Child of the Ruins

De: Kate Furnivall

Narrado por: Gloria Sanders, Imogen Church

Anna and Ingrid have survived World War II. Now they must live through the Berlin airlifts.

Evocative and unforgettable, CHILD OF THE RUINS is set during the Berlin air lifts of 1948 and written by one of the most brilliant writers of historical fiction in the UK.

People are disappearing. I spoke to my neighbour yesterday, we laughed at some nonsense, and today he is gone. We only discovered he was missing because the dog wouldn't stop howling and we all knew he would never leave his beloved pet. So I am careful, extremely careful.

Two families divided by war.

An entire city on the edge of disaster.

1948, Berlin. World War II has ended and there is supposed to be peace; but Russian troops have closed all access to the city. Roads, railway lines and waterways are blocked and two million people are trapped, relying on airlifts of food, water and medicine to survive. The sharp eyes of the Russian state police watch everything; no one can be trusted.

Anna and Ingrid are both searching for answers - and revenge - in the messy aftermath of war. They understand that survival comes only by knowing what to trade: food; medicine; heirlooms; secrets. Both are living in the shadows of a city where the line between right and wrong has become dangerously blurred. But they cannot give up in the search for a lost child...

©2023 Kate Furnivall (P)2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

An exciting listen

I enjoy Kate Furnivall's books, and this one did not disappoint. Perhaps a bit improbable with the Russian soldier/boyfriend of Anna's working outside of his Soviet mandates, but nevertheless, very enjoyable. It gave quite a picture of what Berlin was like after the end of the war: the fear, the filth, the hunger, the crime, the revenge, etc etc. The only thing I was hoping for but the novel ended, was perhaps an epilogue, describing how Anna and Timor, her mother and Felix, ended up. You are given the hope that all will be well, but it would have been a bit more satisfying to hear more of an ending/summation of the characters. The narrators were terrific. I've always enjoyed Imogen Church. The other narrator I was unaware of, but she was terrific as well. I was a bit surprised that Felix was Louisa's child (spoiler, sorry!), but it would have been possible, as in those times, women married much earlier, so Louisa could have been younger that you may have thought. All in all, a good listen.

Well researched

One must pay close attention to follow the text, but worth it. I almost turned it back in 1/3 of the way through and decided to relisten. Then I began to understand the author's transition methods from character to character and present to past which is different from usual. The readers knocked themselves out to make each character seem actually speaking. For some listeners the readers may seem over dramatic, but I enjoyed their efforts. I had no idea the Russians treated the East Germany sector people with such heartless actions after WWII. While USA went back to business as usual, great suffering happened. Thanks for this historical fiction read.

Intrigue … Furnivall always keeps the mystery going !

As always Kate Furnivall has such wonderfully researched historical content and an intricate storyline. Great narrators too!

Child of the Ruin

This took a bit to get going. The superb narration made me stick with it. There are many twists and turns - you think you have it figured out and then you don’t. The characters are multi layered and the author builds on this very well.