This was a very sad story, but good in that it brings out some things from the past that should not be forgotten, or that we should know about, if we didn't. Interesting history, for sure! However, if you're feeling low, it may not be a good time to read this one.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book! All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Long Way Home has a duel timeline that highlights the aftermath of World War 2 as well as events that occurred during the war. Jimmy Barnett has returned from the war and his family and his friend Peggy are excited to finally have him home. Jimmy, however, is a completely different man, he tried to commit suicide and is in a state of deep depression. The doctors at the VA hospital diagnose him with battle fatigue. Peggy is determined to help Jimmy get better and see the good that he had done during the war rather than the evil that he witnessed. Gisela is a young lady that wants to escape Nazi oppression, Her family and her board the St. Louis in hopes of escaping and finding a haven in Cuba. The well thought out plan goes awry however when the ship is not allowed to dock in Cuba or any other nations and is forced to return to Europe and the enemy. This book has a duel timeline that basically builds off one another, snippets of the harrowing events in Gisela’s life during the war and Peggy searching for the reason as to why Jimmy is depressed and looking for answers to help him get better. Overall this story was about how good overcomes evil. Hope and love trump despair and hatred.

As always, historical fiction novels written about WWII and the persecutor the Jewish people bing a host of feelings and this novel is no different. The injustice and evil acts upon an entire race of people will leave you feeling helpless and hope lost. Looking T history with a 20/20 lens though reminds us to do better because we know better now.

The main characters of this book are fighting for their lives and their souls as the maneuver the many challenges ahead of them. It is written in a dual timeline format and towards the ends of the book the timelines finally meet in present time.

I enjoyed the characters and the simplicity of love between the young people without overly explicit sexual references. This book is appropriate for teenage readers.

I initially requested the book due to a favoritism of the Author’s writing, and this book did not let me down! I was given a free copy in exchange for my review.

Thank you for introducing me to Peggy, Gisella and all of the other characters in this story. It was a good trip back through time and it touched my heart so much.

I have long wished to read Long Way Home because I've read other Lynn Austin novels and thoroughly enjoyed them. The award winning, Christy Hall of Fame author has strutted her stuff again and although she reveals some hard truths, this is a novel difficult to put down. The pathos and story line are vividly sculpted and I felt as if the author truly had the empathy and knowledge of the true plight of the Jews, and soldiers who fought during WWII, thus bringing her reader to similar experience.

As we follow Gisela, Sam and their families through all the gut-wrenching fears, hopes dashed and denied again and again, the despising and rejecting, the injustices and inhuman treatment suffered by them as Jews on the run and interned in horrendous concentration camps and all they had had to endure, is portrayed in fine tuned manner. When they had to split up, would they ever seen one another again?

Soldiers, those who survived to return home, with their plight of flashbacks, nightmares and PTSD are also given honorable mention. Indeed Peggy and friends valiantly help Jimmy in the homefront battle of recovery and overcoming.

The several threads of story are wonderfully woven together and interlaced, from the Jewish faith, Christian faith and from loss of faith turned to hope, and are amazingly stitched. Therefore, so many people, I believe, from so many walks of life will truly wish to read this novel and perhaps even find their faith renewed while overcoming their own stresses and distresses of life besides learning from history even though crafted into fiction. I believe that the author has authentically and accurately described the horrors of that WWII era to the best of her sterling ability.

I'm grateful to have had the priviledge to read and review this story.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

March 2022

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

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I will pick up anything Lynn Austin writes, because she is that good. This book is one of the hardest books I've ever read--it deals with PTSD, inhumane treatments at the hands of "experts," the fallout of war on the soldiers returning home, and the families that have to deal with all of this.

Jimmy has returned from World War II where, as a medic, he saw some of the worst things men can do to each other in the name of ideologies. He tries to kill himself and ends up in a psychiatric hospital where he's subjected to insulin comas, electroshock, and water treatments. Peggy is the neighbor girl who has loved Jimmy like a brother and wants to help him find himself again.

The book is so well-researched that I found myself getting angry at how the characters were treated by family and doctors. I found myself sad at all that some of the characters had to go through. I found myself appalled and aghast and the callousness of the professionals. And I found myself rooting for the underdogs in the book. They were the true heroes.

This is definitely a five star book, but have your tissues handy, and gear yourself up to be in the right frame of mind to read it. It will tug your emotions in ways they have never been tugged before.

Tyndale House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Lynn Austin proves over and over why she is knows as a premier author. Her stories never cease to intrigue me and hold me captive for the to short hours I read the book. I only say short, because Lynn's books are never long enough.
Peggy's life long friend Jimmy returns from WWII a changed man. He is suffering from what we call PTSD. When he tries to kill himself, she know she must try to help him return to himself. She sets out to learn what happened to him while in battle and what she learns is something she never expected.
Once again Austin opens up a part of history that I knew nothing about. I love learning these stories behind the history books. Ones that no one shares and their are few movies made about. Ones that the everyday average person lived. Ones we should all know.
Fans of WWII books this is a must read, but if you are looking for a good book, then enjoy.

Long Way Home by Lynn Austin is a historical look into PTSD after World War II. From the first pages, I was captured at the storyline. The story follows two characters chronological through World War II as they struggled to survive and one character as she tries to bring her friend out of PTSD. The characters are crafted with deep hurting and deep pain for the struggles through World War II. It was unique and different to see how the war affected the Jews as they tried to escape. I have never heard of the ship that actually came to Havana and was told to return to Europe with all its Jewish passengers. Why American and South America would not take these passengers makes me scratch my head in wonder. There is romance, but nothing really overarching the hurt on the pages. The story does have a young love from couple, but they try to stay together through all the hurt and damage to their daily lives. I'm still amazed by how much research goes into a World War II novel and what makes it shine on the pages as if I am struggling alongside the characters as they try to survive the horrors done to them by the Nazi's. Austin does a fabulous job at digging deep into their fear as the Nazi's try to take over. Overall, Long Way Home is a unique look at PTSD before it was actually called that. I enjoyed this novel and want to add it to my forever shelf.

I received a complimentary copy of Long Way Home by Lynn Austin from Tyndale Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

When I pick up a historical fiction book by Lynn Austin, I expect to be transported to another place and time while meeting characters who jump into my heart. My expectations were met in A LONG WAY HOME.

Duel storylines include the hardships of Jewish families during WWII and the battle fatigue of American GIs after the war. The main characters of each story, Gisela and Peggy, had me in their corner from the beginning. Although the book features two Jewish families, it does fall into the category of Christian Literature as one of the themes.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

In LONG WAY HOME, LYNN AUSTEN has once again given us a touching and inspirational historical romance novel, undergirded by her faith in Christ and her love for the Word of God and the Jewish people. It is a story about courage in the face of man’s inhumanity towards his fellow man, love, hope, restoration and redemption.
In 1946 Jimmy Barnett, a WW11 medic, comes back from the war a broken man, suffering from depression and combat fatigue. Jimmy is Peggy Sorrano’s best friend and his parents fill a deep void in her life, as she often feels unwanted and rejected. The three of them, together with Joe Fiore, a soldier whose life Jimmy saved, work hard to help him by contacting men he fought with, many of whose lives he also saved, to draw him out of his deep depression. Jimmy has always had a strong faith, encouraging others with Scripture, but now he seems angry with God.
Gisela Wolff is a Jewess who escapes Berlin with her family on the St Louis, only to be sent back to Europe after Cuba refuses to allow the ship to dock. I like the way the author runs her story parallel to Jimmy’s and Peggy’s.
The book is very well written with unforgettable characters and a message for each one us.
I am not going to tell you any more for fear of spoiling the read for you.
I cannot recommend Long Way Home highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

I always look forward to books by Lynn Austin. This one did not disappoint. It does amaze me how these characters have interacted with each other. I believe that Peggy was my favorite. The way that she cared for other people, after the upbringing that she had, was inspirational. That’s what we need in our world today.