Tussen Stasies by
Irma Joubert
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Afrikaans:
Deesdae lees ek meeste van my boeke in Engels. Dit was lekker om vir n slag in Afrikaans te lees en het sommer die lus wakker gemaak om weer meer boeke in Afrikaans te lees.
Hierdie storie het gewissel tussen vinnige, aksie volle dele, na rustiger dele gefokus op die karakters, hulle uitdagings en hulle groei.
Grietjie was so n diverse karakter, hoe anders met al die veranderinge in kultuur en land waardeur sy gegaan het, maar ook soveel meer met die impak wat die oorlog gelos het.
Ek het die storie geniet en sien nou uit om die storie van haar Suid-Afrikaanse Ma en Pa volgende te lees.
English review:
This story ranged from grabbing my attention, to slower scenes, back to more captivating scenes. Grietjie's story was heartbreaking, but it was good to see how she developed and grew through all the stages of her life, and how she adjusted to all the challenges and chances she was faced with.
The historical facts about Poland and also how the children was brought to South Africa was interesting to learn.
Now just to wait till my library hold comes in about Grietjie’s parents.
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About the book - Afrikaans:
Die verhaal begin in die Tweede wereldoorlog – in Pole en Duitsland en vertel die verhaal van Gretl, 'n Duitse weeskind en haar verhouding met Jakob, 'n Poolse soldaat wat haar een donker oorlognag red. Die storie volg Gretl uit Europa na Suid-Afrika waar sy as Duitse wesie deur 'n Afrikaanse gesin aangeneem word. Jakob bly in Pole agter en Gretl word 'n Protestantse Afrikanermeisie, gekoester in 'n gelukkige en vooruitstrewende gesin. Mettertyd word dit egter vir haar al hoe moeiliker om vrede te maak met haar verskriklike verlede. En die enigste een wat kan help, is Jakob. Tussen stasies is die aangrypende verhaal van twee mense wat stry teen sosiale en ideologiese magte wat dreig om hulle te vernietig.
About the book - English:
Six-year-old Gretl Schmidt is on a train bound for Auschwitz. Jak贸b Kowalski is planting a bomb on the tracks.
As World War II draws to a close, Jak贸b fights with the Polish resistance against the crushing forces of Germany and Russia. They intend to destroy a German troop transport, but Gretl’s unscheduled train reaches the bomb first.
Gretl is the only survivor. Though spared from the concentration camp, the orphaned German Jew finds herself lost in a country hostile to her people. When Jak贸b discovers her, guilt and fatherly compassion prompt him to take her in. For three years, the young man and little girl form a bond over the secrets they must hide from his Catholic family.
But she can’t stay with him forever. Jak贸b sends Gretl to South Africa, where German war orphans are promised bright futures with adoptive Protestant families—so long as Gretl’s Jewish roots, Catholic education, and connections to communist Poland are never discovered.
Separated by continents, politics, religion, language, and years, Jak贸b and Gretl will likely never see each other again. But the events they have both survived and their belief that the human spirit can triumph over the ravages of war have formed a bond of love that no circumstances can overcome.
About the author:
International bestselling author Irma Joubert was a history teacher for 35 years before she began writing. Her stories are known for their deep insight into personal relationships and rich historical detail. She's the author of eight novels and a regular fixture on bestseller lists in The Netherlands and in her native South Africa. She is the winner of the 2010 ATKV Prize for Romance Novels.
