The Runaway Family

It was heartbreaking to see how the German people (and Austrians) treated Jewish people. We know how the Nazis treated people but for the everyday people to be so terrible to each other was disturbing. At least there was a happy ending in England.

The ending did not complete the story. You turned the page and that was it. Felt it could have alittle more of an finish to it. Like did the mom have any problem getting out, when & how did the grandma die, did they have trouble getting a start in England, finding work, place to live, etc.

Many have already commented about the "drop off" ending; I agree and found it very frustrating!

However, for me the biggest criticism is that she anchored the book in Germany at a critical time in history and writes it in British language which I found most annoying. It caused the story to lose authenticity. Believe me, no one in Germany during that period, used the terms. "Poor bugger", "lorry", "straightaway", "over the moon", or said "I'll do me best"! She also used the British spelling of words such as "haemorrhaging", "realised", "foetal", and "manoeuvred".

The story was good and heart rendering but lost a lot of credibility because the language was not researched. I will not order any more of her books because of it.

Amazing all that this family had to do to survive! Amazing that so many closed their eyes on what was happening to so many of their neighbors. Makes one wonder if similar horrors could happen today? How many of us would turn our backs an betray our friends and neighbors out of fear and maybe hatred?n

Maybe I've just read too many Holocaust stories. Book ended too soon. Would have preferred reading more.... how the family survived after they reunited, health of Inez, did they get a house, a job, education, etc.