Author: Kate Furnivall
ISBN: 978-1-4711-7228-1
RRP: $32.99
Publication Date: 1 October 2018
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
Kate Furnivall is an accomplished historical author penning tales of strong heroines overcoming hardships we couldn’t begin to imagine. I have only read one of her backlist, The Liberation, which shares a similar cover image and time period.
The Survivors is another story told in the aftermath of WWII, this one set in Germany. Klara and her daughter Alicja have been trudging for weeks towards the Graufield Displaced Persons camp. Finally they have a semblance of safety, along with 3,200 others in cramped, dirty and dangerous conditions. They have survived the war and will do all in their power to make it back to their homes.
There are many displaced in the camp and when Klara recognises a man from her past it kicks off a deadly game of cat and mouse.
He knows the lengths she is capable of to keep her daughter safe and she knows who he really is. (This is something that does have a familiar ring to it but I can not place where it was from. Having said that I’m sure it is quite a common scenario in the wake of WWII, or any war really.)
I can see this being a tense and captivating race to see who can make it out alive and what the cost of silence will be. We have 30 of our members reading The Survivors and I look forward to hearing their thoughts, almost as much as I look forward to sinking my own teeth in.
Kate Furnivall can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.
The Survivors is published by Simon & Schuster and is available now from Angus & Robertson, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster 30 of our Beauty and Lace club members will be reading The Survivors so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read The Survivors. A big thank you to Kate Furnivall who cleverly was able to bring a story to life with so much emotion it was hard to put the book down. It’s about a journey of a mother, Klara and daughter, Alicja with such great courage and bravery made their way to the Gaufield Displaced Persons Camp after the war. It took you through their past and present battles and just as you thought that they had found somewhere safe a man, Oskar Shulz with a shared haunted past appears in their path. Its a riveting story that kept me on edge with lots of emotion. I was saddened by the very fact that this story could and would have very well happened during the war. As there would have been many stories like it and the fact that so many people suffered really made it a very dramatic read. It makes you reflect on how grateful we should be living in today’s world. On that note we should also not forget the people that are currently living in war torn countries. Klara was an amazing character scared by the ravage of war yet like her friend, David Bouvier, the camp administrative assistant never gave up hope. Her strength and love shone through her daughter, Alicja’s character. I really enjoyed the unexpected ending. Bravo Kate Furnivall an author I will certainly continue to follow.
Many Thanks
Athena
The Survivors by Kate Furnivall is the gripping, raw story of Klara Janowska
and her 10 yr old daughter Alicja who have made their way to Graufield
camp – home for thousands of displaced persons after the end of WW2
which gives them somewhat of a safe place with little food but in cramped,
dirty, dangerous conditions.
Klara wants desperately to return to England to find family.
Then she sees a man in the camp from her past whom she feels is a danger
to herself and her daughter.
Klara tries to keep her daughter safe with the help of three other children and Davide from the administration office.
Klara and Alicja must resort to doing many things that one would rather
not do – just to survive.
This is a story beautifully written, full of emotion and underlying tension,
with so much attention to detail.
The characters were amazing and I was able to feel the horror and desperation through out the book.
It gives an insight into the aftermath of the war that I had not realised before.
This novel is a MUST read with an ending I didn’t expect.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to
read and review this book.
When I first started reading this I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue, for a while I felt that I was reading just another WWII story and that it was going to be the same as others I’ve read. I’m very glad that I persevered because it was definitely more than just another historical fiction book set in that horrific time. This story takes place in the aftermath of the war in a Displaced Person’s camp, which I couldn’t help but compare to the camps we have on Manus and Nauru and wonder why we have learnt nothing in 70 years.
This is Klara and Alicja’s story of how they came to be there and what they do to survive. It is a story of survival as the title suggests. Klara was one strong woman and I’m sure her love for her daughter Alicja is what made her strong and willing to do just about anything to keep them both alive. In amongst the miserable life they lead in the camp, there are friendships to be had and enemies to be found. Davide is one of the lights that helps Klara keep going in this camp and a really lovely character to get to know. The children in the camp are also little sparks of light that help guide them through.
4 stars
A story of the struggles to survive and maybe even redemption, a story of a time I hope I never have to know myself.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Simon & Schuster for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Thank you Beauty and Lace, Simon & Schuster and of course Kate Furnivall for the opportunity to read The Survivors. This is actually the first book I’ve read through in a long time (since having three children) as it has been hard to find a book that has gripped me from the start. This book did that.
I do love stories, loosely based on reality that take me on a journey through the eyes of somebody completely different to myself. Klara is that person, an intriguing character of strength battling her way through war torn Poland to find herself in a Displaced Person’s Camp. I don’t think I ever knew who Klara was completely, but I could relate to her role as a mother and her objective to keep her daughter safe in any way that she could.
I found the ending a little hard to believe but I found happiness in that Klara found love again and the future was finally looking optimistic.
I’d definitely read another Kate Furnivall book.
I am so pleased I was given the opportunity to read and review Kate Furnivall’s “the Survivors” Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Simon & Schuster..
The story is set in Germany 1945.. Klara and her daughter, Alicja, have undertaken a perilous journey to reach the Displaced Persons Camp, from here they hope to go to England.
.
The story is told from 3 perspectives, Klara’s, Alicja’s and Davide. He is a French refugee working in the office of the camp. He and Klara develop a special relationship.
It is harrowing in part, dealing with the horrors suffered by the Jews in Germany and the dreadful impact of war. The lengths Klara was prepared to go to in protecting her daughter was remarkable. To me it had parallels with today’s refugees who are trying to find peace and safety away from their war torn countries.
The story had twists and turns that were unexpected. I wanted to read it as quickly as possible, then I did not want it to finish.
If you are interested in history, the impact of war and the resilience of the human spirit I am sure you will want to read this well written story
It’s amazing what people will do for their family, especially in times of hardship. Follow Klara as her and her daughter struggle to survive post war. Just when things seemed to be going forward a shadow from her past, a nazi soldier, masquerading as a refugee using her dead brothers name, appears at her displaced persons camp. Why is he here, what does he want, all Klara knows is that while he lives her and her daughter are both in serious danger.
The perspective of Klara, her daughter Alicia and a French refugee Davide are followed in the story with the greatest perspective from Klara with flashbacks to her terrible past.
A good story, it invites you in, you feel their pain and grown to love and hate the characters. The tragedies of the Jews in the war years are written in well, the losses, the hardships and the strangest friends are shown. I really enjoyed this story and would highly recommend. Thanks for the opportunity!
The Survivors tells the story of Klara and her daughter as they try to find a safe place in this world after fleeing Poland after WWII. They are eventually interned at a Displaced Persons Camp in Germany where they meet many others in similar situations and start to feel safe but Klara still needs to protect her daughter and prepare for the time when they can escape to England.
Unfortunately a nazi officer from their past arrives at the camp and Klara fears for their safety as she knows that he knows her secrets.
You get a real sense of what it was like during and after the war from this book and it is a great story of what a mother will do to protect her child.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
Thank you for the opportunity to read Kate Furnivall’s book “The Survivors” Unfortunately I could just not get into this book, after 4 attempts it just didn’t grab me, I am glad other people found it enjoyable : )
I found this book very enjoyable, it was gripping. The back and forth of the characters stories was seamless and flowed well.
To be honest I felt I had to be quiet when I read this! Not sure if I was so drawn into the situations surrounding the characters and that they so often had to be quiet or if it’s because I often read it late at night!
The characters are strong, especially the women – surely many would have been broken after enduring the war and the things that went with it, but not Klara and Alicja.
I was surprised that two of the characters had the final roles that they did, it certainly turned my thoughts on their heads, and sadly, the ending wasn’t what I had hoped or expected, but all in all, The Survivors was a great read and one I would recommend to anyone who likes novels of post WWII and/or wartime.
The Survivors is the story of Klara and her daughter Alicja following the aftermath of World War II, and their struggle to forge a new life while living among thousands of other desperate people in the Graufeld Displaced Persons camp. A man from Klara’s past appears in the camp, and his presence is a threat to their safety.
At times gritty and dark, The Survivors provides a glimpse into Klara’s life during the war, including her work in the Resistance and then as a Nazi officer’s mistress, and of the conditions endured by those displaced by war. It shows the determination, strength and hopelessness faced by the war’s legacy, and that love can bloom in the most unlikely settings.
Thank you to Beauty & Lace and Simon & Schuster for the chance to review this wonderful novel.