Reviews

But You Did Not Come Back: A Memoir by Sandra Smith, Marceline Loridan-Ivens, Judith Perrignon

rosemarygiles's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I wasn't sure what to expect from this memoire, but it was heart wrenching, beautifully written, and tells and important and personal story of the Second World War. It follows the life of French writer Marceline Loridan-Ivens as she deals with the trauma and grief of being sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau during her formative years alongside her father, who did not survive. She begins by sharing this experience with the reader, and going into intimate details about her time in the camp, before telling of the interesting and worldly life that she lived, always underpinned by the loss of her father. If you are looking for a book that captured the raw emotion of the Holocaust and those who experienced it, this is the book for you. Even if this isn't what you're looking for, I would highly recommend this book as part of anyone's historical education. 

raehink's review

4.0

A Holocaust memoir by a woman who, at age 15, was arrested and deported with her father. They are both sent to concentration camps where she survives the war and he does not.

I was especially moved by her descriptions of life after her incarceration and how her camp experiences are still affecting her today (she is in her 90s now).

Translated from the original French.