Overview

A harrowing true story about a young girl's struggle to survive Nazi persecution, and a man's attempt to unveil his family's secrets The last time Lien saw her parents was in the Hague, where she was collected at the door by a stranger and taken away to be hidden from the Nazis. She was raised by her foster family as one of their own, but a falling out after the war put an end of to their relationship. What was her side of the story, Bart van Es - a grandson of the couple who looked after Lien - wondered? What really happened during the war, and after? So began an investigation that would consume and transform both Bart's life and Lien's. This is an astonishing portrait of a young girl's struggle to survive war, and her powerful, tumultuous and painful ties with her foster family.

Full Product Details

9780241978726

Table of Contents

Reviews

Harrowing and beautiful * Bookseller * A nuanced, moving, and unusual hidden child account * Publishers Weekly * Fascinating, beautifully written. Van Es carefully salvages Lien's story and creates a deeply moving and complex book about war, atrocity and human suffering * The Oldie * Brought to life with family photographs and diary entries that add further impact to Lien's harrowing memories and testimony - this deeply affecting and fascinating story is guaranteed to haunt you * Sunday Mirror * Compassionate and thoughtfully rendered, the book is both a memorable portrait of a remarkable woman and a testament to the healing power of understanding. A complex and uplifting tale * Kirkus * An awe-inspiring account of the tragedies and triumphs within the world of the Holocaust's hide-away children, and of the families who sheltered them * Georgia Hunter, author of We Were the Lucky Ones * Remarkable - the story of one traumatic childhood, deeply moving, and told with great dexterity, allowing the wisdoms of today to run parallel with the absorbing narrative of wartime events * Penelope Lively * Luminous, elegant, haunting - I read it straight through * Philippe Sands, Author of East West Street *

Luminous, elegant, haunting - I read it straight through * Philippe Sands, Author of East West Street * Remarkable - the story of one traumatic childhood, deeply moving, and told with great dexterity, allowing the wisdoms of today to run parallel with the absorbing narrative of wartime events * Penelope Lively * An awe-inspiring account of the tragedies and triumphs within the world of the Holocaust's hide-away children, and of the families who sheltered them * Georgia Hunter, author of We Were the Lucky Ones * Compassionate and thoughtfully rendered, the book is both a memorable portrait of a remarkable woman and a testament to the healing power of understanding. A complex and uplifting tale * Kirkus * Brought to life with family photographs and diary entries that add further impact to Lien's harrowing memories and testimony - this deeply affecting and fascinating story is guaranteed to haunt you * Sunday Mirror * Fascinating, beautifully written. Van Es carefully salvages Lien's story and creates a deeply moving and complex book about war, atrocity and human suffering * The Oldie * A nuanced, moving, and unusual hidden child account * Publishers Weekly * Harrowing and beautiful * Bookseller *

Author Information

Bart van Es was born in the Netherlands and is bilingual in English and Dutch. He now lives with his family in England. He is a Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of St Catherine's College.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available