The Living and the Lost by Ellen Feldman is the story of love, survival and forgiveness. Meike “Millie” Mosbach and her brother, David, managed to escape to the United States just before the Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, leaving their parents and little sister in Berlin. Once in America, Millie attends Bryn Mawr and David enlists in the army and trains in intelligence. Now they are both back in Berlin, haunted by the ghosts of the life they knew and the devastation from the war. They are hoping against hope that they will find their family. Millie works for the army in the office responsible for rooting out the most dedicated Nazis from publishing. She is consumed with anger at her former country and its citizens. David works trying to help displaced people rebuild while operating secret nighttime activities. Living and working in war-torn Berlin, a latter day Wild West, where danger seems to be around every corner. Millie must come to terms with a decision she made as a girl in a moment of panic. Will she discover what happened to her parents and little sister? Will she be able to come to terms with her life now?
I read Ms. Feldman’s Paris Never Leaves You last year and I grabbed the chance to read her newest book. The Living and the Lost is a different type of story as she deals with the occupation after the war as many World War II stories tend to focus on the war itself and leaves the aftermath as an afterthought. As I read, I was torn. It is very emotionally, in depth, touching on topics that many of us don’t think about. As the story progressed, I couldn’t help but find connections to the events of the world today and I found myself asking what would I do if I were Millie? The Living and the Lost is not a book to be read lightly. It deals with heavy topics and I had to put it down a few times in order to process what I just read. However, the desire to find out what happens kept drawing me back. I like that the story ended with no clear cut answers as to the whys as life doesn’t always give us answers to our satisfaction. I enjoyed that Ms. Feldman tackled the events in the aftermath of the war and the tensions and prejudices that were present. I recommend The Living and the Lost.

The Living and the Lost is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook, and audiobook

I think one of the things that draws me to WWII historical fiction is that there are so many different perspectives that an author can write from. I've read WWII books about soldiers, civilians, female spies, families, the LGBTQ+ community, and more. But, as with her previous novel, Paris Never Leaves You, author Ellen Feldman focuses on those who escaped Nazi Germany to start a new life in America. I wasn't overly fond of Paris Never Leaves You because (to be honest) the protagonist was a German woman who pretended to be Jewish in order to immigrate to the U.S. I found it hard to have empathy for her.

The Living and the Lost is a tale of a woman learning empathy for everyone affected by the war. I found the characters complex and the story to be haunting. The book did not make me feel sorry for Nazis. But it did show the protagonist, Millie (as well as me), that no one was untouched by the war. Some scars are obvious, while many more are psychological. And each person shows their trauma in a different way. As one character tells Millie, "Don't be so quick to judge others". Clearly I need that reminder, as well.

What I liked:

Setting:

The majority of the book takes place in post-war Berlin. Millie, a German-Jew who escaped to America in 1938, returns to her hometown to help with the rebuilding efforts. She left Germany during the oppression of Jews, but before the war. So she can hardly recognize the city. Many of the buildings are destroyed, and the once proud German people are starving, fighting over anything to eat, or to sell on the black market. But how do you figure out who are the civilians and who are the Nazis? Who is deserving of sympathy and who should be put on trial for war crimes?

Characters:

Most of the American characters in Germany are German-born Jews who fled to the U.S. years earlier. But all have lost family members who couldn't get out in time. They have a lot of survivors guilt, and anger with the German people. Each person has their own reasons for returning. Some are looking for lost relatives, while others want revenge for what happened to their family. Some genuinely want to reclaim Germany and show that Jews could not be eliminated. For most, it's a mixture of each.

Millie and her brother left Germany and were hopeful that her parents and youngest sister would join them. But they never did. David, Millie's brother became a soldier so he could fight in the war, and kill some Nazis. That is how he begins to deal with the guilt. But Millie doesn't have that option. Instead, she goes to college and, when the war is over, returns to Germany as a translator. She is part of a team of investigators who interview Germans seeking to work in the media. The United States doesn't want former Nazis in these highly coveted positions, so her mission is to weed them out.

Even though Millie wasn't in a concentration camp, she still is traumatized by the what lead to her leaving her family behind. And she can't forgive herself for surviving when her parents and sister did not. This comes out in several ways. Even though the city has changed, Millie still has panic attacks in places like the main train station. She looks at children and swears she sees her sister. And she has immense anger towards Germans.

Other characters, like her brother David, and her boss Harry, feel they need to do as many good deeds as possible to justify their survival. Other characters are so filled with rage that they will beat up Germans at the slightest provocation. What I was really surprised about was the rage that the German civilians felt. These people were not Nazis, but they also didn't exactly jump in to defend their Jewish neighbors either. Nevertheless, these were people who also lost loved ones, who were terrorized by nightly bombings, who were brutally raped by Russian soldiers. And they knew that no matter what they suffered, they were not allowed to receive sympathy. The world was holding every German accountable for the atrocities done to the Jews. For Millie, as well as other Jewish characters in the book, finding a way to, while perhaps not sympathize, but at least empathize with these Germans was a challenge.

Story:

The story follows Millie and her fellow German-Jews, on a path of survival, and then the guilt that follows. Each character must face the fact they they made it through, but most of their family did not. What a horrible feeling to lose everyone you love to war.

With such complex characters, it was so helpful to have the many flashbacks to their different experiences getting to America, and dealing with being German (and Jewish) during the war. At times, other Americans treated them as dirty Jews, not letting them into restaurants and hotels. Other times, they were treated as German spies who couldn't bee trusted. It was a no win situation. But Millie and her brother know that no matter how hard they have it, the Jews left in Germany had it worse.

I think that is the big takeaway I had from the book. Anyone who has been through trauma can remember that someone, somewhere else, has had worse things happen to them. But, that doesn't mean that their suffering is any less. People tend to compare suffering, but we shouldn't.

In the last year I have read several book with WWII or the aftermath of that war as a backdrop. However, none have been like The Living and the Lost by Ellen Feldman. You really feel as if you are experiencing this time in Berlin with Millie, David, Harry, and the others. Along with the post war story there are long flashbacks to the earlier years during the war. Now the struggles, the reasons for going to Berlin, the horror, the many politic sides are vying for control, the destitution, the heartache, survivors’ guilt, the hopelessness and yet hope too are all part of the character’ story and how they are rebuilding their lives while trying to make the world a better place.

This story caused my emotions to run the gamut. I have no idea how much research must have gone into the writing of this story but I guarantee that you will not be the same after reading The Living and the Lost. It is listed as American Jewish History but really it is all of our history. Highly recommend.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It seems like I have been reading a lot of books about the war, Germany, Jews, and Berlin recently. Maybe my new favorite genre? I don't know. But I do know that I never tire of the stories that so many talented authors have created.

The Living and the Lost is a beautifully written, heartwarming story that is centered around two siblings, Millie and David. They are German Jews who escaped to the United States but then go back to Germany after the war to help the people left behind, while also searching for their parents and little sister.

I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this story. It was interesting to learn about the hardships that were endured and the coping mechanisms that people adopted to get through the tough times. Millie and David each had their own secrets and guilt about the past but they also had each other to lean on.

I highly recommend The Living and the Lost if you are into historical fiction, especially World War 2 history. This is a story that will touch your heart.

Post WWII Berlin

As teenagers, Millie Mosbach and her brother David escaped Germany just before the beginning of WWII. They left behind their Jewish parents and their younger sister, a fact that Millie years later feels guilt about. The brother and sister enjoyed an American adolescence Millie going to Bryn Mawr and David to boarding school. After graduation he enlisted in the Army.

The war is over and Millie and David are both back in Berlin. Millie had returned as part of the denazification program to root our hardcore Nazis in publishing. David’s job is to help displaced people find new lives. The siblings feel guilt wondering what happened to their parents. Millie is probably suffering from PTSD. She also has a problem with her boss Major Harry Sutton. To her he appears much too fair to the Germans.

The novel has wonderful descriptions of post war Germany. The author does a wonderful job bringing that difficult time to life. I enjoyed learning about the war, but I found that some of the flashbacks were rather disjointed. The transition from past to present was sometimes difficult to follow.

Millie is an excellent character. She has survivors guilt on top of PTSD wondering what happened to her parents and sister. I also liked Harry Sutton. He is a complex character trying to see both sides and have compassion for the German survivors. This, of course, brings him into conflict with Millie.

If you enjoy WWII novels, this is a different take on the end of the war.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

The Living and the Lost by Ellen Feldman

Not my first nor last Ellen Feldman book. I wanted to give it five stars, but felt it just missed the mark, though I can’t pinpoint my disappointment.

Millie, the protagonist, seems to suffer, not unfounded, angst without resolution. She and her brother David escaped Nazi Germany as children at the last second to save their lives. Survivor guilt, shame and loss rule her every moment.

I must mention that in the story, Ellen Feldman has written one the most amazing, tasteful, tantalizing and exquisitely described scenes of intimacy I think I have ever read. A wordsmith she is!

The characters are sound, the story is well written and solid, but truthfully, I tired of Millie.
Another post WWII novel that should be on your list.

A story set in WWII, yet a story that is different from the average WWII novel. Decisions that are made leaving one to wonder if that was the right decision. Running to the U.S before Kristallnacht. and leaving behind parents and siblings. This story of survival, love and forgiveness is one that will stay with me long after I read the last page and close the book. A story that so many could tell and one we should never forget. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Living and the Lost by Ellen Feldman is the story of two individuals still living and reminded us of those they had lost and the impact that such a loss made on their lives.

The Living and the Lost
Ellen Feldman

This book is just what the Dr. ordered…

It's officially the end of summer, and to break open my fall reading season, I picked up the latest Historical Fiction (coming September 7, 2021) from Ellen Feldman. This one is called The Living and the Lost, and it is like literary candy corn.


It's light on the trauma that tends to be associated with most historical fiction but still has the charming antiquity of history that fans of the genre will love.

It took me a bit of time to warm up to the main character, but by the end of the book, I was rooting for her and her conquests.

I read this one in an afternoon, and it left me wanting to add more of her works to my fall reading list.

4 stars!

Have you read anything from Ellen Feldman?
Which one was your favorite?

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This work of historical fiction approaches the Holocaust and WWII from a different perspective. It takes place shortly after the end of the War and features a brother and a sister who escaped from Berlin to America before the war and are now returning to help with the cleanup efforts.

It is through this pair that we view the destruction of the country, the guilt faced by survivors, the search for missing loved ones, and the efforts to rebuild Germany as a democracy. We also see the beginnings of the Cold War as the Russians, our previous allies, try to take advantage of the situation in Berlin.

I also learned about Camp Ritchie and the "Ritchie Boys," a group of Jewish and German-Austrian refugees who were trained to become US Army Intelligence specialists.

The Living and the Lost by Ellen Feldman is a Historical Novel of the time prior to the war, during World War II and the PostWar era of the rebuilding of Germany. A heart wrenching story of loss and hope for those who survived the destruction of lives, families, homes and country. Family members separated and children lost. Living without the basic necessities of food, shelter, clothing and community. How do you reconstruct an entire society? What are the building blocks? A must read for anyone who wants or needs to learn about the Holocaust, World War II, and the effects on all of us.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars

This novel about Germany directly after the end of WW II featuring those who worked to help the remaining people negotiate necessities is an interesting view of this time period. #thelivingandthelost is ultimately about how we process love, loss and hatred to come out the other side a better person, hopefully. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for this proof to read and review.

I seek out these WWII historical fiction books. I believe we need to be fully aware of what happened in history in order to learn from it. This new novel by Ellen Feldman showed me a different angle of the war: the period after in what is left of Berlin. Millie works for the US government in a deNazification program. Her brother is in the US Army, stationed in Berlin. They both would love to find their parents and little sister, whom they got separated from while escaping. But they’re aware that the chance of finding them alive is minimal. They also struggle with the guilt that they got out in time and their loved ones didn’t.
The processes of each of their duties are fascinating, maybe somewhat slow at times, but this is necessary to convey the frustration and futility of the job. Millie crosses paths with a friend from her childhood in Germany who has lost her young daughter and begs for her help. I found this little side story very fascinating; it doesn’t go as you would think it will. Millie is an independent and strong young woman who has worked hard to recover from the horrors she had seen and to apply her wit and perseverance to correct some of the wrongs that took place under German rule. Her brother David is responsible for a lot more than he has insinuated; he’s a spy with intelligence and has an iron-willed side to him we grow to love.
Their anger and frustration with each other, some of the other co-workers, and the German sympathizers that they're trying to weed out wears heavily on their emotions, and the author has a subtle and sincere way of conveying their pain. I enjoyed the historical correctness, the writing style, and the knowledge I gained from this beautifully written novel.
Sincere thanks to St, Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is September 7, 2021.

5+ Stars!

I haven’t read many, if any, stories related to what went on after WWII. This one came to me after a break in reading. It will stick with me. I was horrified yet spellbound. I just don’t have words for it. I think it’s one of the best books I’ve read all year.

I liked the time frame for the book. It’s right after WWII a and Berlin is a mess. The narrative covers many angles and allows readers to experience the grittiness of reality. The book is raw and sobering. I had difficulty warming up to Millie, even after I read why she was that way. I liked Harry the best. He seemed the most genuine and the most likable character. Some of the scenes dragged a bit, but overall it’s a strong book about postwar adjustment and reckoning with the past.

Historical written from the point of view of a brother and sister . They are Jewish and were lucky enough to have escaped early in the war to the US. They return to work with the U S Military helping the germans get the country back together. A very different perspective than usual historical. I felt well done and heartfelt treatment of really rough subject matter to live thru or read about for many. Thank you Ellen for your sensitivity
Thank you to Net Galley, Author and publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars. Although I typically love WWII fiction, this one missed the mark for me a bit. I loved the story itself, but the formatting of the book was very hard for me to follow, which could be due it being an ARC copy. The timelines and POV's would randomly change without any notice, so it felt confusing and hard to understand what was happening at times. The book did provide an interesting perspective of the aftermath in Germany after WWII though. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Millie and her brother David narrowly escaped Germany and now they're both back in post WWII Berlin working in denazification and resettlement of displaced persons respectively. Millie's on a mission even as she tries her best to tamp down her hatred of the Germans she interviews but she carries a burden than won't be fully revealed until late in this atmospheric and emotional novel. Berlin was a wasteland of rubble, with people squatting in bombed buildings and fending as best they can even as the Americans take over those houses which have not been destroyed and buy food from the PX. Feldman does a great job in capturing the smells, the despair, and the grit. When a beloved relative turns up- a shadow of her former self-Millie helps her to locate her child. The others in the Millie's office have heartbreaking stories, not the least of which comes from Harry Sutton, Millie's supervisor, and from Frau Weber. This is hard to read in spots but Feldman keeps control- it never goes over the top but remains highly emotional. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It's a terrific read.

A book that starts in a post World War II Berlin as they are dealing with the repercussions of the war and they rebuild a city and a country into something that the people can be proud of.

For me this book really enlightened me of the feelings that people had as they were returning to their homeland and wanting to get rid of the people who were responsible for the destruction. I never considered the feelings of not just the Jewish population, but anyone who fled the Nazi regime and how they would want to exterminate anyone associated with the horrible Nazi agenda. I really appreciated this different viewpoint and made me want to read more books that take place in this unique moment right after the war.

I have said this a few times on this blog and I mean it every time, but this one felt unique and while we don't want to forget the horror of the concentration camps of World War II, it is nice to read a book that takes a look at this time, but doesn't go to the far deep end.

I do not want to bring politics into a blog about books, but reading this book while the news was dominated by the evacuation of Afghan people out of their country was eery and made me really listen to their stories a little closer. Interesting how a book about a time period that is more than 70 years ago can still relate to news in 2021.

My third Ellen Feldman book and while I have a few left in her backlist to read, I have loved each of the ones I have completed and am excited to see what she has coming next.

As teenagers, Meike and her brother David were sent to America from Germany in the aftermath of Kristallnacht. Their parents and younger sister Sarah stayed behind. Meike, who Americanizes her name to Millie, spends WWII at Bryn Mawr, and then as an editor at a magazine. David enlists as soon as he turns 18. Both go back to Berlin during the occupation, both to help in various official and unofficial capacities, and to try to make sense of what happened to their family, their city, and their country.

The reader's first question will be: what happened to the rest of the family? The answer, and Meike's journey to come to terms with it, will haunt readers beyond the last page. The second question may well be: can Germany and the German people ever recover? History more or less tells us the answer to that question, but Feldman's exploration of the immediate aftermath of the war will also not soon be forgotten by readers.

Feldman has put all the pieces together to form a worthwhile addition to the genre. She has a light touch on this weighty topic, but does not shy from addressing the mass hatred and prejudice on both the German and American side. She brings her scenes and characters to life with heartwrenching feeling. No reader will escape this book unscathed, and yet it is not so emotional as to get in the way of being able to process the narrative and really think about the larger story.