The Last Train to London: A Novel
National Bestseller
A Historical Novels Review Editors' Choice • A Jewish Book Award Finalist
“An absolutely fascinating, beautifully rendered story of love, loss, and heroism in the dark days leading up to World War II. . . . A glowing portrait of women rising up against impossible odds to save children.” —Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author of The Great Alone and The Nightingale
The New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Exiles conjures her best novel yet, an unforgettable work of World War II historical fiction with the emotional resonance of Orphan Train and All the Light We Cannot See, centering on the Kindertransports that carried thousands of children out of Nazi-occupied Europe—and one brave woman who helped them escape to safety.
In 1936, the Nazi are little more than loud, brutish bores to fifteen-year old Stephan Neuman, the son of a wealthy and influential Jewish family and budding playwright whose playground extends from Vienna’s streets to its intricate underground tunnels. Stephan’s best friend and companion is the brilliant Žofie-Helene, a Christian girl whose mother edits a progressive, anti-Nazi newspaper. But the two adolescents’ carefree innocence is shattered when the Nazis’ take control.
Based on the remarkable true story of Truus Wijsmuller, a member of the Dutch resistance, this novel follows one woman who risks her life smuggling Jewish children out of Nazi Germany to the nations that will take them. It is a mission that becomes even more dangerous after the Anschluss—Hitler’s annexation of Austria—as, across Europe, countries close their borders to the growing number of refugees desperate to escape.
Tante Truus, as she is known, is determined to save as many children as she can. After Britain passes a measure to take in at-risk child refugees from the German Reich, she dares to approach Adolf Eichmann, the man who would later help devise the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question,” in a suspenseful race against time to bring children like Stephan, his young brother Walter, and Žofie-Helene on a perilous journey to an uncertain future abroad.
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Community Reviews
It was difficult for me to get into this book in the beginning. I preferred to read it rather than listen to the audio but I did a mixture of both. The story line was back and forth with very short chapters. It wasn’t until near the end that I started to like the story. The characters were difficult for me to connect. Telling a story pre WW2 about the horrors of what the nazi regime did to the jews and their allies is difficult in itself and I think the author did a very good job of making me FEEL what it could be like in that time back then.
If 3.5 stars were possible that would be my more accurate rating. Meg Clayton has surely done an incredible amount of research in writing this fictionalized account of the heroic efforts to implement the Kindertransports from Nazi-occupied Europe to England, in this account, focusing on Truus Wijsmuller, a bold, young, childless married woman who takes breathtaking risks in as she spirited children to safety.
The inherent drama involved in the true events should have made this book work better as a novel, but I found several aspects frustrating. I found several elements jarringly unrealistic, and lacked the emotional impact it should have had. In addition to the story following Truus and her activities, Clayton highlights the Neuman family of Vienna, a very wealthy family who made their fortune in chocolates. The Neumans' two sons, 16-year-old Stephan, his little brother Walter, and their parents, serve as the Jews suffering from the sudden confiscation of all their property as well as their freedom. Stephan, an aspiring writer, is quietly in love with a Christian girl named Zofie-Helene, a math genius who tends to speak in mathematical formulations rather than believable dialogue.
When the Nazis invade the Neumans' palatial home, referred to as a palais, we barely see their reaction, or their understandable terror. Five-year-old Walter is sent into the streets alone to find Stephan, in hiding in underground cellars, and at a later point, actually pushing his very frail, ill mother in a wheelchair. No little child is capable of such things. Stephan is also described as rolling off a couch and hiding underneath it to escape detection by his non-Jewish uncle, who has by default taken control of the family chocolate business, again, a description that defies believability.
Some readers may find these occasional lapses in reality unfair quibbling, but for me, they really got in the way. I also found a lack of emotional resonance and connection within the characters themselves. The fear that a family like the Neumans must have felt, the longing of Truus for a baby, particularly when Jewish babies become available and she hesitates to adopt one due to her ongoing work, could have been better developed. Truus' husband, Joop, is not involved in her activities other than as a stalwart, if worried supporter, and while their marriage is portrayed as solid and loving, I would have liked to have seen more dialogue between them about the sacrifices they were making on behalf of unknown Jewish children at the cost of having their own family. This in itself is so remarkable, so huge a sacrifice, it deserved a bit more emotional development.
The chapters are also exceptionally short, moving from character to character, which I felt detracted from the overall narrative flow. Overall, a reader will come away with a far greater appreciation for the heroism of all those involved in the Kindertransports, particularly among Gentiles, who deserve unending praise and honor for their life-saving and life-threatening work.
The inherent drama involved in the true events should have made this book work better as a novel, but I found several aspects frustrating. I found several elements jarringly unrealistic, and lacked the emotional impact it should have had. In addition to the story following Truus and her activities, Clayton highlights the Neuman family of Vienna, a very wealthy family who made their fortune in chocolates. The Neumans' two sons, 16-year-old Stephan, his little brother Walter, and their parents, serve as the Jews suffering from the sudden confiscation of all their property as well as their freedom. Stephan, an aspiring writer, is quietly in love with a Christian girl named Zofie-Helene, a math genius who tends to speak in mathematical formulations rather than believable dialogue.
When the Nazis invade the Neumans' palatial home, referred to as a palais, we barely see their reaction, or their understandable terror. Five-year-old Walter is sent into the streets alone to find Stephan, in hiding in underground cellars, and at a later point, actually pushing his very frail, ill mother in a wheelchair. No little child is capable of such things. Stephan is also described as rolling off a couch and hiding underneath it to escape detection by his non-Jewish uncle, who has by default taken control of the family chocolate business, again, a description that defies believability.
Some readers may find these occasional lapses in reality unfair quibbling, but for me, they really got in the way. I also found a lack of emotional resonance and connection within the characters themselves. The fear that a family like the Neumans must have felt, the longing of Truus for a baby, particularly when Jewish babies become available and she hesitates to adopt one due to her ongoing work, could have been better developed. Truus' husband, Joop, is not involved in her activities other than as a stalwart, if worried supporter, and while their marriage is portrayed as solid and loving, I would have liked to have seen more dialogue between them about the sacrifices they were making on behalf of unknown Jewish children at the cost of having their own family. This in itself is so remarkable, so huge a sacrifice, it deserved a bit more emotional development.
The chapters are also exceptionally short, moving from character to character, which I felt detracted from the overall narrative flow. Overall, a reader will come away with a far greater appreciation for the heroism of all those involved in the Kindertransports, particularly among Gentiles, who deserve unending praise and honor for their life-saving and life-threatening work.
Meg Waite Clayton says that The Last Train to London "was inspired by and meant to honor Truus Wijsmuller-Meijer and the children she rescued, as well as the many people who made the Kindertransports possible." Although she has taken "smaller liberties" with her fictional story, its spirit and basis remain compellingly true.
It is a story about a time that must never be forgotten. Ironically, it is a contemporary reminder of just how quickly matters can escalate -- with draconian consequences.
Clayton's story begins in December 1936 which she refers to as "The Time Before." Stephan dreams of being a playwright and Žofie-Helene has already proven herself a brilliant mathematician who is receiving private tutoring. Along with their friend, Deeter, the three dream about their futures as they practice acting out Stephan's characters. They are innocently and blissfully unaware that since 1933 Truus has been using cheap replicas of her jewelry and other tricks to smuggle children past Nazi soldiers into Amsterdam, assisted by Klara Van Lange, her dedicated but naive apprentice. She and her devoted husband, Joop, have suffered the heartbreaking loss of several unborn children. And although they would like nothing more than to raise their own child, Truus is fully cognizant of the risks she takes in order to shepherd little ones to freedom and that her absences from home, coupled with the danger she faces, would force her to abandon her efforts.
In successive chapters, Clayton's focus alternates between Truus's activities, and those of Stephan and Žofie-Helene. Initially, "everyone was too wrapped up in their own families and their own lives to see the politically darkened clouds piling up on the border between Germany and Austria. Everyone thought Hitler was a passing German fad, that it couldn't happen to Austria, . . . and anyway people had businesses to run and children to raise, parties to attend and portraits to sit for, art to buy." Clayton intersperses news stories from the era that demonstrate the increasingly-strained relationships between European nations, the Nazis' encroachment beyond Germany, and the United States' initial response. The technique is highly effective, as it illustrates the mounting tensions and fears the citizens of those regions felt. Through her storytelling, Clayton demonstrates how desperate matters are gradually becoming, to the point that by 1938 one distraught mother puts her infant daughter, Adele Weiss, into Truus' arms and hurries away as the child cries out for her "Mama!" The baby has no paperwork and Truus must quickly improvise in order to evade detection and the consequences thereof. Even Truus has not yet come to appreciate the depth of love that would cause a mother to hand her child over to perfect strangers in order to give the infant a chance at life, fearing that the little one without papers has jeopardized the passage of the other children. The supervisor advises Truus, "You do my sister a disservice, Frau Wijsmuller. You would have her risk her daughter's life along with her own."
Matters worsen dramatically for Stephan and his family after the full-scale takeover of Austria by the Nazis. His family is displaced from their palatial home, their company taken from them, and they suffer other devastating losses as they struggle to simply survive. Žofie-Helene, along with her younger sister, Johanna, and their grandfather, Herr Perger, the barber, face their own challenges. Žofie-Helene's mother, like so many other journalists, learns that there is a price associated with truth-telling.
Power-hungry Eichmann, determined to increase his own influence within the Nazi party, wields terror and destruction with his diabolical machinations, accompanied by his trained German Shepherd, Tier.
The movingly terrifying stories of Truus, and Stephan and Žofie-Helene, do not immediately intersect. By the time they do, Clayton has fully immersed readers in their narratives, ensuring readers' investment in their fates. Truus is not fearless. On the contrary, she is wise and savvy enough to understand the stakes and proceed with cautious determination. She observes, "My father used to say courage isn't the absence of fear, but rather going forward in the face of it." She well knows that the contingency for which one fails to plan is the one that can bring defeat.
Stephan, like the other young people who witnessed the atrocities of the time, matures quickly as he sees what is happening to his country, his family, and the reactions of those around him. He quickly appreciates the depth of betrayal by his fellow citizens and friends as he finds himself caught up in a demonstration where those around him are chanting "One People! One Reich! One Fuhrer!" and he realizes that those "words might well echo through Stephan's head for the rest of his life." Clayton's portrayal of Stephan's coming-of-age is chillingly realistic and heartbreaking. Žofie-Helemeane must likewise come to terms with the evaporation of the future she envisioned and staggering loss.
And at the heart of the story is the triumph of Truss who, like so many others, is bewildered by what is happening around her. "Where are the decent German people? Why aren't they standing against this? Where are the leaders of the world?" But there is no time to await answers because she is challenged by none other than Eichmann himself. And unwilling to accept defeat. With the assistance of many other brave souls, the mission is a success, but not without concomitant costs.
The Last Train to London tells but one of the many stories of heroism, bravery, and dedication that ultimately brought defeat to the Nazi regime. Clayton's approach to her subject matter is measured and successful. She demonstrates the impact of history upon her characters with restrained realism which illustrates the depth of their extraordinary resilience and commitment to those they love and the tasks history has assigned to them. Truus is deeply conflicted, questioning why she cannot carry a child to term and feeling that she has let her husband down. She declares, "I'm a woman who can't bear a child in a world that values nothing else from me!" even as Joop assures her that she is "a woman doing important work, in a world that badly needs you." Eventually, in Clayton's handling of her story, Truus finds peace in her fate. "Perhaps this is why God chose to deny us children. Because there would be this greater need, this chance to save so many. Perhaps He saved us the burden of having to choose to risk leaving our own children motherless."
The Last Train to London is powerful, engrossing, and absolutely heartbreaking -- at certain junctures, extremely difficult to continue reading. For that reason, it is a book that needs to be read because it is also full of hope, power, and strength. It is a beautifully crafted reminder that one person can make a difference.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
It is a story about a time that must never be forgotten. Ironically, it is a contemporary reminder of just how quickly matters can escalate -- with draconian consequences.
Clayton's story begins in December 1936 which she refers to as "The Time Before." Stephan dreams of being a playwright and Žofie-Helene has already proven herself a brilliant mathematician who is receiving private tutoring. Along with their friend, Deeter, the three dream about their futures as they practice acting out Stephan's characters. They are innocently and blissfully unaware that since 1933 Truus has been using cheap replicas of her jewelry and other tricks to smuggle children past Nazi soldiers into Amsterdam, assisted by Klara Van Lange, her dedicated but naive apprentice. She and her devoted husband, Joop, have suffered the heartbreaking loss of several unborn children. And although they would like nothing more than to raise their own child, Truus is fully cognizant of the risks she takes in order to shepherd little ones to freedom and that her absences from home, coupled with the danger she faces, would force her to abandon her efforts.
In successive chapters, Clayton's focus alternates between Truus's activities, and those of Stephan and Žofie-Helene. Initially, "everyone was too wrapped up in their own families and their own lives to see the politically darkened clouds piling up on the border between Germany and Austria. Everyone thought Hitler was a passing German fad, that it couldn't happen to Austria, . . . and anyway people had businesses to run and children to raise, parties to attend and portraits to sit for, art to buy." Clayton intersperses news stories from the era that demonstrate the increasingly-strained relationships between European nations, the Nazis' encroachment beyond Germany, and the United States' initial response. The technique is highly effective, as it illustrates the mounting tensions and fears the citizens of those regions felt. Through her storytelling, Clayton demonstrates how desperate matters are gradually becoming, to the point that by 1938 one distraught mother puts her infant daughter, Adele Weiss, into Truus' arms and hurries away as the child cries out for her "Mama!" The baby has no paperwork and Truus must quickly improvise in order to evade detection and the consequences thereof. Even Truus has not yet come to appreciate the depth of love that would cause a mother to hand her child over to perfect strangers in order to give the infant a chance at life, fearing that the little one without papers has jeopardized the passage of the other children. The supervisor advises Truus, "You do my sister a disservice, Frau Wijsmuller. You would have her risk her daughter's life along with her own."
Matters worsen dramatically for Stephan and his family after the full-scale takeover of Austria by the Nazis. His family is displaced from their palatial home, their company taken from them, and they suffer other devastating losses as they struggle to simply survive. Žofie-Helene, along with her younger sister, Johanna, and their grandfather, Herr Perger, the barber, face their own challenges. Žofie-Helene's mother, like so many other journalists, learns that there is a price associated with truth-telling.
Power-hungry Eichmann, determined to increase his own influence within the Nazi party, wields terror and destruction with his diabolical machinations, accompanied by his trained German Shepherd, Tier.
The movingly terrifying stories of Truus, and Stephan and Žofie-Helene, do not immediately intersect. By the time they do, Clayton has fully immersed readers in their narratives, ensuring readers' investment in their fates. Truus is not fearless. On the contrary, she is wise and savvy enough to understand the stakes and proceed with cautious determination. She observes, "My father used to say courage isn't the absence of fear, but rather going forward in the face of it." She well knows that the contingency for which one fails to plan is the one that can bring defeat.
Stephan, like the other young people who witnessed the atrocities of the time, matures quickly as he sees what is happening to his country, his family, and the reactions of those around him. He quickly appreciates the depth of betrayal by his fellow citizens and friends as he finds himself caught up in a demonstration where those around him are chanting "One People! One Reich! One Fuhrer!" and he realizes that those "words might well echo through Stephan's head for the rest of his life." Clayton's portrayal of Stephan's coming-of-age is chillingly realistic and heartbreaking. Žofie-Helemeane must likewise come to terms with the evaporation of the future she envisioned and staggering loss.
And at the heart of the story is the triumph of Truss who, like so many others, is bewildered by what is happening around her. "Where are the decent German people? Why aren't they standing against this? Where are the leaders of the world?" But there is no time to await answers because she is challenged by none other than Eichmann himself. And unwilling to accept defeat. With the assistance of many other brave souls, the mission is a success, but not without concomitant costs.
The Last Train to London tells but one of the many stories of heroism, bravery, and dedication that ultimately brought defeat to the Nazi regime. Clayton's approach to her subject matter is measured and successful. She demonstrates the impact of history upon her characters with restrained realism which illustrates the depth of their extraordinary resilience and commitment to those they love and the tasks history has assigned to them. Truus is deeply conflicted, questioning why she cannot carry a child to term and feeling that she has let her husband down. She declares, "I'm a woman who can't bear a child in a world that values nothing else from me!" even as Joop assures her that she is "a woman doing important work, in a world that badly needs you." Eventually, in Clayton's handling of her story, Truus finds peace in her fate. "Perhaps this is why God chose to deny us children. Because there would be this greater need, this chance to save so many. Perhaps He saved us the burden of having to choose to risk leaving our own children motherless."
The Last Train to London is powerful, engrossing, and absolutely heartbreaking -- at certain junctures, extremely difficult to continue reading. For that reason, it is a book that needs to be read because it is also full of hope, power, and strength. It is a beautifully crafted reminder that one person can make a difference.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.