Books are such a solace in so many situations, and they are even more of a comfort to me at the moment. The ability to lose oneself in a book is so valuable and I am lucky to have had that ability since childhood. Sometimes, my worries surface and prevent full concentration, probably one of the reasons why my reading is so slow these days, apart from the effects of the stroke. At other times I can feel my sense of self melt into the story. This is a truly wonderful experience.
Escape by Barbie Probert-Wright
Once again I chose an absorbing ebook this week: Escape: our journey home through war-torn Germany by Barbie Probert-Wright. This is the blurb:
Two sisters.
One extraordinary true story.Germany, 1945. Trapped between advancing armies, stranded hundreds of miles from their mother, and with their father missing in action, sisters Barbie and Eva were confronted with an impossible choice.
Should they stay and face invasion or risk their lives to find their mother?
Together, they set out on a perilous three-hundred mile journey on foot across a country ravaged by war. Fuelled by courage and love, Eva and seven-year-old Barbie encounter incredible hardship, extraordinary bravery, and overwhelming generosity.
Against all odds, they both survived.
But neither sister came out of the journey unscathed . . .This is the powerful true story of their escape.
The book is certainly worth reading and here is my review from Goodreads:
Escape: Our journey home through war-torn Germany by Barbie Probert-Wright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I don’t usually read much non-fiction these days, but I am very glad that I found this book. The idea of seeing the end of WWII through the eyes of a German child intrigued me. The journey that the two sisters undertook was very interesting and really kept me absorbed. The highs and lows of the story made me feel quite emotional at times and the landscapes and unfolding events were well-drawn. There were certainly very harrowing parts of the tale too.
The book kept my attention until the last part. The immediate aftermath of the journey was interesting enough because I had heard the stories of my own parents, who were also young at that time. However, as the book turned to more recent events and further information about family members, I must admit that I skipped quite a few pages.
All in all, I feel that the author should have been persuaded to end the book much earlier, perhaps at the beginning of adulthood, and should not have continued too far into her later life. Still, the book is well-worth reading for the first part and I congratulate Barbie’s and her sister’s courage.
OK, now I will return to my cup of tea and my current ebook, which I will write about next week. Until then…
Happy Reading to you all!
Love and best wishes,
📚📖📚📖📚
The Librain
The Librain......retired 