Thank you to net galley for this copy .This was my first book from this author and a third book in the series.I love historical fiction especially about the Holocaust.This did not disappoint.It was about children which typically I have not read much about them during the war.I fell in love with Tasha who went through so much in her life.This brought me to tears at times but I will definitely read more books by this author .

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Bookoutune and the fantastic author Anna Stuart for an early copy of her book.

This is the third book in this series,I've enjoyed reading book one and two..Tasha is only sixteen she is seperated from her mother they are in the death camp Auschwitz, her mother taken to go on the March.. will she see her mother again? The children are left alone no food or water,Tasha has a friend Georg..this story tells the story of the characters after the war...she and Georg have the opportunity to go to England with other children but she wants to find her mother....Alice is a great character in this book shes kind compassionate loves children and helps them she escapes Germany shes a jew and looking for news about her brother and nieces...this is an emotional read especially near the end of this book..if you like historical reads I would recommend reading the three books..well written book.


This book will be reviewed on goodreads and Amazon

When Tasha was torn away from her mum, Lydia, they didn’t know when they would see each other again. Lydia was taken out of Auschwitz on a march, the children were left behind, locked in a room with no food or drink. They were left to die.

When they are released from Auschwitz a few days later, Tasha has a new friend in Georg. They stick together and both end up coming over to England with many of the other child refugees. They live by Lake Windermere and Alice, who fled Germany previously, due to being a German Jew, looks after them all as if they were her own.

Tasha is very angry - quite rightly. She wants to go back and find her mum. Georg wants her to move on, to marry him and have babies but Tasha can’t move on yet. Not until she knows if her beloved mum is dead or alive.

Goodness me, this did tug at my heartstrings. These poor children, not knowing if their families are dead or alive. Children not knowing how to behave with each other, because they were so used to the despicable way everyone was treated in Auschwitz and other camps.

Alice was my favourite, she was kind, patient and compassionate. She coped well, even when these children struggled to settle in or lost their tempers.

One of the most interesting things I found out in this story, is that refugee children who had come over to England, went to Weir Courtney in Lingfield, Surrey. I used to live in Lingfield and hadn’t known about this. I did know the main high street and the racecourse and this added to my enjoyment as it’s somewhere I knew well.

This is a beautifully written story by the author. I read a lot of historical fiction regarding World War Two, but this is the first book I’ve read about the children. It is a stunning read, hard at times too. I did get emotional at times, such horrendous times for those who lived through the war.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was one I could not put down once started. It is heart wrenching to see things through the eyes of children and adults. To realize that some were so young they remember nothing of their prior lives, they are literally orphans. What happens to them? This book gives you some idea. And also how you possibly go on.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Historical drama set just after the end of World War Two. We follow Tasha from Autswitch to England. A heart breaking story,a heartwarming story.

This book follows the children from the camps in ww2 to England.
It writes about their new lives , trying and living normal lives.
Still suffering from what they went through mentally. I love seeing the character development to live their best lives.

This story was beautiful, tragic in places, I really enjoyed it. I’m a huge fan of Anna Stewart and eager to read more of her work.

I read this book as arc reader. Thank you Anna Stuart.

I could not put this book down. Tasha was separated from her mother in Auschwitz. She was brought to a home & given love, food and shelter. All she wanted was to find her mother. Her story is one of tragedy, love & overcoming the ghosts of the past.

This is my fifth book by this author and book 3 in the Women of War series. It can stand alone, but I encourage you to read the first two books, The Midwife of Auschwitz and The Midwife of Berlin. Reviews for both books can be found on my Goodreads page.

Stuart is very aware of the urgency to document many of the stories coming to light from the Holocaust experience. She approaches each with grace and sensitivity after completing piles of research.

I never stopped to consider what life was like for those after the camps were liberated. Stuart brings readers that story. She explains that despite freedom physically, many were still haunted and trapped mentally. The relocation and the reunification process were traumatic.

To reveal what happened in the aftermath, Stuart takes us to Windermere and tells us of the Holocaust child refugees who settled in the Lake District in England. I was most interested in the psychological impact on these children and Stuart covered it expertly, as I knew she would. I was heartbroken imagining what it must have been like for these children to leave the country/language/customs that were part of them from birth to face the unknown in another country with the possibility that their loved ones were still at home looking to reunite with them and perhaps unable to find them.

The thing that had the biggest impact was the retelling of how they went from starvation, not knowing when they were going to get anything to eat, to warm and luxurious living situations and tables ladened with food.

What I appreciated most was how Stuart examined the reality that not all children fared well. For some, the relocation experience was traumatic. It must have been distressing to adjust to homes with strict discipline and unwavering religious devotion.

If you haven’t experienced a Stuart historical fiction book yet, what’s stopping you?

This story featuring Jewish children and new beginnings is one we can’t allow to get lost in the shadows of history.

I was gifted this copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This is the third book in the “Women of War” series which includes “The Midwife of Auschwitz” and “The Midwife of Berlin.” I have not read the other books (yet!) and you do not need to read them before this one.

If you like any Heather Morris books, The Nightingale or other World War II historical fiction novels, you will enjoy this. I will be adding the other “Women of War” books to my TBR list. This novel focuses on the orphans in the aftermath of the Holocaust/World war II, just briefly touching on their experiences during the war. The story is told with alternating POV between Alice-a Jewish woman that escaped to England before World War II,taking care of war orphans and Tasha a 16 year old orphan that survived Auschwitz. The author introduces us to the challenges the orphans of different ages experienced after the war and touches a little bit on the psychological impact on these children. I gave this book 4.5/5 stars due to some frustration when Tasha would act like a petulant teenager at times. Beautiful, tear jerking last two chapters showing us how these survivors were able to create new families with other survivors.

A wonderfully crafted book, heart-wrenching WW2 story of survival against all odds and learning to live and love again. I read this emotionally charged, compellingbook in one sitting. Whoa,my emotions are ALL over the place!!! Wow!!! Wow!!! Wow!!! This book is a total page-turner!

This is a book that gives us a look at the surviving children of the most evil that went through Europe during WWII! They experienced the unimaginable, and more, and yet, they were survivors. We travel with them after they leave the camp, and then when they are transported to England.
We are there when mistakes are made, innocent, but they bring back the terror these poor children have already experienced.
This is a story that need not be forgotten, the suffering that went on long after the war ended.
I did love that we were updated right to when life decisions were made and new life begins.
Made me think, want to go home, you really can't and then the iron curtain fell! This also shows how hard it was to find information and survivors.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bookouture, and was not required to give a positive review.

Definitely recommend this read about a Polish girl who moves to the Lake District during the second world war. It is heartbreaking in places and a real page turner

A tragically heartfelt story, beautifully written by Anna Stuart. A must read - thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this one early!

Utterly amazing, heartbreaking, and heartwarming! Not to mention hard to put down! That said, I get Auschwitz was a huge concentration camp, a city of horror, but does every story have to involve an Auschwitz survivor?

This is a story of tragedy and grief and loss but at the same time it is a story of new beginnings, learning to create a new future. It is a compelling story about WWII that will brings tears at times. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I will never forget this poignant novel based on real events. Written with good psychological knowledge, this story encompasses the wide range of reactions of Jewish children who were liberated in 1945. Sent to England, all of them were considered orphans, some not even knowing their real name as they had been separated from their family for much too long. Many arrived in England, hoping to get news about their families, some more impatiently than others, each with his/her own way of coping (or not) with their trauma. I particularly enjoyed this novel because the author has shown through all her characters (adults and children) with great sensibility (no sentimentalism) and realism to live in a foreign country, striving to build up roots while wondering at the same time whether that is at all possible! I also found interesting the way she introduced and evoked the work of psychoanalysts (Anna Freud). Were they actually there to help the children or to learn from them? Highly recommended!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.