Amazon.co.uk: Last Train from Kummersdorf: Leslie Wilson: Books

Product Description

Sunday Times, March 2004
A tale about Germany’s resistance to Hitler, of kindness amid horrors, of a fantasy coming miraculously true.

Birmingham Post, March 2004
Grim, yet uplifting, saddening but moving, this book is above all about courage and the effects of war on children.

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2 Reviews

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

Last Train from Kummersdorf, 6 Jan 2004

By	"davidwoodhouse5" - See all my reviews

Not being an officionado of kid's books generally, I've got to say I really enjoyed this, and found myself actually making time to read rather than just fitting it in like normal - and I only do that when I really want to know what happens to the characters.
My (reluctant) GCSE in Modern History concentrated on the ins and outs of WW2, but it was totally new to me to consider the point of view of ordinary Germans at the very end of the war when it became apparent that Germany had lost. Moments genuinely shock, not just the obvious - such as the sensitively treated after effects of the child's rape - but the image of passers-by cutting the flesh from dying horses because they are so desperate for food. This didn't happen in the third world, but in 'civilised' Europe, and in living memory. That normal society can break down so totally and in such a short time really makes you sit up and think, and given that we have been at war so recently this novel is all the more timely and important. We are so bombarded with images on tv we have become desensitized, and this novel serves as a reminder of the power of writing to convey so much more.
The main success of this book is that it in no way patronises its intended readership, and this is why it will succeed. The faux Americanisms spouted by Effi rankle slightly, but then 14 year olds are annoying, so I suppose that's characterisation for you.
This deserves to be nominated for prizes and win them. It's so refreshing to find a new children's book with a potential adult readership which ISN'T a fantasy. Last Train from Kummersdorf will shine from among the ever increasing wizards and goblins which are ironically becoming so the norm.

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Kummersdorf, 26 Mar 2004

By	M Illis (Yorkshire, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

I enjoyed this book enormously, it was a page-turner with a strong narrative that kept me completely involved. I felt fond and protective towards Effi and Hanno and very much engaged by the other characters too. The world Leslie Wilson creates is completely convincing, I felt transported there each time I picked up the book. I'd highly recommend it.