The Longing

The true story of a Canadian family caught behind enemy lines in World War II and a mother's longing to bring her family home. "In that year (1939) they decided to make a trip to Germany, where Werner's mother is still living, in Hamburg. They did not sell their land, as this trip was intended as a visit rather than a migration. They sailed on the ship Hansa from New York. Ten days after their arrival in Hamburg, World War II broke out." Dorothy Mandy's grandfather, Jacob Ulmer, saved over a hundred letters, written by her mother, during the family's time away.
In this interesting, well-researched and very moving memoir created from her mother's letters, interviews and her own memories, Dorothy Mandy gives us a rare and important perspective of the trials -- and triumphs! -- her family experienced during World War 2. Carol Matthews, author of Minerva's Owl" The Bereavement Phase of my Marriage.'The Longing' is a personal work that connects in universal ways.
What I found particularly fascinating about this memoir was the glimpses it gave into the daily life and struggles of a family living through World War Two and its aftermath. Most stories about the war end when the shelling stops, but Dorothy Mandy's tale reminds us that the story, and the trials, are far from over when the official fighting stops. Ruth Anderson, Nanaimo BC Canada