The Living and the Lost
Ellen Feldman
“The war is over, but the past is never past.”
“A beautiful, atmospheric novel that transports us to Occupied Berlin, a perfect setting in which to examine the contours of shame, as well as the possibilities of forgiveness. Through the eyes and heart of Millie, we consider the pain of turning away, of betrayal, and the price survival exacts. Feldman’s crisp, smart dialogue adds to the delight.” ―Elizabeth J. Church, author of The Atomic Weight of Love and All the Beautiful Girls
The Living and the Lost will compel you to ponder love and hate, cruelty and compassion, bravery and betrayal, and country and individuals.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press- Griffin for an advance review copy.
JENA’S REVIEW
The Living and the Lost by Ellen Feldman
In 2020, I read “Paris Never Leaves You” by Ellen Feldman, a book that remains at the top of my “best-loved book” list. The book still resonates with me and so I was eager to read Ms. Feldman’s latest book, “The Living and the Lost”, a World War 2 Historical Fiction and Jewish Literature book. Would this book have the same impact?
Yes. It’s truly another haunting and thought-provoking book. “The Living and the Lost” is not as haunting and beguiling as “Paris”, it is much rougher, sharper, cutting. But it leaves an even bigger impact and will have you pondering love and hate, cruelty and compassion, bravery and betrayal, and country and individuals.
The story begins in post-war Berlin, a devastated wreck in the midst of the rubble of Europe. The world is learning of the atrocities of the Nazis, but for main character Mieke “Mille” Mosbach, the insane Nazi extermination of Jewish citizens was part of her life. She and her brother have come to Berlin, to work with the American reconstruction of Berlin. David served in the Army during the war, and Millie is there as an adjunct to the Army.
Millie and David’s story emerges in flashback through the book. Their story, and the stories of other characters in the book, American and German, show us the horror and the search for hope in devastation. Should you hate Germany the country? Should you despise individual Germans? Should you condemn yourself for your actions? What is it like to be lost and still living?
This book is stark and piercing; so detailed and well-researched and well-written it reads like a nonfiction book or a memoir. I have read many historical novels about World War II and how the unfathomable could happen. “The Living and Lost” needs to be read by all. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance review copy. This is my honest review
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Meet the Author
Ellen Feldman, a 2009 Guggenheim fellow, is the author of Terrible Virtue, The Unwitting, Next to Love, Scottsboro (shortlisted for the Orange Prize), The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank (translated into nine languages), and Lucy. Her last novel, Terrible Virtue, was optioned by Black Bicycle for a feature film. Her latest novel, Paris Never Leaves You, was published in June 2020.
Ellen has lectured extensively around the country and in Germany and England, and enjoys talking to book groups in person, on the phone, or via the web.
She grew up in northern New Jersey and attended Bryn Mawr College, from which she holds a B.A. and an M.A. in modern history. After further graduate studies at Columbia University, she worked for a New York publishing house.
Ellen lives in New York City and East Hampton, New York, with her husband and a terrier named Charlie.
About the Author
