Did you feel closer to Rosie or Helen? What did you think about how the book was structured?

The first half of this book is told through Rosie's point of view, and the second is told through Helen's. Which of these two characters did you feel closer to? What did you think about how the book was structured?

I felt sorry for Roseann and felt close to her. I loved Helen for what she was doing.

I liked both characters and felt connected to them both.

I identified more with Helen. She was a caregiver to so many. She had more choices to make than Rosie did, and thus had more opportunity to regret her actions. She was a very moral person and try as she might, she did not nor could she act perfectly at all times. A flawed but very moral character. A real lovable person.

The first part follows , Rosie, the daughter of a vinedresser who is taken in by the vineyard owners when her parents are killed in an accident. Abused by her guardians, she is forced to work as a maid in the main house. With few people in her life she trusts, she lets her guard down and find herself pregnant and sent to a state institution where is forced to not only give up her child. but is sterilized by the state. The second part focuses on Helen Calvert, sister to the husband of the winery owner, who is a nanny for an Austrian family with a disabled child that is threatened by Hitler's policy against different children. The events of both sections are horrifying, the parallels between this country and Hitler's Germany leaves the reader with deep sympathetic feelings for both characters.

The first part of the book was all about Rosie and references to Helen made me want to know her story. So when part 2 about Helen begins you see how Rosie's new life takes shape because of Helen looking for her. Your sympathy goes to Rosie naturally but your admiration is for Helen who unites mother and lost daughter.

I think I felt closer to Rosie - I felt like she personally went through more that she had no control over. But I also liked and admired Helen. I thought the way the book was structured worked well and was clear to follow.

I felt closer to Rosie, I loved her story.

I would say I feel closer to Helen. I know she didn't make a strong impression until later in the book but her bravery and her willingness to protect the children and the "downtrodden" was compelling. I much preferred the chapters with Helen than with Rose.

I feel closer to Helen. Maybe because she was the adult whereas Rosie was much younger and had such a hard life for a while.
The structure of time/character hopping is definitely popular now.

I felt closer to Rosie, perhaps because we are closer in age, but I admired both women very much.

I felt closer to Helen. Perhaps it was because she was an adult, independent, and was able to make choices. Whereas Rosie was a child at the mercy of others and not in a position where she could make her own decisions. What happened to her, and to so many others, was appalling. I loved that Helen wanted to help others. I believe in the beginning she put herself at great risk trying to save a child because she was trying to make up for what happened to Brigitte. Then, she continued because she felt it was the right thing to do. I liked the structure of the book and how Rosie's story was tied in at the end.

I felt closer to Helen because like Helen, I did not have children of my own. As far as how the book was structured, I am okay with it. I prefer a chronological narrative, but the chapters told through various characters perspectives seems to be a fad right now.

I also felt closer to Helen, mostly because my personal situation mirrors hers (unmarried older woman with no children, but with other people's children in our lives whom we love dearly), but also because our personalities are similar as well.

I thought the structure of the book was brilliant and the flow worked really well. Dual timelines and multiple character perspectives can be a hit or miss, but in Meissner's hands, it was perfect.

I felt closer to Helen as I was a nanny for years before I married and had children of my own. I loved her story.

I really liked Rosie's story and I was anxious to hear the resolution at the end of the book. When Helen was looking for her and couldn't find her, I worried something had happened.

I liked both characters, but overall, felt closer to Rosie because of her determination, ability to work through so many less than ideal situations (finding a place to live at the age of 21) and her never ending ability to continue forging ahead and discounting those who said she “couldn’t do x or y.”

Although I did not feel closer to one character over another, I did love the structure of the novel. It was well thought out and the storyline flowed nicely. The structure fit the type story being told. Very well done!