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Hannah & Emil (2014)

by Belinda Castles(Favorite Author)

3.45 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1743315783 (ISBN13: 9781743315781)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Allen & Unwin

review 1: Quite interesting historical material. I had not known about the German refugee internment camps in Australia before reading this book. Emil certainly leads a dangerous and intriguing life, and Hannah is an admirably assertive woman. But the characters don't really come close ---they are always at a remove, a distance for the reader because the writing style has a sort of stiffness to it, as though it were a translation. And the pacing of the narrative is uneven, sometimes going on way too long. But my real objection is the ending. According to the story, Emil is violently against having his life told in writing and burns Hannah's manuscript. Then at the end of the novel, The author chooses to have Hannah rewrite what had been burned. And in fact the book itself is the rew... moreriting of Emil's and Hanna's story by the author. Somehow it seems to me disrespectful of Emil's wishes and the difficulties he faced in his life.
review 2: A novel based on the experiences of the author's grandparents. It traces their lives from Germany in 1902 through dislocations and travels to Europe and England to escape persecution from anti-semitism and anti-communism. They eventually meet in England but are separated as Emil is transported on the Dunera to Australia, where they eventually reunite. At the end of WW11, returning soldiers claim their jobs and they are forced to return to England. The novel is told in alternating chapters, first person for Hannah and third person for Emil. It was an interesting and engaging story less

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