Review of Leaving Vienna

[Bertha Jackson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Leaving Vienna" by HH Jacob is the Pen Name. The book is published under HH Jacob.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Leaving Vienna by HH Jacob is a fictional memoir about a young man whose family lost everything after they fled their affluent home, where they had nannies and a roof garden, to live on a farm in Tyrol. After Rudi’s father escapes the French Resistance prison, he hides in an old cabin in the mountains. Rudi’s mother cannot take care of five children alone, so she sends Rudi and Herbert to live with their father. Their Aunt Hilda accompanies them on their trip and stays to help their father raise them. The two boys develop a strong bond as they are left alone at the cabin while their aunt and father work at a logging camp during the winter. They entertained themselves by playing with poisonous snakes, and they cooked porridge to eat. Things change for the two neglected but happy boys once they get old enough to attend school because their father sends them to live with their mother in a two-room apartment in Klagenfurt. Of the five children, the youngest one, Franz, is the only one their mother shows affection to. Rudi and Herbert constantly fight with their two brothers and mother, but they adore their sister, Hanna, who is continuously belittled like them. What kind of life do these abused and neglected children have? Will they have pleasant memories?

HH Jacob has spun a thrilling tale with this fictional memoir. He provides vivid descriptions of the strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry patches the boys find to eat while alone. I could easily picture the mountains, valleys, and forests. The pictures and illustrations are crisp and easy to view. The author quickly drew out my emotions with the abusive parents who neglected their children, who were always hungry, inadequately clothed, ridiculed, and beaten. Herbert’s and Rudi’s mischievous actions brought humor to this otherwise oppressive story. For example, they killed a poisonous snake and threw it into the girls’ school window to get even with the mean girls. Another time, they let the air out of all the military vehicle tires. The brothers’ reasoning for performing these types of activities was adequately explained.

The only improvement this fascinating book needs is to be professionally edited. The many errors in this book slow down the plot and make parts of the narrative challenging to understand. Many of the children’s activities appear to be inappropriate for young children. For example, Rudi was only four when he built a fire in a potbelly stove, and Herbert was only a year older when he cooked for the two of them. However, the more I thought about it, these were neglected children in 1944, and they had no choice but to grow up fast to survive. Therefore, I consider these activities realistic and appropriate for this book.

Overall, the positive aspects far outweigh the negative, and the only reason I decided to deduct one star was the number of errors. Therefore, I rated this enjoyable book 4 out of 5 stars.

If you enjoy reading historical and fictional memoirs during the French Renaissance and what to know what it was like to grow up in 1944 Austria, this is the book I recommend to you. Some of the characters are religious, and some are not, which makes this book appropriate for anyone, regardless of their belief or lack thereof. However, this book is only suitable for mature audiences because of its non-borderline profanity.

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Leaving Vienna
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[Favour Ugwu Chidinma]

In such environment, I can't tell if they would have a pleasant memories. For me to find out, I have to read the whole book and I look forward to reading the book. Nice review.

[Edwardsjay]

Nice review, thank you for sharing.

[Alice Festo]

It must have been tough for the children transitioning from a rich lifestyle to poverty. I especially felt touched for the 3children who must have felt like the family outcast for being belittled.
Parents often pass their frustration on children without taking into account the emotional effect it has on them.
I'm eager to know what happens to this family at the end. Great review.