It’s a real pleasure today to be joining Bookouture‘s Books-on-tour and sharing my review of The Midwife of Berlin by Anna Stuart: published on 13th September, it’s now available as an e-book, in paperback, and as an audiobook. My thanks to Bookouture for the invitation and support, and for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).
So, another book with a WW2 setting? Well, no, it actually isn’t – although that was rather what I’d been expecting too. Anna Stuart is, without question, one of my favourite authors – I won’t mention every book of hers that I’ve enjoyed, both before and during her Bookouture days, but you’ll find reviews of almost all of them if you just pop her name in the search bar to the right hand side of the page. But the one I really must mention is The Midwife of Auschwitz, because this book is a sequel. I’ve sometimes felt that the holocaust and the atrocities of the Nazi regime might not be the most suitable subject for a work of fiction, but that was the book that changed my mind – inspired by the real-life experience of a Polish midwife who delivered over 3000 children while incarcerated at Auschwitz, it was a story told without trivialisation and with such sensitivity that I thought it was an absolutely exceptional read (you’ll find my full review here). And although entirely readable as a standalone, what this book does is pick up the post-war story – and it was one I was particularly looking forward to.
Auschwitz, 1943: I stroke my beautiful baby’s hair. It’s a miracle it’s blonde because it will keep her alive, it will keep her safe. Soon they will come and take Pippa out of Auschwitz-Birkenau – and out of my arms. But while there’s life, there’s hope I might find my daughter again…
An incredible story of one woman’s courage and determination to reunite her family in the aftermath of surviving Auschwitz.
1945, Berlin: Ester Pasternak walked out of the gates of Auschwitz barely alive. She survived against devastating odds, but her heartbreaking journey is only just beginning. In the camp, Ester gave birth to a tiny fair-haired infant, only for her precious baby to be snatched from her and taken to a German family. Now the war is over, Ester longs to find her little girl.
But Europe is in chaos, Jewish families have been torn apart and everyone is desperately searching for their loved ones. In every orphanage and hospital she visits, Ester searches the faces of tear-stained toddlers; each mop of blonde hair and pair of blue eyes she sees sets her heart racing…
But as the months and the years tick by, the possibility of finding her daughter shrinks smaller and smaller. And Ester starts to wonder if little Pippa is even safe, or whether the miracle that saved her has now put her in even more danger?
Will Ester ever be able to find the child whose tattoo matches her own? Or is she already too late…
A completely gripping and emotional WW2 novel of one woman’s bravery and determination to hold on to hope in a world torn apart by war. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Alice Network and The Nightingale.
1961, and Ester is working as a midwife in a divided Berlin at the beginning of the Cold War. The book’s stark prologue reminds us of her experience at Auschwitz, and her separation from a daughter she still desperately hopes to find, her number tattooed under her arm before their cruel separation. Kirsten is the child who became her own, now seventeen and living in the West, still at school and also working at a local cafe – and sometimes attending births with Ester, with an early incident in this book providing an uncomfortable reminder that the days of persecution for minorities are far from over under the restrictive Eastern regime. But this is Olivia’s story too – also seventeen, living in Stalinstadt in the East, with a firm belief in socialist ideals, a promising javelin thrower selected for participation in an elite sports training programme. Their stories begin to converge, as secrets about both girls’ parentages are slowly uncovered, but their lives are about to be thrown into turmoil as the division between East and West makes its presence felt.
Many of us will remember the scenes as the Berlin Wall came down – but never before have I read a book that recreated the experience of ordinary Berliners on the morning they awoke to find the barbed wire in place which became its foundations. Until then, there had been relatively free movement across the divided city – travel to the theatre and opera, shopping, visits to the cheaper hairdressers in the East – but things changed overnight as friends and families were divided. The author’s research is, as always, impeccable, and she uses it to vividly recreate the initial shock (although many believed it would only be a short term measure), the restrictions on movement that followed, and day-to-day life in a divided city. She captures the personal stories – the street split up the middle, the householders on the divide forced to lock their doors and hand over their keys, those risking their lives by jumping from windows, the lengths individuals were prepared to go to as attempts were made to cross from East to West. And something I found particularly fascinating was the portrayal of the socialist regime – although we’re shown the corruption (and that some are more equal than others), theirs was a doctrine their people really believed in, and while restrictive and often personally challenging, there were certainly positives to be found.
As an introduction to a difficult period in recent history, this book is quite superb – it entirely captures the realities of life under the Wall’s shadow, through all the small details, in a way a historical record never could. Do read the author’s note at the book’s end – it covers the historical detail, and her research, and I found it absolutely fascinating. And I’d desperately like to share more about the story that drives the narrative, the differing experiences of the two young women first discovering their pasts then finding themselves on opposite sides of the divide – but I’m very conscious that the blurb gives nothing away, and I really don’t want to spoil it this read for anyone. And l must say that although this isn’t a WW2 novel as described, there are particularly strong links and connections, a story continued, an emphasis on home and family and belonging – and while you might be expecting darkness to predominate, there’s plenty of lightness too, first romances for both Kirsten and Olivia, and sometimes humour to be found in the most unlikely places.
The writing is quite wonderful – and it’s such a powerful read, emotional and entirely compelling, the individuals at its heart so entirely real and immensely sympathetic. Not the story I was expecting, but one I found entirely unforgettable. Very highly recommended – a book I really loved.
About the author
Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot, so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name. Having studied English literature at Cambridge University, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels.
Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers. You can reach her on Facebook or Twitter, and sign up to be the first to hear about her new releases here.
