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Those Who Are Saved: A gripping and heartbreaking World War II story
In the spirit of We Were the Lucky Ones and We Must Be Brave, a heartbreaking World War II novel of one mother's impossible choice, and her search for her daughter against the odds.As a Russian Jewish �migr� to France, Vera's wealth cannot protect her or her four-year-old-daughter, Lucie, once the Nazis occupy the country. After receiving notice that all foreigners must report to an internment camp, Vera has just a few hours to make an impossible Does she subject Lucie to the horrid conditions of the camp, or does she put her into hiding with her beloved and trusted governess, safe until Vera can retrieve her? Believing the war will end soon, Vera chooses to leave Lucie in safety. She cannot know that she and her husband will have an opportunity to escape, to flee to America. She cannot know that Lucie's governess will have fled with Lucie to family in rural France, too far to reach in time.And so begins a heartbreaking journey and separation, a war and a continent apart. Vera's marriage will falter under the surreal sun of California. Her ability to write--once her passion--will disappear. But Vera's love for Lucie, her faith that her daughter lives, will only grow. As Vera's determination to return to France and find Lucie crystalizes, she meets Sasha, a man on his own search for meaning. She is stronger with Sasha than she is alone. Together they will journey to Lucie. They will find her fate.
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First published February 1, 2021
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July 2, 2022
4.5 stars rounded up
A beautiful historical novel about motherhood, immigration, and the aftermath of WWII.
Those Who Are Saved tells the story of Vera, Max, and Lucie. They are Jewish immigrants from Saint Petersburg who came to France after the Russian revolution. When WWII strikes, the family receives a notice that France is rounding up people not born in the country to be sent to internment camps. Vera and her husband prepare to leave, but their four year old daughter Lucie was born in France. After hearing horror stories, Vera fears that the camps would be too harsh for her innocent young daughter. With much internal conflict, Vera makes the impossible decision to leave Lucie with their governess, Agnes.
Agnes takes Lucie to live with her sisters, disguising her as a cousin. Vera and Max are placed in the camps, but are able to escape and flee to America. Vera and Max settle into a new life in Los Angeles. Vera holds tremendous worry, guilt, and regret at leaving her daughter in France as the war rages on.
As a screenplay writer in Hollywood, Sasha is a man in search of meaning. He came to New York from Latvia with his mother after the First World War. He has an unclear past, never knowing who his father is, but often has flashbacks of him. When Sasha meets Vera, they instantly connect, each holding space for the other’s grief as they both seek closure. Will Sasha be able to uncover the mysteries of his past in order to move on with his life?
When Vera hears that the village where Agnes took Lucie was massacred, she is devastated and thinks Lucie is dead. However, she vows not to give up until she knows for sure. With Sasha’s help, Vera returns to France in search of her daughter. Soon she experiences the country in its post war-torn era. Vera holds onto hope but is afraid of what she might discover. Will she find out what has happened to Lucie?
This was a heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and identity. The plot was focused on Vera’s loss of Lucie. Her husband, Max, wasn’t as openly affected by the separation. This illustrated how strong the maternal bond is and how people grieve in different ways.
The novel showed the complexity of Europe after the war. Many children were displaced and struggling to find their families. People also had all different opinions on who was good or evil. Everyone had tough choices to make and most were affected negatively in some way. The book also accurately captured how we can’t truly move on without closure. Even if the truth is painful to accept, it is better to know for our own sense of resolve.
Another theme in the book was finding your place in the world as an immigrant. Many people were forced into new places during the war and adopted completely different lives. People have complex histories that you might not understand upfront. The characters in Those Who Are Saved were relatable, though the author focuses on developing only the main few. However, they all had interesting backgrounds and perspectives to divulge.
Those Who Are Saved was a truly beautiful and emotional story. The ending was somewhat abrupt but happy. It had some good twists and turns that kept me guessing how it would play out. I felt I learned a lot of unique pieces of history from this novel, and it kept me engaged throughout. Overall, this was a well-written and moving novel that explored many intriguing topics with curiosity and poise.
A beautiful historical novel about motherhood, immigration, and the aftermath of WWII.
Those Who Are Saved tells the story of Vera, Max, and Lucie. They are Jewish immigrants from Saint Petersburg who came to France after the Russian revolution. When WWII strikes, the family receives a notice that France is rounding up people not born in the country to be sent to internment camps. Vera and her husband prepare to leave, but their four year old daughter Lucie was born in France. After hearing horror stories, Vera fears that the camps would be too harsh for her innocent young daughter. With much internal conflict, Vera makes the impossible decision to leave Lucie with their governess, Agnes.
Agnes takes Lucie to live with her sisters, disguising her as a cousin. Vera and Max are placed in the camps, but are able to escape and flee to America. Vera and Max settle into a new life in Los Angeles. Vera holds tremendous worry, guilt, and regret at leaving her daughter in France as the war rages on.
As a screenplay writer in Hollywood, Sasha is a man in search of meaning. He came to New York from Latvia with his mother after the First World War. He has an unclear past, never knowing who his father is, but often has flashbacks of him. When Sasha meets Vera, they instantly connect, each holding space for the other’s grief as they both seek closure. Will Sasha be able to uncover the mysteries of his past in order to move on with his life?
When Vera hears that the village where Agnes took Lucie was massacred, she is devastated and thinks Lucie is dead. However, she vows not to give up until she knows for sure. With Sasha’s help, Vera returns to France in search of her daughter. Soon she experiences the country in its post war-torn era. Vera holds onto hope but is afraid of what she might discover. Will she find out what has happened to Lucie?
This was a heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and identity. The plot was focused on Vera’s loss of Lucie. Her husband, Max, wasn’t as openly affected by the separation. This illustrated how strong the maternal bond is and how people grieve in different ways.
The novel showed the complexity of Europe after the war. Many children were displaced and struggling to find their families. People also had all different opinions on who was good or evil. Everyone had tough choices to make and most were affected negatively in some way. The book also accurately captured how we can’t truly move on without closure. Even if the truth is painful to accept, it is better to know for our own sense of resolve.
Another theme in the book was finding your place in the world as an immigrant. Many people were forced into new places during the war and adopted completely different lives. People have complex histories that you might not understand upfront. The characters in Those Who Are Saved were relatable, though the author focuses on developing only the main few. However, they all had interesting backgrounds and perspectives to divulge.
Those Who Are Saved was a truly beautiful and emotional story. The ending was somewhat abrupt but happy. It had some good twists and turns that kept me guessing how it would play out. I felt I learned a lot of unique pieces of history from this novel, and it kept me engaged throughout. Overall, this was a well-written and moving novel that explored many intriguing topics with curiosity and poise.
June 23, 2021
Vera and Max Volosenkova are Russian Jewish migrants living in France and they don’t have French citizenship. During the summer of 1940 the Nazis suddenly inform all foreign nationals they will be placed immediately into internment camps and Vera doesn’t want to take little Lucie. She’s heard terrible stories about camps, she doesn’t want her four year old daughter living in one of those horrible places and she sends her away with her governess Agnes to a remote property. Agnes will look after Lucie; she loves her as much as Vera and they will return for her when the war is over. She has no idea she and her husband Max will be able to escape the camp and eventually travel to America.
Living in California, Vera misses Lucie, she feels like a terrible mother and she waits eagerly for letters from Agnes. News about WW II consumes Vera; Americans don’t want to talk about the war and the political situation in Europe. As the war year drag on, the letters from Agnes are very sporadic and Vera is getting really worried. Vera’s and Max’s marriage suffers, due to him being the most unfeeling man and husband!
Vera is determined to return to France when the war ends, she has complete faith in Agnes and her ability to keep Lucie safe. During her time in California she meets Sasha an ex soldier at a party, he works in the movie industry and they start a romantic relationship. The war is finally over and when the couple arrive in Paris they're shocked, thousands of people are missing, homeless and so many families have been separated and are desperately trying to find each other in the chaotic aftermath of WW II.
Those Who Are Saved looks at WW II from a mother’s point of view, what a mother would do during the war to keep her child safe, the difficult choice she had to make and did she make the right decision? The terrible guilt she felt afterwards, her grief, her absolute despair of being separated from her child for years and her desperate attempt to find her after the war ended. A very emotional story to read and I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review and four stars from me. https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
Living in California, Vera misses Lucie, she feels like a terrible mother and she waits eagerly for letters from Agnes. News about WW II consumes Vera; Americans don’t want to talk about the war and the political situation in Europe. As the war year drag on, the letters from Agnes are very sporadic and Vera is getting really worried. Vera’s and Max’s marriage suffers, due to him being the most unfeeling man and husband!
Vera is determined to return to France when the war ends, she has complete faith in Agnes and her ability to keep Lucie safe. During her time in California she meets Sasha an ex soldier at a party, he works in the movie industry and they start a romantic relationship. The war is finally over and when the couple arrive in Paris they're shocked, thousands of people are missing, homeless and so many families have been separated and are desperately trying to find each other in the chaotic aftermath of WW II.
Those Who Are Saved looks at WW II from a mother’s point of view, what a mother would do during the war to keep her child safe, the difficult choice she had to make and did she make the right decision? The terrible guilt she felt afterwards, her grief, her absolute despair of being separated from her child for years and her desperate attempt to find her after the war ended. A very emotional story to read and I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review and four stars from me. https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
November 17, 2021
In 1940, Max and Vera are Russian emigree Jews living the good life in Paris and spending the summer in a southern seaside French town. She is a published novelist and Max is a musician and composer. When they receive notice as foreign nationals to report for internment, Vera decides to protect their French-born four-year-old daughter, Lucie, by leaving her with Agnes, the long-term French governess. Max and Vera with another couple, Leon and Elsa, manage to flee the camps and make their way to California. Unfortunately, they were unable to retrieve Lucie and Vera is wracked with guilt and grief especially after all communications with France are cut off. In California, Max immerses himself composing music for the film industry, but Vera is unable to write and having difficulty focusing as she is struggling with her emotions.
Told from three points of view, a mother, a man, and a child, I loved this book and was struck by the caliber of the author’s writing and story. I love reading books set during World War II. This one felt refreshing and beautifully written. There were full-fledged characters of consequence. The emotions were raw and realistic.
A few samples of her writing that I savored:
“She couldn’t think without her books. The collection reflected the inner workings of her mind, past obsessions, future ones, all accessible with one tour among the spines, her fingerprints tracing the titles as if gliding through piano keys, each book, each writer emitting a certain note that, when pressed, revealed a close, breathing universe.”
On the war:
“The senseless brutality he witnessed every day, the sheer scale of it, was worse than any crime scene he had reported on, and for the first time, he found himself wordless, all language melting away.”
“... that was the promising delight of first encounters: this gleaming, clean slate, without any hurt yet, without any history. Unlike the way she and Max could flash around the wounds they’d given each other at a moment’s notice, calling up banks of resentment, and the sadness beneath it, their mutual pain right there beneath the surface, waiting for the tiniest scratch to unleash it.”
I highly recommend.
Told from three points of view, a mother, a man, and a child, I loved this book and was struck by the caliber of the author’s writing and story. I love reading books set during World War II. This one felt refreshing and beautifully written. There were full-fledged characters of consequence. The emotions were raw and realistic.
A few samples of her writing that I savored:
“She couldn’t think without her books. The collection reflected the inner workings of her mind, past obsessions, future ones, all accessible with one tour among the spines, her fingerprints tracing the titles as if gliding through piano keys, each book, each writer emitting a certain note that, when pressed, revealed a close, breathing universe.”
On the war:
“The senseless brutality he witnessed every day, the sheer scale of it, was worse than any crime scene he had reported on, and for the first time, he found himself wordless, all language melting away.”
“... that was the promising delight of first encounters: this gleaming, clean slate, without any hurt yet, without any history. Unlike the way she and Max could flash around the wounds they’d given each other at a moment’s notice, calling up banks of resentment, and the sadness beneath it, their mutual pain right there beneath the surface, waiting for the tiniest scratch to unleash it.”
I highly recommend.
August 20, 2020
In order to save her daughter from the harshness of a concentration camp, Vera makes the difficult decision to leave her in the care of her loving governess. Vera is sure the war will be over soon and she will quickly reunite with her daughter. Several years later, Vera is now in the US but cannot rest knowing her daughter is out there somewhere. She is determined to find her daughter.
This book had so much potential to be a great story, however it just moved at such a slow pace. Vera's actual search for her daughter is really only the last few chapters of the book. The rest is all about how she came to America and her life there. We also meet Sasha, who has his own story, and I honestly don't know why his character is even necessary.
Being a story about a mother and child being separated, I expected to feel a lot more emotion while reading, but I never really felt that. We are told how Vera is feeling and trying to cope, but I just never felt her desperation.
I really disliked Vera's husband Max, and I understand that the author wants us to dislike him so that Sasha's character could be involved, but he didn't seem at all emotional or upset that his young daughter was out there somewhere, possibly dead or suffering. He was originally painted as a loving father, how could he just readily accept his daughter was probably dead? Why did he not care more? I couldn't accept him later saying Vera was not the only one who loves Lucie and he also dreamt of her. He should have shared her pain and at least tried to be sympathetic. He acted like he had no heart and she was crazy,, which was more hurtful and possibly the reason they separated.
It also baffled me that people questioned her going back to search for her daughter, that they were surprised she was doing it. Her friends were not supportive at all. They seemed to expect her to just get over it.
The only parts I really felt some emotion, were when we read about Lucie, however there were so few chapters with her perspective. When the war is officially over, watching Camille and the other girls celebrate with their families, I really hurt for Lucie at this point.
The ending was also just ok. I was glad to have Vera and Lucie's story wrap up, but why were we even told Sasha's story if there wasn't going to be any further information or resolution? Overall I think the idea for this story was good, but could have been executed better.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin Publishing Group for the advanced review copy of this book.
This book had so much potential to be a great story, however it just moved at such a slow pace. Vera's actual search for her daughter is really only the last few chapters of the book. The rest is all about how she came to America and her life there. We also meet Sasha, who has his own story, and I honestly don't know why his character is even necessary.
Being a story about a mother and child being separated, I expected to feel a lot more emotion while reading, but I never really felt that. We are told how Vera is feeling and trying to cope, but I just never felt her desperation.
I really disliked Vera's husband Max, and I understand that the author wants us to dislike him so that Sasha's character could be involved, but he didn't seem at all emotional or upset that his young daughter was out there somewhere, possibly dead or suffering. He was originally painted as a loving father, how could he just readily accept his daughter was probably dead? Why did he not care more? I couldn't accept him later saying Vera was not the only one who loves Lucie and he also dreamt of her. He should have shared her pain and at least tried to be sympathetic. He acted like he had no heart and she was crazy,, which was more hurtful and possibly the reason they separated.
It also baffled me that people questioned her going back to search for her daughter, that they were surprised she was doing it. Her friends were not supportive at all. They seemed to expect her to just get over it.
The only parts I really felt some emotion, were when we read about Lucie, however there were so few chapters with her perspective. When the war is officially over, watching Camille and the other girls celebrate with their families, I really hurt for Lucie at this point.
The ending was also just ok. I was glad to have Vera and Lucie's story wrap up, but why were we even told Sasha's story if there wasn't going to be any further information or resolution? Overall I think the idea for this story was good, but could have been executed better.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin Publishing Group for the advanced review copy of this book.
February 19, 2021
Max and Vera Volosenkova, Russian Jews, are living in France. Max is a composer and Vera is a writer. Together with their daughter Lucie, they have a very comfortable life. In 1940, as the Nazi occupation accelerates, foreign nationals are required to report for internment. They entrust Lucie to go with her governess Agnes to a remote farm for safety. Vera is grief-stricken but has every hope she will soon be reunited with her daughter.
Conditions in France worsen and Vera and Max, because of their wealth and position, are able to escape to America. They still believe that Lucie is safer remaining in hiding in France and that they have done the right thing. As artists, they are welcomed into a community of talented expatriate artists and intellectuals. Max adapts well but Vera cannot escape her guilt and concern over her daughter. Vera makes the acquaintance of Sasha, a young Jewish filmmaker and war hero, who is sympathetic to her situation and has an intriguing immigrant story of his own. Unlike Vera, who has known a life of wealth, Sasha and his mother came from Poland and his early years in the U.S. were spent in poverty on New York City’s Lower East Side.
This compelling and emotional book is told from the perspectives of Vera, Lucie and Sasha. It begs the question, “what would you have done?” Parental sacrifice is a moving subject and Those Who Are Saved will tug at your heartstrings. Author Alexis Landau has created interesting and complex characters. I enjoyed reading about the couple’s life in California. Many of the colorful characters within the arts and entertainment world Vera and Max associate with are real-life figures who are well-integrated into the story. The scenes in post-War France movingly express the chaos and tragedy of all those seeking lost relatives as they cling to the hope that their loved ones are alive and will be found. Pack some Kleenex.
Many thanks to Edelweiss, G.P. Putnam's Sons / Penguin Publishing Group and the author for the opportunity to read Those Who Are Saved in advance of its February 23, 2021 publication date.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
Conditions in France worsen and Vera and Max, because of their wealth and position, are able to escape to America. They still believe that Lucie is safer remaining in hiding in France and that they have done the right thing. As artists, they are welcomed into a community of talented expatriate artists and intellectuals. Max adapts well but Vera cannot escape her guilt and concern over her daughter. Vera makes the acquaintance of Sasha, a young Jewish filmmaker and war hero, who is sympathetic to her situation and has an intriguing immigrant story of his own. Unlike Vera, who has known a life of wealth, Sasha and his mother came from Poland and his early years in the U.S. were spent in poverty on New York City’s Lower East Side.
This compelling and emotional book is told from the perspectives of Vera, Lucie and Sasha. It begs the question, “what would you have done?” Parental sacrifice is a moving subject and Those Who Are Saved will tug at your heartstrings. Author Alexis Landau has created interesting and complex characters. I enjoyed reading about the couple’s life in California. Many of the colorful characters within the arts and entertainment world Vera and Max associate with are real-life figures who are well-integrated into the story. The scenes in post-War France movingly express the chaos and tragedy of all those seeking lost relatives as they cling to the hope that their loved ones are alive and will be found. Pack some Kleenex.
Many thanks to Edelweiss, G.P. Putnam's Sons / Penguin Publishing Group and the author for the opportunity to read Those Who Are Saved in advance of its February 23, 2021 publication date.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
July 2, 2022
I finished this amazing book about an hour and a half ago. Usually book reviews come very easily and quickly for me, but I have to be honest... I'm struggling with this one.
First of all, this book has been on my "want to read list" for awhile now and with so many other great historical fiction books that came out, I nearly forgot about this one! Then a good friend on Goodreads reminded me about it and I'm so grateful for that... thank you very much,my friend, I may have missed a wonderful book!!
There are two quotes from the book that keep coming back to me. " Children become letters" meaning that you have to hold onto what you have to keep them safe in your memory. "Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account."
I really enjoyed this beautiful, gripping story of love,loss , devotion, friendships that endure for life. Struggling to hold on and to let go. Survival in the most trying of times.
I really learned so much that I never knew before about WW2. I never knew that the swastika flag was flying on the Eiffel Tower 🗼. So many lost children and adults,many to never ever to go home again and if they managed to get home...no one was left to welcome them. How far would a mother or father go to find their children even when there maybe no children to find?? What about the little children wondering when or if their Mom and Dad would even try to find them? Motherhood is a very strong theme in this book.
For those of you who read the book All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, the radio plays a major part in this book too!! I love it when books naturally intertwine!!
I have read alot of historical fiction books about WW1 and WW2. It's my favorite genre. This one will stay with me for a long time!!
I have never read a book written by Alexis Landau, but after reading this amazing book, I'm sure I will read more of her books!!! I highly recommend this emotionally moving,life changing book to all who love historical fiction and to all who love love to read!!! I really hope you appreciate it and enjoy it as much as I did!!! 🙏💖
First of all, this book has been on my "want to read list" for awhile now and with so many other great historical fiction books that came out, I nearly forgot about this one! Then a good friend on Goodreads reminded me about it and I'm so grateful for that... thank you very much,my friend, I may have missed a wonderful book!!
There are two quotes from the book that keep coming back to me. " Children become letters" meaning that you have to hold onto what you have to keep them safe in your memory. "Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account."
I really enjoyed this beautiful, gripping story of love,loss , devotion, friendships that endure for life. Struggling to hold on and to let go. Survival in the most trying of times.
I really learned so much that I never knew before about WW2. I never knew that the swastika flag was flying on the Eiffel Tower 🗼. So many lost children and adults,many to never ever to go home again and if they managed to get home...no one was left to welcome them. How far would a mother or father go to find their children even when there maybe no children to find?? What about the little children wondering when or if their Mom and Dad would even try to find them? Motherhood is a very strong theme in this book.
For those of you who read the book All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, the radio plays a major part in this book too!! I love it when books naturally intertwine!!
I have read alot of historical fiction books about WW1 and WW2. It's my favorite genre. This one will stay with me for a long time!!
I have never read a book written by Alexis Landau, but after reading this amazing book, I'm sure I will read more of her books!!! I highly recommend this emotionally moving,life changing book to all who love historical fiction and to all who love love to read!!! I really hope you appreciate it and enjoy it as much as I did!!! 🙏💖
July 23, 2021
THOSE WHO ARE SAVED by Alexis Landau
I am a bit conflicted on the review for this book. Overall I really enjoyed it and was rather engaged with all of the characters. But I found that there was just something lacking that pushes the book to one that grabs ya. I did find that Landau was a little light on some of the main characters and left them barely drawn.
In a nutshell, a Russian Jewish woman and her husband are ordered to intern as foreign nationals in newly occupied France. Being wealthy they decide that they will leave their French-born child with the governess until they are freed or the war ends, surely the war will not last long. So as the occupation continues and becomes worse the governess moves from the couple's home back to her family home and then has to hide the child at a Catholic School. She is unable to tell the parents what happened to the child before she is killed by the Nazis. The couple is able to escape France and end up in America where the husband works composing music for movies for the duration of the War. This is the foundation of the story and then it picks up with all of the issues of returning and finding the child.
The themes are guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt.... Mom is driven by the idea that nobody can understand how or why they would leave their child. I do believe that many families were torn apart and had no idea of their fate until years later. I don't believe anybody would have questioned this fact.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
I am a bit conflicted on the review for this book. Overall I really enjoyed it and was rather engaged with all of the characters. But I found that there was just something lacking that pushes the book to one that grabs ya. I did find that Landau was a little light on some of the main characters and left them barely drawn.
In a nutshell, a Russian Jewish woman and her husband are ordered to intern as foreign nationals in newly occupied France. Being wealthy they decide that they will leave their French-born child with the governess until they are freed or the war ends, surely the war will not last long. So as the occupation continues and becomes worse the governess moves from the couple's home back to her family home and then has to hide the child at a Catholic School. She is unable to tell the parents what happened to the child before she is killed by the Nazis. The couple is able to escape France and end up in America where the husband works composing music for movies for the duration of the War. This is the foundation of the story and then it picks up with all of the issues of returning and finding the child.
The themes are guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt.... Mom is driven by the idea that nobody can understand how or why they would leave their child. I do believe that many families were torn apart and had no idea of their fate until years later. I don't believe anybody would have questioned this fact.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
December 25, 2020
It was the toughest decision any parent would ever have to make. Sending your child into hiding in an attempt to keep her alive when the Nazis took over southern France. Vera was forced into an internment camp and couldn’t bare the thought of bringing her daughter Lucie into such a dangerous place so she entrusted her to the care of her longtime governess. Vera bad her husband managed to escape the camp and make their way to America, leaving Lucie behind fearing it would be to dangerous to bring along a child. She thought she’d be safe. But life in their new country was riddled with guilt and worry for their daughter, especially when they hear of a massacre in the village where Lucie was being hidden. Then Vera, along with Sasha...a filmmaker who she falls in love with when her marriage fails...head to France determined to find out what happened to Lucie.
Such an emotional WWII story. It’s from a perspective that I haven’t read before. I can’t imagine leaving behind a child in the hopes that she’d be safe. The what if’s would eat at anyone which makes Vera a relatable character to all mothers. I couldn’t imagine going back to a war torn Europe after having escaped. The sights, the sounds, the emotions. Vera is a strong character whose determination to find and love for her daughter take a hold of you and make you want to follow along on her journey.
Thank you to NetGalley and Alexis Landau for the advanced copy of this book. I really enjoyed it!
Such an emotional WWII story. It’s from a perspective that I haven’t read before. I can’t imagine leaving behind a child in the hopes that she’d be safe. The what if’s would eat at anyone which makes Vera a relatable character to all mothers. I couldn’t imagine going back to a war torn Europe after having escaped. The sights, the sounds, the emotions. Vera is a strong character whose determination to find and love for her daughter take a hold of you and make you want to follow along on her journey.
Thank you to NetGalley and Alexis Landau for the advanced copy of this book. I really enjoyed it!
December 17, 2020
This book had so much potential to be a really great story, but unfortunately it fell way short. Much of the story describes the journey to America and the life that Vera and her husband make here, while their young daughter is somewhere in France during WWII. There are many stories written about this time period and the desperate choices that Jewish people had to make in order to survive, but not many deal with families having to leave their children in order to protect them. This was one reason that I was interested in reading this book. I wish that the author would have spent more time with Vera's search to get her daughter back and not rushed through it at the end of the book. The character of Sasha and his story never connected with the rest of the story and at the end of the book you are left wondering what it was all about. There was so many loose ends that I felt dissatisfied.
June 7, 2021
Wow. This should have been and could’ve been a far better book.
1.. although we are repeatedly told how difficult and wrenching it was for Vera to leave Lucie, how Vera was distraught over the separation from her daughter, the reader never feels the emotional heartache. Very dispassionate.
2. The author fails to develop Max’s character. There is no explanation, other than the fact he’s very self-centered, as to his lack of concern, almost disregard, of Lucie. Max should have been developed more and Sasha should’ve been written out.
3. Too much of the story spent in California. Instead, the author should have spent more time in France, the overreaching hands of the Nazis, the decision to leave and more detailed information on the escape. More time should’ve been devoted to Vera‘s search.
4. Vera is so dedicated to finding her daughter that she goes to spend time in the country? And she rules out the DP camps because she doesn’t see why she should search somewhere where she “knows“ Lucie will not be found. I think a mother in similar circumstances would turn over every rock and leaf and go anywhere she had to to find her child. Vera’s search should be all consuming. Instead, it appears to be a hobby.
5. “… His animal warm surrounded her…“ I felt this was a romance novel at its heart disguised as historical fiction.
6. A man, Sasha comes to the rescue locating Lucie.
Again, the man as the stronger character, the hero if you will. Taken from any romance novel. Vera should’ve been developed as a strong, capable, independent woman and mother.
1.. although we are repeatedly told how difficult and wrenching it was for Vera to leave Lucie, how Vera was distraught over the separation from her daughter, the reader never feels the emotional heartache. Very dispassionate.
2. The author fails to develop Max’s character. There is no explanation, other than the fact he’s very self-centered, as to his lack of concern, almost disregard, of Lucie. Max should have been developed more and Sasha should’ve been written out.
3. Too much of the story spent in California. Instead, the author should have spent more time in France, the overreaching hands of the Nazis, the decision to leave and more detailed information on the escape. More time should’ve been devoted to Vera‘s search.
4. Vera is so dedicated to finding her daughter that she goes to spend time in the country? And she rules out the DP camps because she doesn’t see why she should search somewhere where she “knows“ Lucie will not be found. I think a mother in similar circumstances would turn over every rock and leaf and go anywhere she had to to find her child. Vera’s search should be all consuming. Instead, it appears to be a hobby.
5. “… His animal warm surrounded her…“ I felt this was a romance novel at its heart disguised as historical fiction.
6. A man, Sasha comes to the rescue locating Lucie.
Again, the man as the stronger character, the hero if you will. Taken from any romance novel. Vera should’ve been developed as a strong, capable, independent woman and mother.
March 14, 2021
I won Those Who Are Saved in a Goodreads giveaway. I was very disappointed with this book, the focus was more on the Vera and her husband and not on finding their daughter. I felt that the book moved very slow and did not hold my attention.
September 20, 2020
Those Who Are Saved by Alexis Landau is an excellent historical fiction that takes place during and immediately after WWII. This novel tells the story of love, loss, difficult decisions, acceptance, forgiveness, family, sacrifices, and the enduring spirit and hope of a better tomorrow and a second chance.
This book is at one time both beautiful with glimmers of radiating light and also heartbreaking and difficult to read. This is a story that represents what so many went through during this most difficult time: separation of family members in hopes of survival and eventual reunion. In this specific story, it is the deliberate separation of mother and child in hopes that both will be able to escape the Nazis at some point in occupied France to safe territory and back into each other's arms and lives again.
Vera makes the most difficult decision possible: to send her young daughter, Lucie, with her trusted governess off in hopes of keeping her out of what she thinks is probable imprisonment and significant danger as they are part of a Jewish family that now has find a way out of occupied France, if possible.
The twist is that after the devastating separation, Vera and her husband Max are able to actually escape to the US, but not until after it is impossible to get word to Lucie. Thus, mother and daughter are separated by land and sea and the journey to finding one another, and forgiveness in each other, and within themselves, is the story we as readers get to experience.
This is a decision that no parent should ever have to make, and I cannot even begin to fathom how it must have felt for Vera to not only make this choice, but to also know that it may have been made unnecessarily and the years lost by being a part thereafter. The cascading events and effects that happened from this decision are also difficult to read. The author does a wonderful job depicting this journey with a wonderfully complex set of characters. The emotions were real, they were raw, they were imperfect. I really enjoyed reading this story of love, loss, reunion, and redemption. I also truly enjoyed the satisfying ending.
Excellent novel. 5/5 stars.
Thank you EW and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this wonderful ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, and Instagram accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, B&N, and Instagram (again) accounts upon publication.
This book is at one time both beautiful with glimmers of radiating light and also heartbreaking and difficult to read. This is a story that represents what so many went through during this most difficult time: separation of family members in hopes of survival and eventual reunion. In this specific story, it is the deliberate separation of mother and child in hopes that both will be able to escape the Nazis at some point in occupied France to safe territory and back into each other's arms and lives again.
Vera makes the most difficult decision possible: to send her young daughter, Lucie, with her trusted governess off in hopes of keeping her out of what she thinks is probable imprisonment and significant danger as they are part of a Jewish family that now has find a way out of occupied France, if possible.
The twist is that after the devastating separation, Vera and her husband Max are able to actually escape to the US, but not until after it is impossible to get word to Lucie. Thus, mother and daughter are separated by land and sea and the journey to finding one another, and forgiveness in each other, and within themselves, is the story we as readers get to experience.
This is a decision that no parent should ever have to make, and I cannot even begin to fathom how it must have felt for Vera to not only make this choice, but to also know that it may have been made unnecessarily and the years lost by being a part thereafter. The cascading events and effects that happened from this decision are also difficult to read. The author does a wonderful job depicting this journey with a wonderfully complex set of characters. The emotions were real, they were raw, they were imperfect. I really enjoyed reading this story of love, loss, reunion, and redemption. I also truly enjoyed the satisfying ending.
Excellent novel. 5/5 stars.
Thank you EW and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this wonderful ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, and Instagram accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, B&N, and Instagram (again) accounts upon publication.
July 3, 2021
Best book I’ve read in nearly a decade. In elegant yet genuine prose, Landau takes you on a breathless journey. She tells the tale of a Russian Jewish mother who leaves France and her beloved 4-year old daughter, Lucie, behind during WW II. Based on the true stories of children separated from their parents during the war and the Jewish artists who flocked to LA to escape Nazism, this read may knock you off your feet. It’s sober, sensual, historic, romantic, glamorous and thought provoking- I stayed up all night to finish, tears at dawn.
January 31, 2021
I felt a little short changed while reading. I kept going, waiting, hoping that the story would come together. Sadly, it did not even though there was so much potential to make this another excellent WWII tale.
While this book did not do it for me, I encourage you to pick this up when it becomes available.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in February 2021.
While this book did not do it for me, I encourage you to pick this up when it becomes available.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in February 2021.
August 30, 2021
Those Who are Saved is a historical fiction novel set in France during World War II. There are two storylines. One of a Jewish couple, Vera and Max, who are forced to report to an internment camp and decide to leave their daughter, Lucie, behind and keep her safe. Later on, they are heartbroken when they are unable to locate her. They move to Hollywood were Max works as a musician in the film industry.
The other storyline includes another Jewish family, Sasha, a veteran and filmmaker, and his mother who left Poland when her son was young and settle in New York. Sasha then moves to Hollywood where he begins working for the film industry as well. He then meets Vera about the time when her marriage is falling apart.
I struggled with the way in which these two storylines weaved together. Especially when the focus became about the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. These sections tended to slow down the plot and it dragged for a while.
However, and this is a spoiler alert, so stop here as it reveals a latter part of the book.
A section of the book that held my attention occurs at the orphanage where Lucie spends a significant amount of time. We see the nuns risk their own lives to save the children. However, we also see how, when the family searches for Lucie, the Mother Superior is unwilling to give out information about the child, believing the girl is now Catholic and belongs in a Catholic household. This raises an interesting debate on what right does the Mother Superior have in making such a decision. Yet, we know these decisions were made at that time.
Overall, Those Who are Saved is a good book but is slowed down when the two stories are intertwined and a budding romance and Hollywood get in the way of the plot.
The other storyline includes another Jewish family, Sasha, a veteran and filmmaker, and his mother who left Poland when her son was young and settle in New York. Sasha then moves to Hollywood where he begins working for the film industry as well. He then meets Vera about the time when her marriage is falling apart.
I struggled with the way in which these two storylines weaved together. Especially when the focus became about the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. These sections tended to slow down the plot and it dragged for a while.
However, and this is a spoiler alert, so stop here as it reveals a latter part of the book.
A section of the book that held my attention occurs at the orphanage where Lucie spends a significant amount of time. We see the nuns risk their own lives to save the children. However, we also see how, when the family searches for Lucie, the Mother Superior is unwilling to give out information about the child, believing the girl is now Catholic and belongs in a Catholic household. This raises an interesting debate on what right does the Mother Superior have in making such a decision. Yet, we know these decisions were made at that time.
Overall, Those Who are Saved is a good book but is slowed down when the two stories are intertwined and a budding romance and Hollywood get in the way of the plot.
June 6, 2022
i’m sorry but i just did not like this book 😭 i only kept reading because once i start a book i have to finish it
May 17, 2021
This was a wonderful book. I liked it a lot. The author 's writing is descriptive and
lovely.
Vera and Max live in Paris with their four year old daughter Lucie. When the word
comes out that Germany is about to invade their country, and that all Russian Jews
will be sent to death camps, Vera leaves Lucie in the safety of her governess, and
she and Max are able to flee to California. Once there, Vera and Max split up unable
to bear leaving their beloved child behind.
Vera meets Sasha in California and they are both attracted to each other. Sasha has
his own burdens, and Vera continues to grieve.
Eventually, they will journey together to search for Lucie.
lovely.
Vera and Max live in Paris with their four year old daughter Lucie. When the word
comes out that Germany is about to invade their country, and that all Russian Jews
will be sent to death camps, Vera leaves Lucie in the safety of her governess, and
she and Max are able to flee to California. Once there, Vera and Max split up unable
to bear leaving their beloved child behind.
Vera meets Sasha in California and they are both attracted to each other. Sasha has
his own burdens, and Vera continues to grieve.
Eventually, they will journey together to search for Lucie.
February 21, 2021
Vera and Max are Russian émigrés living in Paris with their 4 year old daughter. Once the Nazis enter the country their wealth and social standing cannot help them, and thus begins a journey where choices are made that will mark each one of them for the rest of their lives. When the couple are ordered to present themselves at an internment camp for foreign nationals they decide to leave their daughter with her governess Agnès, with the plan that they will hide in Agnes’ remote hometown until Vera and Max can safely return to collect her. Vera and her friend Elsa are able to escape from Gurs, the internment camp, and thanks to Elsa’s husband they are able to secure US visas for the four of them. Vera and Max spend the war safely in California, while Lucie is stuck in France, no one knowing when and if they will ever see each other again.
Those Who Are Saved was a slow burner for me. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did I was hooked. This isn’t your average WW2 historical fiction romance, it’s a deeply researched historical novel based on a lot of facts, and explores the choices that we make, and the consequences of those choices, during times where we really have no choice at all. There are several narrators in the novel: Vera, Lucie, and a man named Sasha, who emigrated to the US as a little boy, and who has a chance encounter with Vera on the day of the Pearl Harbor bombing. We see the war through the eyes of a little girl who is kept hidden from the worst of it, despite it happening on her doorstep. We see the war through a woman whose heart aches for her child, both trapped in different places across the world. And we see the war through the eyes of a man who returns to European soil for the first time since he left as a child, fighting to make it back home again and continue his dream of writing and directing in Hollywood.
The war is the backdrop of this novel, the foreground being the intricate development of the characters and the way they try to live with the lives that they now live, and the choices that they have made. Relationships fall apart and new ones are forged, bonds are broken but forged back together again. The writing is absolutely beautiful, Alexis Landau has this way with words where they seem to paint an image in watercolor, infusing emotions and perceptions into every page.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.
Those Who Are Saved was a slow burner for me. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did I was hooked. This isn’t your average WW2 historical fiction romance, it’s a deeply researched historical novel based on a lot of facts, and explores the choices that we make, and the consequences of those choices, during times where we really have no choice at all. There are several narrators in the novel: Vera, Lucie, and a man named Sasha, who emigrated to the US as a little boy, and who has a chance encounter with Vera on the day of the Pearl Harbor bombing. We see the war through the eyes of a little girl who is kept hidden from the worst of it, despite it happening on her doorstep. We see the war through a woman whose heart aches for her child, both trapped in different places across the world. And we see the war through the eyes of a man who returns to European soil for the first time since he left as a child, fighting to make it back home again and continue his dream of writing and directing in Hollywood.
The war is the backdrop of this novel, the foreground being the intricate development of the characters and the way they try to live with the lives that they now live, and the choices that they have made. Relationships fall apart and new ones are forged, bonds are broken but forged back together again. The writing is absolutely beautiful, Alexis Landau has this way with words where they seem to paint an image in watercolor, infusing emotions and perceptions into every page.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.
January 31, 2021
Little Golden America
This story tugs at the heart. In dire circumstances choices need to be made, do we always make the right ones? What if our choices come back to haunt us? In an effort to keep her child safe, this mother sacrifices years of her life with that child. The guilt stays with her until she makes it right in her heart.
Max and Vera and their four year old daughter are vacationing with friends when the Nazi's occupy France. Vera is a Russian Jewish Immigrant to France. When the Nazi's occupy France a notice is received that all foreigner's must report to an internment camp. Vera makes the choice to leave her daughter Lucie with the governess instead of subjecting her to the camp. Max and Vera escape from the camp and are able to make their way to America, but they could not go and retrieve Lucie.
After reading the newspaper where the town Lucie was in with the governess is burned to the ground and all the residents perish Max believes Lucie is lost. Vera will not give up searching for her. Their marriage dissolves. Vera meets a Jewish American filmmaker named Sasha and together they go to France after the war to search for Lucie. What will they find? Is Lucie gone forever or did she manage to escape and if so will they find her?
The story is about choices and regrets. It is about feelings and wounds left after the war. It is a story of the aftermath of war. Those returning from camps in their changed bodies and minds. It is about the facing of the horrors of the horrors of war after the war. Families searching for information and sometimes it is heartbreaking. No one escapes the consequences of war it changes people and nations.
This was a good book to read it brought it home as to the horrors of war and the power of a mother's love. A belief in a better life and a new start. I would recommend it.
Thanks to Alexis Landau, Penguin Group Putnam books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy for an honest review.
This story tugs at the heart. In dire circumstances choices need to be made, do we always make the right ones? What if our choices come back to haunt us? In an effort to keep her child safe, this mother sacrifices years of her life with that child. The guilt stays with her until she makes it right in her heart.
Max and Vera and their four year old daughter are vacationing with friends when the Nazi's occupy France. Vera is a Russian Jewish Immigrant to France. When the Nazi's occupy France a notice is received that all foreigner's must report to an internment camp. Vera makes the choice to leave her daughter Lucie with the governess instead of subjecting her to the camp. Max and Vera escape from the camp and are able to make their way to America, but they could not go and retrieve Lucie.
After reading the newspaper where the town Lucie was in with the governess is burned to the ground and all the residents perish Max believes Lucie is lost. Vera will not give up searching for her. Their marriage dissolves. Vera meets a Jewish American filmmaker named Sasha and together they go to France after the war to search for Lucie. What will they find? Is Lucie gone forever or did she manage to escape and if so will they find her?
The story is about choices and regrets. It is about feelings and wounds left after the war. It is a story of the aftermath of war. Those returning from camps in their changed bodies and minds. It is about the facing of the horrors of the horrors of war after the war. Families searching for information and sometimes it is heartbreaking. No one escapes the consequences of war it changes people and nations.
This was a good book to read it brought it home as to the horrors of war and the power of a mother's love. A belief in a better life and a new start. I would recommend it.
Thanks to Alexis Landau, Penguin Group Putnam books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy for an honest review.
March 2, 2023
I pick up novels from the WWII era, always with a curiosity as to what else can someone find to write given the absolute abundance of books featuring this time period.
I was drawn to this book because I know and understand only too well how all-consuming and taxing motherhood can be for worriers like me; plus the ingrained responsibility and obligation to protect our children no matter how old they are. Despite this emotional powerhouse, I find the book just okay and a bit too drawn out.
First of all, I did not like the protagonist - Vera. At times, I lack empathy for her even though I can understand her grief and guilt at leaving her daughter behind when she and her husband, Max are forced to enter an internment camp in France as they are not born in France and therefore considered foreigners.
Vera, in my opinion, lived in wealth and seems out of touch with reality. Her friend, Elsa reminds her that "You are not abandoning her. You are saving her." It is a terrible choice but it is obviously the logical choice to allow her governess to keep the child safe at all costs. Elsa and her prominent husband, Leon are close friends with Vera and her husband, Max.
At times, I find the plot improbable as I read of Elsa being able to somehow miraculously get info that the men are at Saint-Nicolas camp and not at Nimes. The women's exit from their camp (Gurs) is described thus: "they dove to the ground and wiggled through the space (a semi tunnel is mentioned as a one liner in the book and reported as being dug by Vera and Elsa) between the fence and the dirt. Sliding on their bellies for hours, they weaved, like water snakes, through the tall grass until they reached the road".
Given this harrowing escape of the women, the author goes on to i) insert Vera and Elsa in a taxi to Saint-Nicolas camp when the roads are plugged with people on foot and fleeing; ii)allow Elsa to mention her husband's name to get the men out of the camp; and iii) arm Elsa with what is needed for her husband's illness having just crawled her way out of her own camp - Elsa stifled a cry and then announced that she had chocolate from Paris and some unripe apples stolen from Gurs.
Then again, after several pages of the arduous trek towards Spain, the author suddenly gives the women a backpack to help them bribe their way through - with one violent , the zipper gave way and the Camel cigarettes packs cascaded onto the stone floor...it would help us so much if you kept all of this... I find these sudden solutions to be dissonance ; impractical or improbable.
The author also inserts a good American - Varian Fry - who commits to helping the men get out of the internment camp and promises to get them to the foothills of the Pyrenees, over which they would cross to Spain. The characters just seem to be able to secure privilege and protection while the reality of the time period was vastly different.
And so the emigres manages to reach the USA and then settling in California. The bulk of the book is about Vera and her guilt ad nauseum. I can well imagine how gut-wrenching and heart-breaking this situation must be for a mother and I am surprised that I was not more sympathetic to Vera. I find this character to be what I call "a high-maintenance woman" who can be unreasonable at time. I find her cunning and manipulative too.
For example, Vera's husband, Max was trying his best to help her overcome her insurmountable grief, encouraging her to see a psychiatrist, offering her a choice of oysters and bridge or going to the movies. Vera's response is a choice of going to the movies while making a firm determination in her mind - I'm going to leave you. Then she attributes her decision to drive off with another man she barely knows, to recklessness but a sense of freedom.
While Max finds a job and is doing his best to keep it and survive in a new country, Vera wallows in self-pity and blames him for not understanding her while she has the time to take long walks on the pier and do nothing all day except to moan.
Later Vera would reflect on her relationship with Max. She would acknowledge that "she would resent him for his false optimism...for Max, her grief proved a burden, causing him to lash out in weaker moments, making her feel guilty about her guilt, or sad about her sadness, one painful emotion weighing down another. Further she would later come to the realization "how wrong she was for blaming him, for making him into the one who didn't care about Lucie, when it was the world that didn't care."
The novel is laid out in sections covering Vera, her daughter - Lucie - in hiding in France, and Sasha - a movie script writer with hopes of directing his own movies. In my opinion, Sasha is the best character overall and his story and bond with his mother are more interesting and genuine. Sasha develops a deep affection for Vera. Sasha follows Vera to France to help her find her daughter and despite the sacrifices he made plus his own grief, Vera hurls at him in frustration.
So, is this just another story idea for you?" she lashed out, that sharp anxiety vengeful, wanting to punish someone because St Denis had been the last convent on their list...
Daughter, Lucie, seem to have the same proclivities. Generous Marie who befriends Lucie at the convent, iss able to steer her parents into accepting Lucie into their home. How does Lucie appreciate this generosity :
She touched Lucie's shoulder. "I know how much you miss your mama and papa"...Lucie jerked away and inched closer to the wall. She wanted to scream and hurl the stuffed animal at Marie, but then the Bonheurs would surely send her back to the convent. "I don't have any parents."
Very descriptive with inserts of dreams and reflections etc., the novel then rushes to a quick and predictable end. I may be the outlier on this book and at my most generous, I give it three stars.
I was drawn to this book because I know and understand only too well how all-consuming and taxing motherhood can be for worriers like me; plus the ingrained responsibility and obligation to protect our children no matter how old they are. Despite this emotional powerhouse, I find the book just okay and a bit too drawn out.
First of all, I did not like the protagonist - Vera. At times, I lack empathy for her even though I can understand her grief and guilt at leaving her daughter behind when she and her husband, Max are forced to enter an internment camp in France as they are not born in France and therefore considered foreigners.
Vera, in my opinion, lived in wealth and seems out of touch with reality. Her friend, Elsa reminds her that "You are not abandoning her. You are saving her." It is a terrible choice but it is obviously the logical choice to allow her governess to keep the child safe at all costs. Elsa and her prominent husband, Leon are close friends with Vera and her husband, Max.
At times, I find the plot improbable as I read of Elsa being able to somehow miraculously get info that the men are at Saint-Nicolas camp and not at Nimes. The women's exit from their camp (Gurs) is described thus: "they dove to the ground and wiggled through the space (a semi tunnel is mentioned as a one liner in the book and reported as being dug by Vera and Elsa) between the fence and the dirt. Sliding on their bellies for hours, they weaved, like water snakes, through the tall grass until they reached the road".
Given this harrowing escape of the women, the author goes on to i) insert Vera and Elsa in a taxi to Saint-Nicolas camp when the roads are plugged with people on foot and fleeing; ii)allow Elsa to mention her husband's name to get the men out of the camp; and iii) arm Elsa with what is needed for her husband's illness having just crawled her way out of her own camp - Elsa stifled a cry and then announced that she had chocolate from Paris and some unripe apples stolen from Gurs.
Then again, after several pages of the arduous trek towards Spain, the author suddenly gives the women a backpack to help them bribe their way through - with one violent , the zipper gave way and the Camel cigarettes packs cascaded onto the stone floor...it would help us so much if you kept all of this... I find these sudden solutions to be dissonance ; impractical or improbable.
The author also inserts a good American - Varian Fry - who commits to helping the men get out of the internment camp and promises to get them to the foothills of the Pyrenees, over which they would cross to Spain. The characters just seem to be able to secure privilege and protection while the reality of the time period was vastly different.
And so the emigres manages to reach the USA and then settling in California. The bulk of the book is about Vera and her guilt ad nauseum. I can well imagine how gut-wrenching and heart-breaking this situation must be for a mother and I am surprised that I was not more sympathetic to Vera. I find this character to be what I call "a high-maintenance woman" who can be unreasonable at time. I find her cunning and manipulative too.
For example, Vera's husband, Max was trying his best to help her overcome her insurmountable grief, encouraging her to see a psychiatrist, offering her a choice of oysters and bridge or going to the movies. Vera's response is a choice of going to the movies while making a firm determination in her mind - I'm going to leave you. Then she attributes her decision to drive off with another man she barely knows, to recklessness but a sense of freedom.
While Max finds a job and is doing his best to keep it and survive in a new country, Vera wallows in self-pity and blames him for not understanding her while she has the time to take long walks on the pier and do nothing all day except to moan.
Later Vera would reflect on her relationship with Max. She would acknowledge that "she would resent him for his false optimism...for Max, her grief proved a burden, causing him to lash out in weaker moments, making her feel guilty about her guilt, or sad about her sadness, one painful emotion weighing down another. Further she would later come to the realization "how wrong she was for blaming him, for making him into the one who didn't care about Lucie, when it was the world that didn't care."
The novel is laid out in sections covering Vera, her daughter - Lucie - in hiding in France, and Sasha - a movie script writer with hopes of directing his own movies. In my opinion, Sasha is the best character overall and his story and bond with his mother are more interesting and genuine. Sasha develops a deep affection for Vera. Sasha follows Vera to France to help her find her daughter and despite the sacrifices he made plus his own grief, Vera hurls at him in frustration.
So, is this just another story idea for you?" she lashed out, that sharp anxiety vengeful, wanting to punish someone because St Denis had been the last convent on their list...
Daughter, Lucie, seem to have the same proclivities. Generous Marie who befriends Lucie at the convent, iss able to steer her parents into accepting Lucie into their home. How does Lucie appreciate this generosity :
She touched Lucie's shoulder. "I know how much you miss your mama and papa"...Lucie jerked away and inched closer to the wall. She wanted to scream and hurl the stuffed animal at Marie, but then the Bonheurs would surely send her back to the convent. "I don't have any parents."
Very descriptive with inserts of dreams and reflections etc., the novel then rushes to a quick and predictable end. I may be the outlier on this book and at my most generous, I give it three stars.
August 15, 2021
Very slow start. Sasha “You don’t want to spend a lot of time on backstory. That just weighs everything down, makes the script cave in on itself.“ Landau should have listened to the words she gave Sasha.
The first half of the book took me 3 months to read. The second half 3 days. She does a good job painting the picture of their lives at the beginning of the occupation. However, she gets lost in the details of friends and life in America prior to meeting Sasha. Resulting in slowing the story down and little development of Max, which is a missed opportunity.
Sasha’s story mirrors Lucy’s and and delves into the repercussions of unanswered questions that come with the loss of a parent.
The build up to the relationship between Vera and Sasha was satisfying as well as the search for Lucy.
I’m glad I didn’t give up reading. However, I’m not sure I would recommend.
The first half of the book took me 3 months to read. The second half 3 days. She does a good job painting the picture of their lives at the beginning of the occupation. However, she gets lost in the details of friends and life in America prior to meeting Sasha. Resulting in slowing the story down and little development of Max, which is a missed opportunity.
Sasha’s story mirrors Lucy’s and and delves into the repercussions of unanswered questions that come with the loss of a parent.
The build up to the relationship between Vera and Sasha was satisfying as well as the search for Lucy.
I’m glad I didn’t give up reading. However, I’m not sure I would recommend.
April 12, 2021
It was a quick read, but I could just never fully involve myself in the story. I felt chapter's flew by without any real meaning or purpose to the plot until the last 100 pages. I would've like this story better if Lucie's perspective on war, life and separation was explored even at their age. Just not might cup of tea, but would tell others to give it a shot.
February 26, 2021
I really enjoyed this novel. It was beautifully written. Thank you to the author, the publishers and Netgalley for my free copy of this book.
May 16, 2021
I hated this book. The premise of the story is good but the characters are so boring. I forced myself to finish it hoping it would get better but it unfortunately did not.
September 13, 2022
After getting word that all foreigners must report to an internment camp, Vera is faced with an impossible choice. Should she take her French born daughter with her or leave Lucie hidden with her governess until she can return? Believing the safest option is to keep her away from the trauma of the camp, Vera leaves Lucie behind saying she would be back soon. As the horrors of the war begin to increase, Vera is forced to flee across the ocean. The time separated from her daughter is filled with pain, worry and speculation when letters and news from France is slow to arrive and then not at all. Determined to be reunited with Lucie and strongly believing she survived the war, Vera's only goal is to once again set sail for France and journey on until she discovers Lucie's fate. This was a difficult book to read as a parent. I can't imagine the anxiety that was felt by so many in this situation not knowing where their children were, how they were or if they were even alive. I don't know if my nerves could have handled this. The story in parts dragged on a bit and could have possibly done without some of the narrative, especially in Sasha's POV when for me the Vera/Lucie storyline was the main focus. If you are a His Fic fan, I'm sure you would enjoy this if you are looking for a new read. For me it was a bit of a slow roll. Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Book for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 20, 2021
It's WW II, the Germans have occupied France, and Vera and Max have left their daughter Lucie with a trusted family employee when they are ordered to report to a detainment camp because they are not citizens of France. At the same time, in the US, Sasha is struggling to sell his work in Hollywood. These lives will intersect and their stories- Vera, Sasha, and Lucie- are told alternately. I'm going to be the odd one out on this. Early on the occupying Germans were described as elegant in their gray green uniforms (I'm curious why an editor didn't cut this description). More importantly, I kept questioning things like- how did they pay to get over the mountains and then later to the US? Keeping in mind that they were first sent to detainment camps, escaped from those camps, and then did a mountain trek, how could Vera have her pearls? Lucie's story felt sugar glazed given the conditions in the region. Sasha's story is interesting but...Vera's hunt for Lucie after the war felt compressed. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I very much wanted to like this but felt that there was a better more emotional book in here.
September 12, 2022
I got this book as an arc, but just couldn't get into it. I think it was just a slow start.
I just now got back to it and listened to it on audiobook.
I thought it was slow going in places, but I really felt for this little girl, being separated from her mother, not knowing what happened to her. It was such a heartbreaking time in history and families had to go through so much, being separated and not knowing what happened to their loved ones. Her Mom made a decision that helped save her girls life.
It also made me angry towards the end when the Nun lied to the mother and the reasoning behind it. Though, I totally can see that happening.
I just now got back to it and listened to it on audiobook.
I thought it was slow going in places, but I really felt for this little girl, being separated from her mother, not knowing what happened to her. It was such a heartbreaking time in history and families had to go through so much, being separated and not knowing what happened to their loved ones. Her Mom made a decision that helped save her girls life.
It also made me angry towards the end when the Nun lied to the mother and the reasoning behind it. Though, I totally can see that happening.
December 23, 2024
ALEXIS LANDAUUUUUU DROP THE SEQUEL TO THOSE WHO ARE SAVED AND MY LIFE IS YOURS
even though this had many issues with pacing, telling and not showing, mini plot holes, and minor characterization, it was addicting. I have never read a book where the characters' flaws were so prevalent but they were still so lovable. even the characters you're not really supposed to like are sympathetic. the characters are so relatable, and that's a big factor into why they're so likable. if you're a woman or a mother you'll definitely love this book.
ALSO I NEVER REALIZED LANDAU'S OTHER BOOK WAS A PREQUEL TO THIS??? OMG OMG OMG
even though this had many issues with pacing, telling and not showing, mini plot holes, and minor characterization, it was addicting. I have never read a book where the characters' flaws were so prevalent but they were still so lovable. even the characters you're not really supposed to like are sympathetic. the characters are so relatable, and that's a big factor into why they're so likable. if you're a woman or a mother you'll definitely love this book.
ALSO I NEVER REALIZED LANDAU'S OTHER BOOK WAS A PREQUEL TO THIS??? OMG OMG OMG
October 1, 2021
Yes, another WWII novel but all of the stories are unique in their particulars. This one was good, involving Jewish parents who left their young daughter with their non-Jewish governess when they fled France, thinking she would be safe. The parents ended up in LA and had no knowledge of whether their daughter was dead or alive. There were a number of loose ends and glossing over of what would have been important details. The last few chapters were the most exciting but the actual ending was very abrupt.
Want to read
October 27, 2021Vera and her husband Max left Russia, and the family is happy living in France. They are a wealthy family and life is good. When the Nazis occupy Paris, they issue an order that Jews must be put in camps. Vera decides that Lucie would be better off with her governess Agnes and she tells Lucie she’ll come get her when she can. Agnes loves Lucie
The family that is watching Lucie moves to a rural part of France, and Vera and her husband escape to the United States. After the war is over, Vera is determined to find Lucie, and she teams up with a man named Sasha when is also searching in France.
I can’t imagine how difficult the decision would be to send my child away, but mothers will do anything to protect their children. The guilt would be crushing, as it was in the book. I like it, but it was a slow read and the ending felt rushed. 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The family that is watching Lucie moves to a rural part of France, and Vera and her husband escape to the United States. After the war is over, Vera is determined to find Lucie, and she teams up with a man named Sasha when is also searching in France.
I can’t imagine how difficult the decision would be to send my child away, but mothers will do anything to protect their children. The guilt would be crushing, as it was in the book. I like it, but it was a slow read and the ending felt rushed. 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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