While I'm not typically drawn to fantasy, I found a captivating historical fiction book that truly engaged me. It follows a group of witches who have endured countless lifetimes evading a relentless witch hunter. This time, they are determined to end the cycle. Upon returning to Salem, Dora rediscovers her lost memories, powers, and her family.

The narrative weaves dual timelines filled with unexpected twists, artfully balancing heart-wrenching and uplifting moments. The mystery at the core of the story kept me intrigued, making it an enjoyable read for anyone. Although the pacing occasionally slowed, it ultimately picked up again, resulting in a positive experience overall.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.

The Train That Took You Away by Catherine Hokin is a poignant and emotionally charged historical fiction novel set against the backdrop of World War II. The story follows Esther Spielmann, a mother who, in the face of escalating Nazi persecution, makes the heart-wrenching decision to send her young son, Sascha, on the Kindertransport to safety. As Esther endures the horrors of a concentration camp, she clings to the hope of reuniting with Sascha, a promise that sustains her through unimaginable trials.

The audiobook, narrated by Sarah Durham, brings this harrowing tale to life with sensitivity and depth. Durham's clear and well-paced narration effectively conveys the emotional weight of the story, immersing listeners in the characters' experiences. Her portrayal of Esther's resilience and determination is particularly compelling, capturing the essence of a mother's love and the enduring human spirit.

The Train That Took You Away is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit amidst the darkest times. Its compelling narrative and evocative narration make it a must-listen for fans of historical fiction and those interested in stories of survival, hope, and the enduring bonds of family.

Huge Thank you to Catherine Hokin, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for this advanced copy

The Train That Took You Away isn’t just a story about leaving; it’s about the courage to embrace change, to let go of what once was, and to step into the unknown with open arms. Whether you’re a fan of reflective literary fiction or simply drawn to stories of personal transformation, this book offers a warm, resonant experience that lingers long after the final page is turned.

The Train That Took You Away by Catherine Hokin was both a heartbreaking and moving book that took place in Berlin, Germany during the late 1930’s, through World War II and the Holocaust and then after the defeat of the Nazis. It was well written and impeccably researched. The Train That Took You Away portrayed two incredibly strong women, one whose entire family lived and worked in Berlin and one who was a British citizen and had decided to return to Berlin against the wishes of her family. Both women had a strong passion for art but were not acquainted with each other. What circumstances brought them together?

Esther Spielmann had lived in Berlin her entire life. She grew up in an affluent Jewish family and was afforded the opportunities that came with her family’s status. Esther had always had a passion for art and therefore owned and operated a successful and well known art gallery in Berlin. She had married for love and had had a son with her husband. Sascha, their eight year old son, was bright, inquisitive and the apple of his mother’s eye. One afternoon while attempting to attend one of the Olympics events in Berlin, Esther, her husband and Sascha got their first real exposure at antisemitism that was directed towards them and their close friends. They were denied entry despite the fact that they had valid tickets. Shortly after that incident, Kristallnacht occurred. Both Esther’s husband and father were killed during Kristallnacht. The life for the Jews that resided in Berlin was getting worse and more and more restrictions were being imposed on them. Esther was forced to close her gallery but not before the Nazis took the paintings that they declared went against the Nazi’s acceptable artists and subjects. Esther wished she could protect Sascha from all the evil that the Nazis were committing. When Esther heard about the Kindertransport that could take Sascha safely out of Germany to live with a family in England, she was tortured by the decision she was forced to make. How could she send her precious son far away from her to live with complete strangers? On the other hand, how could Esther subject Sascha to the wrath of the Nazis? In the end, Esther did what she thought was best for Sascha. With a heavy heart, she sent a crying eight year old Sascha on the train that would take him to England, promising to find him after the war was over. The next thing Esther knew, she was forced on a train that was heading to a concentration camp. She knew that she had to survive if she wanted to be able to find Sascha again.

Amalie, a British woman, traveled to Berlin in 1938, against the wishes of her parents. She had been hired to work at Berlin’s National Gallery. As a child, Amalie spent a lot of time in Berlin with her family. She loved those days! Berlin was quite different now. The Nazis presence was everywhere and quite intimidating. Amalie loved what she was doing at Berlin’s National Gallery but things in Berlin were getting more and more chaotic and dangerous. To Amalie’s great regret, she was forced to return to England. As soon as the war ended, Amalie was determined to return to Berlin. It was during that time that Esther’s and Amalie’s paths crossed.

The Train That Took You Away focused on the extensive looting and stealing of valuable paintings that the Nazis sold to profit the party. I have read other books about how the Nazis stole valuable paintings but Catherine Hokin went into much greater details on this subject. It also included the terrible choices too many Jewish mothers had to make concerning the safety of their children. As a mother and grandmother, I don’t know how Esther and other mothers like her made that impossible decision to send their children away. That really tugged at my heart. The Train That Took You Away was about the unconditional love that existed between mother and son, hope, survival, friendship, patience, trust and forgiveness. I listened to the audiobook of The Train That Took You Away that was narrated by Sarah Durham. She did an excellent job of differentiating between the voices of the various characters. I really recommend this book if you enjoy reading historical fiction that focuses on aspects of World War II and the Holocaust.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Train That Took You Away by Catherine Hokin through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Heartbroken and emotional story I have ever read. The story is extraordinarily gripping and I just wanted to listen chapter after chapter. The narrator did a perfect job to present the story.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for my copy.

The Train That Took You Away has been a very timely read for me - at the time of writing this review, tomorrow marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. This story serves to remind us of the atrocities forced upon the Jewish population by the Nazis in the years leading up to, and throughout the Second World War.

I flew through this captivating book. Yes, it is horrific and heartbreaking; but rising above this is the message that there is always hope and light; that people will once again look for the good things in our world.

The audio narration from Sarah Durham is superb - very clear and perfectly paced. She eloquently brings to life the wonderful array of characters regardless of nationality, gender or age.

Another powerful book from Catherine Hokin that I highly recommend.

I received a complimentary audio copy of this book from the publisher, Bookouture. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is the story of a mother who loses her husband to the Nazi raids and then is forced to send her son away to save him. She ends up in a camp herself but is determined to find her son again one day. Simultaneously another woman is working in the art industry and working hard to preserve artwork throughout the Nazi art raids. The two women’s lives cross paths and the story unfolds from there.

I love a WWII book, but this one didn’t grip me like so many others have. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a heart-wrenching story, but I personally didn’t love the art raids portion of the book that seemed to take up much of the story. I was hoping for more of a focus on Esther finding her son Sasha, based on the book’s title. This could have been my disconnect. I also found that it took too long for the two women’s lives to cross paths so I found myself wondering what was going on. Overall, this is important historical information that we should never forget and is told well, and other historical fiction readers may enjoy.

Although I downloaded this onto the Netgalley app, it seems to have disappeared before I finished listening to it.

The Train that Till You Away by Catherine Hokin. This is a WW2 historical fiction narrated by Sarah Durham. Does did a wonderful job depicting between the characters. Esther Speilman’s husband and father are murdered and to keep her son Sascha safe she puts him on the children’s train. The only thing keeping her alive is the thought of reuniting with her son. This story shoes the thoughts and lives of three characters and their perspective, suffering, despair, and survival. Great read. Thank you to the author, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the Arc audio. This is my honest review

The narrative of this book largely focuses on the art raids and roles of gallery owners which I enjoyed but based on the title of the book I was hoping for more about Esther's struggle in the camp and her search for Sascha. I also wanted more about Sasha's life before they meet again. The writing was wonderful and I felt there with the characters which I think is important in a book about such heavy subject matter. Thank you so much for letting me readand review this book ahead of its release date!

I enjoyed reading this book, and liked the characters. I think it was shame that we didn’t see more of the relationships before the deaths as I didn’t feel very connected to them so didn’t grieve for the characters much. Otherwise thoroughly enjoyable

Ever since the Nazis came to power, violence has spread through the city Esther Spielmann once called home. Each night she prays her family will be spared. But when her husband and father are murdered alongside fellow Jews during Kristallnacht, she has no choice but to send her beloved son, Sascha, to safety.

There are quite a few moving parts to this story and the author did a great job weaving them together. My heart broke for Esther. I cannot fathom having to send my child away. And believe me, there are more heartbreaking elements that keep you on your toes.

This was very close to a 5 star rating from me. I just didn’t like the ending. It is a very good story but the ending just didn’t seem to fit exactly right.

Sarah Durham is excellent as the narrator of this novel. She did a great job with this moving story.

Need an emotional tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Another WWII novel. Esther has to make the hardest decision of her life, to send her son away in hopes of protecting him for the German soldiers and their hatred of Jews. After losing her husband to their raids, she knows she has no choice but to let her son go. She’s sent to one of their camps after and knows she kept her son alive by doing what she did. My heart hurt for what she endured and being separated from her son.

I liked the dual POVS, although they were told within the same time period instead of two different ones like so many are. I waited a large chunk of the book waiting to see how the two women would intertwine.

I enjoyed Sarah’s narration. She really helped me connect with both women.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ALC of this book.

It’s 1938 in Germany and the Great War has ended, but Hitler is in power and evil is simmering. Esther Spielmann is a Jewish art curator who desperately wishes to escape the horrors in Berlin and sends her son abroad to spare him the fate of the rest of her family. We go with her on this journey to survive the war and save what is left of the pieces of her life.

WWII in Europe is one of my favourite settings for historical fiction, so this story really pulled me in.
I expected to have my heart broken but there are horrors experienced during war which people in today’s world cannot fathom. I appreciated how the theme of art being so important was woven into the tale, as the characters pick up the pieces of their lives and search for beauty again. This book was beautiful in the most heart-shattering way and I actually cried.

The narration was great and it was very easy to distinguish the different characters. I can’t say I’m an expert with the accents but I could tell which was which. I also enjoyed the tone and emotion the narrator was able to convey.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I had all the feels with this book. Reading it I was angry, mad, frustrated and also happiness. As a mother I completely understood Ester’s feelings and drive. I love historical fiction due to the details of that are true based on that time period. This was very well written and I enjoy it immensely.
Thank you for sharing it with me.

This is a very credible dramatic account of two main characters’ lives in Germany during the rise of Nazi power, which takes you through the war time and aftermath, based both in Germany and England.

There was a lot of serious historical fact which rung very true, however the lives of the characters break down the serious nature of the novel, It is also very interesting in that it touches on the art world and how many great artworks were either banned and destroyed or looted by the Nazis.

Personally I found the first chapter very dry and more like a historical account than a novel, though I understand it was setting the scene for those that maybe aren’t aware of the political background of those times. It almost became tedious in the first chapter and I nearly abandoned it, however I’m very glad I didn’t as it picked up interest as you began to get to know the characters involved and their families.

The storyline deals with the courage, desperation, sometimes foolishness, and daring that German people lived through in the 1930’s onwards, and the sheer shock and disbelief that certain sectors of society- particular Jews - could start to be so despised and badly treated and then wiped out en-masse.

The title of the novel refers to one mother’s dreadful and selfless decision to send her son on the Kindertransport train into the unknown, to save him from the horrors of war and find a new life in London at the tender age of 8, without knowing if she would ever see him again.
The book was well researched and rang very true, it was often quite sad to listen to but don’t let this put you off as events have a habit of working themselves out and various characters who had not known each other at the start of the story find their paths crossing during the novel.

I’m so glad I stuck with it and would very much recommend it. The one thing that annoyed me was the narrator’s attempt at a German accent, and the mispronunciation of various well-known words which some people who have lived through those times might find offensive.

Very well written and an interesting perspective of both the art in Berlin during WW2 and after, as well as Germany’s Jews and kinder-transport.

Esther as a character was very well done. You could feel her emotions and anxiety both about the tenuous position Jews had in Germany during the 30s and during Kristallnacht. But also with the impossible decision she had to send her son away for his safety. Hers and Sasha’s story I thought was well described and you could understand the difficult position both of them were in because of the separation.

Interestingly, I was also reading Schindler’s list at the time and it also highlights Amon Goeth and the cemetery stone pathway, so I enjoyed what felt like a timely parallel, painting a broader picture.

Amalie as a character I really loved - her confidences and boldness but the desire to understand rather than assume. However, I did feel she was not as fleshed out as I would have liked and felt like I was missing the depth she could have had. I wasn’t quite as invested in her because I felt like I just didn’t have enough to go on with her, though I wish I had.

Also, the narrator in the audio was fantastic - she did all the accents extremely well and it felt authentic in the performance.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine.

This is a well-written, entertaining, deeply moving, WWII historical fiction novel. The story is told from the perspectives of three engaging and well-developed characters: an English woman, a German woman, and a young boy. I was completely immersed in their stories and felt their outrage, despair, pain, suffering, and heartbreak, which was tempered by their strength, hope, resilience, friendship and love. It has a wonderful message of finding beauty in the ruins. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, Ms. Sarah Durham, has a lovely voice and does an outstanding job depicting the characters and their personalities. Many thanks to Bookouture, Ms. Hokin, and NetGalley, from whom I received an advanced listener copy of this fabulous novel. This is my honest opinion.

Set in 1938 Berlin, this story follows Esther, who has already lost almost everything—except her young son, Sascha. In a heart-wrenching decision, she sends him away to an uncertain future, hoping it will be the only way to keep him safe. Sascha, a Jewish boy, needs to escape Berlin and Germany for his own survival, but Esther can’t go with him. The pain of saying goodbye is almost unbearable, but she holds on to the hope that one day they’ll be reunited.

This book really hits hard, especially with everything I’ve been reading about from this time period—the brutal persecution and roundup of Jewish people, the camps, and the tragic stories of parents sending their children away in hopes of saving them. There’s also a side story about the Nazis looting art—specifically works created by "undesirable" people. Amalie, a British woman working at the Berlin National Gallery, tries to protect what she can, but eventually, even she can’t stay in the city. She heads back to Britain, but her heart stays in Berlin, mourning all that she’s witnessed.

As the war ends and Amalie returns to Berlin, Esther and Amalie’s paths finally cross more directly. Now, there’s a boy to find, art to save, and criminals still walking free—some of the same people who wreaked havoc on the art world. Both women know the risks, but they’re determined to keep going, even if it means facing danger head-on. What really stands out here is how deeply the story conveys loss, but also how much strength these women show despite everything. It’s a reminder that, even in the darkest times, there are still good, caring people trying to make a difference. The book doesn’t sugarcoat the sadness of the era, but it also highlights the power of friendship and perseverance. Sarah Durham’s narration of the audiobook is spot on—her voice really brings the emotions of the story to life.

This book was a tragic yet beautiful story told through the eyes of one woman and the sacrifices she has made to keep her family safe. While this was a significant piece of the story, there was so much more for the reader to cling to. I did feel like there were a few sections that were slow, but they were important to the story. If the reader is a history buff, a fan of historical fiction or stories with strong female leads, this is the book for them. I really enjoyed it!

This is the first time I have read anything from Catherine Hokin, and I am hooked! Her writing was beautiful and thorough. It was evident there was great care for details and research based on the specific mentions of the Monument Men and what occurred with European art and culture during WWII. I have read many books taking place during this time period, and I don't believe that I ever read anything that touches on this topic.

Sarah Durham did a FANTASTIC job with the audiobook narration Beautiful tone and inflections while telling Ester's story. Listening to the book at a speed of 1.5 or 2.4, it was pleasant. For me, this is a win all around since I listen at 2.3 or higher typically. The transitions between chapters was smooth.