Tag Archive | Carly Schabowski

The Last Orphan by Carly Schabowski

Nov13

Butterflies

The Last Orphan by Carl Schabowski is a powerful dual timeline novel that consumed me from the start.

The action is set in 1982 and during World War II. Nazi-occupied Europe was a dangerous place to be. We follow a young man and a Jewish boy as together, and with a support network, they try to rescue and hide as many Jewish children as they could. The action is grounded in facts. Their wartime experiences never leave them. They are forever haunted by guilt over what they did and didn’t do.

In 1982 we meet the daughter of the young boy who is also suffering over things she couldn’t change. Alcohol and drug misuse have been her way of coping as she tries to escape her memories. She needs to face the past before substance abuse kills her.

People had different moral codes during World War II. Actions done in order to save the self, would forever haunt a life.

Carl Schabowski has captured the fear of the children and the desperation of the parents with her dialogue and description. There were some hard to read scenes.

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The Girl With The Red Ribbon by Carly Schabowski

Nov8

Truth? Or Imagination?

The Girl With The Red Ribbon by Carly Schabowski is a compelling historical novel that intrigued me from the start. It drew me in, entertained me, and left me wondering – what was real? And what was imagined?

The novel is set over two time periods – 1969 and looking backwards to the 1940’s in war-torn Poland. Two voices tell the story – an old man and a young girl. Both have been marginalised by society. They band together with others whom they acquire along life’s wartime journey.

We see the child-like faith of characters, as they believe that the wearing of red ribbons will keep them safe.

Nazi-occupied Poland was a horrific place to be. Cruelty and evil were all around. Cunning and knowledge were needed to survive.

Partisans and resistance fighters occupied dense forest, often taking the Nazis by surprise.

Folklore and legend grew up surrounding the events of World War II, even the reader is not sure if it really happened.

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The Postcard by Carly Schabowski

Aug29

Powerful

The Postcard by Carly Schabowski is a powerful dual timeline novel that totally consumed me.

The action is set during World War II and in 1999 in a small town that straddles the German/Polish border. It is a heartbreaking read as we hear of the horrors that the Poles suffered. As the novel opens in 1937 life is carefree and there is a gaiety as Germans and Poles exist side by side. As war looms, the atmosphere becomes oppressive as the Poles are hunted down and persecuted.

There are those who cannot stand idly by. “I don’t want to be like the others. I don’t want to do nothing, say nothing.” Unfortunately, youthful enthusiasm fails to project forwards to anticipate the consequences of actions.

The reader travels to Bergen Belsen as we witness the absolute horrors of mans inhumanity to man. We ‘meet’ Janek, a brave Pole, who sees goodness even though He walks through hell on earth. He believes that as long as we take control of our minds, we can never be in captivity. The Nazis can take bodies but not minds, without permission.

Lives have been held captive by thoughts of bitterness and unforgiveness. One can never live in freedom until forgiveness is given.

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