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There are currently 37 member reviews
for The Last Year of the War
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Mary D. (Claremont, CA)
The Last Year of the Wat
I absolutely loved this book! It is the story of two young girls, from completely different backgrounds (one Japanese and one German) thrust into a situation far beyond their control at a very impressionable stage of their lives. I think most of us are aware of the internment of Japanese citizens and families from the West Coast during World War II, but I was not aware of a couple of facts: the internment camps were spread throughout the United States (Texas in this case), Germans were also targeted, and that there was a repatriation program that sent people back to their ‘home’ countries. This is a marvelous tale of how a woman, on the brink of losing all memories to Alzheimer’s Disease, embarks alone on a search for her friend Mariko, who shared her life at the camp. It is a sad story, yet comforting and amazing, full of details about being thrust into new, very unfamiliar lives, dealing with language issues, and trying to get through adolescence. The scenes involving the bombing attacks and devastation are particularly heart-breaking. Even with the inclusion of much historical information, it was very easy to read, very engaging and definitely hard to put down! I can easily recommend this book on so many levels: historical, a young adult tale of growing up in troubling times, how an adult deals with the knowledge of a terrible disease.
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Marianne L. (Syosset, NY)
The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner
In a nutshell, Susan Meissner does it again! I cannot be more enthusiastic about this book. Author of As Bright As Heaven, Meissner creates instantly likeable characters again. Who cannot root for an aging woman looking to connect to her past in one meaningful act while fighting off the continual advance of forgetfulness. Indeed, Meissner's characters embody a sincerity and clarity that makes them come alive to the reader and memorable long after the book is read. Impeccably researched historical fiction that speaks to the events of today, this book is truly a must-read.
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Laurie F. (Brookline, MA)
Engrossing Read of Separation
As I read this wonderful book I saw a reoccurring theme of separation and reunion of individuals, families, memories, citizens, etc.
The forced separation of Elise's father and her family. The separation of Elise and Mariko from their homes/communities. Elise's separation from her memories due to "Agnes". Mariko's separation from life due to her deadly disease.
As the reader follows these separations and how they sometimes come back together makes a read you will not want to end too soon.
The book also gives us an educational tour of how our country unfairly treated these hard-working immigrant families in the internment camps. Shameful how history keeps repeating itself.
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Lin Z. (Downers Grove, IL)
What I failed to know
I enjoyed this book on several levels. I especially like stories that trace a relationship during two separate time periods and brings them together. There is so much to learn from the relationship of Mariko and Elise. Two young girls are caught up in the war aboard which they have not paid much attention. As American born children of Japanese and German immigrants, their simply view is that they are Americans, and they know which "side" they are on. This is not as simple for their families.As the girls meet in an internment camp in Texas, they find friendship and solace in a world that excludes them and in which they no longer understand. As they are eventually separated,they try to maintain their friendship, but life seems to works against them. The story unfolds as these now elderly women attempt to reconnect before their lives end. I wondered if I would try to recapture such a friendship based on such a terrible time in my life. And I'm not sure. I was also amazed to learn of the repatriation of Japanese, German and Italian families while the war was still being fought! How devastating to be sent to what was actually a foreign country to these young people, during a war! I wondered how well this is generally known and think it is something that needs to be discussed so they will not be repeated.They faced unthinkable situations that they were not prepared for. I also thought as I read that this story has some parallels to the challenges our country now faces with immigration. Some look at immigrants with suspicion and as a threat. Some would like them to go back to their own countries. I think history can tell us of the effect this has on our culture and those families.
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Jean N.
A Solid Five Star Book!
I have read many historical fiction books based on WWII. The Last Year of the War was excellent. It was told from a different perspective then other books that I've read, starting with two innocent families who were sent to an internment camp in Texas.The author was able to convey what that it was like for people to have freedom taken away and to be held against their will, through no fault of their own.The book was well researched and historically accurate. The story was captivating and really held my attention. The characters seemed so real. I really cared about both young girls, one from a German family and one from a Japanese family, and the friendship they forged beginning in the interment camp. Following the story through the years, it seemed more like a memoir than fiction.
The Last Year of the War was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I will highly recommend it to my friends.
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Nancy L. (Denver, NC)
Eye-opening
Realizing more every day that America wasn’t “great”. It baffles me how unreasonably cruel we can be when we don’t use our common sense. We (America!) incarcerated innocent people simply because of where they were born. These two teenagers tried to make the best of their lack of freedom by holding on to each other. Both girls were born in America, but their parents were German and Japanese during World War II and put into internment centers with everything taken from them. How dare us?
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Linda V. (Independence, KY)
On so many levels
On the heels of having read The Lilac Girls, I thought I knew what to expect from The Last Year of the War...historical fiction. This novel is so much more. While capturing and educating me on the German internment camps, it brought forth comparison and consideration of present day detention facilities. It followed the path of young women approaching adolescence and all the confusion we have of our bodies and self worth. And then came full swing to how we women approach old age through past friendships. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
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