Wonderful historical fiction novel. I realized I never gave a review. I love this time period and always learn something new. I look forward to more by this author.

what an impactful and harrowing read. War stories always touch my heart and this one was certainly no different. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction and wants to learn more about this time in history, I can't wait to buy my own physical copy!

I really enjoyed this account of families and war, especially since I am used to reading World War II historical fiction novels, I have been really enjoying reading about post World War II Germany.

I wanted to love The Reunion but I just couldn’t get into it. It was very well researched but it was too slow to keep my interest for very long

This was an enjoyable book in the main. Interesting characters and unusual story. I did feel that there was something missing though. Perhaps I didn't feel that the 2 stories connected particularly well.

Author Geoff Pridmore gives us a unique perspective of WWII with his novel, The Reunion.
In the summer of 1963 former German "POW" Hugo and his family set out on a road trip, from Cornwall to Bavaria, to introduce his children to their cousins at a family reunion.
During their travels Hugo has many informative flash backs to his time in the war.
It was interesting to read about the Berlin Wall and how the war afflicted the families in this story.
A compelling read!

Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Guild for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this story of Hugo, a German prisoner of war sent to Cornwall his English wife, Rene, and their children Hannie and Marco. It took me awhile to remember who was who. I especially enjoyed their road trip to Bavaria to stay with Hugo’s widowed mother and the rest of Hugo’s family. While they were traveling, Hugo had flashbacks to his time during the war and his experiences. Upon arrival in Bavaria, nine-year-old Hannie gets to know her cousin, Heike. I liked following their adventures and their father’s flashbacks to the war. I experienced many emotions from laughter to tears. I do feel the author tried to accomplish too much in this novel. I think the last part of the book about Heike’s story really could have been a sequel.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for a preview of this book. As a history buff I really enjoyed it. The writer has written a compelling and hard hitting book. It can be a bit tough to read at times but overall a great read.

An interesting but convoluted story.

The final section of the story is written in a completely different style which dies not really fit with the rest of the tale. It also doesn't really add anything to the story, which may have had a stronger ending from finishing after the scene of the two cousin's sharing Heike's story.

Heike's story is by far the best part of the book, an interesting look into the life of a confident yet naive young woman who has to battle for her family and freedom. I think this on its own would have made an incredible story.

The framework on the novel in which it is set, the story of Hanna and her family, and the concept of the reunion, is written well, but isn't particularly interesting, unlike Heike's tale and the story of Hanne's mother and father. The story of the trip to Germany Hanna makes as a child also seems a little redundant given that after this the action jumps by a few decades. Potentially a more brief introduction to the concept of the reunion being started as a tradition in Hanne's childhood could have been used?

Ultimately this book Maxwell written, and it is simply the fact that the more action filled sections are so interesting that make the linking additional parts seem a bit superfluous.

wow. what an impactful and harrowing read. War stories always touch my heart and this one was certainly no different.

it was just the right balance of heartbreaking and hopeful and ended in the most perfect conclusion.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction and wants to learn more about this time in history, I can't wait to buy my own physical copy

This book was strange for me. It took me a while to get into it, and then I set it aside for a while. Picked it back up a couple of weeks later and loved a lot of the middle section of the book.
But then found myself feeling less interested towards the end.

I found I liked the portions talking about the characters experience in the war, to be more interesting that other parts, and it was also enjoyable reading about certain aspects of the Berlin Wall and the way it impacted on people, as this is a time and subjecr in history I would love to read more about.

Overall it was a good book, with a lot of well researched interesting points. But to me, it felt a little slow at times.

I thought this book was very well written. You can tell the author did their research on the topic of families during war and what a POW might experience after. I connected with the main character and you felt what he felt. I would recommend this book to anyone! Fast read

This was a very interesting read. Hugo a former POW now living in the U.K. wants to take his family back to Bavaria to meet their German roots with the intention of forming bonds which will be the foundation of good will and peaceful interaction. The journey there bring back many memories of different natures. It is a learning experience and a trip back in time. This book was emotional at times and very interesting. It told a lot about what families endure while their loved ones are away at war as well as how those who are at war suffer. I enjoyed this well researched read.

Thank you to Matador and NetGalley for the arc of the reunion by Geoff Pridmore.

This is the story of an Anglo-German family Hugo whom is an former German POW; his daughter, Hanne whom was born in Cornwall, and Heike his own neice, who leaves to East Germany to live the life of a communist.

It was 1963 in the Summer and Hugo and his wife Rene and rest of the family decide to set out from Cornwall to introduce their children to their Bavarian cousins at a family reunion... His believes that if his children are brought up with theirs they may not be any more wars but the thing in which he hasn't thought of is the wall which is between them...???

This is a very compelling and interesting book, showing about wartime between two familes and their children and about the barriers which are faced their way, it had me hooked right from start to finish!

4 Stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's a rare book that I don't finish. But 'The Reunion' is one of them.

Ostensibly tracing the WWII experiences of reluctant German soldier and POW Hugo Mauer or.... something, it takes forever to get going, hopping down way too many bunny trails along the way.

Disjointed. Meandering. Random, unrelated characters wander in and out of the narrative like lost ghosts.

I gave up halfway through.

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