Send for Me

By: Lauren Fox

Narrated by: Natasha Soudek

Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

An achingly beautiful work of historical fiction that moves between Germany on the eve of World War II and present-day Wisconsin, unspooling a thread of love, longing, and the powerful bonds of family.

Annelise is a dreamer: imagining her future while working at her parents’ popular bakery in Feldenheim, Germany, anticipating all the delicious possibilities yet to come. There are rumors that anti-Jewish sentiment is on the rise, but Annelise and her parents can’t quite believe that it will affect them; they’re hardly religious at all. But as Annelise falls in love, marries, and gives birth to her daughter, the dangers grow closer: a brick thrown through her window; a childhood friend who cuts ties with her; customers refusing to patronize the bakery. Luckily Annelise and her husband are given the chance to leave for America, but they must go without her parents, whose future and safety are uncertain.

Two generations later, in a small Midwestern city, Annelise’s granddaughter, Clare, is a young woman newly in love. But when she stumbles upon a trove of her grandmother’s letters from Germany, she sees the history of her family’s sacrifices in a new light, and suddenly she’s faced with an impossible choice: the past, or her future. A novel of dazzling emotional richness, Send for Me is a major departure for this acclaimed author, an epic and intimate exploration of mothers and daughters, duty and obligation, hope and forgiveness.

©2021 Lauren Fox (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

"READ" this book! But, DO NOT use the audiobook!

I must say that I have listened to thousands of hours of audiobooks. And, while some narrators are better than others, the narrator for Send For Me is unlike any I have heard before. I imagine that she is very good at her work, but she needs to make some major adjustments to her style. She sounds irritated in a sing-song way that is so distracting that it makes it difficult to follow the story. It is as though she is bored, irritated and sarcastically reading a grocery list. Her British accent is terrible. It would have been much better if she had not attempted it. Having said all of this, I would like to say that I really enjoyed the story and I thought that the idea of using her great-grandmother's actual letters was a wonderful idea. If you are considering reading this book, I would encourage you to skip this audio and use a kindle or hard copy version.

Hard read

It was a hard read be due to transitions between characters. Who was talking etc. i kept thinking the story was going to end with bigger climax or wrap up but didn’t get it. And the last part of the book about how the author found the letters and used them in the book was the best part but the book itself did not deliver. I’m not sure how to fix it or even describe how i think it should have gone. But I was disappointed.

Enjoyed the book but found it to be a bit hard to read. I would get loss between the sections, but found my way back home.

Found some of the words used to describe feelings or object did not particularly paint a clear picture or words I would use to bring light to thtime and era. The descriptions of some of the emotions AnnaLisa used just didn’t always envelope me into the storytellers imagination. Sh

In the moment

I love the way L. Fox weaves everyday life through the growing threat of Nazi Germany. We see how a daughter feels about getting up extremely early to work in her parent’s bakery and how she feels about her first crush. Throughout the story, the everyday cares of life are set against and agonizing time in our history. I loved the book.

Heartfelt writing and expressive narration

I loved everything about this book as well as Lauren Fox's past novels. A master wordsmith she draws you in and you just can't stop listening. I really enjoyed the narrator, as well. Expressive with a soft voice, she brought this sad tale to life. You will totally enjoy this work of art.

Wasn't my favorite.

Not as good as I had hoped. It was hard to follow and difficult to get into the story.

Thought provoking

This is a well woven story that illustrates the horrors of the rise of the third Reich in Germany. Told through the eyes of 4 generations of mothers and daughters. The author skillfully weaves the real letters of her Jewish great grandmother trapped in Germany to her grandmother who, along with her husband and toddler daughter, had escaped to sponsors in Milwaukee. We see through these women's eyes how the everyday people bought into the nazi philosophies, gradually and completely. I fear we are heading down the same path and pray that enough people will grasp what is happening in time to change the direction.

Nice reading, moving story

A beautiful story by Lauren Fox inspired in her own family story. As a side note, congratulations for a skilled narrator Natasha Soudek, did a brilliant job!

Hardcopy May have been better for this book

The narrator seemed to have an annoyed tone throughout the book which detracted from the storyline and characters. The story jumped around from 1930’s Germany to roughly 1998/2000 Milwaukee and at times it was hard to figure out who was who based on the narrators same annoyed tone. This may be one instance where reading the hardcopy may have been better the the audio version.

Utterly exquisite. Breathtaking. Beautiful.

This book shook me to the core. It’s like a poem and a song and a dance woven together using pure soul and heart. The story is gorgeous, and the narration took it to a whole other level of gorgeous, as well. Perfect example of an extraordinary book being made other-dimensional through acting/narration. Thank you to both the author and narrator. You mended something in me that I didn’t even know was broken.