Left Behind

by Elske Höweler

What would you give someone who saved your life?

Amsterdam 1945: During the last few months of WW2, Louise, a young mother living in Amsterdam, is hiding a Jewish girl with a baby in her attic. Her husband is on the run from the Nazis. Louise is cold, hungry, scared and has no way of knowing who to trust.

Will she be able to keep herself and her baby safe?

Fast-forward to 2018 and Sarah, Louise's granddaughter, has just lost her mum. When she travels back home to sort out her mother's estate, she finds her grandmother's wartime diary among her mum's belongings. A past she knew nothing about begins to unfold.

Will she discover the secret that has been kept from her all her life?




5.0 out of 5 stars A transporting and poignant tale of kindness, loss and courage… an unputdownable page-turner!"

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvellous book, particularly for WW2 historical literature and fiction fans. Shades of Anne Frank and her family, the author brings us a two story of Amsterdam and the huge challenges and sacrifices made by so many. Told over two eras the wonderfully written story keeps the reader engaged throughout and brings us to an unexpected ending where happiness is tinged with sadness, admiration and questions. Loved it.

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-told story that kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. The harrowing conditions that the people in Amsterdam lived in towards the end of the Second World War are described unflinchingly, and the tragedy of death that can devastate anyone at any time is thrown into sharp relief by the comparison of different timelines that carry through the book. Well worth a read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Completely Unputdownable! This book will captivate you from beginning to end. I read it in one day and suspect you will, too. It’s a story that would be interesting in any setting, but the setting chosen makes it really stand out. The characters are extremely well developed, and the plot superb. I am looking forward to Ms Höweler’s next book.

Genres: Historical Fiction

271 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2022

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an incredible book. I wanted to read something about the Dutch resistance in WWII but there is so much more to this one. Yes, there is an extraordinary story of a woman answering a knock at her back door in the middle of the night, hoping to find her husband but finding a terrified stranger with an infant. Their story is juxtaposed with a current one with a young woman coping with the unimaginable loss of a baby and then her mom. The two storylines are cleverly interwoven between Suffolk and Amsterdam and neatly tied up on the final page. I continue to be stunned by the courage shown by so many ordinary people during World War II who were determined to help strangers survive the Nazi regime. I highly recommend this book. It's one of the best I've read.

[Michael OKeane · Rating 5 out of 5]

marvellous book particularly for WW2 historical literature and fiction fans. Shades of Anne Frank and her family the author brings us a two story of Amsterdam and the huge challenges and scarifices made by so many. Told over two eras the wonderfully written story keeps the reader engaged throughout and brings us to an unexpected ending where happiness is tinged with sadness, admiration and questions. Loved it.

[Marguerite Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, heart gripping story.

This story grabs your attention from the first chapter. I lived through WWII and recently spent time in Amsterdam so it had extra meaning for me. The ending didn’t surprise me as I knew several war brides from Europe after the war. I had some knowledge of what they lived through.

[Simon Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-told story that kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. The harrowing conditions that the people in Amsterdam lived in towards the end of the Second World War is described unflinchingly, and the tragedy of death that can devastate anyone at any time is thrown into sharp relief by the comparison of different time lines that carry through the book. Well worth a read.

[Foxglove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three point five stars, rounded up. The plot was very good, and I liked that I could learn from the book. I did enjoy reading this in a sort of paradoxical way, seeing as it wasn’t a very positive book overall. Unfortunately I can’t rate this more stars than I’ve given because the writing style was so difficult to connect with that I couldn’t get fully immersed in the book. I don’t know what it was about it honestly. The book was genuinely good, and it wasn’t like the author wrote wrong or unpleasantly. But somehow, the words just failed to come to life. Maybe that’s just me, though. A decent read overall.

[Michael Wegner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely Unputdownable!

This book will captivate you from beginning to end. I read it in one day and suspect you will, too. It’s a story that would be interesting in any setting, but the setting chosen makes it really stand out. The characters are extremely well developed, and the plot superb. I am looking forward to Ms Höweler’s next book.

[Tyrean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Book

This beautiful book offers a search for lost history and a solace for the main character which resonates with the reader through gorgeous prose.

[Nancy Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a historical novel set in Amsterdam during the last few months of World War II as well as in modern times (2018). Sarah is dealing with the recent loss of her mum, as well as still grieving for her infant daughter Emma. She and her husband Paul find themselves distancing themselves from each other over their shared loss.

Traveling to Amsterdam to clean out her mother's house, Sarah discovers a diary written by her grandmother (Louise) during the last months of the war. The story centers on the diary and what is happening to Louise during this fearful time. One night while feeding her newborn daughter, Anna, she hears a knock on her door. To answer or not? She carefully opens the door to discover another young Jewish woman with a baby, and despite her fear and despite the danger, she hides the mother (Clara) and baby (Camille). Thus begins the tale, which unfolds a past that Sarah never knew about). Will she find out what happened to Clara and Camille? Will she discover what happened to her grandfather? Will she discover the secret that has been kept from her all her life?

A touching story even though there are moments of anxiety for the characters and surprises for the reader. Really loved the characters and the story.

So glad this reader discovered this novel. I'm not sure where I heard it mentioned, but I took the information and purchased a copy. I enjoy taking chances on debut authors and indie presses.

There were quite a few misused words throughout the novel (OF when it should have been OFF, for example) and even a few missing words...none of these would have been caught with a spellchecker, but with an extra set of eyes reading it carefully, they probably would have been.

[TheWorldOutsidetheWindow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and riveting. This was utterly compelling and I read it uncharacteristically quickly because it was such a page turner. There is an incredibly emotional plot twist towards the end, that had me in tears. Dedicated to all the women who acted bravely in WW2 but it is also a fitting tribute to all those little acts of kindness and heroism that restore your faith in the world. Personally, I found that the story dealt with the loss of a child incredibly sensitively, and in a way that felt so real. The Dutch aspect was also a fascinating draw for someone with Dutch ancestry and grandparents who kept their mixed race heritage to themselves... Also it was very well paced and the switching from past to modern day narratives was a very effective device.

[Myrtle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book it sucked me in completely. The storyline was really interesting and it was not repetitive. There was a couple of things though, one was that I figured out the mystery early on when the author gave clues with the eyes. Also I found editing issues, it was difficult to figure out who was speaking as the dialogue didn’t differentiate conversations after the quotation marks, the other person’s name would appear although not being the speaker.
I am not a fan of dual timelines and this one gave equal time to both but not overwhelmingly. These were minor issues for me as I enjoyed the story.

[Laura Gillibrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning, heart warming and heart breaking story. Ups and downs. A real story of love, life, survival, death and fighting for what’s right.

I’m so glad I popped into the Ipswich Book Festival and met you Elske, I’m sorry I didn’t stop and talk to you for longer but I was anxious about a new environment. Your book was even better than I’d hoped for.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good read! The plot and characters pull you in to their world and pull on your heart strings at all they encounter. If you enjoy historical fiction this is definitely a must read.

[Charlotte Burrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real page turner, really enjoyed reading this