I love WWII novels & read so many. I really liked that this one was about the terror of being forced to leave, being lonely in a new place, missing your parents and not so much about the horrors of the war. Makes me think that this shouldn't be lumped in with other WWII novels because it's more about those other things. However - I thought the format (reading it online) with so many pages with only one sentence/letter excerpt...I thought the distinction between then and now was a little fuzzy. I LOVED the then.

This book went entirely too fast. I loved it so much. The character development was perfect. We didn't get too much information that you were overwhelmed but you got what you needed without feeling like you didn't get enough. The writing is easy to read and flowed beautifully. This would be an awesome book for people who want to get into historical fiction because it reads like contemporary fiction. This book had me in my feels the whole time. I will definitely read more from Lauren Fox.

Heart wrenching story of family separations. It is also speaks of motherhood and the lose of that needed support and connection. The writing is fluid and emotional. Highly recommend for historical fiction readers.

I had the privilege of reading an advanced copy of SEND FOR ME, and am still reeling from its brilliance and emotional resonance. A powerful intergenerational story that deftly explores the trauma of leaving family behind during the insidious rise of Nazi Germany, SEND FOR ME follows the life of Annelise, who grows up working at her Jewish parents' bakery. Soon after she marries and has a daughter, the dangers in Germany begin to reveal themselves. The three of them have the chance to emigrate to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and they take it, promising that once they're settled, they will send for Annelise's parents to join them in America.

The author gives us a finely attuned view into the life of Annelise and her daughter, Ruthie, and what it means to be a recent first-generation Jewish immigrant in America amid seemingly fruitless attempts to reunite your family. One of the most breathtaking aspects of the story is the present-day scenes told through the eyes of Annelise's granddaughter, Clare, who stumbles upon a trove of letters written by her great-grandmother to her grandmother, Annelise. The storyline seamlessly moves us through its different eras, spinning a complex tapestry of a family managing generational trauma, longing, and guilt amid the everyday joys of family and romantic love. The ending is profound: moving, simple, and pitch-perfect.

Lauren Fox's oeuvre is luminous; her other novels to date are gorgeously written stories of love, loss, humor and the beauty in our fallibility. This work of fiction is all of that but dives deeper and feels ever more personal, revealing the author's staggering range. I cannot recommend this book enough; its loveable characters brim with humanity, and their story will leave its indelible mark on your soul. Five stars.

I can't help but compare "Send for Me" to Sarah Wildman's "Paper Love." Both are based on a cache of letters found by grandchildren that connect a beloved grandparent from someone left behind in Germany who they could not save from the Nazis. These are heartbreaking stories, the guilt burden carried by the survivor and their inability to keep their promise, but how the grandparents responded is quite different. Wildman's grandfather stopped responding to his fiancee when he realized there was nothing he could do. He saved every letter, but did not reply. Lauren Fox's grandmother Annaliese replied to every letter sent by her parents, sends every document, resends them when she makes a mistake (or maybe she didn't), prays and barely holds herself together.

As Annaliese's daughter Ruth tells her own daughter, the finder of the letters, "I know what happened." She doesn't need to read them. I wanted to know what happened, how she lost them in the tightening of the Nazi noose and how it affected Annalise, Ruth, and finally, Claire.

There's so much in this story, and thanks to Lauren Fox for sharing and keeping these memories alive.

Thanks, too, to Knopf and Netgalley for access to this title.

~Candace SIegle, Greedy Reader