eBook
Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
Related collections and offers
Overview
The year is 1945, and the world is at war. Young Eva must leave her beloved Danzig to escape the Soviets and the harm they would bring to her little family. After hearing rumors about the terrible devastation of the town of Nemmersdorf, Eva makes the heartbreaking decision to leave her parents. The lives of those who remain are in grave danger. Without knowing if she will ever find her husband Manfred again, or see her loving parents, Eva sets out on her own through the wreckage of war. Driven by a youthful sense of adventure, Eva takes her baby and boards a ship sailing into the unknown. They barely escape death on numerous occasions. Alone and carrying the full weight of saving her child’s life on her shoulders, Eva’s only solace is the beautiful music she creates on the piano. Drawing from this love of music, and the wholehearted love she feels for her husband, now lost to her, Eva emerges from the ashes of war a new, stronger woman.
Those that lose a war rarely survive, much less get to tell their story. And yet, Eva Krutein does both. Woven into her memoir are revelations about what the German people were experiencing before and during the war; Eva's soul-searching may cause one to reconsider what we know about the war. Who were the victims of the destruction? What has been hidden between the lines of history?
Eva’s War is the beginning of a captivating trilogy about one woman’s fight for survival and her journey through one of the most turbulent times in history. It is an enthralling tale of life, death, art, war, and love, by a mother willing to risk all for the life of her baby and the chance for a happy future. The book is more than a great read, it is a well of inspiration for those who would prevail in the face of unbeatable odds.
A marvelously moving and often humorous real-life story...sad revelations, painful memories, excruciating experiences are tempered by compassion, love and a powerful, contagious optimism. Music permeates this tale.
—Alfred-Maurice de Zayas, JD, PhD, U.N. Senior Legal Officer
Eva's account is one of fervent desire for peace in a setting of chaos, deprivation and horror...yet "Eva's War" is not exclusively about grief and guilt. It is about forgiveness, trust, accomplishment and love of life.
—Thora Guinn, Albuquerque Peace Center News
Americans have an almost obsessive interest in the horrors of World War II, and there is no shortage of first-person accounts of the period. But Eva Krutein's compelling account of her flight through Germany from the advancing Russian army stands above most examples of the genre. "Eva's War" also details the little-known plight of the 14 million Eastern Germans who lost their homes—and sometimes their lives....The book is a powerful anti-war statement, but the litany of horrors is brightened by Krutein's prose, which is suffused with her life-affirming love of music and her family.
—Helen Kennedy, The Boston Herald
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940045155779 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Amador Publishers, LLC |
| Publication date: | 07/22/2013 |
| Series: | Biography & Memoir , #1 |
| Sold by: | Smashwords |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 308 KB |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Eva Krutein was born in the Free City of Danzig, now Gdansk, Poland. Her parents, owners of a factory for electric appliances, provided their only child with a comfortable upbringing. They nurtured Eva’s fascination with music, which would shape the rest of her life. In 1942, at the age of 21, Eva married Manfred Krutein, who had joined the Navy and received a degree in Naval Architecture. The couple had their first child, daughter Lilo, in 1944 while Manfred was attached to the constantly moving German Navy. In January of 1945, as the Russian army invaded Danzig, Eva fled with Lilo, narrowly escaping death by torpedo on two separate ships. Eventually, Eva and Lilo arrived in Wilhelmshaven, where she finally found Manfred.
After moving to Chile in 1951, the Kruteins expanded their family, adding four more children. Eva’s music career flourished while in Chile. She worked as a piano player, opera coach and created a chamber music group, for which she received much recognition. Eva became a champion for the plight of Chile’s poor. She became a volunteer in hospitals and clinics that provided medical care to poor families.
The family moved to the United States in 1960, where Eva received her Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master’s degree in Music. She taught music classes at Cal Tech and Pepperdine University. While in the United States, Eva continued to serve as a liaison to American charities and was instrumental in sending aide to Chile’s poor, particularly for education and healthcare.
Eva Krutein was a tireless promoter of peace. As a member of SERVAS, Eva traveled the world to learn about other cultures and to develop her own understanding of the circumstances that others face. It was through a SERVAS visit to New Mexico hosted by Harry Willson and Adela Amador that Eva found her publishers for her three memoirs. Eva’s artistic vision and dedication carried over to her writing. This, along with her wide circle of friends and her delight in promoting her books, ensured that her narratives became a literary success.