Ariella Bannon has no choice: she must put her precious children, Liesl and Erich, on that train or allow them to become prey for the Nazis. Berlin 1939. When her husband doesn’t come home one day, Ariella realises that the only way she can ensure her Jewish children’s safety is to avail of the Kindertransport, but can she bear to let them go?A thousand miles away, Elizabeth Klein has closed … can she bear to let them go?
A thousand miles away, Elizabeth Klein has closed herself off from the world. Losing her husband on the last day of the Great War, and her child months later, she cannot, will not, love again. It hurts too much.
But she is all Liesl and Erich Bannon have.
Thrown together in the wild countryside of Northern Ireland, Elizabeth and the Bannon children discover that life in the country is anything but tranquil. Danger and intrigue lurk everywhere, and some people are not what they seem.
From the streets of wartime Berlin, to the bombed out city of Liverpool, and finally resting in the lush valleys of the Ards Penisula, The Star and The Shamrock from USA Today bestselling author Jean Grainger, is unputdownable.
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In The Star and the Shamrock, Jean Grainger has written a gut wrenching, heart warming story about the Jewish children send abroad to escape Hitler’s purge. I love everything Ms. Grainger writes even though I hate reading about the atrocities of war. This book focuses instead on the love, support and community that took care of some of these children. I could not put the book down. It is amazing.
Set during the second world war this is the story of a remarkable woman who overcame so much to survive the German brutality towards the Jewish people. It is the first in a series, made me want to cry, feel so blessed to have not experienced anything like this. It really should be read.
A lovely story of two children and a widow finding family again in the midst of the heartbreak of the holocaust. The characters feel real and the story will draw you in. A great beginning to a wonderful series.
Loved this book. Look forward to next two in series.
I love historical fiction and this was my first by Jean Grainger, and what a treat it was. A beautifully written story about the Jewish children that were sent from Germany to Ireland in order to save their lives during WWII. A well research book with wonderful characters that will grab your heart.
Liesl and Erich are sent from their home in Berlin by their mother, after their Irish born father is arrested and imprisoned by the Nazis . His cousin Elizabeth, a widowed school teacher, living in England, agrees to take the children to live with her until the war is over. Fortunately the speak English, which helps in their transition to their new country.
After a bombing destroys their home, they move to a Elizabeth’s childhood home, small village in Ireland, where she is hired to teach other refugee children that live on a commune farm nearby.
This is a story of devastating losses, grief, fear and uncertainty, as the residents of the village struggle to survive the war and the uncertainties it brings. The children struggle to assimilate to a foreign culture and the challenges that it presents. This wonderful story really confirms that “it takes a village” and requires community spirt, acceptance and love to overcome the pain and suffering of separation and war.
My thanks to #Amazon and #JeanGrainger for sharing this treasure. I loved it and look forward to reading the sequel.
The Star And The Shamrock – Ms. Grainger does a wonderful job telling about the transportation of children from their families in Europe to the UK. The Jewish children of this story land in Northern Ireland and the reader is introduced to the Irish side of the equation.
The storylines are varied and heartwarming and heart breaking about this horrible period in man’s history. The characters run the gamut from extremely good to extremely hateful. There is good where it is least expected. The pulling together of different cultures, different age groups and different religions shows that man can rise about prejudice and intolerance and make a difference.
While the history is important, this book tells the experiences of a set of characters as they strive to make the best of a bad time. There are plenty of heroes and none wear a cape. It was hard to put down this book since I so immersed in the history and the story. Even though, I know a lot about WWII and the Holocaust, I found Ms. Grainger did an interesting presentation of history and everyday life. For those who don’t like to read about world history, or any history, this is a good introduction. I contacted the author to review her books. 5*
Loved it…
A different book Grainger book – subject matter. The Kindertransport from Germany during WWII to Northern Ireland.
The Star and The Shamrock is an incredibly moving book from a very talented author. When Liesl and Erich were put on the Kindertransport by their desperately afraid mother non of them knew what would become of them. Elizabeth had no idea what to expect when she agreed to give these children a home. What happen next is a poignant and heartrending tale of despair, hope, love, acceptance, fear and community. There are a host of great characters and many layers to this wonderful book and Jean Grainger writes of this awful time with honesty and compassion. This book touched my heart and I didn’t want to put it down. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
I absolutely loved this book! I would have given it 5 stars but oh I felt that it needed just one more chapter to finish it out. I won’t say more than that because I do highly recommend this book and I don’t want to be a spoiler! Oh Jean just one more chapter!!!!
I know the facts about how Hitler treated the Jewish people. I’ve read The Diary of Ann Frank and many other similar stories but none have affected me the way this book has. The parents who were brave enough and strong enough to save their children by putting them alone on trains heading out of harms way broke my heart. This author pulls you into her stories and has you feeling as though you know her characters personally. You feel their grief, fear and also their happiness as if it is your own. An excellent story and storyteller