Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The Flight - Bryan Malessa

The Flight - Bryan Malessa (2007)
I had picked this up in a bookshop two weeks ago, and drawn by the cover read the blurb telling of a German mothers escape from the advancing Soviet army in World War Two. Determined that I wouldn't buy any more books, as my book mountain was at its highest peak ever, I slid it back onto the shelves.

A week on, while waiting for a plane , I couldn't resist the urge to treat myself. The last two times I have been to the airport, I have made an effort to be early as I hate arriving too close to the checkin cutoff point and both times the flights have been delayed. Luckily our local airport has a large bookstore to fill in the time.

I guess this is a story that is not often told, the plight of a poor German family who live in rural Prussia close to Polish and Russian borders. Twelve million ethnic Germans became refugees abandoning their homes to escape the Soviet armies advancing into German territory. Ida lives with her three children, left by a soldier husband, she does what she has to do to survive and protect and feed her children. It certainly made me greatfull for a warm bed and a full belly of food. 4/5.

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