Customer Reviews

Towards the Light at the End of the Tunnel

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

 

 

I got this book for my mother from and she read it once and immediately dove back into it and read it again.

This book has given me a perspective of life, few of us who live in this country can imagine.

The story is about a very young girl who was trapped and captured when the Red Army conquered Germany in 1945.

How she lived through the terror and unbelievable hardship during these times.

We follow her how she is able to re-unit her family which had been torn apart by terrible happenings. After finding her little brother, she can finally escape with him from the Russian/ Polish occupation.

Later her escape to West Germany, where she married and raised her own family.

Years later the lucky break for her comes by being able to immigrate to America. Her life here is not easy but by the Grace of God she survives the hardships and finally can create her own life.

Her story is inspirational and sincere . I can highly recommend this book to readers interested in the time of WW II and European History.

This book is written from the heart no doubt.

H.E.H. Oklahoma/USA.

I enjoyed this book very much because it is about a young girl who survives the challenges and hardships of World War II. She has courage, determination and a deep faith that enabled her to overcome very difficult times. This book provides the history of what occurred in Berlin, Germany during this period. It is candid, truthful, and was difficult to put down because I could visualize the experiences the author expressed. It is an inspiration story about a strong, passionate person who rose above adversity to a better life. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about World War II, and to people who like an excellent story about an exceptional person.

I had high hopes for this book. My mother came of age in Germany during the war (she grew up near Frankfurt am Main), and I've enjoyed stories about her family's experiences for years and years. I thought it would be interesting to get yet another firsthand perspective... something to compare and contrast (Gisela is a little older than my mother, and is from the Eastern part of the country).

Sorry to say that this book was utterly disappointing. While I do not doubt her sincerity and genuineness, Ms. Schneider is not a writer, and her storytelling skills are lacking. The book is haphazard, jumping from place to place, almost random at times. The grammar and syntax leave much to be desired, and her prose style is incredibly simplistic... even child-like.

And the physical book itself? Also very unprofessional. The publisher is one of those vanity-style publishers that will put just about anything into print, presumably on spec. The text looks like it was laid out directly from a type-written manuscript with 1.5 or double line spacing. This made me feel even more ripped off and disappointed.

You may very well be able to get through some of these short-comings, ultimately finding the book insightful and enjoyable. I just want to make sure you understand what you're really getting. Had I known some of these things beforehand, I would not have shelled out the $30+.

As I mentioned, I really *wanted* to like this book, and looked forward to loaning it to my mother and discussing it with her. I couldn't bring myself to even let her know I had it, though. I almost feel let down that something so close to her, and so important to making her what she is, was handled as clumisly as it was in this book.

If you're interested in the general theme of what it was like growing up in Germany during the war, I would highly recommend Ursula Hegi's "Stones from the River". Although it is a work of fiction, it has fantastic insights into that time, is very well written, and provides a heck of a story to boot. Mom loved it, too.