, I needed the story to have more pain, frustration, and heartache, and I didn't get that.
On a positive note, I do appreciate Lindsey's attempt at writing about something different surrounding WW2. Most books, let alone history books, don't talk much about what refugees and survivors faced after WW2. So it was nice to learn something new and A Feather on the Water made me take a step back and reflect on this part of history. It also piqued my interest to want to know and learn more. If you are someone who enjoys learning more about WW2, then I would highly recommend A Feather on the Water.
****
Just weeks after WW2 ended, three women, Martha, Delphine, and Kitty, volunteer to work for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and are sent to run a Displaced Persons (DP) camp in Germany. All three women leave behind a troubled past. Martha is from Brooklyn, NY, and is escaping her alcoholic and abusive husband. Kitty is a Jewish orphan from England, who volunteers for the UNRRA in hopes of finding her parents. Delphine is from Paris and has lost her husband and son to the camp at Dachau.
In charge of caring for more than two thousand camp residents, Martha, Delphine, and Kitty draw on each other's strength to endure and to give hope when all seems lost. Throughout their journey, they end up finding love and the closure they needed to heal their hearts and leave their troubled pasts behind.
Sadly, while I found the history of A Feather on the Water to be interesting, the story itself left something to be desired and wasn't executed well. The story shifts between the three main character's points of view and at first I was excited to see where their journey would take them. Unfortunately, I quickly began to lose interest and the three characters fell flat. I struggled to keep up with Delphine and Martha's backstories and mixed up their stories multiple times throughout the book. I felt that every obstacle the three women faced was easily solved and everything came together in a nice little bow. Because of the premise of this book, I needed the story to have more pain, frustration, and heartache, and I didn't get that.
On a positive note, I do appreciate Lindsey's attempt at writing about something different surrounding WW2. Most books, let alone history books, don't talk much about what refugees and survivors faced after WW2. So it was nice to learn something new and A Feather on the Water made me take a step back and reflect on this part of history. It also piqued my interest to want to know and learn more. If you are someone who enjoys learning more about WW2, then I would highly recommend A Feather on the Water.
****
Just weeks after WW2 ended, three women, Martha, Delphine, and Kitty, volunteer to work for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and are sent to run a Displaced Persons (DP) camp in Germany. All three women leave behind a troubled past. Martha is from Brooklyn, NY, and is escaping her alcoholic and abusive husband. Kitty is a Jewish orphan from England, who volunteers for the UNRRA in hopes of finding her parents. Delphine is from Paris and has lost her husband and son to the camp at Dachau.
In charge of caring for more than two thousand camp residents, Martha, Delphine, and Kitty draw on each other's strength to endure and to give hope when all seems lost. Throughout their journey, they end up finding love and the closure they needed to heal their hearts and leave their troubled pasts behind.
July 10, 2022
I was engrossed with this story. It is a work of fiction, but based on real events and some of the people are real. The story follows 3 women who come together to work in a camp for displaced persons in Germany at the end of the war, under the auspices of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. Martha is an American woman fleeing an abusive marriage, Delphine is a French widow whose husband and son were killed in Dachau concentration camp, and Kitty is an Austrian Jew who had been sent to England on the Kindertransport. They meet on their journey to the camp, which is in the American sector, but the army is withdrawing from the camp when the women arrive. The thousands of displaced people in the camp are waiting to hear where they will be able to go, and the 3 UNRRA women have to deal with the logistics of providing food and health care, even though only Kitty speaks Polish.
The story feels authentic, and it was really emotional. I really wanted everything to work out for the women and the refugees. It will stay with me.
The story feels authentic, and it was really emotional. I really wanted everything to work out for the women and the refugees. It will stay with me.
October 15, 2022
This book was beautiful! I loved the 3 primary stories and how they intertwined during & after their lives at the camp. It was a totally different perspective than anything I’ve read surrounding WW2 - with its focus on the aftermath and all the people still horrendously effected by the war for years after it ended.
There were some parts of the book that were a bit cheesy or cliche, but overall I loved how it ended and appreciated the hope that we were left with at the end.
There were some parts of the book that were a bit cheesy or cliche, but overall I loved how it ended and appreciated the hope that we were left with at the end.
August 10, 2022
Fluffy and predictable. Light on history, heavy on romance. Not what I look for in historical fiction.
January 4, 2023
gripping historical fiction
A Feather on the Water is gripping historical fiction, filled with both heartache and hope. The book tells the story of three brave women who leave their homes in America, Paris and England to work at a displaced person camp following the war. The women were inspirational, each of them having suffered during the war themselves, and now working to help hundreds of Polish refugees until they could be returned to their home country, or to be repatriated to a new land. There were hardships and challenges, as well as fear and horrible memories, but there was also a dream of a better future for them all. I had never read anything about these camps that housed the people who lost their homelands after suffering at the hands of the Nazis, and I’m grateful to the author for writing this novel.
A Feather on the Water is gripping historical fiction, filled with both heartache and hope. The book tells the story of three brave women who leave their homes in America, Paris and England to work at a displaced person camp following the war. The women were inspirational, each of them having suffered during the war themselves, and now working to help hundreds of Polish refugees until they could be returned to their home country, or to be repatriated to a new land. There were hardships and challenges, as well as fear and horrible memories, but there was also a dream of a better future for them all. I had never read anything about these camps that housed the people who lost their homelands after suffering at the hands of the Nazis, and I’m grateful to the author for writing this novel.
November 15, 2024
This was a fast read for me. I was sucked in by this historical book immediately and had a hard time putting down the story while I waited to understand what happened to the three women post World War II. A wonderful historical period piece.
July 6, 2025
I'm a big fan of WW2 books, so finding one that looked at "after the war" was a very interesting premise to me. The three main characters were all delightful, and it was easy to just fall into the story.
April 20, 2023
I loved this book. I'm a sucker for a good ww2 book. This followed 3 women who went and helped with the camps of displaced people after the end of the war. It was a story aboit friendship and love. The ending made me cry.
November 28, 2022
Interesting post WWII story of refugees and the camps they were held in and their efforts to get back home and find family and try to put their lives back together…
August 5, 2022
I loved this heartwarming book about 3 diverse women, all with hidden heartache and pasts, who converge on a post WW2 camp for displaced persons in Germany to work there. Featuring on the aftermath of war and the human consequences and many shattered lives, it introduced me to events I had no awareness of and things you don't really think about, which is what happens in the years after conflict.
The women bond really closely, as their hidden pasts emerge and despite their differences it becomes clear that they are united by tragedy which helps them in their harrowing work at the camp.
This was one of Amazon prime's free books of the month and I will definitely look for more books by the author as this was beautifully written.
The women bond really closely, as their hidden pasts emerge and despite their differences it becomes clear that they are united by tragedy which helps them in their harrowing work at the camp.
This was one of Amazon prime's free books of the month and I will definitely look for more books by the author as this was beautifully written.
August 6, 2022
Set in a displaced persons camp in postwar Germany, this is a well-written story of three women working for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. While I thought this was an absorbing and excellent read, I did feel most of the displaced persons were a mere backdrop for a story, rather than living, breathing people.
July 5, 2022
A Forgotten Era
I've read historical accounts of the post WWII era, but this is my first novel. It is an important time that's seldom talked about. After surviving the atrocities of the war, so many were abandoned, unable to go home and at the mercy of the care and regulation of others. The story focuses on three women, each who came with a personal burden, to run one of the camps for displaced persons. The story brings to life the fear, the grief, the hopelessness, the dehumanizing, the heavy burden of not knowing if your family survived, experienced by both the survivors and our protagonists. But the story all holds hope and faith and new beginnings. It's a story of perseverance and of caring enough to try and help those who desperately needed it, especially when the rest of the world closed their doors to them.!
I've read historical accounts of the post WWII era, but this is my first novel. It is an important time that's seldom talked about. After surviving the atrocities of the war, so many were abandoned, unable to go home and at the mercy of the care and regulation of others. The story focuses on three women, each who came with a personal burden, to run one of the camps for displaced persons. The story brings to life the fear, the grief, the hopelessness, the dehumanizing, the heavy burden of not knowing if your family survived, experienced by both the survivors and our protagonists. But the story all holds hope and faith and new beginnings. It's a story of perseverance and of caring enough to try and help those who desperately needed it, especially when the rest of the world closed their doors to them.!
July 11, 2022
Again I learned something from fiction. What happened to all the refugees and displaced survivors after WWII? That isn't something I had considered before although duh, there were so many of those poor people. This was a fictional account of an American run DP camp and the various people who worked in and passed through it. There was a lovely happy ending for all the main protagonists, so even though they were all a little cardboard, it was nice to have.
People suck, but there are individuals whose light definitely shines, and the people who tried to help all the desperate and hopeless ones after the horrors of the war are definitely among those.
People suck, but there are individuals whose light definitely shines, and the people who tried to help all the desperate and hopeless ones after the horrors of the war are definitely among those.
December 3, 2022
I give this a 2.5. It was okay, just not what I expected. This book had a strong start and a compelling premise. Three women arrive in postwar Germany to run/work in a displaced persons camp. I had never read anything about it, and I have always wondered. I wanted to read about different DPs and how they were able to begin again after the trauma and losses of war. Unfortunately, this book was not about that. This book devolved into three romances, making the camps seem like some sort of love resort. It had so much potential!
July 8, 2022
I got this book free on Amazon First Reads and chose it because it sounded very interesting, having read a few books set in WWII time, but never one immediately afterwards. It was very good in getting over the point that once war ends, there is still mistrust amongst countries and the situation for many many people is their situation does not end with the war, and can some times be worse. Also that is takes years to resolve issues with the people who have been made homeless with no country really to go to and the impact of this. The story was about one camp for "displaced people" and the condition and regulations they lived under. You cannot help but draw comparisons with refugees of today. This camp was run by 3 women who volunteered from different countries, backgrounds and reasons to work and run this camp. However, I felt there was a lack of depth to the writing so it did not convey the issues in a way I could really "feel". It was an interesting story but it didn't quite hit the spot for me. Also as the author of this book is British, I would expect to see it written using English spellings so points lost for that too.
July 11, 2023
*post WW2
*Bavaria
*healing
I highly recommend this book. Especially if you love historical fiction.
I have not read a book about what happened after WW2.
This story is about 3 women who come to Germany to help DPs (Displaced Persons) reintegrate back into life after being in concentration camps. Martha is escaping an abusive husband in NYC. Delphine is from Paris, France. Her husband and son were part of the underground French resistance. They were arrested and sent to Dachau. Delphine goes to Bavaria to find some closure. And Kitty was a Jewish child sent on the Kindertransport to England by her parents in Vienna, Austria. She is hoping that by going to Bavaria she can make her way back to Vienna to find out what happened to her parents.
Such a moving story about hope and healing.
*Bavaria
*healing
I highly recommend this book. Especially if you love historical fiction.
I have not read a book about what happened after WW2.
This story is about 3 women who come to Germany to help DPs (Displaced Persons) reintegrate back into life after being in concentration camps. Martha is escaping an abusive husband in NYC. Delphine is from Paris, France. Her husband and son were part of the underground French resistance. They were arrested and sent to Dachau. Delphine goes to Bavaria to find some closure. And Kitty was a Jewish child sent on the Kindertransport to England by her parents in Vienna, Austria. She is hoping that by going to Bavaria she can make her way back to Vienna to find out what happened to her parents.
Such a moving story about hope and healing.
January 25, 2023
4.5 ⭐
This novel starts after the end of WWII. It shows how displaced people found new places. I never thought about so many of the issues discussed. Germany's infrastructure and all those in the surrounding countries were damaged due to the war. Also people were never able to return to their country of origin or did not want to. Countries were very slow to take immigrants, yet all these people needed shelter, food, medical care etc. I enjoyed seeing a different historical view point of WWII.
This novel starts after the end of WWII. It shows how displaced people found new places. I never thought about so many of the issues discussed. Germany's infrastructure and all those in the surrounding countries were damaged due to the war. Also people were never able to return to their country of origin or did not want to. Countries were very slow to take immigrants, yet all these people needed shelter, food, medical care etc. I enjoyed seeing a different historical view point of WWII.
January 8, 2024
I enjoyed learning about the DP (displaced persons) camps that were set up in the existing concentration camps within Europe after WWII and the people that helped to run the camps after the war. This particular fiction story tells about the lives of 3 very different women who come together to help the survivors in one such camp. Interesting stuff about something I had never heard about.
I cannot imagine what is what like for some of the DPs having to be transported to work camps that were now their homes. Some of them couldn't return to their previous countries because it wasn't safe to do (because of communism, destroyed homes, etc.) or they were the last survivors of their families. I kept imagining what it must have been like for the surviving children who lost everyone.
Books that pull you in and manage to teach us about another time and place in history are definitely worth getting sucked into.
I cannot imagine what is what like for some of the DPs having to be transported to work camps that were now their homes. Some of them couldn't return to their previous countries because it wasn't safe to do (because of communism, destroyed homes, etc.) or they were the last survivors of their families. I kept imagining what it must have been like for the surviving children who lost everyone.
Books that pull you in and manage to teach us about another time and place in history are definitely worth getting sucked into.
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