Let Me Go
10 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Caro1 from Newark On Trent, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom on Saturday, April 16, 2005
In 1998, Helga Schneider, in her sixties, was summoned from Italy to the nursing home in Vienna in which her 90-year-old mother lived. The last time she had seen her mother was 27 years earlier, when her mother asked her daughter to try on the SS uniform which she treasures, and tried to give her several items of jewellery, the loot of holocaust victims, which Schneider rejected. Prior to that, the last time they had seen each other was in 1941 (when Schneider was 4 and her brother 19 months old), when Fr Schnider abandoned her family in order to pursue her career as an SS officer. As their conversation continues, Schneider establishes that from the Nazi women's camp at Ravensbruck, her mother moved to Auschwitz-Birkenau where she was in charge of a 'correction' unit where brutal torture was administered. Her mother not only remains uncontrite, but continues to regard her former prisoners as the sub-human inferiors of Nazi ideology. I'm halfway through this very slim but incredibly powerfuland compelling book.
Journal Entry 2 by Caro1 from Newark On Trent, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom on Saturday, April 16, 2005
Welcome to the Let Me Go bookring.We now have 8 members. I am sending the bookring to rahar109 on Wed 20th April and hope it reaches you all safely :-) Happy Bookring Reading!
Any problems, please PM me.
The list is as follows:
rahar109, Farnborough
chelseagirl, Farnborough
psychjo, Portsmouth
AnglersRest, Teignmouth
katybean, Uxbridge
Winterson, Brighton
Squirk, London
YowlYY, Nottingham
UrbanSpaceman, London
...then back to me
Please remember to journal the book BOTH when you have received it (so we all know where it is) and once you have read it (so we all know what you thought of it).
I am really looking forward to hearing your feedback, thanks for participating.
Caroline
arrived in the post today, and is now perched precariously on top of my to-read pile.
it's a thin book, so it shouldn't take me too long!
it's a thin book, so it shouldn't take me too long!
that's the last time i'll say a book won't take me too long!
i found this book sad, and quite chilling.
off now to put it through chelseagirl's letter-box.
i found this book sad, and quite chilling.
off now to put it through chelseagirl's letter-box.
Dropped through the letterbox this afternoon, thanks rahar109! sorry I didn't open the door ....
Saw this reviewed on Page Turners and it sounds really interesting. I'm almost finished one book and have another on the go for college that I need to read this week, but I'll get on to this one asap.
BTW, I'm very impressed by the laminated bookmark and review!
Saw this reviewed on Page Turners and it sounds really interesting. I'm almost finished one book and have another on the go for college that I need to read this week, but I'll get on to this one asap.
BTW, I'm very impressed by the laminated bookmark and review!
Gosh, this book is going to haunt me for quite a while. I think the commen on the fromt from the Mial on Sunday review sums it up - "Frightening and fascinating" it certainly is. At times I found it hard to read about the war crimes and experiments that Helga's mother had been involved in, and had to almost turn away from the page, especially as she spoke so detachedly about the suffering of humans. Helga tried to hard to forgive and was so desperate to be able to love her mother, but how can you love someone who believes in what she did?
This was an easy, quick read but one that will stay with me for a long time. Thank you for organising the ring, caro1. I'll pass it on asap.
This was an easy, quick read but one that will stay with me for a long time. Thank you for organising the ring, caro1. I'll pass it on asap.
Arrived this monring. Thanks to Chelseagirl for sending on to me. Just finishing one book, so read this next.
Wow, an absolutely amazing read, devoured it today. I have the same experiences as the previous readers in the ray. The only thng I'd add is that I was quite surprised at how much the conversation focused on the mothers ativities, and so little about Helga's life - but maybe that says it all about her mother. Alternatively Helga may have not included those aspects in the book, or she didn't want to talk about her life anyway. I kept wanting Helga to ask her mother more about what she thought had happened to her children, had she ever wondered what they were doing or had she ever tried to find them. This came up a couple of times, but I was surprised there wasn't more on this.
Thanks very much to caro1 for sending this round.
Just checking that Anglersrest wants this next and then I'll send it on.
Thanks very much to caro1 for sending this round.
Just checking that Anglersrest wants this next and then I'll send it on.
Posting to Anglersrest today.
Thanks psychjo, the book arrived today. This is now the third ring to arrive this week! I'll get to this one asap.
I had seen this reviewed on Pager Turners and was looking forward to reading it.
What an incrediably chilling book, I was going to say story, but then remembered, that the events in this book actually happened. I can not comprehend the emotions that the author went through, as she realised that, even in old age, her mother still believed in the idealogy and felt no remorse for her part in that appauling and horrific time in Europe's history.
To realise that you were abandoned for a such a series of events must have been terrible, and my heart goes out to the author.
The cover reveals the small review from the Mail on Sunday as "Frightening and Fascinating" and I would certainly agree.
Thanks Caro1 for including the review and bookmark. The review was interesting, and one that I had not seen.
I've PM'ed katybean, and as soon as the address arrives the book will be on it's way.
What an incrediably chilling book, I was going to say story, but then remembered, that the events in this book actually happened. I can not comprehend the emotions that the author went through, as she realised that, even in old age, her mother still believed in the idealogy and felt no remorse for her part in that appauling and horrific time in Europe's history.
To realise that you were abandoned for a such a series of events must have been terrible, and my heart goes out to the author.
The cover reveals the small review from the Mail on Sunday as "Frightening and Fascinating" and I would certainly agree.
Thanks Caro1 for including the review and bookmark. The review was interesting, and one that I had not seen.
I've PM'ed katybean, and as soon as the address arrives the book will be on it's way.
I've just received katybean's address, so this will go in the post today.
Journal Entry 13 by katybean from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire United Kingdom on Thursday, June 23, 2005
Book arrived safely this morning!! I received 2 bookrings yesterday, but all the books look like quick reads, so shouldn't be too long before this is on it's journey again - after reading all the comments on here I can't wait to read :o)
Katybean
Katybean
I finished this book in almost one sitting. I found the book to be an 'interesting read', although I guess don't know enough about things that went on during the time for the book to be really moving - although I did find things that Helgas mum did disturbing, and would be hard to live with.
I have Winterson's address, so will mail out ASAP!!
Thanks for sharing.
I have Winterson's address, so will mail out ASAP!!
Thanks for sharing.
Journal Entry 15 by Winterson from Peacehaven , East Sussex United Kingdom on Wednesday, July 6, 2005
Received this earlier this week but haven't got internet connection at home this month due to house move, so couldn't journal to say I'd received it.
I read this in a day - a very quick read, although not an easy one. It is haunting and hard to imagine it as a reality. I did get a bit annoyed with the writing style at times, and found it quite repetitive, but this book isn't about the writing style it's about the story, and that certainly hits home.
Thanks for letting me read this Caro1 and Katybean. Will send off to Squirk as soon as I get her addy.
I read this in a day - a very quick read, although not an easy one. It is haunting and hard to imagine it as a reality. I did get a bit annoyed with the writing style at times, and found it quite repetitive, but this book isn't about the writing style it's about the story, and that certainly hits home.
Thanks for letting me read this Caro1 and Katybean. Will send off to Squirk as soon as I get her addy.
Arrived safely and with many interesting bits - I look forward to reading this.
Many thanks!
Many thanks!
This book is incredibly interesting - it completely horrified me in parts, but because of the extremely strong voice of the daughter I felt compelled to read on. It's hard to believe the things Helga's mother believes were her duty to do (and believed were right to do!) It was also interesting to read about a child in Nazi Germany who's mother worked in the army - it's a side of the story I've never read before but often wondered about.Urbanspaceman has asked to not be next so I've PM'd YowlYY for her address.
The book arrived today, and there is the cutest bookmark ever, handmade/painted by Squirk :)
It is 3rd on my pile of rings and rays, but being a short read I might just squeeze it in between...just don't tell the others, hmm?
It is 3rd on my pile of rings and rays, but being a short read I might just squeeze it in between...just don't tell the others, hmm?
A quick read (I wonder what it is like to read it in Italian, as this is a translation?)- thanks to the delays that occur on Sunday trains I finished it in one go long before my train to Manchester arrived at the station.
I read quite a bit about the crimes that were committed in the concentration camps, both by male and female supervisors, belonging to the SS and their special assistents, so the revelations about the acts of violence in this book were no surprise for me. The book describes the mental struggle of Helga, who tries to feel love for a mother who abandoned her because she was obsessed with the wish to be accepted in the high ranks of the elite of the military, so obsessed indeed to embrace their philosophy of racial supremacy and never question it. All the book is based on the attempt made by Helga to find her mother and restore the relationship, but no relationship can be restored if there has never been one - at the end she must be confronted with the reality, and the woman who gave her life could never give her the motherly love she never received.
I will mail the book to UrbanSpaceman on Thursday, once I am back in Nottingham.
I read quite a bit about the crimes that were committed in the concentration camps, both by male and female supervisors, belonging to the SS and their special assistents, so the revelations about the acts of violence in this book were no surprise for me. The book describes the mental struggle of Helga, who tries to feel love for a mother who abandoned her because she was obsessed with the wish to be accepted in the high ranks of the elite of the military, so obsessed indeed to embrace their philosophy of racial supremacy and never question it. All the book is based on the attempt made by Helga to find her mother and restore the relationship, but no relationship can be restored if there has never been one - at the end she must be confronted with the reality, and the woman who gave her life could never give her the motherly love she never received.
I will mail the book to UrbanSpaceman on Thursday, once I am back in Nottingham.
Arrived today from YowlYY. Joining the other 5 rings books I got today...
A chilling and moving book. I've never read any personal descriptions of the Final Solution from the side of the nazis. Schneider's mother's descriptions helped me understand - no, not understand - I don't think I could ever do that - aprrehend, maybe - the mindset involved. Schneider's own emotions as she struggled to deal with the horror of her mother's actions, her own feeling of rejection and the her guilt(?) at not being able to love her own mother were also very clearly described. Lastly, the mercurial nature of elderly people who minds have started to fail was, I thought, also described very well, together with the frustrations of trying to deal with them.
Will put this in the post back to caro1 asap.
Will put this in the post back to caro1 asap.
Journal Entry 22 by Caro1 from Newark On Trent, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom on Sunday, October 9, 2005
This bookring has made its way home and is now going to continue its travels by going in the European Fiction Book Box.
