
Member Reviews

In this emotional and heart wrenching new World War II historical fiction novel, readers follow Esther and Sascha Spielmann, a mother and son split apart by Kristallnacht, the Kindertransport, and World War II. Following their separate lives during the war and their attempts to find each other after it ends, readers must discover if Esther’s promise to see Sascha again will be kept. Intertwined with other narratives of the Berlin art scene, the suppression of Jewish art, and the dangers of postwar Berlin, readers will be gripped by the emotional intensity and powerful relationships present throughout this novel. The characters are complex and well-written, with strong emotions and compelling backstories, and Hokin successfully navigates multiple perspectives and narratives throughout the novel. The different storylines combine very well and add a lot of nuance to the novel, while the different characters’ perspectives really develop World War II Europe and the impacts it had on families. Detailed, complex, and powerfully written, Hokin does not shy away from some of the challenges that families like the Spielmanns faced, and she handles the more challenging elements with care. A great addition to current World War II historical fiction titles, fans of similar titles will love this new release.

The Train That Took You Away is written by Catherine Hokin. This is a new to me author and I enjoyed being transported back to World War II era in this heartbreaking story.
Esther has been saddened to see the destruction that has been caused since the Nazis came to power. She’s hoping that everything will return to normal and then her husband and father are murdered she realizes that she needs to protect her young son. I can’t even imagine the heartache that she must have felt when she had to make a difficult decision.
She decides to sent Sascha on the Kindertransport to England. She knows that his chances of surviving are better this way. The author wrote Esther’s emotions so well you could feel them coming off the pages.
There’s a parallel story in here. We meet Amalie. She’s a British Art Conservator and has come to Berlin to protect the art. Esther’s had her gallery looted with precious things stolen. However it becomes apparent that Amalie can’t stay put with the worsening environment around her. This is a part of the war that you don’t think about. The loss of historical pieces.
The author has done a wonderful job in transporting readers back in time. The characters are well written. The storyline is packed full of rich historical details.
Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Good, emotional story that had me in tears.
This story was told in three POV's: (1) Esther, a Jewish wife and daughter of an affluent banker.; never wanting for anything in her life. She has her own successful art gallery, and owns many famous pieces of art; Picasso, etc. Her husband, Caspar, works at her family's bank with her father; both are in denial about what Hitler is going to do to the Jews. They think because they have money, that he won't touch them. That becomes their biggest mistake.
(2) Amalie, is a young, art specialist who knows how to properly protect/restore paintings, she's originally from Germany. Her family moved to London when Hitler started gaining power. She came back to the Germany she once loved as a teen because she ignored everyone's warnings and advice. She's immature at times, speaks without thinking how it will effect others, and doesn't believe that Hitler will be all that bad. She ends up becoming Esther's best friend.
(3) Sascha is Esther and Caspar's 6 year old son. Right before the Olympics in Germany, the family was having a meal and some SS soldiers saw them and asked them where they were off too. When they found out they were going to the Olympics and that they were Jewish, they had them kicked out of the restaurant and banned from the Olympics.
After the scene at the Olympics, Esther wants to leave Germany. Caspar keeps telling her soon, but he hasn't done anything about it. So Esther stands in line everyday for visas to get her family out of the country. When she only gets one, they decide to send her mother to the United States. Her father is too stubborn to leave his precious bank, which the Germans are slowly taking over. Meanwhile, Esther's gallery has been picked apart for Hitler and his men. One night, Caspar and her father had an important business meeting with old clients from the bank, but they never came home. She called her Rabbi for help, he found out they were arrested and sent to the camps. Not long after, she received a letter and an empty urn saying that they'd died of heart failure.
After Kristallnacht occurred in 1938, Esther knows she needs to get Sascha out of Germany. The temple organized a kindertransport to England to be with a foster family to keep him safe until the war ended. He was only 7 years old at the time. She has no idea if she'll ever see him again.
Esther got sent to the camps in 1943, she spent years being treated like an animal. By the end of the war, she had enough and ran from the last camp she was in, in Poland. A nice woman took her in, fed her until she was healthy enough to make the journey back to Germany. That's where she meets Amalie. Amalie found a painting that Esther had done before the war with her and Sascha for her husband's birthday. So Amalie tracked her down at one of the housing for refugees. They become fast friends and Amalie helps her find Sascha.
Sascha is now 16 years old. He is now known as Alex, to hide his German and Jewish heritage. He hasn't received a letter from his mother in years and he doesn't even know if she's alive anymore. When she tracks him down in Kent and shows up, he's torn. He thought he did something wrong and was sent away to England as punishment. No one bothered to tell him the truth.
The two of them have a long road ahead of them, but at least they have each other.
A good read.
*I received a complimentary copy of this ARC via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Really enjoyed it and would give the book 3.5 stars. Loved how the book alternated between characters (Esther, Amalie and Sascha.) I wasn't sure how Amalie and Esther's paths would cross. They both had a passion for art but they didn't have the same circle of friends. Amalie was lucky to survive and be able to return to Great Britain. Her parents desperately warned her, But Amalie was extremely stubborn and would not listen. Esther's father and husband thought they would be safe in Germany due to their family's wealth and founding a bank. Nothing could be further from the truth since they were Jewish. One of the scariest parts of the book (there were many) was when Esther puts her scared eight year old son on a train without her. Hoping they both survive and will see each other again. When the war is finally over and Esther tries to find her son, she has no luck. Without Amalie, Esther would probably never see Sascha again or even survive what unfortunately happens at the art gallery. Esther runs into so many problems trying to find the location of Sascha. No one seems to want to help and many of the people think it's better for him not to return to his mother and to stay with the couple who are raising him as their son. The whole situation is heartbreaking. Esther survived so much and will do anything to see her son. Esther, Amalie and Laurenz work so well as a team and try to protect each other at all costs. They all work so hard to see the National Gallery up and running. Do they not understand the art gallery is located in the Soviet Union part of Berlin?
Definitely recommend the book. Loved the story, characters and writing style. It was a great historical fiction. It's hard to imagine all the suffering that happened during WWII and having to send your child to another country, hoping to see him/her again. Look forward to reading more books by the author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I’ve read and enjoyed everything that Catherine Hokin has written. She’s a brilliant writer and at this stage I don’t even bother to read the blurb beforehand I just dive straight into the story. The title for this new story, The Train That Took You Away, suggested to me it would be about someone being taken away on a train perhaps to a concentration camp during World War Two or someone going away to safety. I presumed it would be something along these lines but boy did I get a lot more than I had bargained for and Catherine has written an absolute stunner of a book.
It was so brilliantly plotted and devised with superb character development throughout and I was gripped and deeply invested from the beginning right until I read the very last word. There are four distinct parts to the story with such a clear beginning, middle and end which I always tell my pupils they have to have when writing a story. Often the lines between these three parts can become blurred but here they were apparent and in a way they divided the story into the past, present and some what into the future. OK, initially I did find the part changes slightly abrupt in that they occurred and the timeline jolted forward a bit and then went back to develop some details or give a recap. I felt I didn’t want the recap as I could read between the lines and would rather the story would have pushed forward but then I realised the recaps were brief but necessary and I valued their inclusion.
The Train That Took You Away is expansive in its scope and begins in August 1936. We see Hitler’s rise to power as leader of the Socialist Party and how the lives of the Jewish population were curtailed and the noose tightened around them. This first section really helped provide the background to the story that would unfold and there were several characters to become familiar with as well as becoming accustomed to the developing social, political and cultural scene at the time. Yes, there might have been a lot of detail but everything deserved its place in the story and really above all else it was interesting and fascinating and helped the reader understand the motivations, thoughts and emotions of all the characters. It also showed how the characters were forced to radically change and adapt to the horrors that were occurring around them and how their lives, personalities and family situations were altered for many years.
Esther runs an art gallery in Berlin and is married to Caspar and they have a son called Sascha. Esther is from a wealthy family as her father Albert runs the bank where her husband works. She is a woman with a head for business. She is the one person in this book along with Sascha who I felt went through the most radical and awful life experiences and all because she is Jewish. Details were given as to the laws, rules, regulations and restrictions that were enforced upon the Jewish population. The details of which I won’t go into here because there were so many and I’m sure fans of historical fiction will already be familiar with them. Suffice to say Esther and her family suffer a fall from grace and I don’t like using that expression but that is what I can liken it to. Although it is forced upon them rather than being of their own making.
Kristallnacht sees both Esther’s husband and father murdered, and it leaves her with no choice but to accept a place for Sascha on the Kindertransport offering safety in England. What a brave and courageous thing to do. Knowing that you will be all alone in a city and country where you are detested and not wanted where a deliberate separation of one group from another is occurring. With all her resources and her home taken away from her and with visa applications closing, Esther is stuck in a situation where there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
Esther was a remarkable woman. She made the sacrifice to get her son to safety and how heart wrenching it must have been to send away your son not knowing would they ever be reunited. Once war broke out her situation deteriorated even further and she is taken to a concentration camp. I had never heard of the camp that she was taken to and given I read so much historical fiction at times you can become immune to reading some of the atrocities that occurred at the camps. But I was appalled to read the barracks were built over Jewish burial grounds with the headstones being used as paving stones for roads and paths. One other incident mentioned as well, I can’t even write about it was so horrific. Esther throughout shows her tenacity, grit, determination, strength, bravery and courage and it was the thoughts of her beloved Sascha that kept her going. I desperately hoped that they would be reunited.
Once the war is over there is a long path to thread in order to try and achieve this and the way the last section of the story unfolded was excellent and really tied all the strands of the story together very well. Sascha has his own chapters every now and again detailing his life in England I felt this was an essential part to the story as it provided a contrast to the life Esther was enduring in Germany. It also showed how he changed and how he viewed the situation he was in and what he thought of his mother and what she did for him. There were just the right amount of chapters from his perspective as I’ll be honest and say that I preferred reading about Esther and Amalie.
For ages, I was thinking how on earth does Amalie fit into the whole occasion. Yes, there are slight similarities between herself and Esther because they are both very interested in art. But why was she in the story? Would a link emerge between the pair and if it did how would it affect the overall plot? But I needn’t have worried because Catherine Hokin knew exactly where she was taking her characters and the links did appear in the last section and how things came together were brilliant, touching and emotional. Amalie is a worker and her passion for art shines through from every aspect of the story that she features in. She is steadfast for the most but also has an impulsive streak that could get her into trouble. At times, I felt she forgot the bigger picture as she was so hell bent on her on personal mission and in one way that wasn’t a bad thing but on the other it was leading her into very dangerous territory that could result in the worst befalling her.
Amalie is an art conservator from England but is half German on her mother’s side and had spent summers in Germany with her grandparents. She is working at the national gallery in Berlin overhauling some of their conservation methods. As trouble brews as Hitler comes to power, Amalie had her head stuck in the clouds and wasn’t fully aware of the bigger picture or the dangers that would come with it. Once war is declared she finally heeds her parents warnings and returns to England but given she has so much knowledge of Berlin and the art world her expertise is soon required in developing a map of where the Nazi’s would have hidden all the valuable works of art that that they plundered. We see Amalie’s character develop and change as the war progresses and concludes and she too experiences trauma and heartbreak but it’s only when she can get back on German soil again that a new side to her starts to emerge. It was fascinating reading about all the artworks and masterpieces that went missing and needed to be found again. Admittedly, I find art boring but Catherine made it absorbing and interesting and Amalie’s enthusiasm became infectious. As for how she connects to Esther you’ll have to pick up this marvellous story to find out.
I know it’s very early on in the year but The Train That Took You Away is already a potential runner for one of my books of the year. It’s Catherine Hokin at her very best and I sense despite the subject matter that she thoroughly enjoyed writing this book as she has given us a story that readers won’t forget in a hurry. I was hooked throughout at the masterful storytelling and the characters that I came to deeply care for and would have no hesitation in recommending this book

The Train That Took You Away by Catherine Hokin.
I did like the cover and blurb of this book. This was a good read. I liked the story. Each chapter was either Esther or Amalie or Sascha from August 1936-april 1947. I did like Esther and Amalie. They were both very strong women. This was a story of determination and strength and bravery. This was a moving read. I did feel for Esther. I did like the ending.

The Train that Took You Away is a multi narrative, historical fiction set across three separate storylines. Esther, a wealthy Jewish gallery owner, her son Sacha and Amalie, an art restorer who is half British/half German and in Berlin in the days where the Nazis rise to power and violence in the lead up to WW2.
The first half of the book was very heavy, probably due to the subject matter of the Kindertransport and concentration camps as well as several character deaths and torture risks. Coming from a Jewish background myself, I think that the treatment of the Kristallnacht was sensitively done although I did feel like it went on very long.
The second half of the book was much faster paced and I was super into it as the pages turned. It was a story full of hope, survival and intrigue and how the human spirit can keep believing in the best. I loved how the story was framed through the lens of art and how the characters went about preserving and rescuing artistic master pieces from the Nazi plundering of the art world.
Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hokin has written a heartbreaking yet beautiful WWII historical fiction book about personal loss, the horrors that were experienced during that time, and the hope that some had when it was all over. The story is told through three different perspectives, that of Esther, her son, and Amalie, a British Citizen.
Seemingly, Esther and Amalie’s stories seem to be parallel to each other, but then they turn and intersect. I found Amalie’s later story of looking for the stolen art really fascinating. But the storyline that bring those two women together really is beautiful. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like to live in Germany during that time, to have to send my child away in order to keep him safe. That had to be the hardest decision that Esther had to make. That alone made this an emotional read. Add in losing her husband and being sent to a concentration camp, and your heart just breaks for her.
There are a lot of WWII historical fiction novels out there, but this one felt different. The story flourished. It felt like there was more plot and character development. It was just so well written. Fans of historical fiction will really enjoy this one!

Absolutely brilliant and heartbreaking story in WWII
Esther is an affluent Jewish art gallery owner in Berlin, whose father and husband were murdered during Hitler's cruel rise, and now, she is scared for her eight year old son, Sascha. She very bravely sent her young son to England on a train in order to save his life. The heartache she felt in making the decision was so painful to read. The uncertainty of ever meeting him again and about both of their future as survivors was heartbreaking. Her own house and gallery were looted, and she was sent to concentration camp.
Amalie, a British, works in Berlin's National Gallery. Her family wanted her to remain in England, but she was determined to save the precious artifacts and national treasures from the Nazis. She tried so hard and struggled a lot but eventually was forced to leave. It was horrifying to read about Nazis looting the galleries, museums, and treasures to fund their war cruelties and torture.
Sascha experienced difficult and troubled times in England and was forced to change his name to remain unnoticeable. The life in England through the tough times is also described. The effects of war everywhere through different points of view were realistically shown.
The author does intensive research on the topic, and it shows throughout the book. The disastrous conditions in the concentration camps, the life or death situations, and Kristallnacht (comes from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the windows of Jewish-owned stores, buildings, and synagogues were smashed )
The pain, brutality, and the raids were brutal, but the strength to survive, compassion for others, and hope for a better future is also equally portrayed by the author.
Just loved it, emotional and impressive. Highly recommended.
Thanks to @Netgalley @Bookouture and the author for providing the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of The Train That Took You Away by Catherine Hokin. This is my first book by this author. This was well written and very emotional at times. This book was about the Holocaust with a different twist. It had a strong sense of art and art galleries in the book. This helped when reading about the horrors that took place to have a reprieve of colour and descriptions of works of art. This heartfelt story is a must read for fans of historical fiction. I would highly recommend this book. A 4 star rating from me. #Netgalley #Bookouture

Catherine is one of my favourite authors of this genre of fiction. I know that when I pick up one of her books it will be filled with historically accurate fiction, believable characters and that I'll need a tissue or two whilst reading. The Train That Took You Away did not disappoint.
Told as a multi POV story, from 1936-1947, The Train That Took You Away is a story of love, loss and survival. It mainly centres around Esther, who, like so many parents, sends her child away on the Kindertransport, knowing that she may never see him again. We also experience the war through the eyes of her young son, Sascha, who has the heartbreaking child like understanding of events that no child should have been through. I think Catherine did a fantastic job of capturing how it must have felt to be a German living in England at the time, the guilt at being the 'enemy' whilst also knowing that you are on England's side.
The final narrator of this story is Amalie. A half German half English art expert who just wants to protect Germany's art collection from the Nazis. And to restore it after the war. I really liked Amalie, but couldn't help to be reminded of another female art restoration expert from that time period, Ada Van Danzig. In this book Amalie returns to England to live out the war in relative safety. Ada, on the other hand, returned to Europe to try and help her family who were Jewish. Sadly she was arrested and murdered.
If you're a fan of historical fiction with a strong basis in fact, and realistic characters that you can't help but love, then you won't go wrong with Catherine's books.

Another WWII novel. Esther has to make the hardest decision of her life, to send her son away in hopes of protecting him for the German soldiers and their hatred of Jews. After losing her husband to their raids, she knows she has no choice but to let her son go. She’s sent to one of their camps after and knows she kept her son alive by doing what she did. My heart hurt for what she endured and being separated from her son.
I liked the dual POVS, although they were told within the same time period instead of two different ones like so many are. I waited a large chunk of the book waiting to see how the two women would intertwine.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC of this book.

This is an emotional, and heartbreaking historical fiction
It's 1938 in Berlin and Berlin is under Nazi rule. Esther sends her son Sascha on a train to England, where he is being kept safe from the Nazi horros while Esther suffers in silence in the concentration camps. There is also the story of the English woman as well. The story is told in the POVs of the boy Sascha, Esther and Amalia, each detailing about their lives during the WWII, aftermath of WWII and of course before WWII. The stories feel very realistic as well and is also emotional to read as well, particularly Esther's part. The author has written the story well and knows how to capture the audience with the story. The story talks about courage, strength, willingness to survive and bravery.
Overall this book is worth five stars.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this jawdropping book
wow this one is an emotional read... one that will fill you with anguish and fear.....
to save her son esther has to part from her son sasha.... the children are then transported to england in safe keeping..... esthers fight for survival begins when she is placed in the death camps
its a long and arduous journey but this is also about reunions and love and acceptance....
i cried at the ending...... this book is going to stay with me for a while... its a powerful story of what happened before during and after and maybe one day we will learn from it....

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Bookouture.
The story follows three characters - Esther, Amalie and Sascha. I enjoyed how the author brought each character to life, and I connected with each character in different ways. Esther was a caring mother, who loved her son more than anything, and I felt deeply for her. Amalie was a strong-minded character, and that was something I admired about her. Sascha, on the other hand, had to leave everything he knew behind, and it was interesting to see how his character developed later on.
I felt the story took me on an emotional journey with each character. I found it to be a tearjerker, though parts of it were heartwarming too. If you like historical novels in a WWII setting, you may enjoy this book.
Thank you to Bookouture, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I’m a BIG fan of Catherine Hokin’s books! She writes about people who lived in Germany during WWII and makes you feel like you are really there! This story is told from two women’s perspectives.
Esther- is Jewish and a mom to Sascha. She loses her husband during Kristallnacht, and sends her son to London on a kinder transport to protect him from the Nazi’s. She has to survive a work camp and the atrocities of war
Amalie- is English and German and an art conservator. She is living in Berlin until it becomes too dangerous. She is involved with “The Monument Men”, the men who recovered many of the artworks stolen from the Nazis. There’s actually a movie about this, which I need to rewatch.
I couldn’t put this book down- it’s about so many things, but mostly about love and hope. I didn’t know how the two women would connect but I lived the ending!
Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#TheTrainThatTookYouAway #CatherineHokin #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #BooksSetDuringWWII #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks

Catherine Hokin’s The Train That Took You Away is a superb historical fiction novel. Hokin creates believable characters who lived through the nightmare of WWll she does an excellent job creating loss and societal turmoil during this devasting time. This is a story about love, loss, hope, art, and resilience in the shadow of war.
Kudos to Hokin’s fabulous research, which is apparent in each detail, from the slaughtering of Jewish-owned businesses to the clandestine operations to recover stolen art.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Esther Spielman knows that her life has changed forever. As the Nazis have come into power she knows that she must do everything possible to keep her family safe.
Her father and husband are murdered and now her only option is to send her young son, Sascha away for his safety. Her heart breaks and her tears flow as the train disappears. How will she ever survive this horrible time?
As the Nazis invade her home, they take what little she has left, and then they take her. She is on a train and its next stop is a concentration camp. She must survive if she ever expects to see her son again. The thought of reuniting with him is the only thing that is keeping her alive.
The Train That Took You Away, written by author Catherine Hokin, is a heartbreaking story of never giving up. It’s a story about facing danger and still finding a way to survive.
Esther’s story of having to send her son away so that he would have a chance at survival, will have you reaching for the Kleenex as the tears will start falling. The strength of a mother always amazes me.
This emotional and wonderful story is one that will break your heart into tiny pieces. I couldn’t put this book down until I reached the very end. I highly recommend this phenomenal read.

I love reading historical fiction that immerses me in the past, and The Train That Took You Away absolutely delivered. ✨ One of my favorite elements? The way art connected the characters. 🎨
This book is perfect if you're ready for a story that makes you reflect on history, family, and survival in a whole new light. 💌❤️
We follow three incredible characters as Hitler's rise to power begins:
💼 Esther Spielmann: A loving mother and successful gallery owner in Berlin. Her life is happy and full—until she faces the heart-wrenching choice to send her young son, Sascha, away on the Kindertransport to save his life.
🌍 Sascha: Sent to England, Sascha’s journey is anything but easy. Moving between families, enduring bullying, and ultimately changing his name to fit a new life, his story is one of resilience and heartbreak.
🖼️ Amalie: A British citizen working in Berlin’s National Gallery. She’s determined to protect invaluable art—and Jewish artists—from Nazi control. Forced to leave Berlin, she holds on to the secrets of what she’s hidden.
Eventually, these women’s lives intersect in deeply moving ways, creating bonds that grow stronger with every challenge.
❤️🔥 This book brings history to life with so much heart and depth🕊️.
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Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me the privilege to read this remarkable book about the Nazi infiltration throughout Europe.
This book meant so much to me since less that a year ago I visited both Brugges and Ghent and saw firsthand the remarkable artwork that was saved by the monument men = along with art historians and preservationists.
This book was heartfelt, disturbing and historically accurate. I immediately connected with the two main characters - Esther and Amalie.
What I found odd is that the title of the book only relates to half of the story being told. Also, in reading the summary for the book Amalie and her vast knowledge of art work and its preservation is not mentioned either. However this did not distract from my enjoyment of the book.