Long Way Home
by Lynn Austin
Pub Date: June 21, 2022
Tyndale
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. In this portrait of war and its aftermath, a young woman searches for the truth her childhood friend won't discuss after returning from World War II, revealing a story of courage, friendship, and faith. Long Way Home has dual storylines. It follows Gisela starting in 1938 and Peggy in 1946. Gisela is a teen seeking refuge along with her family when the Nazis take over Berlin, Germany. In Peggy’s story, she is trying to help her longtime friend, Jimmy, after he returns home from the war severely depressed and suicidal.
I had some difficulty getting into the book, at times the subject matter is dark, but not overly so.
We will be purchasing this book for our library because of patron request.
4 stars

I found this book rather slow-moving, and it didn't help that atrocities against the Jews as well as wars and their effects make it really hard reading for me. Lynn Austin skillfully brought all those to life in the stories she wove here. I could feel the despair, pain, and horrors. Gisela's story was much more interesting and captivating for me, but Peggy's dragged.

Fans of Ms Austin may find it hard to believe, but I don't generally enjoy her style of writing. It didn't stop me from ordering a couple of books for the church library recently though!

Long Way Home by Lynn Austin is one of the best historical novels I have read. The setting is WWII and the terrorism in Europe and to the Jews. The story reveals the life of an American soldier and his relationship to a Jewish lady. The book is a hard read with the treatment of the Jewish population. Gisella meets her future love on a ship escaping Germany to find out that no country will admit the ship of Jews to dock at their shores. Gisella finds her return to Europe with her sister a broken dream. Jim enlist into the Army after the bombing of Peal Harbor. Jim returns home to his family in a broken way after losing his best buddy in combat. Read this novel to find out how Jim's life and Gisella's intertwine. .

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read Austin's novel prior to its publication.

The horrors of war rage on beyond the battlefield. While understanding PTSD, has come a long way, the internal scars often fester longer than surface wounds.

Eagerly awaiting Jim's return from war, his family and friends were shocked to realize that he lost his faith. Peggy vows to repay his faith in her by bringing him home from the hospital.

Putting together the pieces of the puzzle, Peggy enlists his band of brothers to discover the truth. A dual-linear timeline featuring Gisela's and Peggy's stories will provide the missing pieces. Will they together be able to bring Jim back from the horrors he faced?

“If we can figure out what made him so sad, we can all help carry part of that load for him. Maybe the answer is in there somewhere,” I said, pointing to the duffel bag and rucksack Jimmy had dumped in the corner of his room. “Maybe we can piece the story together and figure out what went wrong.” (Long Way Home)

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of the #LongWayHome in exchange for honest review. Lynn Austin's historical fiction was one of the most poignant and heartfelt novels, I've read this year. It's rare to feel so strongly about a story and through the protagonists' triumphs and tears, I was swept along with their courage to survive.

"Long Way Home" is a split story following Peggy in 1946 in New York City and Gisela in 1938 to 1946 in Europe and elsewhere. The whole story was well-written, so the characters seemed like real people, I cared about them, and the historical details immersed me in the story. But it's a heavy read. Gisela's family is Jewish, and they manage to escape Germany only for their ship to be denied refuge in Cuba, America, Canada. They ended up in a country that was soon invaded by Germany. Her story was full of sadness and tragedy, and she was rather helpless as her choices were mainly decided by others (parents, Germans, etc.).

Peggy's story was also filled with sadness. At least she kept trying to make things better even when the critical choices had to be made by others (Jimmy's parents, his friends, etc.). Through her efforts, not only did Jimmy slowly find healing but so did several of his war buddies. She also found people that appreciated her talents and caring personality when her own family didn't.

Those involved in the war struggled with how a loving, good, all-powerful God would allow such horrible things to happen. Throughout the story, different people commented on how they dealt with this. Peggy even used the words that Jimmy once spoke to her to help him to better understand God's character. She helped him see the light in the world brought by God's people. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this book but understand that parts are very sad.

Life as a Jew during Hitler's rule was horrendous as portrayed in this dual time novel. Through the eyes of Giselle readers will experience this horror. After the war, Peggy tries to bring her friend Jimmy, an American army medic out of a deep depression. PTSD and a crisis of faith is an ongoing theme throughout this story. The treatments for depression during this era were atrocious. I would imagine many lost their faith but God was always there. I loved the way the two stories intersected. Based on true events this book, historical fiction readers will be impressed. Highly recommended!

I've never been the biggest fan of dual timeline plots, but this one was done so well and with such a short time lapse between each time period, that I found myself really enjoying it. So much history was written in this book, which I found fascinating. One of my favorite things about Lynn Austin is that once you finish one of her books, you never fail to learn something!

Heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful story of a World War II veteran struggling with what we now know as PTSD, his childhood friend who tries to help him by finding out what happened to bring him to the point of suicide, and a woman he meets while liberating a concentration camp. I like that the story focused less on romance and more on how the characters used faith to survive their circumstances.

Long Way Home
by Lynn Austin
Tyndall House Publishers
Rated: 5
Back of the Book: “In this gripping portrait of war and its aftermath from bestselling author Lynn Austin, a young woman searches for the truth her childhood friend won’t discuss after returning from World War II, revealing a story of courage, friendship, and faith.
Peggy Serrano couldn’t wait for her best friend to come home from the war. But the Jimmy Barnett who returns is much different from the Jimmy who left, changed so drastically by his experience as a medic in Europe that he can barely function. When he attempts the unthinkable, his parents check him into the VA hospital. Peggy determines to help the Barnetts unravel what might have happened to send their son over the edge. She starts by contacting Jimmy’s war buddies, trying to identify the mysterious woman in the photo they find in Jimmy’s belongings.
Seven years earlier, sensing the rising tide against her people, Gisela Wolff and her family flee Germany aboard the passenger ship St. Louis, bound for Havana, Cuba. Gisela meets Sam Shapiro on board and the two fall quickly in love. But the ship is denied safe harbor and sent back to Europe. Thus begins Gisela’s perilous journey of exile and survival, made possible only by the kindness and courage of a series of strangers she meets along the way, including one man who will change the course of her life.”
Impressions: Lynn Austin is my favorite author. There I said it. I have liked even loved every single book she has written. She weaves faith into each of her stories in a non preachy manner allowing the reader to learn the gospel in a real way. This story was no different. Whatever struggles we face God has a plan and he is for us. While reading this book you are invited into the struggles that each character faces. They are each different but so similar in their solution- Jesus. As they navigate their lives during and post war they come to depend on others, themselves and finally God. I loved how easy this story was to read and how easily I was ministered to through the process of each characters self discovery. If you are looking for book with depth but also of love and faith this book is a must read.
Quotes: There was much wisdom throughout this story so the quotes I wanted to highlight soon became long sections of text. Here are a few of the nuggets of this sections I enjoyed and learned from.
“‘It’s natural to want to see what’s coming around the corner and make plans for the future, especially with your mother and brothers to take care of. Having a plan seems like the only way to keep hope alive. But not of us can see the future any longer.’” – I am an anxious nelly and love a good plan. I have had to lean into my faith however and learn from the LORD that I am not in control. I realize this quote is concerning a whole different reason for lost control but I think that the message of where we put our hope in is the same. Regardless of why you are feeling that life is out of control, we can find peace, hope and comfort in the same answer- God.
“‘It isn’t up to you or Vatican or anyone else to figure out a way to save us. God was the One who parted the Red Sea, not Moses and not us.’”
“‘It doesn’t matter what other people think of you, Peggety; the important truth is what God thinks. And you are His daughter. His beloved child.’”
“‘I think if we keep holding all the poison inside us, it will kill us. An infected wound has to be lanced and cleansed or it will never heal. That’s a very painful process, but you know how necessary it is.’”
“‘You exhausted yourself as you went about playing God, trying to save as many lives as you could…If God wasn’t going to act and straighten everything out, the you would do it yourself.’” – Well the truth certainly hit home. I find it very easy to look at a problem and start breaking it down to fix it. It never seems to be a simple solution and eventually anger, frustration, and tears come about before I realize who I am relying on. Can you see a theme here from the quotes that stood out to me. I rely on me, myself, and I to fix myself and the world around me to the point of exhaustion and sometimes worse. It can be so hard to let God be God, but so comforting and peaceful when I do.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review shared here. For more book reviews visit: https://simplyannehere.wordpress.com

“Why do people pray if God doesn’t answer them?”

Writing to honour her own father and his fellow veterans, Austin writes about the courage soldiers mustered to take their long journey home. She reminds readers that while millions of soldiers returned home at the war’s end, there were still millions of Jews who’d survived the Holocaust that were still a long way from finding a new home. This book honours their bravery in taking risks to hide and survive.

Gisela Wolff and her family flee Germany aboard the St. Louis passenger ship headed to Havana, Cuba. She meets Sam Shapiro on board and quickly falls in love. After the ship is denied safe harbour, it returns to Europe and readers will follow Gisela’s journey as she relies on the kindness of others to ensure survival.

Corporal James ‘Jimmy’ Barnett is a returning medic in the U.S. Army and struggles with combat exhaustion. After attempting suicide (mentioned in passing), he’s checked into the V.A. hospital. Readers will follow his treatment regimen as doctors pursue every avenue possible to deal with Jimmy’s depression. His next-door neighbour, Peggy Ann Serrano, and a fellow soldier, Joe Fiore, are instrumental in his ‘recovery.’

The dual timeline is expertly done and well-infused with Christian and Jewish beliefs. As characters rely on their faith, questions arise about where God is in the midst of war and how he can allow such horror. Austin eloquently deals with each struggle and gives room for her characters to work on securing their faith. Having a front-row seat to their spiritual growth is heartwarming. I learned about the journey of the St. Louis and more about living through the terror-filled days of Kristallnacht. The author is to be commended for bringing a fresh perspective to wartime fiction.

If you are interested in a historical fiction wartime novel featuring Christian and Jewish characters who rely on their courage, friendship and faith to endure, this is a fantastic book.

I was gifted this advance copy by Lynn Austin, Tyndale House Publishers, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Lynn Austin always writes books full of well-developed characters and well-researched topics. Long Way Home was another thought-provoking book. It is a time-slip novel set before and after World War II. It describes the plight of European Jews before, during, and after the war. It also describes the struggles of our servicemen once they came home. Although I highly recommend this book it is not light reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Why did God allow millions of people to be slaughtered during World War II? How many people with strong faith before the war lost their belief in God?
Jim Barnett returned home broken by his experiences as a medic. He tried to take his life and ended up in a VA hospital. His neighbor Peggy Serrano tries to locate his army buddies. They share their experiences and how they’ve coped. None of them can identify a photo of “Gisela” found in Jim’s rucksack.
Gisela is a young Jewish woman who, with her family, voyages to Cuba aboard the St. Louis. Nine hundred Jews were denied entry into Cuba, and the US and Canada closed their doors. The ship had to return to Europe with tragic consequences for most of the Jews. The horrors of the Holocaust are treated delicately.
The war was a dark time for many. The flickering light of hope died. Jim’s family and friends try to rekindle the light for him and find a reason to live.

Peggy Serrano has always felt left out. She has never fit in with her peers, much less with her own family. Thankfully, she has found love and acceptance with the neighbors across the street, the Barnett's. When the Barnett's son, Jimmy, returns home from the war, he is not the same person Peggy loves and remembers. Eventually, he attempts to take his own life. Desperate to help the only true family she knows, she goes on a mission to find out why Jimmy is a changed person. What sort of horrors will she uncover? Is there anything she can do to help him?

I am a long time fan of Lynn Austin. She writes fantastic, well researched stories based off heavy topics that are important to discuss. This novel primarily deals with PTSD and a crisis of faith. Here are the things I really enjoyed about Long Way Home:

1. The sweet relationship between the Barnett family and Peggy. Their selfless love and encouragement for their "spiritual" daughter are refreshing to see in a world where broken families are too common.

2. The historical timeline that follows Gisela and her family. I learned a lot of heartbreaking history through this novel that I was unaware of previously.

3. Austin does a wonderful job of trying to explain the horrors of this world. Why do bad things happen to good people? How can God really care if there is such suffering in this world? These difficult questions are present throughout the entire book.

There are also some things I did not like, including:

1. The writing felt a bit dry to me. I would have liked a bit more detail and description. Some of the chapters or actions of the characters were blunt and quick.

2. The ethical and biblical dilemma of marriage is questionable in certain parts of Long Way Home. Without spoilers, marriage is a serious vow that is made before God for life.

In conclusion:
Long Way Home is a powerful read that tackles some of life's biggest questions. I am thankful for a Christian perspective in a world with many different viewpoints. I am thankful for God's word that is without error and trustworthy for all our problems. While I explained some things I was not a fan of, it was an enjoyable book overall. Lynn Austin is a gifted author! 3.5 stars

This story sheds light on the aftermath of WWII. The devastating hope of Jews fleeing persecution only to relive the horrors twice. The displacement of thousands of Jews following the end of the war. And the horrors of PTSD and cringe worthy ways of treating it.
Even now, PTSD is not readily acknowledged, especially in the Christian spectrum, and it is terribly damaging. Whether a solider or a trauma survivor from childhood, to claim this title causes others to look down on you or tell you are sinning.
Thankfully, in general PTSD is better understood and treated. One reason we don’t know as much as we could about WWII is that most survivors never really talked about the horrors they has lived through, the survivors guilt, and the pain they endured.
The author does a good job of presenting accurate Jewish holidays and beliefs.
I appreciate the way the author addresses the question “why does/did God allow this evil in our world?”

Another wonderful read from Lynn Austin! Jim, a WW2 medic, is suffering from severe PTSD after seeing far too many horrific sights during his enlistment. His family and his childhood friend Peggy are determined to get him the help that he needs by any means possible. Gisela, a Jew who experienced the horrors in Buchenwauld concentration camp, fears that she will never have a normal life, or faith in God, again. Such a gripping novel to read about WW2 and its aftermath. I learned a lot about the ship The St. Louis and how its passengers were returned to Europe instead of being given refuge; glad I had tissues handy.😢

*I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

Long Way Home has dual storylines. It follows Gisela starting in 1938 and Peggy in 1946. Gisela is a teen seeking refuge along with her family when the Nazis take over Berlin, Germany. In Peggy’s story, she is trying to help her longtime friend, Jimmy, after he returns home from the war severely depressed and suicidal.
The theme of the book can be overwhelming and dark at times, and it really opens your eyes to the horrors of World War 2. While Lynn Austin writes some intense scenes of the war, they are brief and not overly graphic, which I appreciated. Although I wouldn’t call it a light read, the thread of hope and redemption was beautifully woven into the story.
It took me a little time to really get into the book, but once I did I was invested in the story and the characters. The book as a whole was a satisfying read.
Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for an advanced reader copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Lynn Austin has again given us a fact-based historical novel that speaks to the heart. Long Way Home, a dual time novel, ties the stories of a young Jewish woman trying to escape with her family from Nazi Germany before and during WWII, with the story of another young woman fighting to help a young soldier suffering with PTSD who served as a medic in war-torn Europe. The stories mesh as the young Jewish woman and the soldier meet in a concentration camp after surviving the war as they both struggle with the horrors of death and destruction. Lynn interweaves each person's faith journey and setbacks, and provides meaningful insight into reconciling God's goodness and will with their war experiences.

So Long Way Home has a duel timeline, but not too far of a time lapse, World War 2 during and after. We are sucked into so many different point of views in this novel. We see from a young woman Peggy watching a friend Jimmy come home from a War that plagued him with battle fatigue or PTSD as we now know it. Jimmy tries to kill himself and we are reminded how unprepared we were as a country or people to help these soldiers who saw so much evil! We see from a young Jewish girl Gisela and her struggle to survive and the heartbreak she witnesses and the evil she endured. We are reminded what can happen if we just look the other way and refuse to believe that kind of evil can happen.
I have read all of Lynn Austins books and I truly believe they get better with each story she chooses to write. I found myself getting mad, anxious, and sad throughout the novel and was happy with how it ended. I like how she writes realistically without the cliche love scene or story. But with history and truth and keeping God in all of the story. We ‘watch’ Jimmy and Gisele have a crisis of faith and question everything and doubt Gods existence with all the evil around us. But we are reminded thru the characters in Jimmy and Giseles life where God is in all this. And that bad things happen not because of God but because of people and their unchecked evil.
I really enjoyed this read. Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my review. I plan to buy this book when it is published and re read it often.

Set in the 1940's, during WWII and life afterwards, this novels leads us through what some of the soldiers (and family members) had to deal with in returning home. Some of the main characters are in a crisis of faith through most of the book, based on their experiences in the war. it is also a book about how we love each other and care for each other and fight for each other. The treatments used in this book to treat what is now called PTSD (then called battle fatigue) are shocking. It was a good book but not an easy book to read. As always Lynn Austin has brought out an array of emotions in me while reading this story. And I think the characters and their experiences will stay with me of a while, while I process what it would have been like to live in that era and how I would have responded.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

This is the third World War II novel that puts the reader "there". Having read "If I Were You", which was set in England, and "Chasing Shadows", which was set in the Netherlands, I couldn't wait to read this book that takes the reader from Germany and Belgium to post-war America. Lynn Austin wrote this book as a way to honor the courage of her father and other veterans, as well as the courage shown by Holocaust survivors and those who risked their lives to hide them. Several of the main characters struggle with their faith but learn to trust God's sovereignty, even when it seems He has abandoned them and allowed evil to triumph in the world. While this book was full of emotional turmoil, to me it wasn't as terrifying as its two predecessors. I am grateful to Tyndale House Publishers and NetGalley for providing the complimentary copy of the book so that I could share my review and give it my enthusiastic recommendation.