The Light In The Window

Product Information

I felt incredibly angry reading this book. As a health care professional I can’t countenance this sort of treatment of anyone, but especially pregnant women, who were alone and scared. On the farm there were long passages of time in which to observe. The senses are very important to me, and I try to bring the experience of the senses into my writing. And life on the farm is very graphic. Calves are dropped, colts are foaled, manure lies steaming in the sun. It’s the bottom line of what life is about.

The author creates realistic characters, exposes the diabolical Nazi belief system and its devastating effects, especially for its primary victims, the Jews. Marguerite lives both sides of the Nazi-Jewish experience as she struggles to stay true to her heritage while still maintaining credibility as a daughter and sister of members of the Nazi hierarchy. I really loved Not Without my Sister by Marion Kummerow. So, when I saw that Kummerow had a new book release, A Light in the Window, I knew I had to read it as I really enjoy her writing style and how easily Kummerow can draw you into her stories.The Light in the Window is set in Ireland in 1950, most specifically in a home for pregnant, unwed women. The book is written by June Goulding who worked as a nurse there and had as a life goal to tell everyone what those poor girls, which were considered outcasts and sinners by the society of that time, went through.

They were so vulnerable and alone and without hope. This was the worst aspect of this place. It was all tears and toil and no help or hope and then the final amputation between mother and child, and the mothers never ever knowing where their beloved children went.” My books are about relationships. With rare exceptions, the scenes are all one-on-one relationships: Father Tim and Dooley, Father Tim and Cynthia, Father Tim and Emma. There are times when I step away to the Grill where three or four people are in a relationship. Basically, I try not to waste the reader’s time with descriptive narrative, details of what people are wearing, how they look, how tall they are. I learned about how the Nazis forbade the Jews from using public libraries, from shaking hands with Aryans, held public book burnings and created lists of books to be burned. I was unaware that the Gestapo had their national headquarters in Leipzig in the national library where they oversaw the banned book business and kept a meticulous record of those who requested banned books. I was in awe when I read that a book from my Grade 9 English curriculum was on the list – All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque! I enjoyed this book, except at times the writing was choppy and hard to follow. There's also some swearing in it, but not so much or else I wouldn't have finished it. It cannot be unfair to describe June Goulding as trenchant. Compassionate she may be, especially on the evidence of her recently-published book The Light in the Window, but somehow trenchant is the word that comes to mind as she refers, for example, to Pope Pius XII.

Blog Archive

As for her husband's part in this? Also a medically trained man, whose protests against this institution went as far as a few cross words, tuts, eye rolls, and slight indignation at the sight of pregnant women doing manual labour...by tarring the hot road round the corner from the home. June does very little to paint him in a good light in this respect, but he must have been worth it as she managed to buy him gold cufflinks on Christmas, while buying nothing at all for any of own family, instead guiltlessly swanning past the working mothers in the greenhouse to collect dozen chrysanthemums with the Sister to take for her mammy. Many people shelve this series as "Christian literature" and for some reason or another I have never placed it in that category. To be sure, Father Tim quotes plenty of scripture - especially to his big floppy dog, Barnabus (the only way to keep Barnabus from jumping on you is to quote a verse from the Bible; amazingly, Barnabus immediately sits or lies down upon hearing scripture. Barnabus is also fond of Wordsworth!) Even though scripture is quoted, it is not proselytizing. This series is about how the life of a sixty year old stressed out, worn out priest, was infused with new spirit and energy when a dog, a boy and a new neighbor entered his life. It is also about kindness, love and caring neighbors who look after each other. Who wouldn't want to live in Mitford! Nanešťastie v Paríži stretne syna rodiny, Wilhelma, ktorý ju nakoniec drží vo svojej izbe a snaží sa prísť na to, čo s ňou urobí. Postupom času si začnú dôverovať a stanú sa z nich priatelia. Aj keď stoja na dvoch rôznych stranách, ona je židovka a on je vojak SS, ktorému je odmala vštepovaná propaganda vtedajšej doby, vtedajšieho režimu, svojim spôsobom našli k sebe cestu.