The Girl from the Train

4.5 stars
A riveting WW2 story that follows a young girl's life from the moment her mother and grandmother push her off an Auschwitz-bound train into the Polish countryside in order to save her life. The detail is wonderfully memorable and the story absorbing (though at times disturbing). The story of Gretl/Gretchen/Grietje (names depending on her country) is so deep a tale, and I loved Jacob's parts as well (except for the cursing parts from the war scenes).

One thing that shocked me was that South Africans actually would have the guts to seek out and adopt “Aryan” children from among the war orphans, that soon after the horrors of what race-superiority could come to. I suppose I had simply thought people in general wouldn't have come out and said anything about being Aryan after seeing what Hitler's abominable racism came to. This gives light-haired Gretl an opportunity to escape Poland's new suppressive government, but necessitates her continuing to keep secrets from her war years, as she fears being cast out for who she is or what she has experienced.

Religion: Throughout the book characters go to church and pray...sometimes to God, sometimes to Catholic saints/Mary. I liked the faith content, but when it came down to the divide between the Catholic and Protestant churches, it never specified why there was a divide between the two systems of theology. Obviously it would only make the book longer and less focussed to include it, but it seemed it was hinted/implied that only tradition and prejudice stood between the two rather than true spiritual conviction. (For example: No matter how much I understand about Catholicism, I have real theological reasons to never consider becoming one myself. It isn't personal preference and it isn't tradition.)

Content: Best for adults simply because the war-related themes are so heavy.
Language: I was very disappointed to find two instances of the heavy curse/derivative of profanity b*y in a war scene. Other language used is cussing using the names of the saints, which didn't bother me by word used but only by principle of cussing being a bad habit.