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The Orphan's Mother
1945, the German-Polish border: With Nazis on one side and Soviet forces approaching on the other, a mother and her little boy are torn apart, and so begins an unforgettable tale of courage, heartbreak and motherhood in wartime.
“If you ever get lost, Jacob, you need to stay where you are and wait, because I’ll come looking for you. And I’ll always find you.”
In the icy grip of winter, Emma is trying to escape Poland, with her two young children and little more than the clothes on their backs. With the Russian Red Army advancing, she knows their safety relies on them crossing the border. She swears to herself that she’ll do whatever it takes to keep their family together.
But before they can reach the border, her little boy Jacob falls ill, his once-sparkling blue eyes getting dimmer with each moment that passes. And Emma knows she has to get him to a hospital, where she hands him to a kind nurse.
She feels sure they will be reunited the next day. But then the bombing starts. And when she reaches the hospital again, she finds it deserted, her darling son gone.
Though her heart tells her she has to stay and find him, she faces an impossible choice. She would risk her own life for Jacob in a heartbeat, but as her daughter Sophie’s cold, little hand slips into her own, Emma is forced to make a heartbreaking decision. Unable to find any trace of her beloved son, she knows she must at least get her daughter to safety.
But she can never forget the promise she made to her little boy. That if they were ever separated, she’d come looking for him. That she’d always find him.
Whatever the danger, whatever the risk. She knows what she has to do. Because there is nothing stronger than a mother’s love…
An utterly unforgettable and devastating story, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Stolen from her Mother and Sold on a Monday.
“If you ever get lost, Jacob, you need to stay where you are and wait, because I’ll come looking for you. And I’ll always find you.”
In the icy grip of winter, Emma is trying to escape Poland, with her two young children and little more than the clothes on their backs. With the Russian Red Army advancing, she knows their safety relies on them crossing the border. She swears to herself that she’ll do whatever it takes to keep their family together.
But before they can reach the border, her little boy Jacob falls ill, his once-sparkling blue eyes getting dimmer with each moment that passes. And Emma knows she has to get him to a hospital, where she hands him to a kind nurse.
She feels sure they will be reunited the next day. But then the bombing starts. And when she reaches the hospital again, she finds it deserted, her darling son gone.
Though her heart tells her she has to stay and find him, she faces an impossible choice. She would risk her own life for Jacob in a heartbeat, but as her daughter Sophie’s cold, little hand slips into her own, Emma is forced to make a heartbreaking decision. Unable to find any trace of her beloved son, she knows she must at least get her daughter to safety.
But she can never forget the promise she made to her little boy. That if they were ever separated, she’d come looking for him. That she’d always find him.
Whatever the danger, whatever the risk. She knows what she has to do. Because there is nothing stronger than a mother’s love…
An utterly unforgettable and devastating story, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Stolen from her Mother and Sold on a Monday.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 29, 2022
737 people are currently reading
830 people want to read
About the author
Marion Kummerow
118 books424 followersMarion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to "discover the world" and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she's now living with her family.
After dipping her toes with non-fiction books, she finally tackled the project dear to her heart. UNRELENTING is the story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime.
It's a book about resilience, love and the courage to stand up and do the right thing.
After dipping her toes with non-fiction books, she finally tackled the project dear to her heart. UNRELENTING is the story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime.
It's a book about resilience, love and the courage to stand up and do the right thing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
July 28, 2022
“She thought he was lost forever. Now she will stop at nothing to find him”
Whether, like myself, you read it first, or you choose to wait until you have finished the story, there is a ‘Letter from Marion’ found in the final acknowledgements, which you really do need to read. It tells how this book is in part based on the true story of a child whose experiences the author found out about whilst visiting the Friedland transit Camp Museum, at the former inner-German border near Gottingen, where she had gone to gain research material for an altogether different book, Endless Ordeal; although only the general concept is factual, with everything else being fictionally woven around the basic premise of a storyline idea.
Given the many WWII stories I have read over the past months, and just when I truly thought that there couldn’t be many more unique storylines out there, a book like this comes along, with perhaps the most heart-wrenching premise of them all. What happens when a mother, fleeing from liberators who mean them nothing but harm, is forced against her will to abandon her youngest child in what was once part of their homeland, but which has now, as war is nearing its conclusion, become land not only behind enemy lines, but also behind the Iron Curtain?
…
Emma, her husband Herbert and their two young children, Sophie 7 and Jacob 4, are amongst the many thousands of Germans living alongside the predominantly Polish population, in the Lodz area of Poland. Herbert is away fighting with the German forces against the advancing Russian war machine, although there has been no news of him for some time now and Emma secretly fears the worst. Whilst the Germans consider the Poles to be their inferiors in all ways and discourage any inter-racial mixing, unless it as employer and employee, the two communities have lived relatively peacefully, side-by-side, for many years. Emma has the added advantage that as well as her native German, she can get by relatively well speaking either Polish or Russian, although the children are German through and through. The German community have heard terrible things about the treatment they can expect to receive at the hands of the victorious Russian ‘liberators’.
Nearby in Posen, Irena and her husband Luka, a nurse and doctor respectively, although working at separate hospitals, are Catholic Polish, childless, and have reasons more than most to hate the German SS. Like most of their fellow countrymen, they are convinced that Russian forces will be their salvation and are only too pleased to see the hated German troops retreating towards their own border, although they are distraught when chaos ensues and all the Polish patients are literally thrown out of the hospital, to make way for sick German citizens and injured troops.
As part of a small group, Emma decides that taking her children and making her way back into Germany, then throwing herself on the mercy of the occupying Allied troops, is a far more palatable option than being taken and abused, or even worse, tortured and killed, by the Russians. Their trek begins in the depths of winter and is fated right from the very start, with just about anything that could go wrong, doing so. Jacob is taken seriously ill with a fever and bronchitis and his condition deteriorates rapidly in the terrible weather conditions and near starvation they must endure. The trek makes it to Posen and a refugee camp, where help is forthcoming, and Emma is given permission to take Jacob to the hospital, where amid the chaos of the retreating Germans, she is forced to hand him over at the doors and places him in the care of a nurse, called Irena, who will become a pivotal person in Jacob’s life, when the Russian advance happens more quickly than anticipated and is so much more vile and evil than anyone could have imagined.
The separation from Jacob is almost more than Emma can bear, although Jacob himself has the resilience of youth on his side and after a difficult period of re-adjustment, learns to accept and thrive in his new environment. His adoptive parents do everything they can to return him to his birth mother, although after a gap of more than seven years they have all but given up hope and are convinced that they will now legitimately be able to call Jacob their son from here on out. They are therefore mortified when contact is made with them by the Red Cross, who are still attempting to reunite displaced family members from across the world. With his formative years long forgotten, and now considering himself to be more Polish than German, Jacob rails against the upheaval about to be unleashed upon him again, but to little avail. Eventually resigning himself to his fate, he aims to make both his German and Polish parents proud of him and who he has become, although it will be 1989, with the lifting of the Iron Curtain, before Jacob will be able to fully reconcile his past with his present and embrace his multi-cultural childhood.
…
If that sounds like just a bit too much information, believe me, those are only the very bare bones of a story which tugged at the heart strings, like nothing I have read for some while and which led me on an ‘armchair journey’ which was always challenging and never comfortable, which is exactly as it should have been.
Rich in both character and location detail, this well-structured, atmospheric and highly textured, multi-layered storyline, is compassionately and seamlessly narrated in alternating, well signposted chapters, by two families on separate sides of the Iron Curtain, so close and yet so far apart. The writing is evocative, poignant, fluent and well-paced, with several unexpectedly intense and emotional moments, which are perceptive, intuitive, often raw and passionate, yet profoundly touching, highlighting both the fragility and resilience of the human mind, whilst uncovering the long-term and unseen effects the trauma of grief and loss can have. The story explores the lengths a parent will go to and the sacrifices they will make, to keep their child safe from harm and the gut-wrenching feelings of failure when they are unable to protect them as they feel they should.
The characters are well developed, complex and authentic to their place in time, although that made them not always easy to relate to, or invest in. Circumstances meant that everyone was searching for a sense of belonging and closure, on what had been a tumultuous period in all their lives, which made them compelling and emotionally vulnerable, frail yet with an amazing inner strength and tenacity to rebuild their shattered hopes and dreams.
What always makes reading such a wonderful experience for me, is that with each and every new book, I am taken on a unique and individual journey, by authors who fire my imagination, stir my emotions and stimulate my senses. This story definitely had the power to evoke so many feelings, that I’m sure I won’t have felt the same way about it as the last reader, nor the next, so I can only recommend that you read The Orphan’s Mother for yourself and see where your journey leads you!
Whether, like myself, you read it first, or you choose to wait until you have finished the story, there is a ‘Letter from Marion’ found in the final acknowledgements, which you really do need to read. It tells how this book is in part based on the true story of a child whose experiences the author found out about whilst visiting the Friedland transit Camp Museum, at the former inner-German border near Gottingen, where she had gone to gain research material for an altogether different book, Endless Ordeal; although only the general concept is factual, with everything else being fictionally woven around the basic premise of a storyline idea.
Given the many WWII stories I have read over the past months, and just when I truly thought that there couldn’t be many more unique storylines out there, a book like this comes along, with perhaps the most heart-wrenching premise of them all. What happens when a mother, fleeing from liberators who mean them nothing but harm, is forced against her will to abandon her youngest child in what was once part of their homeland, but which has now, as war is nearing its conclusion, become land not only behind enemy lines, but also behind the Iron Curtain?
…
Emma, her husband Herbert and their two young children, Sophie 7 and Jacob 4, are amongst the many thousands of Germans living alongside the predominantly Polish population, in the Lodz area of Poland. Herbert is away fighting with the German forces against the advancing Russian war machine, although there has been no news of him for some time now and Emma secretly fears the worst. Whilst the Germans consider the Poles to be their inferiors in all ways and discourage any inter-racial mixing, unless it as employer and employee, the two communities have lived relatively peacefully, side-by-side, for many years. Emma has the added advantage that as well as her native German, she can get by relatively well speaking either Polish or Russian, although the children are German through and through. The German community have heard terrible things about the treatment they can expect to receive at the hands of the victorious Russian ‘liberators’.
Nearby in Posen, Irena and her husband Luka, a nurse and doctor respectively, although working at separate hospitals, are Catholic Polish, childless, and have reasons more than most to hate the German SS. Like most of their fellow countrymen, they are convinced that Russian forces will be their salvation and are only too pleased to see the hated German troops retreating towards their own border, although they are distraught when chaos ensues and all the Polish patients are literally thrown out of the hospital, to make way for sick German citizens and injured troops.
As part of a small group, Emma decides that taking her children and making her way back into Germany, then throwing herself on the mercy of the occupying Allied troops, is a far more palatable option than being taken and abused, or even worse, tortured and killed, by the Russians. Their trek begins in the depths of winter and is fated right from the very start, with just about anything that could go wrong, doing so. Jacob is taken seriously ill with a fever and bronchitis and his condition deteriorates rapidly in the terrible weather conditions and near starvation they must endure. The trek makes it to Posen and a refugee camp, where help is forthcoming, and Emma is given permission to take Jacob to the hospital, where amid the chaos of the retreating Germans, she is forced to hand him over at the doors and places him in the care of a nurse, called Irena, who will become a pivotal person in Jacob’s life, when the Russian advance happens more quickly than anticipated and is so much more vile and evil than anyone could have imagined.
The separation from Jacob is almost more than Emma can bear, although Jacob himself has the resilience of youth on his side and after a difficult period of re-adjustment, learns to accept and thrive in his new environment. His adoptive parents do everything they can to return him to his birth mother, although after a gap of more than seven years they have all but given up hope and are convinced that they will now legitimately be able to call Jacob their son from here on out. They are therefore mortified when contact is made with them by the Red Cross, who are still attempting to reunite displaced family members from across the world. With his formative years long forgotten, and now considering himself to be more Polish than German, Jacob rails against the upheaval about to be unleashed upon him again, but to little avail. Eventually resigning himself to his fate, he aims to make both his German and Polish parents proud of him and who he has become, although it will be 1989, with the lifting of the Iron Curtain, before Jacob will be able to fully reconcile his past with his present and embrace his multi-cultural childhood.
…
If that sounds like just a bit too much information, believe me, those are only the very bare bones of a story which tugged at the heart strings, like nothing I have read for some while and which led me on an ‘armchair journey’ which was always challenging and never comfortable, which is exactly as it should have been.
Rich in both character and location detail, this well-structured, atmospheric and highly textured, multi-layered storyline, is compassionately and seamlessly narrated in alternating, well signposted chapters, by two families on separate sides of the Iron Curtain, so close and yet so far apart. The writing is evocative, poignant, fluent and well-paced, with several unexpectedly intense and emotional moments, which are perceptive, intuitive, often raw and passionate, yet profoundly touching, highlighting both the fragility and resilience of the human mind, whilst uncovering the long-term and unseen effects the trauma of grief and loss can have. The story explores the lengths a parent will go to and the sacrifices they will make, to keep their child safe from harm and the gut-wrenching feelings of failure when they are unable to protect them as they feel they should.
The characters are well developed, complex and authentic to their place in time, although that made them not always easy to relate to, or invest in. Circumstances meant that everyone was searching for a sense of belonging and closure, on what had been a tumultuous period in all their lives, which made them compelling and emotionally vulnerable, frail yet with an amazing inner strength and tenacity to rebuild their shattered hopes and dreams.
What always makes reading such a wonderful experience for me, is that with each and every new book, I am taken on a unique and individual journey, by authors who fire my imagination, stir my emotions and stimulate my senses. This story definitely had the power to evoke so many feelings, that I’m sure I won’t have felt the same way about it as the last reader, nor the next, so I can only recommend that you read The Orphan’s Mother for yourself and see where your journey leads you!
June 13, 2022
Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Bookoutune and the author Marion Kummerow for a copy of the book to read.
This book was a good read, it was predictable as knew what was going to happen. This tells a story of two women,Emma and her two children have to decide to leave there hometown of Lodz as the Russians are coming. They leave on a long journey when her son gets sick he needs medical attention will she carry on her journey or leave her child behind.The other woman is polish shes married and s nurse she lost a child beaten by the Germans it's a story of there struggles.there stories combine and emotional historical read.
This book was a good read, it was predictable as knew what was going to happen. This tells a story of two women,Emma and her two children have to decide to leave there hometown of Lodz as the Russians are coming. They leave on a long journey when her son gets sick he needs medical attention will she carry on her journey or leave her child behind.The other woman is polish shes married and s nurse she lost a child beaten by the Germans it's a story of there struggles.there stories combine and emotional historical read.
June 29, 2022
“My heart is with the children. They always suffer most in a war, without ever having had a say in it.”
I truly value Marion Kummerow’s passion and dedication to historical fiction. It’s been wonderful to find an author who not only loves writing and researching but also one whose work reflects that passion. She is a natural storyteller whose research always reveals a unique slice of history. One only has to read a few pages to know Kummerow has put her whole heart into the book.
Kummerow takes us on a journey with the Oppermann family as they narrowly escape the rapidly advancing Red Army and flee from their home in German-occupied Lodz, Poland in late 1944. Along the way we read about the horrors that awaited them - horrors they willingly faced, knowing that “nothing would come close to the treatment they would have received in their hometown.” Their journey intersects with Irena, a nurse in a hospital in Posen, as well as the German Red Cross. Kummerow takes this opportunity to inform readers of the many children who were separated from their families during war and highlights the desperation and exhausting attempts towards reunification.
I have no doubt that Kummerow can hear her characters speak to her. When I read about the inspiration for this book, I could imagine the little boy in the photo calling to her. As soon as I started reading, I could tell that Kummerow was familiar with her characters and had some sort of intuitive sense of what they would have done or said. One needs only to read about the children’s conversations on the way to the refugee camp to come to the same conclusion. I don’t have children, but the moment I read, “Wo ist meine Mama?”, my heart broke and I could deeply feel the agony both the children and mothers were experiencing. Grab tissues before you read.
You’ll want to read this wartime fiction not only because the author’s characters are spectacular, but also because Kummerow allows readers to see things from a child’s perspective, she is a visceral writer who’s done enough research to make her setting authentic, and she presents a unique slice of WW2 history.
I was gifted this advance copy by Marion Kummerow, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
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July 24, 2022Both emotional and heartbreaking The Orphan's Mother will have you reaching for the tissues.
August 1, 2022
Emma, her husband Herbert and their two children, Sophie 7 and Jacob 4, are some of the many Germans living alongside the predominantly Polish population, in Lodz, Poland. The Germans look down on the Poles and treat them badly, as inferior persons. The Poles are praying for the Russians to arrive and liberate them, the Germans are fleeing for their lives, hearing about the atrocities perpetrated by the troops. Herbert is in the Wehrmacht fighting against the advancing Russians, but he made Emma promise to get their children to safety in Germany if the Russians got close. Emma and her children, along with neighbours and their families join together to try and get to Western Germany. At least the British will be in charge and they are known to be more humane. The weather is terrible and some die, while others get very sick on the trek. Jacob is near death's door when the group arrives in Posen and Emma leaves Jacob overnight at the Catholic Hospital for treatment. She plans on going back the next day to get him, but that doesn't happen due to the Russians arriving and all Germans being evacuated. Irena is a Polish nurse who works on the children's ward and when the hospital is evacuated, no on comes to get little Jacob. Not knowing what else to do, she takes him home to protect him, hoping to find his mother the next day. It doesn't happen. Irena and her doctor husband Luka are childless, and agree to foster Jacob/Jakub until the Red Cross can find his family. Will Jacob ever be reunited with his family? Will Emma ever give up looking for her baby boy?
I read a lot of historical fiction, especially surrounding the time before, during and after WW2, so I am always looking for unique stories. Once again, Marion Kummerow has found a series of events that are not well known. Please make sure you read the author's note at the end of the book, to find out the inspiration for this story, as well as what parts are fiction and what the story is based on. My heart broke for Emma. As a mother, I know I would give up my life to protect my children, but when you have another child who also needs you, those decisions become difficult. Sophie was hard to like, but I had to keep reminding myself that she was just a child herself and everything that happened to her and her family affected her during that all important period of development. Then there is Jacob. This young boy was abandoned with people he couldn't even understand. He had no idea what had really happened or what his mother was going through. He found a family, was adopted and was loved, what more could he want? This is a heartbreaking story about war and the effects on the families, the difficult decisions they had to make, the situations they dealt with and the ramifications into the future. If you enjoy historical fiction, especially about events and organizations that are not that well known, then I recommend you pick up The Orphan's Mother by Marion Kummerow.
I read a lot of historical fiction, especially surrounding the time before, during and after WW2, so I am always looking for unique stories. Once again, Marion Kummerow has found a series of events that are not well known. Please make sure you read the author's note at the end of the book, to find out the inspiration for this story, as well as what parts are fiction and what the story is based on. My heart broke for Emma. As a mother, I know I would give up my life to protect my children, but when you have another child who also needs you, those decisions become difficult. Sophie was hard to like, but I had to keep reminding myself that she was just a child herself and everything that happened to her and her family affected her during that all important period of development. Then there is Jacob. This young boy was abandoned with people he couldn't even understand. He had no idea what had really happened or what his mother was going through. He found a family, was adopted and was loved, what more could he want? This is a heartbreaking story about war and the effects on the families, the difficult decisions they had to make, the situations they dealt with and the ramifications into the future. If you enjoy historical fiction, especially about events and organizations that are not that well known, then I recommend you pick up The Orphan's Mother by Marion Kummerow.
July 17, 2022
The Orphans Mother centres mainly around two women, Emma, and Irena. These women could not be more different. Emma is a German mother of 2 children who is fleeing her hometown to escape the Russian Army, Irena is a polish nurse working in a hospital who is desperate to have children with her husband but is unable to have them. By a twist of fate, the paths of these women cross in a time of confusion and brutality linking them together for ever.
After an arduous journey in harsh conditions Emma is forced to leave her son Jacob in a polish run hospital whilst she takes up residence in a nearby refugee camp. When they are forced to flee she is unable to get back in time for her son and she reluctantly has to abandon him in the hope that somehow he will be safe, and she will eventually be able to go back for him. Irena finds Jacob scared and alone and in a moment’s decision takes him home with her. To keep him safe she adopts him and despite the rocky start due to mistrust and the inability to communicate eventually Jacob comes to accept Irena as his mother.
This is a heart wrenching and heart-warming story in equal measure. Emma has had to make some tough choices in her life in order to stay alive and protect her children. You can’t help but feel for her and understand her actions as they are ones I am grateful I have never had to make. She was forced into a situation that she did her best with, eventually managing to make a new life but she still wanted to fill the hole left by her missing son.
I admired Irena for her compassion in taking in a child of someone who she would see as the enemy, even if there was a partially selfish motive behind it. Her actions could have landed her in trouble as she was essentially harbouring someone who would have been seen as the enemy even though they were only a child. And then there is Jacob. His struggles to understand what was going on and to finally accept and adapt to what had happened to him is heart-breaking and as he is finally settled his world gets torn apart again.
I have quickly become a fan of Marion Kummerow books, and this is just another brilliant addition to her catalogue
After an arduous journey in harsh conditions Emma is forced to leave her son Jacob in a polish run hospital whilst she takes up residence in a nearby refugee camp. When they are forced to flee she is unable to get back in time for her son and she reluctantly has to abandon him in the hope that somehow he will be safe, and she will eventually be able to go back for him. Irena finds Jacob scared and alone and in a moment’s decision takes him home with her. To keep him safe she adopts him and despite the rocky start due to mistrust and the inability to communicate eventually Jacob comes to accept Irena as his mother.
This is a heart wrenching and heart-warming story in equal measure. Emma has had to make some tough choices in her life in order to stay alive and protect her children. You can’t help but feel for her and understand her actions as they are ones I am grateful I have never had to make. She was forced into a situation that she did her best with, eventually managing to make a new life but she still wanted to fill the hole left by her missing son.
I admired Irena for her compassion in taking in a child of someone who she would see as the enemy, even if there was a partially selfish motive behind it. Her actions could have landed her in trouble as she was essentially harbouring someone who would have been seen as the enemy even though they were only a child. And then there is Jacob. His struggles to understand what was going on and to finally accept and adapt to what had happened to him is heart-breaking and as he is finally settled his world gets torn apart again.
I have quickly become a fan of Marion Kummerow books, and this is just another brilliant addition to her catalogue
August 2, 2022
On the Germany and Poland Border 1945, German Nazi’s are invading Poland and soon take over Lodz. Emma needs to escape Poland in order to survive and her first priority is to keep her family safe and together. The Russians are advancing and Emma knows it’s now or never…they must flee. Emma leaves with her two young children and all they have is the clothes they are wearing. It’s the middle of winter and the middle of the night, and just before she reaches the border, her son Jacob is sick. Emma needs to get Jacob to the hospital and fast. Jacob spends the night in the hospital and Emma knows it’s just one night and he needs the help to get well. Emma arrives back at the hospital early the next morning only to find the hospital deserted and Jacob is gone.
This heart-breaking and emotional story had me in tears so many times. It is sure to tug at your heartstrings over and over again. I devoured this book in one sitting as it is completely unputdownable. This is a story of a mother’s unconditional love for her children, and willingness to do anything and everything for their survival. The courage portrayed by people in these horrific times is so inspiring. The determination that they demonstrated, and the hope that they had to reunite families that were torn apart, is absolutely heart-breaking. This story is full of believable characters and ones that you are sure to form an emotional attachment to. Make sure you have the box of tissues nearby when you read this one as you will definitely need them.
Thank you Marion Kummerow for such a wonderful story. I found this book to be captivating and very emotional. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I definitely recommend it.
This heart-breaking and emotional story had me in tears so many times. It is sure to tug at your heartstrings over and over again. I devoured this book in one sitting as it is completely unputdownable. This is a story of a mother’s unconditional love for her children, and willingness to do anything and everything for their survival. The courage portrayed by people in these horrific times is so inspiring. The determination that they demonstrated, and the hope that they had to reunite families that were torn apart, is absolutely heart-breaking. This story is full of believable characters and ones that you are sure to form an emotional attachment to. Make sure you have the box of tissues nearby when you read this one as you will definitely need them.
Thank you Marion Kummerow for such a wonderful story. I found this book to be captivating and very emotional. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I definitely recommend it.
July 28, 2022
I received this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
⚠️Trigger Warning for Storylines⚠️
( Miscarriage/ Infertility)
Emma must make the heartbreaking decision to leave the only home she’s ever known and flee to ensure the safety of her children, she’s also leaving behind her husband Herbert who’s away in the Army fighting the Russians.
How will she find him and tell him that they’ve had to flee ?.
A terrible tragedy strikes when they are well into the journey to find refuge.
Irena is a Nurse on the children’s ward of a hospital who is still coming to terms with losing her baby after a brutal attack which left her infertile.
I really felt for both women as they had to endure situations that nobody ever should.
This was was a very poignant read that made me so sad to think that real people actually lived through that and survived.
⚠️Trigger Warning for Storylines⚠️
( Miscarriage/ Infertility)
Emma must make the heartbreaking decision to leave the only home she’s ever known and flee to ensure the safety of her children, she’s also leaving behind her husband Herbert who’s away in the Army fighting the Russians.
How will she find him and tell him that they’ve had to flee ?.
A terrible tragedy strikes when they are well into the journey to find refuge.
Irena is a Nurse on the children’s ward of a hospital who is still coming to terms with losing her baby after a brutal attack which left her infertile.
I really felt for both women as they had to endure situations that nobody ever should.
This was was a very poignant read that made me so sad to think that real people actually lived through that and survived.
July 20, 2022
It’s 1945 Emma has had to leave her home as the Russians are advancing towards the town of Lodz. She has joined a caravan of people heading to a cousin of the organiser Agatha. Her husband is away fighting and the journey with two small children is traumatic and cold and debilitating. Her son Jacob takes ill and on arrival she rushes him to the already overcrowded hospital and isn't allowed to stay. The hospital was one which took the Polish. Now the Germans have cleared it of “subhumans” for their own “upstanding German citizens”. Emma returns the next morning to find the hospital has been evacuated as the Russians are almost upon them- her son Jacob having disappeared. She too has to leave and for the sake of her daughter Sophie must get them both to safety. How is she going to find Jacob and who would have taken him or looked after him?
I quickly got into this and found it interesting as it gives a different perspective on the end of the war era. That even facing defeat, the nazis still reigned with an iron fist and would quickly kill anyone defying their orders or beliefs. A wonderful, interesting read that absorbed me.
For more reviews please follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog
I quickly got into this and found it interesting as it gives a different perspective on the end of the war era. That even facing defeat, the nazis still reigned with an iron fist and would quickly kill anyone defying their orders or beliefs. A wonderful, interesting read that absorbed me.
For more reviews please follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog
August 1, 2022
The Orphan’s Mother by Marion Kummerow is a story packed full of emotion, heartbreak, sacrifice, questions and a horrible dilemma. What do you do when faced with the toughest decision you will ever make in your life? Is choosing one child over another the right thing to do? What happens when said decision has deep impacting consequences that change the course of the person involved life forever? When faced with a decision that must be made in a split instant how do you know that you have made the right one? Can you live with what you have done knowing the outcome may not be as a positive one? This is a story that focuses on two families during the later part of World War Two. Both are different in their construction, but they are families none the less and the themes of love, sacrifice, courage and remorse all feature heavily throughout.
There was no messing about with a long-winded unnecessary introduction instead we got to the heart of the story straightaway and the book was all the better for it. The story is set in Poland and alternates between Emma and Irena. Emma’s husband Herbert is away fighting the Russians. Her family are of German origin and live in the city of Lodz and she has two young children Sophie aged 7 and Jacob aged four. Irena is Polish and a nurse on a children’s ward in the city of Posen and married to a doctor named Luka. War has torn their lives apart but they are about to be tested even more as the Russians advance further throughout Poland. For Irena it means her city will be freed from German control but for Emma her home place is about to be overrun and what potentially could occur doesn’t even bear thinking about.
Both women face many challenges and tough decisions. Decisions that need to be made in the spur of the moment but the ramifications of which will be felt for many years to come. Faith, hope and love will sustain the main characters through the most desperate of times but a mothers love for her child will always shine through. Emma makes the decision to leave Lodz with a small group for she knows to stay will spell the worst fate for her little family. They travel through the harsh Polish winter but as they do so Jacob becomes dangerously ill. The scenes on the trek were so vividly described. The cold biting air that meant every layer of clothing one possessed had to be worn. The strength required to pull the carts holding their meagre possessions. The hunger and bone-weary tiredness but yet the hope that once they reach Posen they will be able to get a train which will take them to Germany. People of German origin had looked down on the native Poles viewing them as an inferior race with little intellect but now the tables have turned and the Poles are rearing up and desperately hoping the Russians reach them quickly so they can recoup their freedom. But war is an ugly thing and as they reach the city Jacob is very ill.
Emma was an amazing mother. She kept going against a wave of obstacles with her goals planted firmly in her sight - to get her children to safety, to reunite with her husband and to survive the war. But all is not as she would have wished and Posen is no longer safe. The Germans resident in the city and the incoming refugees are ordered to evacuate. As she tried to make it to the hospital where she left Jacob to receive help she battles against a wave of people. She is under pressure, time is running out and the German soldiers are fierce in their insistence that everyone moves forward not backward. Emma is faced with the toughest decision she has ever had to make. Does she go against orders and make it to get Jacob or does she consider Sophie and get to the train that is evacuating people?
I don’t know how she made such a decision and I’m sure that although this is a work of fiction many women could possibly have been facing the same choice due to various circumstances. I don’t think it was a case of Emma choosing one child over another and she knows she will have to live with the aftermath of her decision. She has to keep faith that as she boards the train to leave that someone may have sheltered Jacob. For surely he would not have been left in the hospital all alone as the Russians drew ever closer? She’ll get Sophie to safety and come back for Jacob. After all she has told Jacob to never run away or try to find her but to stay in the same place and she will come looking for him. She clings to this belief as her story takes on several twists and turns. It was an utterly heart-breaking thing for Emma to have to do and you couldn’t even contemplate what you would do if you were in the same situation.
On the opposite side of the coin is Irena who has suffered a great loss that eats away at her daily. She has never been the same woman and although she works diligently on the children’s ward at night she goes home and cries herself to sleep. Irena is from a totally different background to Emma but their love of children is a common bond that ties them together. What was really good about this book is that a well rounded viewpoint was offered regarding both situations that develop. It made the reader stop and think and not be too judgemental. For both women make incredible sacrifices that come with so much risk and danger. It highlighted how in times of war people will do things that never thought themselves capable of. They become selfless in their actions.
I’ll admit within the first few chapters I could sense where the threads of the story were going but not the actual specific details. Subsequently, when Irena makes a quick judgement her strength of character can’t be denied. She takes in Jacob not knowing anything of his family history and not being able to communicate with him due to them speaking different languages. What she has done may seem foolhardy and rash to some and if the authorities discovered his true heritage the results do not even bear contemplation. But it shows what bravery and courage she had and Luka too. I loved that we got to see Jacob’s point of view with regard to everything he was experiencing. He feels abandoned and that his mother never loved him. He is to blame for the situation they found themselves in and for getting ill. The innocence of a four year old comes through and your heart breaks for him as it really does for everyone involved. For I believe, there was no right or wrong choice for you must do what you feel is right at that very moment. There wasn’t time to think long term only to think immediate survival is of the utmost importance.
The story developed very well in the later half of the book and the reader is constantly thinking about things and asking oneself what would you do in the same situation? Things weren’t clear cut at all and you questioned whether Jacob would ever be reunited with his family. But a lot of water flows under the bridge and I loved the exploration of the situation in Europe post war and how things didn’t go back to normal for quite some time. Does Jacob make it back to his family? But who are his family? How do experiences mould and shape us? Does unconditional love win through? How can we repair ourselves after trauma, loss and horror? To discover the answers to all these questions and many more I suggest you grab yourself a copy of The Orphan’s Mother. It’s well worth a read.
There was no messing about with a long-winded unnecessary introduction instead we got to the heart of the story straightaway and the book was all the better for it. The story is set in Poland and alternates between Emma and Irena. Emma’s husband Herbert is away fighting the Russians. Her family are of German origin and live in the city of Lodz and she has two young children Sophie aged 7 and Jacob aged four. Irena is Polish and a nurse on a children’s ward in the city of Posen and married to a doctor named Luka. War has torn their lives apart but they are about to be tested even more as the Russians advance further throughout Poland. For Irena it means her city will be freed from German control but for Emma her home place is about to be overrun and what potentially could occur doesn’t even bear thinking about.
Both women face many challenges and tough decisions. Decisions that need to be made in the spur of the moment but the ramifications of which will be felt for many years to come. Faith, hope and love will sustain the main characters through the most desperate of times but a mothers love for her child will always shine through. Emma makes the decision to leave Lodz with a small group for she knows to stay will spell the worst fate for her little family. They travel through the harsh Polish winter but as they do so Jacob becomes dangerously ill. The scenes on the trek were so vividly described. The cold biting air that meant every layer of clothing one possessed had to be worn. The strength required to pull the carts holding their meagre possessions. The hunger and bone-weary tiredness but yet the hope that once they reach Posen they will be able to get a train which will take them to Germany. People of German origin had looked down on the native Poles viewing them as an inferior race with little intellect but now the tables have turned and the Poles are rearing up and desperately hoping the Russians reach them quickly so they can recoup their freedom. But war is an ugly thing and as they reach the city Jacob is very ill.
Emma was an amazing mother. She kept going against a wave of obstacles with her goals planted firmly in her sight - to get her children to safety, to reunite with her husband and to survive the war. But all is not as she would have wished and Posen is no longer safe. The Germans resident in the city and the incoming refugees are ordered to evacuate. As she tried to make it to the hospital where she left Jacob to receive help she battles against a wave of people. She is under pressure, time is running out and the German soldiers are fierce in their insistence that everyone moves forward not backward. Emma is faced with the toughest decision she has ever had to make. Does she go against orders and make it to get Jacob or does she consider Sophie and get to the train that is evacuating people?
I don’t know how she made such a decision and I’m sure that although this is a work of fiction many women could possibly have been facing the same choice due to various circumstances. I don’t think it was a case of Emma choosing one child over another and she knows she will have to live with the aftermath of her decision. She has to keep faith that as she boards the train to leave that someone may have sheltered Jacob. For surely he would not have been left in the hospital all alone as the Russians drew ever closer? She’ll get Sophie to safety and come back for Jacob. After all she has told Jacob to never run away or try to find her but to stay in the same place and she will come looking for him. She clings to this belief as her story takes on several twists and turns. It was an utterly heart-breaking thing for Emma to have to do and you couldn’t even contemplate what you would do if you were in the same situation.
On the opposite side of the coin is Irena who has suffered a great loss that eats away at her daily. She has never been the same woman and although she works diligently on the children’s ward at night she goes home and cries herself to sleep. Irena is from a totally different background to Emma but their love of children is a common bond that ties them together. What was really good about this book is that a well rounded viewpoint was offered regarding both situations that develop. It made the reader stop and think and not be too judgemental. For both women make incredible sacrifices that come with so much risk and danger. It highlighted how in times of war people will do things that never thought themselves capable of. They become selfless in their actions.
I’ll admit within the first few chapters I could sense where the threads of the story were going but not the actual specific details. Subsequently, when Irena makes a quick judgement her strength of character can’t be denied. She takes in Jacob not knowing anything of his family history and not being able to communicate with him due to them speaking different languages. What she has done may seem foolhardy and rash to some and if the authorities discovered his true heritage the results do not even bear contemplation. But it shows what bravery and courage she had and Luka too. I loved that we got to see Jacob’s point of view with regard to everything he was experiencing. He feels abandoned and that his mother never loved him. He is to blame for the situation they found themselves in and for getting ill. The innocence of a four year old comes through and your heart breaks for him as it really does for everyone involved. For I believe, there was no right or wrong choice for you must do what you feel is right at that very moment. There wasn’t time to think long term only to think immediate survival is of the utmost importance.
The story developed very well in the later half of the book and the reader is constantly thinking about things and asking oneself what would you do in the same situation? Things weren’t clear cut at all and you questioned whether Jacob would ever be reunited with his family. But a lot of water flows under the bridge and I loved the exploration of the situation in Europe post war and how things didn’t go back to normal for quite some time. Does Jacob make it back to his family? But who are his family? How do experiences mould and shape us? Does unconditional love win through? How can we repair ourselves after trauma, loss and horror? To discover the answers to all these questions and many more I suggest you grab yourself a copy of The Orphan’s Mother. It’s well worth a read.
September 11, 2022
This is a story that I think will stay with me forever, at times I had tears streaming down my face. It's a heartwrenching WWII story that is written so beautifully with precision and care. I could not stop turning the pages, it was so absorbing that I read the whole story in a few hours. I loved how it told the story from both points of few in the war. I highly recommend reading this. Thank you netgalley and bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
1945, the German-Polish border: With Nazis on one side and Soviet forces approaching on the other, a mother and her little boy are torn apart, and so begins an unforgettable tale of courage, heartbreak and motherhood in wartime.
“If you ever get lost, Jacob, you need to stay where you are and wait, because I’ll come looking for you. And I’ll always find you.”
In the icy grip of winter, Emma is trying to escape Poland, with her two young children and little more than the clothes on their backs. With the Russian Red Army advancing, she knows their safety relies on them crossing the border. She swears to herself that she’ll do whatever it takes to keep their family together.
But before they can reach the border, her little boy Jacob falls ill, his once-sparkling blue eyes getting dimmer with each moment that passes. And Emma knows she has to get him to a hospital, where she hands him to a kind nurse.
She feels sure they will be reunited the next day. But then the bombing starts. And when she reaches the hospital again, she finds it deserted, her darling son gone.
Though her heart tells her she has to stay and find him, she faces an impossible choice. She would risk her own life for Jacob in a heartbeat, but as her daughter Sophie’s cold, little hand slips into her own, Emma is forced to make a heartbreaking decision. Unable to find any trace of her beloved son, she knows she must at least get her daughter to safety.
But she can never forget the promise she made to her little boy. That if they were ever separated, she’d come looking for him. That she’d always find him.
Whatever the danger, whatever the risk. She knows what she has to do. Because there is nothing stronger than a mother’s love…
#netgalley #theorphansmother
My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
1945, the German-Polish border: With Nazis on one side and Soviet forces approaching on the other, a mother and her little boy are torn apart, and so begins an unforgettable tale of courage, heartbreak and motherhood in wartime.
“If you ever get lost, Jacob, you need to stay where you are and wait, because I’ll come looking for you. And I’ll always find you.”
In the icy grip of winter, Emma is trying to escape Poland, with her two young children and little more than the clothes on their backs. With the Russian Red Army advancing, she knows their safety relies on them crossing the border. She swears to herself that she’ll do whatever it takes to keep their family together.
But before they can reach the border, her little boy Jacob falls ill, his once-sparkling blue eyes getting dimmer with each moment that passes. And Emma knows she has to get him to a hospital, where she hands him to a kind nurse.
She feels sure they will be reunited the next day. But then the bombing starts. And when she reaches the hospital again, she finds it deserted, her darling son gone.
Though her heart tells her she has to stay and find him, she faces an impossible choice. She would risk her own life for Jacob in a heartbeat, but as her daughter Sophie’s cold, little hand slips into her own, Emma is forced to make a heartbreaking decision. Unable to find any trace of her beloved son, she knows she must at least get her daughter to safety.
But she can never forget the promise she made to her little boy. That if they were ever separated, she’d come looking for him. That she’d always find him.
Whatever the danger, whatever the risk. She knows what she has to do. Because there is nothing stronger than a mother’s love…
#netgalley #theorphansmother
October 24, 2022
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Keep the biggest box of tissues you can find handy while reading Marion Kummerow’s The Orphan’s Mother because this book is so poignant and moving it will sever your heartstrings.
With the Red Russian army advancing ever closer, Emma is desperate to escape Poland. With her two children relying on her, Emma is willing to do whatever it takes to get them to safety, so in the icy grip of winter, the little family flees the country with just the clothes on their backs and their hearts full of hope of a brighter future ahead. However, Emma’s plans are thwarted when her son Jacob falls ill. In desperate need of medical attention, a distraught Emma takes him to hospital and hands him over to a kindly nurse. Emma promises Jacob that they will be reunited the very next day and that she will always be by his side to protect him. However, the next day, Emma returns to the hospital and finds it deserted and her son gone.
Beside herself with worry about her son’s whereabouts and heartbroken that she broke her promise to him that they will always be together, Emma is determined to move mountains to find Jacob. However, Jacob is not her sole priority as she has her daughter Sophie to think about as well. Getting Sophie to safety becomes paramount to Emma – but so too does her determination to be reunited with her son.
Will Emma ever manage to get her family back together again? Can she get them all to safety? Or will all of her sacrifices prove to be in vain?
If The Orphan’s Mother does not make you sob like a baby, I don’t know what will. A fantastic historical tale of love, courage, bravery and hope, The Orphan’s Mother is a harrowing, emotional, uplifting and poignant historical novel that broke my heart. Marion Kummerrow writes so well about the period she is writing about that the fear, tension and jeopardy her characters face is palpable and so real, you will be on tenterhooks throughout.
Marion Kummerow is a very gifted writer who has once again written an unforgettable historical novel with her latest novel, The Orphan’s Mother.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Keep the biggest box of tissues you can find handy while reading Marion Kummerow’s The Orphan’s Mother because this book is so poignant and moving it will sever your heartstrings.
With the Red Russian army advancing ever closer, Emma is desperate to escape Poland. With her two children relying on her, Emma is willing to do whatever it takes to get them to safety, so in the icy grip of winter, the little family flees the country with just the clothes on their backs and their hearts full of hope of a brighter future ahead. However, Emma’s plans are thwarted when her son Jacob falls ill. In desperate need of medical attention, a distraught Emma takes him to hospital and hands him over to a kindly nurse. Emma promises Jacob that they will be reunited the very next day and that she will always be by his side to protect him. However, the next day, Emma returns to the hospital and finds it deserted and her son gone.
Beside herself with worry about her son’s whereabouts and heartbroken that she broke her promise to him that they will always be together, Emma is determined to move mountains to find Jacob. However, Jacob is not her sole priority as she has her daughter Sophie to think about as well. Getting Sophie to safety becomes paramount to Emma – but so too does her determination to be reunited with her son.
Will Emma ever manage to get her family back together again? Can she get them all to safety? Or will all of her sacrifices prove to be in vain?
If The Orphan’s Mother does not make you sob like a baby, I don’t know what will. A fantastic historical tale of love, courage, bravery and hope, The Orphan’s Mother is a harrowing, emotional, uplifting and poignant historical novel that broke my heart. Marion Kummerrow writes so well about the period she is writing about that the fear, tension and jeopardy her characters face is palpable and so real, you will be on tenterhooks throughout.
Marion Kummerow is a very gifted writer who has once again written an unforgettable historical novel with her latest novel, The Orphan’s Mother.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
September 20, 2022
A Mother's Heartbreaking Choice
If you had to choose between one child or the other could you make that decision? It had to be one of the hardest and most heartbreaking decisions a mother could make.
Poland has been under Nazi German rule during the war. Now the Soviet Army is advancing on Poland closer every day. Emma is German and her husband is fighting in the German Army. She knows that to keep her children and herself safe from the Soviets she must escape Poland.
With her friend and her friend's mother and a few others they leave their town in Poland and walk with a cart for the luggage toward the border. On the way her son Jacob becomes very ill. They make it to a town with a hospital and tents set up for the German refugees fleeing Poland. She hands Jacob to a nice nurse and goes back to the camp as she is not allowed to go with Jacob.
With the Soviet advance the German's are evacuating the camp and transporting the refugees by train across the border. Emma goes to the hospital to find Jacob but the hospital is empty it has been evacuated and she knows not where they have taken her son.
She goes back to the camp vowing to stay and search for her son, but then her daughter Sophia grabs her hand and the soldiers push them toward the trains for evacuation. She is unable to go back and search for Jacob but she vows she will search until she finds him.
The story goes to Jacob and what happens to him. where he is and how he is living.
Will Emma and Jacob ever find each other? Poland becomes part of the Iron Curtain under Soviet Rule and Emma lives in West Germany with Sophia. How will they ever find each other?
You will not want to miss this story and how it ends. I recommend this book it is some good reading.
Thanks to Marion Kummerow for writing a great story, to Bookouture for publishing it and to NetGalley for making a copy available for me to read and review.
If you had to choose between one child or the other could you make that decision? It had to be one of the hardest and most heartbreaking decisions a mother could make.
Poland has been under Nazi German rule during the war. Now the Soviet Army is advancing on Poland closer every day. Emma is German and her husband is fighting in the German Army. She knows that to keep her children and herself safe from the Soviets she must escape Poland.
With her friend and her friend's mother and a few others they leave their town in Poland and walk with a cart for the luggage toward the border. On the way her son Jacob becomes very ill. They make it to a town with a hospital and tents set up for the German refugees fleeing Poland. She hands Jacob to a nice nurse and goes back to the camp as she is not allowed to go with Jacob.
With the Soviet advance the German's are evacuating the camp and transporting the refugees by train across the border. Emma goes to the hospital to find Jacob but the hospital is empty it has been evacuated and she knows not where they have taken her son.
She goes back to the camp vowing to stay and search for her son, but then her daughter Sophia grabs her hand and the soldiers push them toward the trains for evacuation. She is unable to go back and search for Jacob but she vows she will search until she finds him.
The story goes to Jacob and what happens to him. where he is and how he is living.
Will Emma and Jacob ever find each other? Poland becomes part of the Iron Curtain under Soviet Rule and Emma lives in West Germany with Sophia. How will they ever find each other?
You will not want to miss this story and how it ends. I recommend this book it is some good reading.
Thanks to Marion Kummerow for writing a great story, to Bookouture for publishing it and to NetGalley for making a copy available for me to read and review.
August 28, 2022
A German mother's terrible choice: to flee the approaching Soviets with her son who is ill or leave him to get the medical help he needs to live? Emma is a German woman living in Poland at the end of WW2. She abandons her home to save her children but Jacob falls ill on the journey and she fears he could die. They are separated when the city is evacuated but Emma never gives up hope they will be reunited...
The Orphan's Mother is a hugely emotional historical novel set in Germany and Poland in the 1940s and 50s. I felt that the situation was quite unique and not one I had read about in other books set during this period.
There is antagonism and ill feeling between the Germans and Poles which impacts on the characters of this novel. Jacob is saved from certain death in the hospital by nurse Irena. She is unable to have children herself due to an episode of Nazi brutality but taking on a German child creates a difficult situation for her and her husband. The couple grow to love Jacob but the truth of his adoption leaves a feeling of dread. Meanwhile, Emma never gives up hope of finding her son. She relentlessly searches for him which fractures her other relationships.
The premise of this book is so heart wrenching. There are some mentions of violence as well as an implied rape but the main focus in on the emotional side of the plot. The women are vividly portrayed and their terrible situations brought to life. It was very easy to identify with the emotions of both Emma and Irena especially as they both have the best interests of Jacob in mind at all times. I really didn't know how I wanted the situation to resolve itself and was completely gripped as events unfolded.
The Orphan's Mother is a thought provoking, heartbreaking book with a fascinating dilemma at its centre.
The Orphan's Mother is a hugely emotional historical novel set in Germany and Poland in the 1940s and 50s. I felt that the situation was quite unique and not one I had read about in other books set during this period.
There is antagonism and ill feeling between the Germans and Poles which impacts on the characters of this novel. Jacob is saved from certain death in the hospital by nurse Irena. She is unable to have children herself due to an episode of Nazi brutality but taking on a German child creates a difficult situation for her and her husband. The couple grow to love Jacob but the truth of his adoption leaves a feeling of dread. Meanwhile, Emma never gives up hope of finding her son. She relentlessly searches for him which fractures her other relationships.
The premise of this book is so heart wrenching. There are some mentions of violence as well as an implied rape but the main focus in on the emotional side of the plot. The women are vividly portrayed and their terrible situations brought to life. It was very easy to identify with the emotions of both Emma and Irena especially as they both have the best interests of Jacob in mind at all times. I really didn't know how I wanted the situation to resolve itself and was completely gripped as events unfolded.
The Orphan's Mother is a thought provoking, heartbreaking book with a fascinating dilemma at its centre.
June 26, 2022
This book is a heartbreaking and emotional book that will tear you up.
It's almost the end of the World War II with the Russians The Red Army entering into Poland. Many of the Germans who used to live in Poland are now fleeing back to their country. One such German family is Emma and her two children, Jacob and Sophie. On their journey, Jacob gets sick and was admitted to the hospital. But soon chaos and turmoil and with the fear of the Russians entering in, Jacob gets separated from his mother and sister and soon he was adopted by a kind Polish nurse named Irina.
Normally, the historical fiction that I read are based on Jews or Gypsies or Poles but this was all different--it is about a German family who is fleeing from Poland as Germans are losing the war and the Russians are edging closer. Having done history, I know that Russians were revengeful and brutal towards Germans and so I can understand the fear that these families are going through. The author must have done research about it that it felt all too realistic to be reading about it. The middle part of the story is what drew me into the story--the heartbreak, the emotions and there were parts that you would cry when Jacob gets separated from his mother and Irina adopts him. The writing was really great and the author manage to draw the reader into the story. All these characters are all memorable to read and likable in my opinion and the story itself is very touching.
If you would like to read historical fiction based on WWII, then try this book out--this book will take you to a journey that will make you emotional and heartbreaking at the same time. Worth five stars!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.
It's almost the end of the World War II with the Russians The Red Army entering into Poland. Many of the Germans who used to live in Poland are now fleeing back to their country. One such German family is Emma and her two children, Jacob and Sophie. On their journey, Jacob gets sick and was admitted to the hospital. But soon chaos and turmoil and with the fear of the Russians entering in, Jacob gets separated from his mother and sister and soon he was adopted by a kind Polish nurse named Irina.
Normally, the historical fiction that I read are based on Jews or Gypsies or Poles but this was all different--it is about a German family who is fleeing from Poland as Germans are losing the war and the Russians are edging closer. Having done history, I know that Russians were revengeful and brutal towards Germans and so I can understand the fear that these families are going through. The author must have done research about it that it felt all too realistic to be reading about it. The middle part of the story is what drew me into the story--the heartbreak, the emotions and there were parts that you would cry when Jacob gets separated from his mother and Irina adopts him. The writing was really great and the author manage to draw the reader into the story. All these characters are all memorable to read and likable in my opinion and the story itself is very touching.
If you would like to read historical fiction based on WWII, then try this book out--this book will take you to a journey that will make you emotional and heartbreaking at the same time. Worth five stars!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.
August 10, 2022
This story asks the question, just how far will a mother go to protect the life of her child?
Emma must make an impossible decision, one no mother should ever have to make. To leave her sick child behind, risking his life while taking her other child to relative safety.
Emma and her two children are forced to flee their home along with others from her town when the impending occupation of the Soviet Red Army quickly approaches. While on their journey, which is mostly done on foot, pulling a wagon behind them, the toil it is taking on everyone quickly begins to show. Already undernourished and weak from their journey Emma's youngest child Jacob falls seriously ill. When they arrive in the town of Posen and are herded into a camp for refugees Emma seeks help for Jacob at the hospital. But when Emma tries to retrieve Jacob from the hospital, as all refugees are being evacuated, she is stopped by the soldiers not allowing her to return to her son. Emma is forced to do the unthinkable and abandon her child, praying that there is someone with a kind heart who is willing to take care of her little boy. An impossible decision for any mother to make. I can nnot imagine what she must have been feeling, it had to tear her heart out, the pain had to be unfathomable.
This story is loosely based on the stories of the children who got lost or separated from their families and there were many.
Marion Kummerow is one of my favorite WWII historical fiction authors, I have read many of her books and each one is better than the last. This one is exceptional!
The Orphan's Mother is available now, so don't miss out on a great read. Thank you to Bookouture and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.
Emma must make an impossible decision, one no mother should ever have to make. To leave her sick child behind, risking his life while taking her other child to relative safety.
Emma and her two children are forced to flee their home along with others from her town when the impending occupation of the Soviet Red Army quickly approaches. While on their journey, which is mostly done on foot, pulling a wagon behind them, the toil it is taking on everyone quickly begins to show. Already undernourished and weak from their journey Emma's youngest child Jacob falls seriously ill. When they arrive in the town of Posen and are herded into a camp for refugees Emma seeks help for Jacob at the hospital. But when Emma tries to retrieve Jacob from the hospital, as all refugees are being evacuated, she is stopped by the soldiers not allowing her to return to her son. Emma is forced to do the unthinkable and abandon her child, praying that there is someone with a kind heart who is willing to take care of her little boy. An impossible decision for any mother to make. I can nnot imagine what she must have been feeling, it had to tear her heart out, the pain had to be unfathomable.
This story is loosely based on the stories of the children who got lost or separated from their families and there were many.
Marion Kummerow is one of my favorite WWII historical fiction authors, I have read many of her books and each one is better than the last. This one is exceptional!
The Orphan's Mother is available now, so don't miss out on a great read. Thank you to Bookouture and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2022
This is a heartbreaking novel set in post World War II Poland and Germany. It is about a mother who takes her very ill son to a hospital and then loses him when the hospital is deserted after the Red Army invades. It is also about another mother who takes the boy, Jacob, into her home and heart. There are so many casualties in war, even if you survive. Jacob, Emma, and Irena all suffer in this story about war, losses, sons, and mothers. How does a little boy acclimate to losing his mother twice in different ways? How does a mother find a child in the aftermath of a war where so many are missing? How does a woman who lost a child, gained a child, and then lost a child again cope with all this misery? This story takes a look at that and more. The bottom line of all of this is that war puts innocent people into horrible situations that are out of their control. How do the innocent cope?
4.5 stars, rounded up. My blog review with buy links, author info, and book tour information is here: https://bonniereadsandwrites.com/2022...
I received a free copy of this book from Bookouture via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
4.5 stars, rounded up. My blog review with buy links, author info, and book tour information is here: https://bonniereadsandwrites.com/2022...
I received a free copy of this book from Bookouture via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
July 29, 2022
The Orphan’s Mother is heartbreaking. Emma is a courageous mum of two children, older Sophie and Jacob 4. She has to make a decision no mum of multiple children should ever make and that is to choose between them. She is in between a rock and a hard place as she leaves a poorly Jacob at the hospital doors. Whatever she does will lead to the biggest mum guilt there is. But she won’t forget her promise and that is to find him if they ever got separated. Which in turn leads Emma on a mission of many years.
Jacob is taken in by a Polish nurse called Irene who wants a child of her own. After many years of bringing him up, she secretly hopes he is hers to stay. But this isn’t so. The Red Cross is reuniting lost children with their families and they come calling. Poor Jacob doesn’t really remember much of his previous life and now he is to be reunited with his German birth mum.
The story focuses on Emma and Irene. It’s full of sadness, and hope with heartwarming moments. A wonderful read, fast-paced and cleverly written for many fans of historical WWII novels. The Orphan’s Mother is partly based on a true story.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my copy.
Jacob is taken in by a Polish nurse called Irene who wants a child of her own. After many years of bringing him up, she secretly hopes he is hers to stay. But this isn’t so. The Red Cross is reuniting lost children with their families and they come calling. Poor Jacob doesn’t really remember much of his previous life and now he is to be reunited with his German birth mum.
The story focuses on Emma and Irene. It’s full of sadness, and hope with heartwarming moments. A wonderful read, fast-paced and cleverly written for many fans of historical WWII novels. The Orphan’s Mother is partly based on a true story.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my copy.
July 31, 2022
I don’t think many people can finish this book without tears in their eyes. It shows a bit of a different aspect of war, the story is concentrating not only on the loss of loved ones who have died but also the separation of loved ones with no idea if they are alive or not. Even more dramatic if it is a small child. We see a German mother trying to locate a missing child after the war to the point that it becomes an obsession that makes her ignore her older daughter and new husband.
Then we have a Polish doctor and his wife who is a nurse that have adopted the boy to keep him save. Keeping the fact that the boy is German a secret as too been able to give him as much a normal life as possible.
The trauma of the boy when about 8 years later he is to be reunited with the mother he does not remember and feels she had deserted him. We can’t have visitations to the adoptive parents due to the Russian takeover of Poland.
I don’t want to give more away because I want you to read the story which contains so much more and brings forward so many issues and feelings that people don’t realize or pay attention to but are part of every war.
Then we have a Polish doctor and his wife who is a nurse that have adopted the boy to keep him save. Keeping the fact that the boy is German a secret as too been able to give him as much a normal life as possible.
The trauma of the boy when about 8 years later he is to be reunited with the mother he does not remember and feels she had deserted him. We can’t have visitations to the adoptive parents due to the Russian takeover of Poland.
I don’t want to give more away because I want you to read the story which contains so much more and brings forward so many issues and feelings that people don’t realize or pay attention to but are part of every war.
October 5, 2022
Once again Marion has captured the essence of war torn countries and the ruling factions. She also captured the feelings of loss, abandonment, hurt, betrayal, and love.
Jacob is the center of attention and love here because at the tender age of 4, he's been admitted to a hospital in a foreign place (admittedly very,very sick) and because of warring factions, his mother has not been able to rescue him back as evacuations are ordered. Now he's alone, cold and feeling lost. Until an angel in Irena the nurse finds him and takes him home.
The ensuing years have built a bond so tight filled with love and devotion that when his mother finally has been notified that her son has been found after endless trips to the red cross search department she can finally say "it wasn't all in my head"! As many told her that her son was forever lost, or dead. Her motherly instincts told her he was still alive and she'd keep searching!
Now, after 7years, how will Jacob adjust to a new life?
I found this to be a wonderful read. Well researched and beautifully told.
Grab that sandwich, and cup of tea (or your choice) , settle in for a great story!--P/
Jacob is the center of attention and love here because at the tender age of 4, he's been admitted to a hospital in a foreign place (admittedly very,very sick) and because of warring factions, his mother has not been able to rescue him back as evacuations are ordered. Now he's alone, cold and feeling lost. Until an angel in Irena the nurse finds him and takes him home.
The ensuing years have built a bond so tight filled with love and devotion that when his mother finally has been notified that her son has been found after endless trips to the red cross search department she can finally say "it wasn't all in my head"! As many told her that her son was forever lost, or dead. Her motherly instincts told her he was still alive and she'd keep searching!
Now, after 7years, how will Jacob adjust to a new life?
I found this to be a wonderful read. Well researched and beautifully told.
Grab that sandwich, and cup of tea (or your choice) , settle in for a great story!--P/
July 10, 2022
The Orphan's Mother will tug at your heartstrings as Jacob's mother searches desperately for him after World War 2.
Emma his mother was forced to leave Jacob behind when she and her daughter are fleeing from the Russians.
Jacob was sick in hospital and his polish Nurses took him and adopted him.
Irena and Luka become his family , his parents, the only life he really remembers.
The Orphan's Mother was an interesting view point for me because you forget to think of the children that were missing and how reuniting with him Mom after 7 or 8 years will effect everyone involved.
Please take time to read the authors notes as they add so much to the story.
Marion Kummerow is a born story teller and if you haven't read any of her other books you are missing out on some great stories.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a story that will stay with me for quite some time.
Emma his mother was forced to leave Jacob behind when she and her daughter are fleeing from the Russians.
Jacob was sick in hospital and his polish Nurses took him and adopted him.
Irena and Luka become his family , his parents, the only life he really remembers.
The Orphan's Mother was an interesting view point for me because you forget to think of the children that were missing and how reuniting with him Mom after 7 or 8 years will effect everyone involved.
Please take time to read the authors notes as they add so much to the story.
Marion Kummerow is a born story teller and if you haven't read any of her other books you are missing out on some great stories.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a story that will stay with me for quite some time.
August 10, 2022
I hated to end the reading or listening to this book. Sarah Durham narrated the story with all the acting skills needed to do the many parental and child voices. She managed the German and Polish names and words; at least, I thought they sounded right. It is one of the reasons I love Audiobooks so much. Other languages, if read by my voice and eyes, would probably be wrong.
I love books about women during the wars. You know there must have been situations like this. There must be even now with COVID19 orphans, earthquake orphans, etc. The news rarely brings the stories to life. But people get misplaced and have to survive somehow.
This is more than just one mother. Watching all the moving parts turn the story deeper and deeper is intriguing. Amazing writing!
My only objection is the missing parts of the orphan's life. I wanted more.
I love books about women during the wars. You know there must have been situations like this. There must be even now with COVID19 orphans, earthquake orphans, etc. The news rarely brings the stories to life. But people get misplaced and have to survive somehow.
This is more than just one mother. Watching all the moving parts turn the story deeper and deeper is intriguing. Amazing writing!
My only objection is the missing parts of the orphan's life. I wanted more.
July 25, 2022
What would you do? That’s the apex question after reading The Orphan’s Mother. Emma, on the run from the Russians in the waning days of WWII, has to make the ultimate decision, does she stay or leave her son Jacob? I almost fell apart at that juncture, especially when Jacob utters such a sorrowful plea.
The choice Emma made causes a rift in the family that never fully heals, even after reunification. Based on a true story, the case of Jacob is not unknown. I did find it fascinating, according to the author’s note, the Red Cross was able to reunite many separated children, even after the commencement of the Cold War.
Your heart will be on the floor, in pieces, after this read.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the early read.
The choice Emma made causes a rift in the family that never fully heals, even after reunification. Based on a true story, the case of Jacob is not unknown. I did find it fascinating, according to the author’s note, the Red Cross was able to reunite many separated children, even after the commencement of the Cold War.
Your heart will be on the floor, in pieces, after this read.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the early read.
September 1, 2022
Ooh what a heartfelt story about two mothers fighting for different things. Nearing the the end of WW2, Emma along with her two children and closet friends leave their German/Polish home before the Russians arrive. Whilst crossing the country her son falls ill and at her first chance she takes him to the hospital. Being enturned in a refugee camp she has to leave her son in capable hands of the Polish medical staff. Circumstances change and Emma is forced to live her son in the hospital. Alone, Jacob is rescued by Irene a Polish nurse. Together with her husband they raise him as their own son. The plight of refugees is brought to life and like modern day we can see that their lives are no different. Will Emma ever be reunited with Jacob or will she was feel guilty for leaving him?
July 31, 2022
Marion Kummerow never fails to deliver, and I loved The Orphan’s Mother. I don’t think I have read a WWII book before that is told from the points of view from characters on opposing sides of the war, but it was a real eye-opener.
Emma is German and Irena is Polish and both have a huge mistrust of each other’s countries, but for the welfare of a little boy, Irena has to put all that to one side to keep him safe. I was obsessed with reading about the risks some of the community took to protect an innocent child, regardless of the danger they may have been putting themselves in.
I’m from Britain, and it hadn’t really crossed my mind that it must have been just as traumatic for those on the other side too, and in particular the children. They wouldn’t have understood why they suddenly had to up-sticks and move from probably the only homes they had ever known.
Once again, a historical fiction novel taught me something new, and hats off to the Red Cross who worked tirelessly after the war to reunite lost children with parents, some, even many years later and even after the Iron Curtain went up.
Based on true events, The Orphan’s Mother is a brilliantly told story and I would encourage anyone with an interest in WWII to grab themselves a copy right now.
I am lucky enough to be a part of Books on Tour for this book, so thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Orphan’s Mother by Marion Kummerow.
Emma is German and Irena is Polish and both have a huge mistrust of each other’s countries, but for the welfare of a little boy, Irena has to put all that to one side to keep him safe. I was obsessed with reading about the risks some of the community took to protect an innocent child, regardless of the danger they may have been putting themselves in.
I’m from Britain, and it hadn’t really crossed my mind that it must have been just as traumatic for those on the other side too, and in particular the children. They wouldn’t have understood why they suddenly had to up-sticks and move from probably the only homes they had ever known.
Once again, a historical fiction novel taught me something new, and hats off to the Red Cross who worked tirelessly after the war to reunite lost children with parents, some, even many years later and even after the Iron Curtain went up.
Based on true events, The Orphan’s Mother is a brilliantly told story and I would encourage anyone with an interest in WWII to grab themselves a copy right now.
I am lucky enough to be a part of Books on Tour for this book, so thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Orphan’s Mother by Marion Kummerow.
October 28, 2022
I enjoy historical fiction books, especially if they are set during WWII. The research the author did is admirable. And the connection she makes with the characters shows through in her writing. This was a different view of WWII than I have read in the past. Experiencing the advance of the Red Army while watching the Nazi Army evacuate causes differing emotions … depending on what side you are on. This is such an emotional journey as you get a child’s point of view.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!
August 5, 2022
Wonderful Book
Marion's books are always suberb. This book is rich in emotion through it is fiction it is based on real places and events. It is a very heart warming story. No on can resist a story of a lost child. I join with Marion in wishing for world peace so that no more children would be made to suffer. Also that no adults would either. It is heartbreaking what went on in WW 2 and also what is happening in Ukraine today. I have read all of Marion's books and they are all wonderful. Get started today on her books you will not be disappointed.
Marion's books are always suberb. This book is rich in emotion through it is fiction it is based on real places and events. It is a very heart warming story. No on can resist a story of a lost child. I join with Marion in wishing for world peace so that no more children would be made to suffer. Also that no adults would either. It is heartbreaking what went on in WW 2 and also what is happening in Ukraine today. I have read all of Marion's books and they are all wonderful. Get started today on her books you will not be disappointed.
October 31, 2022
a story of love
This story of two women and their love for a child is a powerful story certainly worth reading. The challenges and tragedies of their lives in the period of the Second World War when Russia is overrunning the lands of Poland and eastern Germany and committing violent acts of revenge including rape, murder, and destruction shape the first vital section of the book followed by what happens in their lives afterward. The characters both adults and children are persons about whom you can really care.
This story of two women and their love for a child is a powerful story certainly worth reading. The challenges and tragedies of their lives in the period of the Second World War when Russia is overrunning the lands of Poland and eastern Germany and committing violent acts of revenge including rape, murder, and destruction shape the first vital section of the book followed by what happens in their lives afterward. The characters both adults and children are persons about whom you can really care.
August 1, 2022
Finished this book in day - it’s the story of a young boy in the waning days of WWII Poland. He is terribly sick, and his mother takes him to a hospital the night before the Soviets overrun the town. She is forced to leave the next day with her other daughter, and he is raised by a loving foster mother and father. It is a story of love, hope and despair that maintains your interest from start to finish.
August 3, 2022
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Fleeing Poland from the advancing Red Army on one side and Hitler's Nazis on the other, Emma and her 2 young children flee for their lives. Having to leave her ill son Jacob in a hospital, she takes her daughter Sophie, never forgetting her son and vowing to return for him. Poignant and heartbreaking, an excellent historical novel. Recommended.
Fleeing Poland from the advancing Red Army on one side and Hitler's Nazis on the other, Emma and her 2 young children flee for their lives. Having to leave her ill son Jacob in a hospital, she takes her daughter Sophie, never forgetting her son and vowing to return for him. Poignant and heartbreaking, an excellent historical novel. Recommended.
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