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Sunday, August 16, 2009

Review : Lizzi & Fredl : A Perilous Journey of Love and Faith by William B. Stanford


Publisher : IUniverse
Genre : Memoir
ISBN : 978-0595433117
Series : No
Rating : 4

From Amazon :

Austria, 1938. Europe trembles under the shadow of Hitler and the spreading threat of Nazism. Though some Austrians welcome the idea of belonging to the Fatherland once more, many more fear such a day. The Steiners are one such couple that dreads that ultimate day.They have carved out a successful life for themselves in Vienna. Twenty-seven-year-old Fredl is an accomplished master jeweler, while twenty-six-year-old Lizzi is a professional dressmaker. When Fredl receives papers ordering him to Munich, Germany, to serve the Nazis in their war preparations, the couple knows they have no choice: they must leave Austria. As Hitler and his troops gain force in their homeland and annex Austria, Lizzi and Fredl endure a harrowing flight to France, uncertain whether they will ever see their country again. But France holds no safety for them. Fredl is captured by French Nazi sympathizers and must outwit his captors to survive in Vichy-controlled concentration and labor camps. Separated from Fredl, Lizzi evades arrest and relies on her guile and chutzpah to search for her beloved husband. What follows is an incredible seven-year odyssey filled with danger and endurance. From their long, arduous journey to Paris to Fredl's unbelievable rescue from a train bound for a Nazi death camp, Lizzi and Fredl delivers a remarkable true story of courage, faith, and overwhelming love.

Review :

The story of Lizzi and Fredl is a real account of their journey to freedom from the Nazis. They start out in the their home country of Austria, and make their way to America. They bounce from town to town, and are put through the horrors of a war they should never have had to endure. Lizzi had to sit back and watch as her husband was arrested multiple times, and thrown into labor camps where he nearly died. All she could do was wish, and hope that he would be strong enough to survive so she could spend one last day with him.

I had a hard time reading this book without crying. I have always been intrigued by stories of the Holocaust, not because they are something that we should be intrigued about, but because they are stories that we should remember. All of those innocent lives lost, because of a man that was prejudice. It pulls at my heart to know that these people went through what they did.

I was honored to have been able to read and review a copy of Lizzi & Fredl, thanks to Bostick Communications for being the middle man in this wonderful exchange. The author, William B. Stanford, was very kind, and even stopped by to let me know he was anxiously awaiting my review. It was a wonderful, wonderful read, and I would like to thank him as well. I would highly recommend this memoir to those of you who like to read about the history of the Holocaust, but beware, you will need some tissues to get through the ride.

This book was also apart of the August Reading Challenge.

6 comments:

HODGEPODGESPV said...

this is another one i want to read. you might like reading my review and check out a lucky child http://hodgepodgespv.blogspot.com/2009/08/lucky-child-memoir-of-surviving.html

i think it will be an easier read but no less valuable as it is told from a distance and he has such a positive attitude. sandy

Anna said...

I received this book, too, and I hope to read it soon. It sounds like an emotional read.

Would it be okay to link to your review on War Through the Generations.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Jenni @ Falling Off The Shelf said...

Anna - Feel free to link back to my review! I do hope you enjoy the book, I'll be looking for your review :)

Anna said...

Thanks! I've added the link here.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Jenni @ Falling Off The Shelf said...

Wow Anna that is quite a list! Thanks for linking back to me :)

Anna said...

You're very welcome!

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric