The Last Train to London: A Novel

I did like the book but it has a somewhat sad ending. It’s a tear jerker.

I so love this novel. It brings you right into Amsterdam, and Vienna, just before the Germans invaded Austria, and you become wholly immersed in the lives of the Dutch hero, known to the children she saved as Tante Truus, and the two young people in Vienna -- one of whom is Jewish -- whose lives will intersect in a compelling, rich way with Truus's life. Meg Waite Clayton is so skillful at interweaving primary historical sources with her story, and in imagining an incredible diversity of points of view, so that you discover the history as you live it, through individual lives. I will never forget -- amid the panoply of well-drawn, vivid characters -- the central, compelling ones: Tante Truus, Stephan, Zofie-Helene, and Stephan's little brother Walter.

This was a Book Club choice and we all enjoyed it.

I have read so many books on the Holocaust & WWII but I think this book affected me most. Such evil that Putin carries on. Beautifully written.

This compelling pre WWII historical novel weaves together the stories of those involved in the evacuation of German and Austrian children to Britain. Follow Geertruida Wijsmuller, a heroine from The Netherlands, as she becomes hands-on involved with British citizens in their efforts to save 10,000 mostly Jewish children. Well researched and beautifully written, this book about the Kindertransport is a must read!

The Last Train to London is a fascinating and well written book about the children who were rescued from an uncertain future and probable death in Nazi-occupied Vienna. We come to see how quickly Austria yielded to Hitler's aggressive occupation of the country and Vienna in particular. Horrifying to see through the eyes of Jewish children was the ease with which Hitler and his henchmen took over the country, appropriating Jewish assets, money, artwork, homes and businesses, and just as frightening - how swiftly most Austrians turned violently against the Jews.The structure of the story is also fascinatinely told. The chapters are short, some no longer than one paragraph, but the vividly drawn characters are interwoven to give an accurate and even exciting picture of the effort to rescue hundreds of Jewish children from the cruelty of the Nazi regime. The heroine of the rescue, Tante Truus, a real person , steps off the pages into your heart as she overcomes heartbreak in her own life while she shepherds these children to safety in England.I highly recommend The Last Train to London. I would have read all night had not my Kindle died at 1:30 a.m. The sadness of the book is that these horrific events actually happened! Never again!

I have recently become fascinated with reading about WWII. I have read a number of books about the British experience and about life in Germany under Hitler. This is the first book I have read that covers life in Austria both before and after Nazi troops arrived. The book also covers the way Dutch people tried to get many Jewish children out of Germany and the American effort -- however late that occurred. The book kept me turning pages late into the night: the situations and feelings very true and the characters well-drawn and interesting in themselves. However, it was only at the end of the book when I read the acknowledgements that I realized how historically accurate the plot had been, how every incident was documented, every government decision authentic, and every situation based on fact. This brought the true horror of those times home to me.

Fictionalized account of a little known event within kindertransport in the early stages of the Holocaust. I could not put it down. Plus, it was a nice change to read actual good writing. I give it an A plus.

At the core of this book is an incredible story and, based on true events, it is one that needs to be told. Around that real life pivot is a fictionalised tale of children being assisted to flee Nazi occupied territories. The characters are fairly strong but perhaps unnecessarily complex (maths genius, playwright prodigy ... ) but their journey keeps the book moving with pace. However, having loved numerous other similar books (The Nightingale, Lilac Girls, All The Light We Cannot See, Beneath A Scarlett Sky), this felt a little disjointed. I can’t quite put my finger on the reason; possibly some elements were flabby with detail and focus which detracted from the overall story or it may have been short chapters from the outset which prevented the narrative from settling. Overall a strong 3.5*

While little of what Clayton writes about is new history, her written presentation is good; the short chapters which zing you from one scene to another and back again before you lose context is a great style. The content is griping, although because it is familiar the impact was not so great.This is not to distract from the incredible story of the kindertransport heroes, nor the wider holocaust horror, just to point out that there are many versions of this same story out there.

The cruelty and on believable manipulation of a group of people that cause so much chaos and chaos and instruction to generations programmed by a sick leader. I loved the courage tenacity and will of the people especially women who under the threat of imprisonment or death went ahead and saved 10,000 children who later became politicians artist musicians world leaders and carry on the legacy through the most difficult situations.

Ich war erst etwas erschrocken da es größer ist als ich dachte.Ein paar Seite sind nicht ganz so Sauber abgeschnitten wie man es sonst von Büchern kennt.Aber erstmal den kleinen Schock überlebt ist es ein wunderschönes Buch.Schön geschrieben auch die Buchstaben sind in einer guten Größe damit man nicht irgendwann mit Lupe unterwegs ist.Ganz wichtig zu wissen dieses Buch ist auf Englisch wer also große Schwierigkeiten bzw. Überhaupt kein Englisch spricht/lesen kann sollte es vielleicht nicht kaufen.

I loved this book. I have 4 granddaughters with 1 Dutch parent and 3 nieces with a Dutch parent. None had ever heard of Gertrud Wijsmuller so I recommended this book to all 7 young women. Everyone I tell about this book has never heard of her and is amazed at what she accomplished. She is a heroine for all ages for all time.