September 23 Meeting at Dricka's

This month's book reading was "What Only We Know' by Catherine Hokin. Nine people attended but we missed seeing Edna, Grace and Louisa.

Story starts out in Germany in 1936. Liese was working at a very notable fashion salon owned by her father, Paul Elfmann and mother Marguerite. At an early age Liese was mostly ignored by her father because of his complete adoration only for his wife. During the war she loved working in the salon but it was ripped away when she became just another Jew who the Nazis hated.

During her time at the salon she became enamored by a French buyer who thru one night of passion  became pregnant and had a daughter, Lottie, who she gave her complete love and attention. They were sent to a prison camp where her daughter was tragically murdered by a prison guard. Afterwards she  didn't want to live and attempted suicide but was rescued by a soldier who became devoted to her along with Michael, son of a worker at the salon. They both decided she should marry Andrew to be safe after a chance meeting with the guard who murdered her daughter and Liese then killed.

After moving to England, she had another daughter, Karen who she loved but couldn't forget her past and finally had the courage to end her life. After her father was admitted to hospital, she found pictures of her mother's past life. She then found Michael and understood all that her mother endured. During her time with Michael, she fell in love with is son, Marcus. The book ends with Andrew and Michael revisiting the past. Also seeing the wall in Berlin no longer divided the East and the West. A future founded on hope!

Dricka