So, this book at first didn't necessarily catch my attention. Let's be real, we all judge books by their cover and my first thoughts were, "Ehhh old people. War. FRANCE. No thanks." But upon more perusing of my options, I decided to give this book a go. It's good to step out of the comfort zone.
The plot
This book follows the author, Miranda, on her journey to discover why her grandparents (Anna and Armand) are estranged. After surviving World War II by escaping Nazi-driven France for refugee camps in Switzerland; Anna and Armand bought a stone house in a remote town (Alba) in the South of France. Many, many years after the fact Miranda decides to move into the falling down house and and immerse herself in letters, immigration records and archival materials to put together her grandparents story. She even works on coercing information out of her reluctant grandparents. Throughout the duration of the book, we find out how Miranda wrestles with the legacy of trauma, the burden of history and the complexities of memory.
Miranda grew up in a family where her parents were divorced and both remarried but she had great relationships with both sets of parents and step-parents. She even states that she felt loved and had a very happy childhood. But even things that she overheard affected her, she was aware (even if she didn't realize the awareness) of the trauma that her grandparents went through; she even had dream about having to flee somewhere quickly and was fearful of losing her home; which never happened. Miranda grew up close to her grandmother, and grew closer to her grandfather when she moved overseas to attend a school and then even more so as an adult when she moved to begin her book writing journey.
During the ten years it takes Miranda to put together this book her grandmother died and her grandfather lost his mind. Miranda's own life undergoes change, and while she is writing and researching the past of her family - life does not stop in the present. It's a great story of love and history.
My thoughts
Initially, I was wondering why does she care SO MUCH about why her grandparents are estranged? I mean, she has a relationship with them, obviously something happened during the war it was a traumatic time. I think if it were my grandparents I would just be like, "I guess this is just how it is." But her grandfather was an interpreter at the Nuremberg Trials, so clearly the things he heard affected him to the point of ruining his marriage. So why the big deal? But upon reading it, you can just feel the love and admiration Miranda has for both her grandparents. To move across the world, into an abandoned former home of your grandparents to willingly immerse yourself in their history is complete and utter dedication.
It's fascinating how as a small child Miranda feared having to leave her home quickly; to the point of leaving her shoes by the door and having a bag packed. She never once had such an instance happen in her life, but hearing snippets of it or just something about her grandparents history made that fear legitimate for her. I am sure there is some sort of memory or neurological phenomenon that someone much smarter than I can figure out, but I find it amazing.
Even though I had initial skepticism, this book won me over. I definitely would recommend it if you like historical fiction and/or nonfiction, but even if that is not usually your book preference; I would still recommend it if you're just looking for a book that is interesting and isn't like everything else out there. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.
The plot
This book follows the author, Miranda, on her journey to discover why her grandparents (Anna and Armand) are estranged. After surviving World War II by escaping Nazi-driven France for refugee camps in Switzerland; Anna and Armand bought a stone house in a remote town (Alba) in the South of France. Many, many years after the fact Miranda decides to move into the falling down house and and immerse herself in letters, immigration records and archival materials to put together her grandparents story. She even works on coercing information out of her reluctant grandparents. Throughout the duration of the book, we find out how Miranda wrestles with the legacy of trauma, the burden of history and the complexities of memory.
Miranda grew up in a family where her parents were divorced and both remarried but she had great relationships with both sets of parents and step-parents. She even states that she felt loved and had a very happy childhood. But even things that she overheard affected her, she was aware (even if she didn't realize the awareness) of the trauma that her grandparents went through; she even had dream about having to flee somewhere quickly and was fearful of losing her home; which never happened. Miranda grew up close to her grandmother, and grew closer to her grandfather when she moved overseas to attend a school and then even more so as an adult when she moved to begin her book writing journey.
During the ten years it takes Miranda to put together this book her grandmother died and her grandfather lost his mind. Miranda's own life undergoes change, and while she is writing and researching the past of her family - life does not stop in the present. It's a great story of love and history.
My thoughts
Initially, I was wondering why does she care SO MUCH about why her grandparents are estranged? I mean, she has a relationship with them, obviously something happened during the war it was a traumatic time. I think if it were my grandparents I would just be like, "I guess this is just how it is." But her grandfather was an interpreter at the Nuremberg Trials, so clearly the things he heard affected him to the point of ruining his marriage. So why the big deal? But upon reading it, you can just feel the love and admiration Miranda has for both her grandparents. To move across the world, into an abandoned former home of your grandparents to willingly immerse yourself in their history is complete and utter dedication.
It's fascinating how as a small child Miranda feared having to leave her home quickly; to the point of leaving her shoes by the door and having a bag packed. She never once had such an instance happen in her life, but hearing snippets of it or just something about her grandparents history made that fear legitimate for her. I am sure there is some sort of memory or neurological phenomenon that someone much smarter than I can figure out, but I find it amazing.
Even though I had initial skepticism, this book won me over. I definitely would recommend it if you like historical fiction and/or nonfiction, but even if that is not usually your book preference; I would still recommend it if you're just looking for a book that is interesting and isn't like everything else out there. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.
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