Denise

But this crazy life has one thing to be said for it: one has so much to worry about that one ceases to worry at all.

I requested this book from NetGalley because I am always interested in reading about people who lived through WWII. This book stuck out for me because I hadn't yet read about an American living in Germany during the war. While this family did experience horrible hardships, this book doesn't really stand out from the other memoirs and biographies I've read because at times the book could be dry or very slow paced, it felt a bit disjointed with the excerpts of all the letters, and the ending felt rushed.

I really loved reading about Sigrid's mother and father's childhood. That, and the parts about Aimee taking care of the children in Germany, was one of the most interesting parts of the book. I did have a hard time with this book when it started to include more excerpts from Aimee and Heinrich's letters as the writing styles differed greatly between the letters and Sigrid's writing, so it felt a bit disjointed. The parts involving Heinrich serving during WWII could be very dry and very slow. It was hard to get through.

It was heartbreaking to read about what Aimee and her children went through after Heinrich's death. Those parts were fascinating and so well written that it felt like I was there with the family. Once they made it to America I felt like the ending came out of nowhere and felt rushed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the galley.