The Girl From the Train

THE GIRL FROM THE TRAIN isn't really a Holocaust book because it didn't jump into the much deeper happenings that the countries at that time had to deal with. It is where this book starts that tells us about 2 people who came together because of and during the war. Gretl Schmidt, age 6, had seen way too much cruelty in the world. At the start of World War II, she and her sister, Elza, jump from a train just before a bridge it is to be blown up. That train was filled with Jews and was on its way to Poland, where the concentration camps were. Gretl survives but her sister dies from her injuries. Gretl then finds herself in the care of a young freedom fighter and Polish Resistance member named Jakób Kowalski. Even though Jakób is 15 years older there is a strong bond and friendship that develops between them. Gretl looks to Jakób as a protector and defender. As the danger gets worse, Gretl is sent to South Africa where a new family adopts her. She can never forget about Jakób, her first childhood love. What will happen when the adult Gretl reunites with Jakób, who has also come to Africa for a new start? Will the bonds of childhood friendship remain or become more? This is a tale spanning 15 years and two continents with a World War thrown in to make for a much better story. For such a long period of time, the story is not exploited with a large cast. Only 2 characters, with a few others thrown in, makes the story more intimate. The story will surprise you but will never seem boring. At times I even found myself with tears in my eyes. I did however have to have an interpretation guide handy at all times. At some points I could find no meaning or explanation for some of the foreign words. If I had not had a way to translate some of the sentences I would have had a hard time in understanding parts of the story. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read an emotional yet uplifting tale set during World War II.

At the tender age of six, Gretl has witnessed too much cruelty in this world. At the onset of World War II, she finds herself jumping along with her sister from a train just before the bridge it is about to cross is blow up. Gretl survives but her sister dies from her injuries. Little Gretl come’s into the care of a young freedom fighter and polish resistance member, . Jakób there is 13 years age difference, a strong bond and friendship develop and Gretl looks to as Jakób protector and defender. As the dark clouds of war decent down over Europe, this friendship provides one shining light in the midst of such darkness. As the danger escalates Gretl is sent across the world to South Africa, where a new family adopt her but she never forgets Jakób, her childhood love. What will happened when the adult Gretl reunites with Jakób, who has also come to Africa for a new start? Will the bonds of childhood friendship remain or something more? Author Irma Joubert weaves a tale spanning 15 years and two continents plus a World War thrown in for good measure. Yet somehow the time frame never feels jerky or rushed. Characters have time to be breathed fully into life and live within the pages. For such a long period of time, the story in not overburdened with a large cast number making it a more intimate story. I would recommend to anyone wanting to read a moving, emotional, but uplifting tale set during World War II. Gretl’s tale may surprise and delight but never bore. And the additional setting of South Africa gives the story a different back drop during the war than most books set in this time period. A book that rewards it’s reader with a new appreciation for how the rest of the world outside of Europe delt with WWII. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publishers and Fiction Guild in exchange for this post, which is my honest review and unbiased opinion.

Where do I start! Gretz was a Jewish child who was on her way to a death camp. Her mother helped her and her sister Elza escape. Life for these two children was very difficult, as you can imagine! As the story progressed, I felt tired and weary for the Polish people. The events were real for Jews. It is important that we remember this today. My thoughts are a bitvscattered as I just finished the book and am processing it all. I highly recommend you read this well written book with fully developed characters. I am not good at writing, but I know a good book when I read one!

This book was well-translated, and told a part of history I was unfamiliar with. There are so many World War II books, but I hadn't read before about the orphans sent to South Africa, nor did I know much about the Polish Home Army and the Catholic roots in that country. I found it very interesting.

This book is really really good and it's well written. Poland is my heritage as well as Germany. This story touched me in many ways. It snags you and doesn't let go. I really enjoyed reading it and often could not set it down. If I had to drag myself away ( to go to bathroom or make supper) then I was back as soon as I could. I highly recommend this book. It covers so much. A great read.

Writing was pretty good, history and countries and cultural information quite interesting, story ok, characters mostly memorable. It is telling with a novel that, when I have read it recently, and have a hard time remembering names that I found it forgettable. However, with this novel, though it took me a few minutes to recall, Gretchen (known by several similar names throughout the story) is the "Girl" from the title. At this moment, I am having trouble remembering the male protagonist name. Jacob. (I had to look....) However, their characters WERE memorable, the plot engaging and, overall, I felt the general writing caliber was fairly high. The content is clean. The story starts in Nazi-controlled Poland during WWII and centers on Jacob, a young freedom fighter, and Gretchen, a young 6 year old orphan he saves. I found the war realism to be better than some rose-colored stories, hunger, devastation, death told but not in gruesome detail, not so much to be depressing. I also Enjoyed the interesting juxtaposition of the depth of the Polish Catholic faith and tradition vs. Protestant teaching (I am a Christian and would not call myself Catholic but was impressed with the authors respectful and realistic treatment of both in the historical period). When the story moved to South Africa (the young orphan is sent there for a safe place to grow up), the author also provided informative Windows into this culture influenced by so many, although she stuck to the Dutch/English/European instead of making much comment at all about the African, but that was obviously not her intent. Gretchen is adopted by a mixed Dutch/English family. As with another reviewer, I found it hard to believe Gretchen was adopted by such a "perfect" family. The husband/wife and new brother are all pretty perfect people as is the grandfather, John, although I genuinely liked their characters, they had almost no flaws, oh, come on. Oh well,.... still their stories proved interesting and warm and sweet. I personally loved grandpa John's character, despite too perfect. The following paragraph contains minor "SPOILERS": The main concern I had was with Jacob and Gretchen' s relationship. It started almost like a big brother, or even father, then morphed into romance? He was 14 years older. And the basis for that relationship being the commonalities of war, hardship, death. Yes they had the added connection of culture and even language but... I just didn't feel it was "right". Only one other reviewer mentioned this. While their age difference is addressed in the story, it still seems "off". And the foundation of their whole relationship is off, like he was just her "comfort zone" or "savior" (both physically when he gets her away from the Nazi danger in the beginning, and later, when he helps her psychologically) not really exactly the right one for her. This was not addressed much at all. While authors have the right to leave ends incomplete and hanging, it feels morally wrong to imply these were good foundations for a potential marital relationship, especially with the age difference. The author DOES make that implication. I did, again, appreciate the author's approach to Catholic and protestant viewpoints and conflicts (Gretchens South African family is protestant). Some of it was very realistic and even the more rose-colored parts of this were sweet. All in all a solid three, extra for plot and historical/cultural setting but less for the relationship issues I mention.

The story begins towards the end of WWII, when the Home Army (the dominant Polish resistance movement) in Poland fights against the crushing forces of Germany and Russia, with two main characters, Jakob, who takes part in destroying a German troop transport, but unscheduled train with Jews heading to Auschwitz reaches the bridge first. And six year old Gretl, who survives and Jakob finds himself taking care of her. An endearing bond grows between those two characters. After an uprising in Warsaw, Jakob returns home to Czestochowa wounded and the roles switch, when Gretl takes care of him by feeding him and giving him his medicine. After the war, life doesn’t get much easier. Poland is under Communist rule (Communism in Poland was one of the most severe in Europe). People are being told what to farm. They can’t have pigs. They can’t smoke ham, because government decides when to eat ham. Under those strict rules and expending family at Jakob’s family farm house, Gretl needs to move out. She is a bright girl of ten now. Too young to work and waste her talent. She gets selected to go to S Africa to be adopted by Protestant family. Once there the introduction of her new family is fine, but after a while the story gets a bit dry, nothing deep to it. When the story moves back to Poland, it bounces back to being interesting. Eleven years after the war and still under Communism, Poles continue to struggle to put food on their tables. In Poznan, people start to rebel against Communism and Russian control. Overall, the story is very interesting. For those who like to read historical fiction set during WWII, there is most likely something new you’ll read in this story. I wished more of the story was concentrated in Poland, bringing more history. Except for two short parts, when the story gets a bit dry in S Africa and at the end when it turns out to be a romance, it is still a very interesting story, worth reading. The sentences are short and simple, and may not be to everyone’s liking, but for me it didn’t take anything away from the story. It was for most of the part a page-turner.

One of the most haunting books I have read in a long long time. Keep your box of Kleenex handy as this one is very sad in places, but there are happy moments too. And it ends nicely. A little girl, age six, caught in war torn Poland sees unheard of torment and bottles all of this misery up. She is rescued after days alone in a bad place, taken in by a family, set out when it became too crowded in their home and all of the time kept safe by the young man who is caught up in the guerilla action trying to keep the Germans out of Poland. His efforts to send her to be safe in another country is an interesting, but heart rendering adventure. Her journey goes through many years and she grows up into a young lady, after being adopted by a family in Africa. Its a wonderful story.

Please please please can more books from Irma Joubert be translated in to English, I have just read The Girl From the Train and it is one of the best books I have ever read, and I read lots and lots of books. It is beautifully written. From the very beginning when a little girl jumps off a train in Poland which is headed for Auschwitz Concentration Camp the books weaves through history to her adopted family in South Africa. Irma's writing stirs the heart with love and compassion. The history is wonderful and along with the fabulous story it is woven together like a beautiful tapestry to a wonderful ending. Irma if you read this review please can you have more books translated. What a wonderful author you are. I would recommend this book to anyone.

The Girl From The Train by Irma Joubert is a Christian historical novel. It is powerful. It is beautiful and I loved it. The action spans from 1944 to the mid 1950's. It moves from Poland to South Africa. From war to peace. From innocence to experience. It is expertly written. There are several themes within the novel including that of hiding. Gretl is six years old as the novel opens. She is good at hiding as she has Jewish blood in her. Over the years Gretl continues to hide, if not physically then mentally. Gretl feels safest hiding who she really is. God's presence permeates the novel. The story shows there are several different places of worship but the bottom line is always God is still God no matter where or how we worship Him. There is the theme of belonging. Gretl used to belong but then Hitler came to power. There is a continual search to belong but who wants a small Jewish girl? There is the idea that one's roots are vital. Where you come from defines who you are. Some people fail to see beyond labels and stereotypes, and then it is necessary to hide who one really is. The bond of friendship runs throughout the novel. Sometimes circumstances throw people together and an unbreakable bond is formed that lasts through miles and years. Sometimes the memory is so precious that one keeps it hidden. "She wasn't to think about Jakob. He was stashed in a deep drawer for safe keeping." The topic of PTSD is present within the novel. It is sympathetically portrayed by Irma Joubert. Reoccurring dreams that are unfathomable are shown. Memories are hidden deep inside, to surface only in one's subconscious. Loud noises, smells etc can all be triggers. The past needs to be grasped and dealt with, in order to banish the stress. Symbolism plays its part within the story. A small cross symbolises friendship. For the reader, we are reminded that the cross is where Jesus showed His great love for us and we remember His promise to be with us always. There are bonds of different types of love within the story - the all consuming love of God; the parental love; the generational love and the blossoming romantic love. We all need love and we all flourish when we receive it. There are some wonderful nuggets of wisdom imparted by Grandpa John. My favourites were "Life is like a silver coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once." And "When you suffer and feel the heat of the flames, that's when God's there." Here Grandpa John is speaking of how God refines His children as a silversmith does. We are likened to a precious metal because we are precious in God's eyes. The fire motif is present throughout the novel. Fire can be used for good and fire can be used for evil. The fire is not necessarily bad, it is how one uses it. Names form our identity. Gretl undertakes several subtle name changes throughout the novel. Each designed to ensure she fits in. Though our names are important, it is who we are deep down that really matters and who we are in Christ. Education is shown to bring choice. You can never have too many skills and you are never too old to learn. The novel is set in a time when there was a lot of fear and mistrust. First of the Nazis and then of the Soviets and communists. People were labelled according to where they lived, whether they had sympathises or not. The world was in turmoil. The Girl From The Train was a very powerful read. It stirred up many different emotions in me. The characters were all well drawn and likeable. I devoured the novel in just two sittings. I had heard a lot of good reports about the book and it certainly lived up to its reputation. I loved it.

This book has sat in my kindle for 6 years and I finally decided it was time to read it. What an interesting story it is! I have read a great many WW2 books but very few about the period just after the war and I knew very little about Poland and all the troubles they had. This book took me through Poland and into South Africa of all surprising places. I found it a very compelling read. I can easily see and hear the characters in my mind. It is certainly a worthy read.

Amazing story

As an avid reader of European theatre WWII books, fiction and non-fiction, I felt The Girl from the Train was a great read for the first two thirds of the book, but bogged down in the last part. Won't give away the details of the story, which is marvellous for the most part. Gretl is astonishing, and her journey is captivating. I felt the last part was predictable, and the story lost its tension. Still, a very readable book.