My Enemies Cradle by Sara Young

" Cyrla's neighbours have begun to whisper. Her cousin, Anneke, is pregnant and has passed the rigorous exams for admission to the Lebensborn, a maternity home for girls carrying German babies. But Anneke's soldier has disappeared, and Lebensborn babies are only ever released to the father's custody-or taken away. A note is found under the mat. Someone knows that Cyrla,sent fom Poland years before for safe keeping with her Dutch relatives, is Jewish. In a cruel twist of fate, Cyrla faces the choice between discovery in her cousin's home and taking Anneke's place in the Lebensborn. "


Lisa said
I read this book and it was't too tiresome and I enjoyed it about a 2 1/2 on a scale of 1 to 5, but I can't say that any part of the book will stay with me greatly or that I would go as far as to recommend it to anyone. Yes, it told a story and informed me about something I didnt know about but otherwise it didn't do much more for me. I never felt that I really knew Cyrla ( did anyone else find it annoying that they didn't really know how to correctly pronounce her name until well into the book - and even then I was not sure whether the C was like a k or an s sound). Sometimes I thought she behaved totally irrationally fot the times and situations she was in yet she was supposed to be a clever girl- she was pregnant so I will forgive her for that, maybe however the author could have made the reasons for her lack of clear headedness at times a little more obvious. For example - why would she not have expected that it would be Karl when she was told the father of the baby was here. she knew it was all in the paperwork, it jad to be otherwise Anneke would never have been accepted into the Lebensborn. The only time really drippy pregnant behaviour was made obvious was when she left her belongings out on the bed in clear view and went off to the laundry.


I thought the last bit just accelerated and suddenly the story was over. Maybe that was for the best but I felt like the author just got tired of writing it. She did say it took her six years so maybe thats why it sometimes also felt disjointed. In the last few chapters I was not really sure what the book was about, maybe it was trying to be about too many things - Lebensborn, prejudice, familial ties, pregnancy and motherhood, showing the other side of the enemy in a war situation as well as a romance and finally an escape story and fight for survival ( although it skimmed over that last part like it didnt really matter that much). I liked the conclusion because I am a sucker for a good old fashioned romance. However I think it much more likely that Karl would have been lined up against a wall and just shot after breaking his fingers to find out what he knew and imprisoning his family- he must have been an exceptionally good actor and lucky.

Judith said...
I read the rave reviews first and I have to say, for me, this book got off to a poor beginning. Whilst the story is interesting I felt the prose was quite stilted. This seemed to improve as the pace of the book increased, although I would never classify the writing as great, the story was engrossing.Would I have chosen this book? Possibly not if I had done my usual scanning of the dialogue and "feel" of the book. Having said that it was an interesting read. I'd rate it 3/5

Lee said...
I found this book an interesting read about a subject matter that I had no knowledge on so could go on to cross-reference a scheme of Nazi Germany known as the Lebensborn project.All the ends are tied up perhaps a little too neatly at the end but still a good quick and enjoyable read.

Mavis said .....Beautifully written, thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Book Enthusiasts rating

Monday evening book club rating