This book started out slow and sometimes I felt that the details about the house and their lives were too much. It was a little difficult to get through the first few chapters. But the details had a point and it turned out to be a great read with a beautiful yet heartbreaking story. I don't know how true the details are since this is supposed to be a work of fiction, but the things that happened to Anya and her family after the Nazi's invaded Poland were so horrible and disturbing. Overall this book was thought provoking and definitely gave us a lot to discuss in our book club.

Read this the first time in university and it was the first novel I’d read about the holocaust and was completely overtaken by the story and the character of Anya. Just reread it 40 years later and still found it a very compelling story, although it didn’t cast the same spell as the first time I read it. Anya’s life before, during and after the war is rendered in great detail. It’s a long book, but I appreciate the care Fromberg takes to truly evoke each period in Anya’s life and never found any of it boring. For me it was all fascinating information. Anya’s good and bad character traits are laid out for the reader and the book beautifully illustrates the impact of the war on Anya, her family, especially her relationship with her daughter Ninushka, the society they lived in, the choices made both good and bad to survive. Would have liked to know a bit more about Ninka as an adult, but that’s a minor complaint. Don’t want to say any more about the plot, but I would highly recommend this book. It stays with you long after you have put it down.