Helpful Score: 3
I found this novel easy to read with Lenka and Josef each telling their portion of the story. It's an intriguing way to tell their story. Enjoying it very much. They fell deeply in love, marry, and were separated by the chaos of war as the Nazis invaded their country. They are Chech but the Nazis viewed them as Jews, vermin, in the pool of men.
Life in Prague, Czechoslovakia, was so restrictive that many Jewish people left the country. Those who remained had no resources to do so. When Josef and his family left, Lenka remained behind because she could not bear to abandon her family. When the ship Josef and his family were sailing on was sunk, she believed that the love of her life was gone forever. Her family was transported to Terezin, a concentration camp.
Rarely does a book keep me reading like this one did. It's poetic, lyrical and sad. Yes, it's a love story. Josef can't forget his beautiful bride and Lenka dreams of him. She continued to work as an artist for the Nazis and joined those who documented their lives for the world to see. When their work was published, the Nazis arrested the leaders and sent them east. When her frail mother is selected they all go. There is more to the story but one kept wondering if Lenka and Josef would ever reunite.
Life in Prague, Czechoslovakia, was so restrictive that many Jewish people left the country. Those who remained had no resources to do so. When Josef and his family left, Lenka remained behind because she could not bear to abandon her family. When the ship Josef and his family were sailing on was sunk, she believed that the love of her life was gone forever. Her family was transported to Terezin, a concentration camp.
Rarely does a book keep me reading like this one did. It's poetic, lyrical and sad. Yes, it's a love story. Josef can't forget his beautiful bride and Lenka dreams of him. She continued to work as an artist for the Nazis and joined those who documented their lives for the world to see. When their work was published, the Nazis arrested the leaders and sent them east. When her frail mother is selected they all go. There is more to the story but one kept wondering if Lenka and Josef would ever reunite.
Helpful Score: 3
I was not prepared for how much I would love this book. Haunting, sad, horrifying and beautifully written, it literally knocked me off my feet. I'm already looking at Ms. Richman's backlist. I can't wait to read another one of her books.
Helpful Score: 1
The Lost Wife is a bittersweet love story wrapped in historical fiction. The love affair between Lenka and Josef in pre-World War II Prague is both short-lived and everlasting. The ending is told up front, but that doesn't take away from the vivid telling of Lenka's story of survival and heartbreak in Nazi-occupied Europe. Well-written. Brought me to tears. Would have liked more on the reunion of Lenka and Josef.
Helpful Score: 1
wonderful book,I felt the characters and the story was different from most holocaust stories I've read. A must read!
