Post war Germany 1945, this epic historical fiction brings us to Graufeld Displaced Persons camp where we follow Klara Janowska and her daughter Alicja, they along with thousands others who needed to navigate through dangerous conditions and do anything to find a safe home. Klara and Alicja were the lucky ones.

Klara and Alicka are the heart in this sad tale. The story highlights how far a mother would go to protect her child and how deep the love of a daughter has for her mother. Both had endured the horrors of war before fleeing their native Poland walking for weeks to get to Graufeld , a camp where they found themselves in a grim situation, with basic rations and where they will be plunged in a cat and mouse game with an old adversary….. Oskar Schotz.

The story is narrated by Klara, Alicja and Davide Bouvier, the camp administrator.

The characterisation is superb especially when Klara and Oskar circle each other amidst the confines of the camp. The story also moves beyond the camps’ walls where the cost of war is revealed in heart wrenching depth. Cruelty and kindness and simple human compassion are poignantly explored. Ms. Furnivall particularly knows how to emotional engage us with shocking events in the darkest days of wartime and by vividly bringing to life the uncertainty and desperation of the displaced.

“The Survivors” although brutal is beautifully written, full of tension, thrills, and historical details. This is another cleverly plotted historical fiction which explores the resistance of human against adversity.

Well-done

Thank you Simon & Schuster and Netgalleys for this ARC ( )

The captivating story of Klara and Alicja set at the end of the war in a displaced persons camp and their fight for survival. Told from their viewpoints you gradually get the back story as to how and why they ended up where they did and what they'd had to endure to survive the war.

Like all of Kate Furnivall's books I've read, she brought to life the setting so you could visualise the conditions they were living in and the affect the war had had on the people there. Everyone was doing what they could to survive and try and get on.

The book is a combination of mystery, suspense and history all in one, portraying a different view of the war and particularly the aftermath. The writing was captivating and you were swept along in the story, with Klara and Alicja as strong characters fighting for their survival. An excellent book. ( )

Set just after WWII in a refugee camp in Germany. Klara and Alicja Janowska are survivors of the horrors of war and find themselves living in Graufeld Displaced Persons Camp. Klara recognises a man from her past, someone posing as a refugee and therefore hiding his true identity. Klara believes that she and her daughter are in grave danger and she is left with a dilemma.

This is an exciting and gripping story about greed and revenge. It’s quite the page turner, a rollercoaster of a ride. I was virtually on the edge of my seat on occasions! There are some great, well rounded characters, including a strong and courageous mother with an even feistier daughter. I’ve never considered refugee camps after the war before, all those people homeless through no fault of their own and living in terrible conditions but still finding something to smile about. It seems to resonate with today’s world somewhat, so a tale told from this perspective was interesting and revealing. The research which has gone into this book is admirable. I wasn’t too sure about the ending. I thought it was a little too neatly tied off but this is just a small point.

I thought this was an excellent piece of storytelling, a must for those who enjoy historical fiction. I very much enjoyed it. ( )