I like the way this book is written from the perspective of a child and in the relevant childs language. Following Brigitta, a refugee from war torn Europe. She arrives on a boat with the Red Cross, then escapes and sneaks onto a train to head north to Summerland. This book should have been right up my alley.
The mind of a girl, who narrowly escaped the holocaust is presented as untrusting and fearful really well. Also the way she interprets London as a newcomer is excellent. I wasn’t sure if she was seeing ghosts at one point or whether this was her imagination, I don't think this adds much to the story.
There is a light side to her attitude, I don't think this suits this difficult subject, it comes across as a little glib when I wanted something deeper and serious.
Some hard subjects are brought up in this extract, the concentration camps, her Mum being beaten by German police, always hiding. The soldiers sexually harassing her on the train. All are presented as the norm for this childs life, as could be expected, but Brigitta should have expressed more fear and anxiety, which doesn’t come across at all.
Nether the less, it's reasonably well written and would appeal to saga fans. But I suspect it will not find the right balance and take the subject seriously enough for me to read.
The mind of a girl, who narrowly escaped the holocaust is presented as untrusting and fearful really well. Also the way she interprets London as a newcomer is excellent. I wasn’t sure if she was seeing ghosts at one point or whether this was her imagination, I don't think this adds much to the story.
There is a light side to her attitude, I don't think this suits this difficult subject, it comes across as a little glib when I wanted something deeper and serious.
Some hard subjects are brought up in this extract, the concentration camps, her Mum being beaten by German police, always hiding. The soldiers sexually harassing her on the train. All are presented as the norm for this childs life, as could be expected, but Brigitta should have expressed more fear and anxiety, which doesn’t come across at all.
Nether the less, it's reasonably well written and would appeal to saga fans. But I suspect it will not find the right balance and take the subject seriously enough for me to read.