-Synopsis-

November 1938, Germany. Grete guides two small children onto the train. Placing her arms protectively around their shoulders, she prays the journey is uneventful because she must get six-year-old Adele and eight-year-old Rosa out of Germany…

Grete always longed to be a mother, but it never happened for her so, as the clouds of war gather over Europe, she’s devoting her time to helping Jewish children escape the Nazis. She remembers the face of every single child she’s taken on trains to freedom in the Netherlands. The danger increases with each trip, but, today, she has to get her best friend’s children to safety, because they are closest thing she has to family.

But at the border, the train screeches to a halt and she hears the shout of a Nazi guard. Then the sound of boots coming towards their carriage. When the door bursts open, she draws herself up tall, and prepares to face the interrogation she knows will come. With shaking hands, she passes over Rosa and Adele’s tattered papers and hopes they aren’t scrutinized too closely.

Grete is ready to do whatever it takes to keep her small charges safe…

-Review-

I would like to thank Anna Stuart and Bookouture for allowing reviewers like myself access to this ARC copy in return for honest reviews! Thank you!

*Trigger Warnings* – heavy antisemitism, racism/racist remarks, pointed violence, psychological fear tactics, off-page sexual assault and murder, attempted sexual assault, on-page death (mainly through soldiers), suicide, nazi harassment of children including some physical abuse, there are a couple of fade to black sexual scenes but they occur between a married couple, off page mentions of nazi activity, and any and all emotional themes these topics carry.*

I have read and reviewed multiple WWII historical fictions at this point. You may think I must be getting bored of exploring the same topic over and over again, but that is far from the truth. When it comes to The Children on the Train, Anna offers a unique perspective. She brings attention to the kinder transports and the brave individuals who willingly put their own lives in danger to save as many Jewish and other ‘unsavory’ children as possible. I feel as though my knowledge of this horrific time has grown immensely since reading this book.

I had heard of the kinder transports very little previously, as most of the information concerning the Holocaust greatly emphasized what had happened to the Jews locked behind German borders. Thus, I began doing my own research while reading this very book. From the beginning, I could tell Anna did her research, appropriately conveying the timeline from the genesis of the kinder transport program, to its abrupt end leading right up to the break out of World War II. Reading this book is truly like stepping into one of history’s darkest and cruelest periods.

For the most part, this story follows the two perspectives of Grete and Helena. Both ladies hold instrumental roles in the rescue and relocation of thousands of Jewish children. Interspersed between Grete and Helena’s chapters, are glimpses into the POVs of actual Jewish children. These chapters are not named, rather numbered by the label given to them by the Nazis. I would say some of the more heartbreaking insights come from these chapters since you realize the horrors and fear these children were forced to witness and hold onto.

Speaking of horror, I will mention here that while this book covers some intensely dark material, Anna does a great job at making the atrocities easier to palate. I do not mean she diminishes any of the atrocities that occurred, rather she has a way of writing that focuses more on the positivity regardless of the hopelessness of the situation. I feel a big part of this optimism comes from the fact this book highly focuses on the children with their own innocent, and yet very wise, outlook on what is happening. Very well done in that regard!

The aspects that I struggled with when it comes to the actual writing of this book includes the dialogue and the repetitive nature of the inner struggles of both Grete and Helena.

There were multiple times in which the dialogue felt robotic, lacking a typical flow. There were other times in which a characters’ reaction I felt did not mesh well with what was happening. In some situations particularly in the more shocking moments, this was more understandable due to fear and shock, but in the moments where more humanity and warmth would have been shown, it was lacking depth if that makes sense.

When it came to Grete and Helena, they were both struggling with personal issues that at times were interfering with the flow of the narrative. Per the synopsis for example, Grete has struggled with having children. While I empathize with that regret and longing, I felt like it was focused on a few more times than it should have been, given the current circumstances. At one point, Grete even comes off as rather jealous of another female character due to her getting pregnant in the story. Eventually, she more or less comes to terms with her plight and has a more positive outlook but I wish she would have realized the blessing of being able to help children who have no parents sooner.

This all being said, I am glad to have been given the opportunity to read this harrowing WWII tale of bravery and sacrifice. I appreciate Anna and other authors who choose to write about such history since the world is seemingly trying its hardest to ignore and even cover it up. Needless to say, I highly recommend anyone and everyone reading this story.

Once again, I thank Anna Stuart and Bookouture for having ARC copies available in return for honest reviews 🙂

-About the Author-

Anna Stuart is the bestselling author of historical fiction novels, including The Midwife of Auschwitz. She has over 100 million KU pages read across her books and her stories have been translated into eighteen different languages.

Anna has always been fascinated by history. Nowadays, she writes on the road while travelling the world and researching new stories in her motorhome ‘Norman’.

She also writes medieval fiction as Joanna Courtney and would love to hear from you via her website, instagram or facebook.