REVIEW & New Release Alert: Tania Blanchard’s ‘Suitcase of Dreams’
REVIEW & New Release Alert: Tania Blanchard’s ‘Suitcase of Dreams’
Suitcase of Dreams
Tania Blanchard
From the bestselling author of The Girl from Munich, a sweeping, dramatic tale of love and identity, inspired by a true story
After enduring the horror of Nazi Germany and the chaos of postwar occupation, Lotte Drescher and her family arrive in Australia in 1956 full of hope for a new life. It’s a land of opportunity, where Lotte and her husband Erich dream of giving their children the future they have always wanted.
After years of struggling to find their feet as New Australians, Erich turns his skill as a wood carver into a successful business and Lotte makes a career out of her lifelong passion, photography. The sacrifices they have made finally seem worth it until Erich’s role in the trade union movement threatens to have him branded a communist and endanger their family. Then darker shadows of the past reach out to them from Germany, a world and a lifetime away.
As the Vietnam War looms, an unexpected visitor forces Lotte to a turning point. Her decision will change her life forever . . . and will finally show her the true meaning of home.
What AusRom Today thought:
Suitcase of Dreams is a beautifully written story that depicts the difficulties and hardships faced by post-WWII European migrants who decided upon a move to Australia for a better life.
Blanchard, through her familial links and obvious research on the topic, portrays not only the strengths that were required of the migrants in order to withstand the massive cultural shock that followed them throughout their life journey as new Australians but also the subsequent challenges related to identity, belonging, and discovering that ‘home’ can actually exist in a country that is not technically your own.
Suitcase of Dreams is a fascinating and carefully constructed story that explores the many facets of humanity, identity, and love.
AusRomToday 
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