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Reviewed by Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers' Favorite
The Lost Loves of World War II is a collection of stories about those who experienced the atrocities of the Third Reich. Katia and For Maria by Bruce Judisch and The Train Baby’s Mother by Sharon Bernash Smith are stories depicting death, torturous imprisonment, unbearable separation, severe hatred, and diabolical acts of evil. But most of all, they are stories of survival; with God all things are possible. The characters suffer the paradox of a survivor - trying to forget, yet burdened to tell their story. “How do you put a life together after war has torn it to shreds?” Against overwhelming odds, these characters survive. They endure “unspeakable horrors” and are haunted by the question of why they lived. Their stories unite their family's past to the present and give hope to the future.
Both Bruce Judisch and Sharon Bernash Smith master the use of dialogue and figurative language in their novels. The inclusion of German and French phrases into the dialogue authenticated the conversations and immersed the reader into the setting and plot. I found this style of writing enhanced the storytelling. Another element I enjoyed was the sharing of the thoughts and feeling of the characters. This allowed the protagonist’s character arc to fully develop. The stories are well researched and both authors' passion for the survivors' stories is obvious. I was unaware of many of the events portrayed in the books. Namely, the treacherous covert journey of Jewish orphans, babies thrown off trains for their survival, and the sacrifices of those who helped them escape the horrors of WWII.
