Reviews

The first night traveler is a little girl named Lilith, whose mother takes her out to play in the dark so that no one will know that she has a daughter who is not white. Her mother Ally is a poet of some repute, and the poems she writes in 1930s Berlin with play an important part in the story of Lilith and the other girls who will be sent away from their mothers in order to save their lives. Ally sends Lilith to Cuba with a Jewish family because there is no way a.non-white child can survive in Germany. Later, Lilith will have to make a similar choice, as does her daughter, Nadine. It's a frightening spiral of violence and danger, each element different but the girls still threatened.

This is the first novel I've read by Armando Lucas Correa and it's a strong historical novel, well-written with an interesting twist. What brings it out is that the story does not just take place in Germany under the Nazis but also in Cuba and New York before returning to Berlin. The impact of Ally's desperate action to save her daughter reverberates through the generations.

aliceinbabylon's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

thebooktrail88's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

said it was an epic novel – it’s a book in three acts.

We start in 1931 in Berlin. Ally is a talented young poet who gives birth to Lilith who is mixed raced The title of the book comes from the fact that they face such abuse and danger that they have to travel at night in order to avoid not being seen. My heart broke at this point. I had another two time periods to get through so I told myself to toughen up

Thankfully, I did as I next met Lilith in 1950s Havana. She’s now a grown woman and has few memories of her mother. I felt the tears come back again as I read what she had been through and how she had got to this point.

By the time I had completed my journey in Berlin 1988 meeting Nadine and Luna, I was a mess. This novel is about survival and the fierce love of a mother for her daughter.

Honestly this novel will move you and destroy you in equal measure. I love the author Armando Lucas Correa as here he weaves you through a detailed history of Berlin and the rise of the Nazis followed by the Cold War. Blending that with the Cuban Revolution and all the emotions that brings, not to mention the interesting cultural angle. He even gets in Operation Peter Pan and the fall of the Berlin Wall but this comes at no cost to the development of the characters or the storyline.

The historical angle, the story of the family and the subsequent storylines was just a reading treat and then some.

mcearl12's review against another edition

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4.0

I was interested throughout. Well-written.

mhite11's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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