The English German Girl

August 15, 2013
Simons (The Pure, 2012) tells the World War II story of a young German-Jewish emigre in England. In 1930s Berlin, Jewish surgeon Otto Klein and his family--wife Inga, eldest child Heinrich, toddler Hedi and middle child Rosa--are increasingly aware of the anti-Jewish sentiment sweeping the country and are subject to the government's restrictive laws. But Otto refuses to believe this is a lasting threat. Even when police official and family friend Wilhelm Krutzfeld tries to warn the family they're on a list to be targeted, Otto refuses his help. Subsequently, on Kristallnacht, Otto and Heinrich are rounded up and detained in a concentration camp. Inga and the girls escape, although Rosa barely avoids capture when she flees from a former family employee. After Otto and Heinrich are freed (thanks to Krutzfeld's help), Otto knows he needs to find a means to get his family out of Germany. After trying to obtain visas at various embassies, to no avail, Otto and Inga seize the opportunity to secure a seat on a Kindertransport train to England for one of the children. The parents choose 15-year-old Rosa, who bears the responsibility of finding safe passage so the rest of the family can join her. Once in England, Rosa is sponsored by Otto's ultrareligious cousin Gerald and his wife, Mimi, who treats Rosa like a servant. Unlike his parents, 18-year-old Samuel is more sympathetic and tries to help Rosa in her effort to seek employment and visas for her family. After fruitless months of searching, she finally travels to the home of Baron de Rothschild, who agrees to help. What follows are definitive moments in Rosa's life as she taps into her own strength of character, pursues her dreams, weathers personal losses and endures the inevitable hardships of war. Simons provides excellent details that enhance the credibility of his plot and provide substance to his characters. Simons' compassion, sincerity and subtle style impress.

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August 1, 2013

Well written and well researched, this debut novel weaves historical facts with the fictional story of a Jewish family struggling in 1930s Berlin. Living in fear and losing hope amid Nazi persecution, the Klein family is surviving day to day when they learn about the Kindertransport, a nine-month rescue operation that helped thousands of Jewish children escape to safety prior to the outbreak of World War II. Fifteen-year-old Rosa Klein escapes to England on a Kindertransport train, but she suffers at having to leave her family behind in Germany. As Rosa fights to secure passage for her family, war erupts, sweeping the young woman into a future she can never fully embrace. VERDICT With fully rounded characters and engaging dialog, Simons vividly captures the heartbreak as parents and children are parted. Readers will cry but still find hope brimming at the edge. Historical fiction fans will be fascinated by the less-familiar heroic details of the Kindertransport operation, while readers of literary fiction will appreciate the novel as an excellent and haunting story of love, loyalty, and loss.--Andrea Brooks, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

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