The Swiss Nurse by Mario Escobar
Product Details
Web ID: 16778359Incredible, gut-wrenching story
4.5 stars I’ve been intrigued about this book ever since it first came out, but I didn’t take the time to pick it up until just recently. I’m glad I waited; this isn’t the kind of book I enjoy reading all that often. Even though topics like this aren’t my favorite, at the same time, stories such as the ones told here are needed in today’s world. It’s so easy to forget the suffering of people in the past when faced with our own suffering, and books that illustrate the amazing fortitude of survivors in history help to put the things we face in life into perspective (and give us the courage to keep going). Before I read this book, I didn’t know much about the Spanish Civil War. And what this book portrays? To be honest, it was horrifying. You get to experience, along with the characters, what it was like to see thousands of people suffer and die, all because a few people wanted to have the power. It wasn’t pretty. But the faith and courage the survivors—and those who wanted to help them—portrayed was incredible. I found it a little difficult to get into the story. Since it’s told from three different points of view, it took a while to work out who was who and how they were connected, but once I got that sorted, I found the book a lot more gripping. I think part of my confusion was found in the fact that I listened to an audiobook and didn’t physically read it. Then, too, the author never let up on the characters. I couldn’t believe she did that, but at the same time, it was realistic—and I appreciated that! For many of the war refugees, life did look pretty bleak for a very long time (if they managed to stay alive at all). If you enjoy learning more about history and don’t mind scenes where people die (because that is a reality in this book), I’d recommend you check this story out. The women and men illustrated in this book are heroes, and they deserve to be remembered.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great book
This is a great book written based on the Spanish Civil War about a real nurse, but the other characters seem just as real. The pain and heartbreak that they face trying to save those that need it is so overwhelming and heartbreaking. I recommend this book if you like books that are written about war and the people who are trying to survive! Thank you for writing such a great book!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Save the Children
This is a historical fiction story based on the true story of Elizabeth Eidenbenz. When the Spanish Civil War was lost and the Spanish Republic fell many Republicans fled Spain. These immigrants ended up in France on the border. Many of them were women and children. Many of the children were orphans losing their parents in the war. When the Nazi's invaded Spain many more fled to the already crowded immigrant camps. Elizabeth Eidenbenz was instrumental in helping to save over 600 children and many women. She first worked in an orphanage for children then she started a maternity hospital for the women and children immigrants from Spain. This is the story from the Spanish Civil War and continuing on into the WWII. It tells the story of the horrible conditions in the immigrant camps and how miserably those immigrants were treated. It is a story of war but also a story of compassion for those unlucky enough to be caught up in the war and without a country, without a home, without anything of their own. It was a horrible time in history, with all the men gone fighting and the women left behind with little or nothing fleeing their homes with their lives, many dying before they even made it out of Spain. The ones that suffered the most were the children. This story was heartbreaking and tragic, but it was also a testimony to what happens when a woman believes in helping others, and that a higher power will provide. Her faith carried her through some of the worse times. This is the story of a strong woman, a devout Christian woman but a woman that would not bow down and take no for an answer. She made things happen. She plowed foreword and got it done. If you like stories about strong women you will need to read this story. It was a very good story about a part of history I knew little about. I did enjoy reading the book. Thanks to Mario Escobar for writing a great story, to Harper Muse for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Historical fiction
The Swiss Nurse, by Mark Escobar is based on real events during the Spanish Civil War and then WWII in France. It is the story of Elisabeth Eidendenz, a Swiss teacher who helped orphans during the war in Spain, who crossed the Pyrenees Mountains after the defeat of the Republic, and then opened a maternity hospital care for Spanish refugee women who were pregnant in deplorable refugee camps. After Germany invaded France, she also helped hide Jewish women and children. She was aided by the Swiss Red Cross, Mennonites, and Quakers. The stories of Spanish immigrants are based on testimonies of survivors. This book shows the horrors of war, man's inhumanity to man. Escobar also shows that even in the midst of the some of the worst evil the 20th Century saw, there was light and hope given by good people in the world. The book is full of faith-restoring passages. May we never forget, so we will never repeat. I was able to read an ARC on #NetGalley.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Another five star read by Mario Escobar!
The Swiss Nurse is based on the heroic actions of an extremely brave woman Elisabeth Eidenbenz, and what she did during the Spanish Civil War and World War Two. Mario Escobar uses the testimonies of Spanish refugees, who crossed the Pyrenees mountains into France, where the French government set up two internment camps and they lived in atrocious conditions, and information he uncovered about the Association to Aid Children in War and the Elne Maternity Hospital to write his latest book. The story is told from the points of view of the three main characters, Isabel Dueñas, a Spanish seamstress who has flee Barcelona to escape the Fascist troops and she want's to be reunited with her American born husband Peter Davis and he's fighting for democracy. Elisabeth Eidenbenz is a Swiss teacher and nurse, she leaves Spain with a group of orphaned children, eventually they arrive in France, and Elisabeth is shocked by the conditions at the internment camps. Women and children are living on a beach, with no proper shelter, clean drinking water, many are suffering from malnutrition, it’s a breeding ground for diseases and corruption. When Germany invades Poland, another refugee crisis begins, Elisabeth has opened her maternity hospital in Elne and in an abandoned mansion. Here she takes care of pregnant women and children and she helps and hides Jewish people fleeing percussion. Elisabeth’s work in Spain and France is paid for by voluntary donations, once the war begins it stops and she becomes associated with the Red Cross and this gives her some protection. The narrative is about Elisabeth Eidenbenz, Isabel Dueñas and their association with aid workers, Ruth Von Wild and Karl Ketterer. How during times of great humanitarian crisis, they discover the power of friendship, solidarity and they believe all people should be equal, no matter their race or religion and be able to live in peace. I can understand why some people have found the story hard to follow, you do need to really concentrate while reading the novel, as it's told from alternating points of view and locations, and it’s certainly worth the effort. Once again Mr. Escobar has written about a little know time in history, ironically while a war is raging in the Ukraine and an humanitarian crisis is happening. I'm a big fan of Mario Escobar, I tell anyone who will listen to read Auschwitz Lullaby, and I feel the same way about The Swiss Nurse, five stars from me and I'm left pondering why don't leaders of power hungry countries learn from previous dictators mistakes?
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com