National bestsellerA Historical Novels Review Editors’ ChoiceA Jewish Book Award FinalistThe New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Exiles conjures her best novel yet, a pre-World War II-era story 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 … 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.
There is hope in the darkness, though. Truus Wijsmuller, a member of the Dutch resistance, 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 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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The Last Train to London is an absolutely fascinating, beautifully rendered story of love, loss, and heroism in the dark days leading up to World War II. Clayton perfectly captures the tension and heartbreak of the times, which feel so relevant today. It is a glowing portrait of women rising up against impossible odds to save children.
I’ve read many World War II books and it always amazes me when I am able to learn about someone who was a hero during this time but forgotten over time. Truus Wijsmuller, a member of the Dutch resistance, was a real hero. Through her determination and bravery, she was able to bring over ten thousand children from the German occupied areas of Europe to safety in England. She died in 1978 at 82 years of age.
The book begins in 1936. Germany has gotten stronger and Truus has begun to rescue small numbers of Jewish children. The two main characters are young teenagers who live in Vienna and are living their lives in the carefree way of the young. Fifteen-year old Stephan Neuman, the son of a wealthy and influential Jewish family and budding playwright lives in a huge home with his parents and younger brother. Stephan’s best friend and companion is the brilliant Žofie-Helene, a Christian girl whose mother edits a progressive, anti-Nazi newspaper. In March, 1938, their lives change drastically when the Germans invade Austria. Truus realizes that she needs to get a large number of children out of Austria for their safety and arranges a meeting with Adolf Eichmann. He tells her that 600 children can get on the train headed to England – not 599 and not 601 but they must travel on the Sabbath, which makes the rescue even more difficult to arrange. Will Truus be able to rescue Stephan and Zofie and keep them safe or will they be forced to stay in Austria and face an unknown and perilous future?
This novel was beautifully written and well-researched. I loved all three of the main characters – they were all brave and cared deeply about their families and other people. Truus was a real hero but the other heroes were the parents who sent their children away, knowing that they would probably never see them again, so that they could be safe. This book made my cry because the characters were so real and I cared deeply about their futures.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
The Last Train to London is painful and beautiful, absorbing and unforgettable. A wonderful tribute to courage, to a remarkable woman, to the ones she saved, and the ones she could not. Recommend this book to anyone who thinks no single person can make a difference.
So, now that I have finally been able to pull myself together and stop weeping incessantly (3 hours after finishing it) I will attempt to put the power of this novel into words.
What an absolute beautiful, gut-wrenching, read this was. Everyone should read this book. It’s based on the real Vienna Kindertransport system that was set up in the pre-WWII years to get children—most of which were Jewish, but also kids of political prisoners & subversives of the Nazi party—out of Nazi threatened or held countries. Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer (known as Tante Truus to the children she saved) was an incredible Dutch woman who saved at least 1000 children through this system. She made deals with soulless Nazis, set up trains & ferries to get the kids out of the countries that no longer protected or wanted them and with the aid of the British, set up summer camps to hold the children while they were trying to find families to take them in.
So you can read the blurb to learn more about the plot (although I suggest just buying the book), I’m going to move on to what I thought of the book. The characters were so relatable and deep. I loved them and just wanted to grab the kids from the pages and hold them (or in the nazis cases, to throttle them). I didn’t realize how quickly things changed in Vienna when they were annexed by the Germans. It was disgusting how readily neighbors turned on neighbors just because of differing religious beliefs. I guess that was the most disturbing part of this novel. The cruelty of humanity.
I made the mistake of reading this at the same time as Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Harriet Beecher Stowe). Two books about people who were tortured & treated like animals because of their skin color & what God they chose to worship. I was starting to lose faith in humanity altogether while reading these books. But then I’d read another chapter about Tante Truus’ work & the kids she was helping and I’d remember that even in the darkest moments of humanity, there are still good people. This book is about those people. A reporter, who even after being arrested by the nazis, immediately after her release, began reporting the truth of what was happening to the Jewish people. The innocent kids, who even after being ripped from their parents’ loving arms, were still willing to trust the adults they couldn’t understand in a foreign land. A teenage boy, who grew up wealthy in both material goods and love, but had it all taken by the Nazis, still only cares about the wellbeing and safety of his little brother. These may be fictitious characters, but there are thousands who suffered these same indignities and kept fighting for what they loved and believed in.
Tante Truus however, was very much real. As were the children she saved. Kids who grew up to be writers, artists, scientists & one even a Nobel Laureate! Without the Kindertransport system these kids would most likely have died (or at the very least, suffered severely) at the hands of the Nazis . This is a book we should all read, not just to learn about the people like Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer, who were willing to help when few were, but to remind ourselves what comes of us judging people by their looks, beliefs and preferences. I think that’s a lesson we need to be reminded of right now especially…
I won this book in a giveaway.
This book is hard to read, the story is tragic. I already knew the events, but the novel brought it to life.
What a delight it was to read this brilliant telling of the Kindertransport, a novel threaded with compassion, hope and love. Thank you, Meg Waite Clayton for reminding us of what can happen when good people conspire against evil.
The Last Train to London is a rare thing: intellectually provocative and emotionally moving in equal measure. What a fine tribute to the victims and survivors of the Nazis’ early terrors, and to the woman who at great personal risk and sacrifice subverted Hitler’s will. Everyone should read this timely, gorgeous novel.
I’m here to help you were the words the children longed to hear and words they trusted belonged to Tante Truus who is an actual woman named Truus Wijsmuller-Meijer.
THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON focuses on saving Jewish children by this woman who is said to have saved 10,000 children.
We meet many characters that are frightened because of what is going on in Germany and the rest of Europe as well as meeting the frightened children.
The reader sees what is happening in the daily lives of the European people, and the wonderful work Tante Truus does by secretly transporting Jewish children to safety.
Each chapter has a very clever title, and Ms. Waite Clayton did amazing research.
The beginning took a little while to figure out what actually was going on and who was who, but it all worked out. The book truly depicted the era and Ms. Wijsmuller-Meijer’s work.
If you enjoy historical fiction and want to experience an excellent history lesson even though it details the cruel treatment the Jewish citizens endured during this era, you will want to take the time to read THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON.
You also get to see the many good, helpful people along with the distasteful ones.
Ms. Waite Clayton’s writing and the cover are definitely pull-you-in.
A marvelous, heartbreaking, and well-researched book you won’t want to miss. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
WW2, War is Hell, historical-places-events, historical-figures, historical-research, love, historical-fiction
From Austria, home of the Von Trapps, to the Netherlands, home of Anne Frank. This is the first part of the journey of the brave children rescued from Nazis by many courageous people, but especially the woman known to them as Tante Truus. She is different from Oskar Schindler, but equally driven. This is real history dressed in the finery of fiction. The publisher’s blurb gives a sort of overview of select characters and part of their stories, no need to further recap. A wrenching story, but well worth telling.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from HarperCollins Publishers via NetGalley. Thank you so much.
I binged read this book. I wish it kept going.
Loved the book… learned so much about that time period. Character development was excellent!
Wonderful inspiring story based on true lives during a terrible time in our history.
Very good book to educate people about one of the worst tragedies of history. As several rabbis and some family members of Holocaust victims have said, we have never faced anything remotely like it in the US, and we should both be thankful but also help victims in other nations who do face genocide.
This is a historical fiction book based upon a true story of the rescue of ten thousand children from Nazi occupied Europe by a Dutch woman. The author, Meg Waite Clayton, has researched this subject thoroughly and then written beautifully to describe the time of 1936 and develop the suspense to overcome the Nazi brutality. I will read it again.
I really wanted to give this book 5 stars but due to the fact that it took close to being 150 pages before I felt like I could not put it down, I have to give it only 4 stars.
There are a few dry chapters as they read like a history book but they are necessary to get the background of how the Kindertransport started in Austria. There are a lot of characters to keep track of in the beginning and at times I had to stop and think who and what their importance was to the story.
I will say, once I got around 150 pages I did not want to put the book down. I found the ending heartbreaking but I do understand that that time is history was full of heartbreak.
The Last Train to London is a worthy read for those readers who love to read about World War 2.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, HarperCollins, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.
Outstanding read. Wonderful characters you miss when you close the book and incredible world building.
I must admit that this novel was a bit slow and slightly confusing at the beginning. This is probably because to begin with, it was difficult for me to see the connection between the young people in Vienna and Truus in Amsterdam, which MWC switches between through a series of relatively short chapters. In fact, at that point in history, there was no connection there. It was as if there were two parallel stories. However, anyone who knows the least bit about this era will easily, and correctly assume that as Truus starts rescuing Jewish children from Austria, there will be something to connect her to the Jewish children Stephan and Walter Neuman in the other story. Thankfully, by the time I had reached around 10-15% of the book, I was no longer puzzled, and by then I was totally absorbed in the novel.
I think what I appreciated the most in this novel was how MWC developed her characters, and make them so empathetic. This wasn’t terribly difficult with the younger characters, particularly Stephan and young Walter, who we already know were in danger because of their being Jewish. To further develop that, MWC gives us Žofie-Helene, a Christian girl around Stephan’s age, who is a bit of a misfit, being a genius at math. This is apparently what draws Stephan to her, even though he’s interested in becoming a playwright, like his idol (the real) Stefan Zweig. That her mother is a journalist with a newspaper that has been outwardly opposed to Hitler, makes Žofie-Helene and her whole family into targets, almost as much as the Neumans. The dynamic between this little group works beautifully, even as it waxes and wanes with the changing circumstances. Mind you, I did feel like MWC gave us a tiny touch too much of their story near the end of the book, but nothing too much as to ruin the novel for me.
As for Truus herself, we must remember that with biographical, historical fiction, there’s always that fine line authors must walk between making the person human, and turning them into gods to be idolized. This is especially true with personalities that are lesser known to the public, which have been extensively researched by the author. MWC could easily have fallen into the latter trap, since Truus is such an incredibly admirable person, but instead, MWC gave her faults and imperfections that any person could have. Getting into the head and heart of Truus must have been both a pleasure and a heavy burden for MWC, but I believe we received the very best of that effort, and I certainly fell in love with both Truus and her husband Joop.
Of course, the plot of this story was one that MWC had already outlined for her by history itself, so all that was needed was to people it properly, and then show us the anxiety and suffering of those who experienced it themselves. This is, I believe, exactly what this novel succeeds in doing, and there were times when I held my breath, worried that something wouldn’t work out, even though I already knew exactly how much Truus achieved in such trying times. And yes, of course, this book made me tear up several times – how could it not?
This isn’t to say that this is a happy ending story; no novels about the Holocaust have truly happy endings. However, it is a hopeful one, since the story of Truus Wijsmuller’s incredible accomplishments is just one of the many tales of bravery and rebellion that simple people across Europe were willing to do in the face of evil, even at great personal risk. The Talmud tells us that “whoever saves a single life is considered to have saved the whole world.” Truus saved some 10,000 lives – you can do the math yourself! In short, although I think the exact rating for this book is 4.75 stars, I’m going to round that up to five stars, and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone and, well, frankly everyone!
Haunting, heartwrenching, and heroic!
The Last Train to London is a compelling, emotional interpretation of the life of Geertruida Wijsmuller, a Dutch Christian who as part of the Kindertransport rescue efforts helped transport close to 10,000 predominantly Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied European cities to the UK for safety just prior to the breakout of WWII.
The prose is tense and expressive. The characters are vulnerable, innocent, and courageous. And the plot, set in Austria during the late 1930s, is an exceptionally moving tale about life, love, strength, bravery, familial relationships, heartbreak, loss, guilt, grief, injustice, malice, hope, and survival.
Overall, The Last Train to London is a beautiful blend of harrowing facts and evocative fiction. It’s a powerful, pensive, affecting tale that highlights humanities ability to not only be excessively evil but incredibly selfless.
Sometimes a novel comes along that feels both rooted in history, yet timelessly pertinent. The Last Train to London is a brilliant and chilling reminder of history’s lessons, told urgently and sympathetically from the viewpoint of the children desperate to flee Hitler’s regime, and the women willing to risk all to save them. Meg Waite Clayton’s unflinching, evocative prose brings the entwined destinies of Stephan, Žofie-Helene, and Truus to life. The cruelties, large and small, inflicted by the Nazis on their chosen scapegoats echo ominously in today’s world, leading us to ponder the thin line separating bravery from indifference. Yet The Last Train to London is also a reminder of love, tenderness, and friendship that blossoms despite tremendous risk. Beautifully written and brimming with hope and gravitas, this is a tale that will transport readers to the edge of their seats, even as the last Kinder Transport prepares, against all odds, to leave for London.
This is an amazing story which takes place during World War II. It’s a work of fiction based on the Kindertransport effort. I was overwhelmed by the bravery of Truus Wijsmuller-Meijer. Her desire to save Jewish children regardless of the danger she faced was inspiring. All the people involved in this undertaking were heroes. Reading about Adolf Eichmann and his ruthless treatment of the Jews in Vienna was a reminder of the brutality of Hitler and the Reich. My heart broke for these children and their families. Following the journey of Stephan and his brother, Walter, brought me to tears. Their lives changed from one of luxury to one of deprivation. Zofie-Helene, their friend, suffered because her mother criticized Hitler and the Nazis in her newspaper. This wasn’t a proud moment in history. Meg Waite Clayton wrote a brilliant book. The Last Train To London highlights the courage and bravery of mankind in face of unprecedented evil.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.