Long Way Home by Lynn Austin

Long Way Home
by Lynn Austin

ISBN-13: 9781496437396
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House
Released: June 21st 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Peggy Serrano couldn't wait for her best friend to come home from the war. But the Jimmy Barnett who returns is much different from the Jimmy who left, changed so drastically by his experience as a medic in Europe that he can barely function. When he attempts the unthinkable, his parents check him into the VA hospital. Peggy determines to help the Barnetts unravel what might have happened to send their son over the edge. She starts by contacting Jimmy's war buddies, trying to identify the mysterious woman in the photo they find in Jimmy's belongings.

Seven years earlier, sensing the rising tide against her people, Gisela Wolff and her family flee Germany aboard the passenger ship St. Louis, bound for Havana, Cuba. Gisela meets Sam Shapiro on board and the two fall quickly in love. But the ship is denied safe harbor and sent back to Europe. Thus begins Gisela's perilous journey of exile and survival, made possible only by the kindness and courage of a series of strangers she meets along the way, including one man who will change the course of her life.


My Review:
Long Way Home is a split story following Peggy in 1946 in New York City and Gisela in 1938 to 1946 in Europe and elsewhere. The whole story was well-written, so the characters seemed like real people, I cared about them, and the historical details immersed me in the story. But it's a heavy read. Gisela's family is Jewish, and they manage to escape Germany only for their ship to be denied refuge in Cuba, America, Canada. They ended up in a country that was soon invaded by Germany. Her story was full of sadness and tragedy, and she was rather helpless as her choices were mainly decided by others (parents, Germans, etc.).

Peggy's story was also filled with sadness. At least she kept trying to make things better even when the critical choices had to be made by others (Jimmy's parents, his friends, etc.). Through her efforts, not only did Jimmy slowly find healing but so did several of his war buddies. She also found people that appreciated her talents and caring personality when her own family didn't.

Those involved in the war struggled with how a loving, good, all-powerful God would allow such horrible things to happen. Throughout the story, different people commented on how they dealt with this. Peggy even used the words that Jimmy once spoke to her to help him to better understand God's character. She helped him see the light in the world brought by God's people. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this book but understand that parts are very sad.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.