Customer Reviews

The Journey Back

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although this book is an insightful recountanance of the rebuilding process after World War II, it does not completly fulfill the reader's interest in happened to Annie and her family later. It still has Johanna Reiss' intuitive, touching writing style, but fails to explain what becomes of the characters decades later. It instead depicts only about a year in their lives, in which a few eventful but rather unimportant things happen. It also leaves many questions unanswered that were presented and dwelled upon. I cannot imagine understanding or enjoying this book if I had not read its predecessor, "The Upstairs Room" first. The short introduction provided would fail to adequately aid someone who had not previously read the latter to understand the depth and humanity of this saga. I am pleased to say, however, that it is well written, sad yet strangely joyous, and thoughtful; all the qualities that give a book the potential to be a good one. If you are looking for Annie's complete life story post war, it will be fairly disappointing, but if you are merely interested in what occurs immediately afterward, this book is ideal.

After reading "The Journey Back" I am more aware of the hardships, dangers, and deprivations Jews and others went through after World War II. The story takes place in Holland, and its about what happens to the members of a Jewish family after the war ends, and they return home. The main character in the sotry is a thirteen-year-old girl named Annie de Leeuw. She and jer sister Sini might have been killed if it weren't for the Oostervelds, the courageous family who hid them for three years. The other main characters are Annie's father and her oldest sister Rachel. When Annie returns home she finds that her family no longer knows one another. Her mother is dead; her father is distracted. Her sister Sini tries to make up for lost time by going dancing every night, and Rachel has changed her religion to Christianity. Another important character in the book is Magda, Annie's stepmother. No matter how hard she tries, Annie cannot seem to please her. To Magda, Annie is the most imperfect girl in the entire universe. She criticizes Annie's clothes, hair, manners, and about everything else. For this reason I think Annie's conflict is man vs. himself since she has to built a new life for herself. I like the book in general, though the end was a dissappointment since it didn't give details about what would happen to Annie and her family. I wish the author would explain things better, and not just leave some conflicts unresolved, like in the case of the mean stepmother. My predicitions for the future of Annie's family are that the stepmother will always be mean, and Annie will have to get used to her new life. I give the book four stars. Like I already said the end needs some work. I still think it's a very informative book, and it helped me learn more about Worl War II.

This sequel to THE UPSTAIRS ROOM continues the story of young Annie, slightly lame, and her older sister, Sini, who have spent three years in hiding with a kind Gentile family. Now the war is over and they are all free to live together as a Jewish family in Holland, to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives after Nazi persecution. But nothing is that simple, for they are not quite the same people. The pre-War status quo can never be recreated after years of suffering and humiliation.

It is hard for Annie to leave the warm farm family who took them into their home and their hearts. Why does she experience so many conflicting emotions now that she is Free? Reluctance to leave her country haven; Despair over the endless quarrels between Sini and their father; Frustration at unsuccessful attempts to please a snobby, prejudiced step-mother. Why should she be forced to leave the family which has provided her with more than physical safety--who renew their offers of love and acceptance just as she is? What does the blended family have to tempt her, now that Sini wants to leave and Annie can not compete with her new sister-in-law?

Because the Nazi threat has been removed, the story obviously lacks the intensity and nervous anxiety of its more famous predecessor; the dangers are not life-threatening but soul-disturbing. Annie struggles to fit into a new role, yet her gratitude and childlike feelings are all directed to toward the Past. She was safe and comfortable with her wartime hosts even when the Nazis were suspicious, because she held a special place of love in their home. Can her father ever make it up to her? A thoughtful but somewhat disappointing read.

Title of the book: The Journey Back
By: Johanna Reiss
Reviewed by: M. Poppins
Period: 5

Hitler hated Jews. He started World War II. Every time he came across a Jew, he would kill them. Annie de Leeuw and her family were Jews. Her whole family had to go hiding. Annie and her sister Sini hid in the Oosterveld's house. The Oostervelds lived in Usselo, a very small town in Holland. Annie and Sini grew very close with Johan, Dientje, and Opoe (the Oostervelds). After the war ended, Annie and Sini had to go back to their real home. Their mother was dead. Their oldest sister, Rachel, was back too. She lived with another family during the war. When everyone was home, including the girls' father, nothing was back to normal. Every night, Sini went out and danced with the soldiers. Rachel became a Christian, and she spent most of her time reading the Bible. Annie's father was always distracted. He sold cows. Sini left to be a nurse in a different town. Then, Ies (Annie's father) decided that Annie needed a mother, not just her sisters. He decided to marry a woman that had lost her husband in the war. She even had a daughter. Ies told Rachel to go to a different town, because she and his wife-to-be were just a couple of years apart, and he said that it would never work. After Ies and Magda (his new wife) got married, Nel (Magda's daughter) went to finishing school. Annie was always home with Magda, which she now called Mother. Annie could never seem to please her. Annie always visited Johan, Dientje, and Opoe too. They treated her like their own family. Magda would not let her visit for a long time, though. One day, she would probably be with them again, and it would be for the rest of her life.

I thought that this book was very good. "German soldiers. They knocked down the door, stormed in, marching and stamping and shouting to the rhythm of their boots." This was one of Annie's dreams. The author always made Annie scared, and that was what made it interesting. She always thought of the Germans, she was so afraid of them.

"Later, Johan, later." No matter what happened, Johan was always the first person that Annie called to. When she was afraid, happy, or sad, she would always think of Johan. It shows that Annie always thought of her family first, and her family was Johan, Dientje, and Opoe.

I liked at lot of parts in this book. I liked the parts when Annie went to the Oosterveld's house. She would always be happy, and she wouldn't have to worry about any German soldiers trying to kill her because Johan would be there, and she would always be safe.

Annie de Leeuw, a young Jewish girl, has been hiding during WWII for almost 3 years with her older sister Sini at Johan Oosterveld's house with his wife Dentje, and Opoe, his mother. Now the war is over and Annie can finally be together with her family!
But things just aren't the same at her house, Rachel (Annie's eldest sister) has found a new religion, Sini is out all night dancing, her father is getting remarried, and her mother had died during the war. Annie starts finding herself missing the Oosterveld's...will things work out?
I thought this book was a little confusing at times. The plot--returing home--is a little dull also. Though I think the author has good description & her openings have a good start. She keeps you hoping that something good will happen to Annie, and is even a little suspensful.
People who might like reading this book would propbably be people who like reading about a persons feelings, or read the first book (which I had not),or just people who don't like reading action books.^_^

In the 4th grade, i read the prequel to this book, THE UPSTAIRS ROOM. Now, 4 years later, i read THE JOURNEY BACK. The first couple chapters quickly refreshed my memory of what happened during WWII to Annie, and i feel they would have sufficed as an introduction had i not read THE UPSTAIRS ROOM. this book proves that although a treaty was signed, the war was no yet over for the people involved.

The War is over and Annie and her family are safe now. Througout the war they hid in different farmhouses, trying to escape going to the camps. But now Annie has to leave the people she lived with for so long, the Ooostervelds, whom she loves, and go live back in the city. When she gets there she has to see a special doctor for her legs, since she walks crooked, for being cooped up for so long. She goes to a new school, where she is very shy and has a hard time making friends. Her Mother is dead, and her Father remarries a lady that already has a daughter and Annie just can't get along with her. I thought it was very nicely written, and had some very interesting facts in it.

Overall The Journey Back was a great book. Although the reading gets somewhat boring after a while you should read through to the end so that you can figure out what you really think of it. There's a good story to it that people interested in the holocaust would like to read. It seems that you don't here enough about the afterword of the holocaust and that is what this book is here to tell you.

The Journey Back is an interesting story about how a Jewish girl after hiding for 3 years reunites with her family. Reiss's descriptions of the poverty that existed after the war are astounding in their acuracy. This book is amazing and I suggest you read it

This book is about a girl how has just survived the holacost. She is learning how to get back to her normal routine. In the begining, this book is a bit depressing but as it gose on she finds new friends and stays in touch with old ones. I think this book is great because the charters are so belivable & realistic. The first chapter or so were boring but then people started coming back from the camps and some didn't. This book is an amazing piece of literature.