This book was well regarded when it was published thirty years ago, but I just read it this weekend when a copy came into my hands and I had time on the long commute to the Sat/Sun job. It is nicely written and offers the story as seen by non-famous but somewhat connected Jews who made it to the States before it was too late (Walter) as well as those who made it only as far as The Netherlands (Hanna) and were swept up in disaster. It is only 199 pages and well suited for use in a reading classroom for discussion by interested students. I keep checking the last page which gives the fate of various people who the couple knew when they were in Czechoslovakia or later when on the lam in Holland. It also offers insights into the Sudetenland--those Germans got what they deserved.
"My mother's fur coat seemed to say goodbye to me. The cuffs were worn thin and the collar had acquired a greenish sheen. Who would find the coat? Who would wear it?"
I would write more but some rascal has ordered the book and I have to finish the last fifty pages this afternoon.
"My mother's fur coat seemed to say goodbye to me. The cuffs were worn thin and the collar had acquired a greenish sheen. Who would find the coat? Who would wear it?"
I would write more but some rascal has ordered the book and I have to finish the last fifty pages this afternoon.
