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There are currently 37 member reviews
for The Last Year of the War
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Claire M. (Wrentham, MA)
Prisoners of War
When the deeply felt friendship of teenage girlhood is challenged by the circumstances of global war, adult responsibilities to family and country become a crucible. Meissner skillfully guides the reader through the historical reality of internment and repatriation, highlighting the powerful interplay of family bonds and generational struggle for independent identity. Teenagers without autonomy convey the powerlessness of individuals caught in circumstances outside their control. The untold story of repatriation is brought to light against the backdrop of desperate yearning for connection and home. Meissner's delicate narrative guides the reader towards the much anticipated emotional reunion. The teenage quest of fulfilling one's life purpose is hitched to achieving the American dream. Book groups will be enlivened by a discussion of the dual story line and the question of what constitutes a life well-lived.
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Susan P. (Mount Vernon, WA)
Things lost and found
A story that grabs your attention with its beginning sentence, "I've a thief to thank for finding the one person I need to see before I die." It is a hint of things lost and circumstances out of a young girl's control as she and her family become one of the families sent to a detention camp and then repatriated to Germany in exchange for American prisoners. The losses, or thefts of time, people and places, continue throughout her life as struggles with beginning Alzheimer's and racing against time to close the circle on a dear friend found and lost during that eventful last year of the War.
The beginning of the story draws the reader in and the story unfolds to unfortunately predictable conclusions. The end is a little too trite with its happily ever after tale. There are some surprising facts and a slightly different perspective compared to other WWII stories. This would be a good beach read in the summer.
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