The Fortunate Ones

The Fortunate Ones by Ellen Umansky
Fiction
2017 William Morrow
Finished on July 21, 2017
Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

It is 1939 in Vienna, and as the specter of war darkens Europe, Rose Zimmer's parents are desperate.

Unable to get out of Austria, they manage to secure passage for their young daughter on a kindertransport, and send her to live with strangers in England.

When the war finally ends, Rose attempts to build a life for herself alone in London. Grief-stricken, she cannot help but search for one piece of her childhood: the Chaim Soutine painting her mother had cherished.

Many years later, the painting finds its way to America. In modern-day Los Angeles, Lizzie Goldstein also carries a burden of the guilt that cannot be displaced. Years ago, the Soutine painting was stolen from her childhood home, on an evening in which Lizzie's actions had unexpected but far-reaching consequences.

This painting will bring Lizzie and Rose together and ignite an unexpected friendship, eventually revealing long-held secrets and painful truths. Spanning decades and unfolding in crystalline, atmospheric prose, The Fortunate Ones is a haunting story of longing, devastation, and forgiveness, and a deep examination of the bonds and desires that map our private histories.

I haven't read much about the kindertransport, but I can imagine how heartbreaking to was for the parents to send their children to England knowing they may never see them again. While reading about this rescue effort, I came upon an HBO documentary that I'd like to watch.

50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus tells of a Philadelphia couple’s liberation of 50 Jewish children from 1939 Austria. Sounds fascinating!

I would also like to read Into the Arms of Strangers by Mark Jonathan Harris and Deborah Oppenheimer, although it may prove to be overwhelmingly sad.

As with many historical novels with dual timelines and narratives, I enjoyed the wartime storyline more than that of the present day. It took me a long time to really get engrossed in this novel, but I wound up enjoying the last part of the book, making it a worthwhile read. The Fortunate Ones may not have been a great novel, but it has certainly inspired me to learn more about this particular aspect of the war.

Click here to learn more about Chaim Soutine, as well as the kindertransport.