Searching for My Daughter by Liz Trenow - Book Review

Books

AD-gifted: I received a copy of Searching For My Daughter in exchange for this post. Affiliate links are marked with *

Happy Friday! This week I’ve been reading a brilliant book called *Searching For My Daughter by Liz Trenow. It’s an utterly gripping and emotional book about bravery, enduring love and keeping hope alive in the darkest of times. You know how much I love historical fiction set around World War II, so I’m back with another one!

Searching for My Daughter by Liz Trenow - Book Review

Book Description

The queue is long, but that barely matters. She is used to waiting. For the midnight knock at the door, for her number to be called, for the next meal of watery soup, the sound of a gunshot… Sustaining her through every moment of waiting, there has remained the tiniest flicker of hope: her daughter Rosa’s face, eyes bright and expectant, arms outstretched.

Germany 1945: Miriam has travelled for over two weeks to reach safety. Exhausted and hungry, she knows she is still one of the fortunate ones. One of the few to survive the camps. Having lost her darling husband and son, the only thing that has kept her walking is the hope of finding her daughter, Rosa.

As she arrives at the checkpoint, she is told it is closed for the day. But in her mind Miriam can hear her daughter’s voice: Be strong, stand up to them. Don’t let anyone bully you, Mum. Standing tall, she comes face to face with the guard and refuses to leave until they help her.

When Miriam is introduced to an English officer named Jack, she describes how, fearing the Nazis, she and her husband sent Rosa to England to marry. It was not a marriage of love but of survival. Now, Miriam needs the officer’s help: if she is to be reunited with her beloved daughter, he will need to help her travel to England.

But as Miriam begins to describe Rosa, there is a look of recognition in Jack’s eyes. As he listens to her story, he is transported back to an unforgettable English summer, to secret picnics in the long grass, and to a love that shaped the man he became. Will Jack now risk everything to help Miriam make the biggest journey of all, back to her daughter and her freedom?

What I Thought

Searching For My Daughter is set straight after World War II. Miriam has been through hell at Auschwitz and must find her daughter Rosa who she sent to England years ago for a safer life. After losing her husband and son, all Miriam has left is his daughter.

While she is waiting to get her Visa to travel to England, Miriam meets Jack. Who used to know Rosa. At this point I was begging Jack to tell Miriam everything he knew about Rosa, the poor woman has been through so much. But there wouldn’t be much of a story if it was all given away so soon. Therefore you follow Miriam on her lonely journey, overcoming hurdles along the way to find her dear daughter. You will also discover Rosa on her own journey to find her family. At times you will be shouting out stop you are so close to finding one another. And then they are far apart. It is heartbreaking!

It was really well written the characters are great. I could totally relate to them. It was sad at times, so be ready! I adore reading stories of bravery, survival and it seems so real. If you love these types of books like me you will certainly find this one a fantastic read.

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my copy

Author Bio

Liz Trenow is a former journalist who spent fifteen years on regional and national newspapers, and on BBC radio and television news, before turning her hand to fiction. Searching for My Daughter is her ninth novel. The Forgotten Seamstress reached the top twenty in the New York Times best seller list and The Last Telegram was nominated for a national award. Her books are published all over the world and translated into many languages.