Send for Me: A Read with Jenna Pick

This mesmerizing tale gripped me from the start—I felt so many emotions. I was so invested in Annelise’s journey as she builds a new life as a young woman in America, surrounded by new personalities and struggles and joys.This is braided with the ordinary reality of Nazi Germany that Annelise’s parents experienced, the slow creep of horrors amidst ordinary pleasures. It was so compelling and haunting, and made me think so much about how agonizing it would be to be faced with leaving a life and beloved business behind, and how do you know when it’s too late?Later, Annelise’s granddaughter Clare discovers the letters. She and her mother piece together the reality of what Annelise went through - all that she lost, but all that she escaped, too.I felt like it was all so huge, and as a reader, it was as if I was right there alongside Clare and her mother, working though the shocking contents of the letters and what it means for mothers and daughters and really, for every one of Clare's relationships. I finished this book in one breathless night, but it’ll stay with me for a very long time.

What a beautiful, touching, heartaching story. Just like grief, where there is great love, in this case, love of a mother country, a lifetime dreams and hopes and wishes BEFORE the horrors of war and trauma and the unknown happens.And then it's all taken away, in a blink, a snap of the fingers...And choices are made, sacrifices chosen. Which love is greater and most important? Clearly, the love of family and ties that bind are invaluable, but if lives are at stake, if your child's future is in jeopardy, which is more vital?So you take what you can, and you go. You seek safety, freedom, and hope when you thought hope was lost. Even if that means you must say goodbye to parents, loved ones, your beloved mother country, and all you've ever known and seek refuge in the unknown.That is this story. It explores three generations and how war and choices have affected them, their relationships, and their views on life.As an adoptee from another country, adopted into a family whose grandfather immigrated at 19 with just the clothes on his back to the USA, this book touched me in very real, tender ways.I am so grateful for my grandpa, for his courage to seek the American Dream and face the unknown in search of a better life. His journey eventually led to my being adopted from the same country he left so that I, too, could eventually come to the USA as well.I hope EVERYONE reads this book. It's eye opening and beautiful.

Young couple moved to US from Germany before the war to have a better life for their family.

They’re almost all gone now.It’s left to story and memoir to tell the tale of this depraved period in history and of those who lived through it—-or died trying.We’re left to read the shadows over our shoulders—and hope to do justice, as Send for Me has done.Thank you for this book.

It was okay. I read a lot of books with similar story lines and this felt bland and mediocre. I didn’t fall in love with the characters but I finished the book. Based on the reviews I guess I expected more.

This one is hard to review. It’s almost like passing judgment on how another reacts in any given situation or how we pass feelings, emotions and opinions on others because of our own experiences. This is certainly an interesting read. I found myself confused in the beginning by the layout of the story. The voices of each character wasn’t clear to me. At times, I’m not sure I liked a few of the characters, but, then again, how could I not like them. They’ve been through so much. That need to keep close passed down through generations. I felt all these emotions too. Panic, immense sorrow, deep love, regret, guilt. I do wonder about a certain aspect of the story. I don’t understand it’s meaning or place. I’m also not sure what to make of the ending. My imagination isn’t the best so I like a solid conclusion.

I love the family dynamics and connections that unfold throughout this book. Seeing the connection of 4 women who barely know each other or have never met but feel the love for one another through their familial ties made for such a good book. I read it in 2 days because I couldn’t stop.

excellent this story grew and grew on me. perhaps you have to have this kind of trauma in your soul - an inherited trauma - to say aha ! this is so real ! i know this ! so poignant and so origonal in her telling that those of who "get it" just do! i feel this story in my soul! thank u ! klara connects to clare! it all came to life for me … and rich details tht make annelies such a 3 dimensional character ! superv

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Perhaps our experiences with Covid19, the sadness of unnecessary loss of life, loss of livelihood, the isolation, and the change in culture has all affected our new understanding of the world. Viewing the horrors of the Holocaust, as if through a mirror, makes me wonder when we will ever get it right, to value every soul as if it were our own.As an older person with a shaky memory, I found this book challenging! I had to keep lists of the characters and their relationships. I had to keep rereading what I had forgotten. Kindle on my iphone helped tremendously, as always, with my ability to search, highlight, add notes, and x-ray.The storytelling is magical, gripping, and familiar in all its range of emotions and use of language to detail place and thought. It’s very brave in laying bare our deepest, darkest thoughts.I, too, am an immigrant, though traveling a much different path than this family. I think, to this day, that I feel like an outsider and carry a deep sadness with me. My parents suffered the fears of WWII with air raids, bomb shelters and shortages of every kind, and I think unintentionally passed the fear and sadness down generationally.

I am glad I read this , so much feeling in this book. So much profound love and despair. However, nothing was answered for me. I ended up with many questions left unanswered. Since the letters from Klara are actual letters written by the authors great grandmother it is all the more heartbreaking and fascinating at the same time.

Jewish families leaving behind loved ones in Germany during WWII is a heart breaking theme. Send for Me had interesting family dynamics around this but did not rise to the drama that I expected. I was disappointed in the conveyance of emotion when a family secret was revealed.

I loved the way Annelise’s story unfolded. The writing was beautiful and that story was enough. I did not understand the inclusion of Clare and kept waiting for the intersection of the two story lines - which never happened. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying. I would have given this book a strong five stars but had to settle for a low three because of the overall disappointment in including a character that clearly did not belong.

This book pulled me in. I found the story interesting and relatable. I liked the book but I’m left with so many questions. I fell like nothing is resolved or wrapped up.

This is a good novel. I enjoyed reading about the war of the 1940s! I liked the idea of learning how the Jewish people were treated in the neighborhoods that they had lived for many yess how they changed how they were treated by people they had known all their lives.

This book provides a beautifully written story that goes beyond the usual historic novel. The vivid descriptions were almost poetic and the story drew me into the lives of the characters on every page. I was elated to find a novel steeped in history and appealing on all levels. Highly recommend!

Beautifully written novel inspired by the author's own family history. One of the best illustrations of the impacts of inherited trauma I've read. My only wish is that it had been a bit longer, with a more detailed glimpse into the lives of the women from the younger generations, Ruthie and Clare.

“There is an ocean of difference between what you give up and what is stolen from you.”SEND FOR ME is an intergenerational story of love and loss, a story spanning Germany on the brink of World War II and present-day Wisconsin, when a young woman finds a collection of letters written by her great-grandparents. although this is certainly historical fiction, the prose is so beautiful and the novel is largely character driven, making it a perfect read for literary fiction readers. I was so struck by many passages about motherhood, grief, and longing. the book is based on the author’s own family history, which adds to the richness of the story. my only complaint is that I wish the book were longer! I could’ve read a couple hundred pages more about these characters. 4.5/5⭐️—I really liked it!

If you are looking for good WWII historical fiction this may not be the book for you. Send For Me is a story of mothers and daughters and the ties that bind families. The prose is beautiful, the emotion is deep, but there is not a lot of plot and even less joy in three generations of women. I also found the time skipping and constant perspective changing to be a distraction more than something that enhanced the story or enlivened the characters. I often think that authors overuse this device to compensate for a lack of story. That said, if a beautifully written exploration of mother/daughter relationships is what you want, you may enjoy this book.

Not as much about WW2 as the relationships of mothers, daughters and grandparents over a period of time that begins shortly before WW2 in Germany. I found the story flow very bumpy. Story then broken up by bits of letters written from mother to daughter. I think the delivery was meant to be dramatic but I found the break up of the story very disconcerting and overall I was anxious to finish the story which tried to cover too many relationships.

I recommend this book that touches on mother daughter relationships and the difficulties families experienced in war time.It is an endearing read knowing the letters are actual words written from one generation to the next. We should, as daughters, be so blessed to have such close relationships with our Moms that give us strength for our life journeys.