Kristallnacht 9 November 1938. Doctor Esther Rosenthal’s husband has just enough time to whisper to her before the SA pulls him out of the door and slams it shut behind him. Esther has to leave Germany in a hurry and embarks on a journey taking her through Holland, England, and ultimately to the USA. In Holland she meets a group of children from a Berlin orphanage, the first children to go to … England on the Kindertransport. Together with her father Mordechai she joins them on their crossing and accompanies them to Harwich. The Kindertransport comes to an abrupt end on the outbreak of World War II. What will happen to the children still in Harwich without a new permanent or foster home? ‘Cuckoo Clock – New York: Esther’s Story’, is the third book in the Unbroken Bonds series.
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This novel made me cry. It is based of a true story or it is a true story. My grandma was a young childin Germany during WWII and I have heard stories about what the S.S. would do. I love how realistic the author keeps it. I recommend this novel to anyone.
Cuckoo Clock New York (Unbroken Bonds, Book 3) written by author Elisabeth Marrion, is an intriguing historical fiction so well written that her writing allows you to understand the characters and want to know their next moves and choices they are faced with during the on set of WWII. I found myself wanting to read on and on to follow the trips back and forth across the Atlantic to find safety, family and a new life and back again to find loved ones, and to find entire towns destroyed and people barely surviving yet having hope for a better tomorrow and life. The characters became real as one read and envisioned what it must have felt like to be so uncertain of so much except for one’s faith or of survival. Ms Marrion has drawn me into her series of Unbroken Bonds and I look forward to reading more of her books.
Cuckoo Clock New York follows the exodus of Dr. Esther Rosenthal and her father, Mordechai, from their hometown of Hildesheim, Germany. This story is an excellent narrative for humanizing the experiences and events leading up to WWII and the ethnic cleansing which ensued. I have read my fair share of Holocaust novels and every story is tragic in its own way. Cuckoo Clock New York is an easier read because it allows you to witness the journey of a family that was able to get away. Not only is Esther able to flee to America, but she and her father were able to contribute to the relief effort for German refugee children. This is the story of a woman who helped others even when she was on the run and barely able to help herself.
My only critique would be small details about the writing style. This is the first book I’ve read from this author, and sometimes the passages would come off disjointed and the character dialogues felt clunky. The text was also simple to the point of being plain. This made the book feel less immersive and dramatic. Although the events of the book were very important, there were missed opportunities that could have been used to build more tension. There could have been more balance between being a plot-driven and character-driven story. Overall, Cuckoo Clock New York was a pleasant read and a good contribution to the large collection of WWII and Holocaust stories.
5 Star
Cuckoo Clock – New York (Unbroken Bonds Book 3) by Elisabeth Marrion
I’m a huge fan of historical fiction and couldn’t wait to dive into this book. The authors attention to detail makes you feel as if you are right there with them. Get ready to be taken on quite the journey with Esther as she embarks on a journey taking her through Holland , England and the USA. Find out what happens next with the children in this must read. I look forward to reading more from this Author.
Cuckoo Clock – New York by Elisabeth Marrion is book three of the Unbroken Bonds series. Though this is book three of the series, this. Ok can be read as a standalone. I hadn’t read the first two books when I read this one and didn’t feel as though I was missing anything. This book was so good though that I am going to go back and read books one and two! I don’t often read books about this time period but I couldn’t put it down! The book is so well written you feel like you are part of the journey, sharing experiences with the characters. You become invested in their feelings and the outcomes. I really enjoyed this book!
I am a sucker when it comes to history and this novel was full with it! It was written in a way that made you feel like you were right there which is an extraordinary feeling. I don’t usually read these sort of novels but I’m glad I did I just couldn’t put it down was so wrapped up in the words I was just lost amongst the pages! A brilliant read which I highly recommend.
Historical isn’t my cup of tea. With that being said, this was a bit fascinating to me. While I’m not sure if you need to read the first two books in this series, after following up I was able to keep on track with this one okay. In this story, you follow Esther who is a Jewish doctor whose husband is captured before the Nazi’s take over Germany. And the Cuckoo-Clock is an apptly named read. Pick up the book to find out why!!! Well worth your time!!!
Cuckoo Clock – New York (Unbroken Bonds Book 3) by Elisabeth Marrion
5 of 5 Stars
I found this wonderfully written novel to be an emotional read but also a fascinating one. The novel tells the story of the first children to go to England on the Kindertransport from Doctor Esther Rosenthal’s point of view. Beginning in Kristallnacht on the 9th November in 1938, Doctor Esther Rosenthal’s husband has just enough time to whisper to her before the SA take him away, that Esther must leave Germany immediately. This is the start of her adventurous, dangerous and brave journey which saw her go through Holland, England, and then ultimately on to the USA. It is whilst Esther is in Holland that she meets a group of children that come from a Berlin orphanage and who are the first children to go to England on the Kindertransport. Esther and her father Mordechai join the children on their crossing and then accompany them to Harwich. At the outbreak of World War II the Kindertransport abruptly comes to an end, leaving many children still at Dovercourt Bay without a new permanent or foster home.
This was a heartbreaking story which concentrated on how normal people were affected by war, and how the innocent suffered but also how ‘ordinary’ people became hero’s and who in a time of violence and suffering really made a difference to other people’s lives. I found the story all the more powerful and poignant as it’s based on real people and events. The author obviously knows her history and this comes across in the narrative. Her descriptive writing really bought the settings and the era to life and I felt fully immersed and engaged in the story whilst I was reading it. The characters are remarkable and so realistic, relatable and likeable that I found myself thinking about them long after I had finished the book. Emotive and moving this was a page turner of a novel and one which I highly recommend.
This is the 3rd book in the Unbroken Bonds Series. This is actually the first book I have read. What is good about the books is I didn’t need to read the first two books to be able to follow this story. Its a beautiful and sad story about world war 2 and how it affected so many lives. It is written in a way that beautifully describes what life was like in those times, the fear that people felt and also how peoples perspectives changed, some for good and some for worst.
When Esther and her father are forced to leave their home they run to Amsterdam to seek safety with their friends.
This isn’t the end of their story as their end is getting to England. After boarding the Kindertransport they come across lots of orphaned children on their way to England. Posing as their doctors Esther and her father join them.
When the Kindertransport gets stopped what will happen to the children who already abandoned and alone? And where will Esther and her father end up? And what is the link between a cuckoo clock found in a antique shop and the lady that buys it?
I am huge fan of War books. Each and every book I read or every movie I watch about the poignant state of Jews in the Nazi Germany deeply moves me. This is a story of Jewish doctor Esther Rosenthal who escapes from Berlin. When her husband is detained before the danger which befell on Jews in Nazi Germany. She escapes with her father and in the course of their flight to England, she meets a group of Jewish children, who were being moved from a Berlin Orphanage to England on a Kindertransport. She adopts three of them and she and her father try to support them with the best they have. They travel to New York, but Esther is forced to return to Europe because of her own personal reasons.
Together or separated, how these characters show solidarity and support to each other forms the crux of the story. Like and WW2 book, this book is also heart wrenching and deftly brings out the plight of the Jews and their extreme circumstances they were put through.
I loved the author’s narration style and I am going to pick up the first two books of the author as well.
I thoroughly enjoy historical fiction and was eager to dive into these pages to see what would unfold. This WWII drama was fascinating. I really appreciated the way the author set up the story. It was an intriguing dive into past events and one I found myself eager to see how it would resolve. I look forward to reading more from this author – just a really good book.
This story is about a historical point in the world before WWII, Elisabeth Marrion is a new author for me. I would have to say that the historical genre is not one of my favorite genres, I have to admit that I enjoyed this story. Elisabeth Marrion put her heart and soul into this book to tell Esther’s story. There is a whole world that has a different history than America. I fell in love with Esther’s story and I highly recommend this book. I have changed now that I know her story. I highly recommend this book to see history from a different point of view.
Cuckoo Clock – New York by Elisabeth Marrion is the third book in the Unbroken Bonds series. This is a well written and detailed story that once I had started I just couldn’t put down. It was such an interesting novel set in an interesting time in history. The author has created a vivid tale that will have you feeling like you are part of the characters journey.
The characters were such strong people to read about and they really added to the overall story. Both of them complimented each other well and it made the story that much stronger. This isn’t an author I am overly familiar with but if this is an example of what all her work is like then I am definitely going to be an avid fan.
This book is absolutely worth reading and I would recommend you getting it today!
Cuckoo Clock – New York (Unbroken Bonds Book 3) by Elisabeth Marrion is a historical family read. It is set in WWII and is the story of a woman who is escaping Germany and is hoping to make a better life in America. We follow her through different countries with bravery and fear and the people around her going through the same thing. It is a very emotive storyline as we see the horrors of what people had to go through. This fascinating story is intriguing and engrossing and moves quite quickly.
From the moment the reader is introduced to Doctor Esther Rosenthal they are drawn into 1938 Germany. As the pages turn, the plot develops with enriched characters and challenges Esther faces as she helps children escaping from Holland to the USA. This Kindertransport is the suspenseful focus of this novel. With the echoes of the Holocaust still present in modern memory, the reader will become absorbed in the fate of all the characters. This third novel in the series can be read alone or as part of the trilogy. In any instance, this will likely find a space on your bookshelf and in your heart.
This is the third book in the Unbroken Bonds series. This story follows Esther and her father as they travel from Germany to the United States. Esther is a Jewish doctor whose husband has been detained. As she flees Germany for the United States, they stop off in England and she comes across some orphaned children that are being transported to England as well. The trip that Esther took was a dangerous one to say the least, but obviously very necessary. It was very intriguing to read about that era and the troubles and frightening things that happened back then.
Cuckoo Clock – New York is the third book in Elisabeth Marrion’s Unbroken Bonds Series. I have not read the other books in this series and would say this can be read as a stand-alone story.
Cuckoo Clock – New York is a fascinating story. Set in World War Two, it gives an insight to people’s lives throughout the war. We know of many heroic stories from the war, but there are so many tales yet to be told.
This story focuses on Esther, a doctor, who in 1938 must quickly leave Germany. On her journey she meets a group of children from an orphanage, we follow her and people she meets along the way as they help get the children safely through war-torn Europe.
This story is full of emotion, it captures the fear and bravery that everyday people showed each other during this horrific time. The book is fast-paced, I moved surprisingly quickly through it. The wonderful characters make you fall in love with this story, I was thoroughly invested almost right from the start. I will definitely go back and read the other books in the series.
4 Stars
Cuckoo Clock- New York is the third book in the Unbroken Bonds series by Elisabeth Marrion. This is an engrossing story full of historical elements- set during World War II.
Esther Rosenthal flees Germany- embarking on a long journey to a new life in America. Along the way she comes across a group of orphaned children who are being sent via the Kindertransport to England. What happens next makes for an interesting and emotive read.
Thank you, Elisabeth Marrion!
This is my first book by this author. I enjoyed reading the history parts of the story and look forward to reading more from this author. This is a well written story that the author’s attention to details made me feel as if I was actually in those places. The characters bring to life a life of war and the challenges that go along with it. They made the story engaging and interesting to read. This is not my normal read but I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend this book.