The Children of Willesden Lane: Beyond the Kindertransport: A Memoir of Music, Love, and Survival

by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen

Book Overview

Based on the true story of her mother, Mona Golabek describes the inspirational story of Lisa Jura Golabek's escape from Nazi-controlled Austria to England on the famed Kindertransport. Jewish musical prodigy Lisa Jura has a wonderful life in Vienna. But when the Nazis start closing in on the city, life changes irreversibly. Although he has three daughters, Lisa's father is only able to secure one berth on the Kindertransport. The family decides to...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446527815
• ISBN13: 9780446527811
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Truly Inspirational

The Children of Willesden Lane is a compelling story about a Jewish girl growing up in a country overtaken by Hitler during World War Two. The Jura family, being allowed to send only one child to England on the Kindertransport, sent Lisa knowing that her musical talent would ensure her survival. When all is going wrong, and it seems as though she has nothing left to hold on to, Lisa lets all her feelings go through her music and holds on to her abilities. This book never let me take my own musical talents for granted. Being a pianist myself, I have learned to really appreciate music for all it is worth. Many books have slow beginnings, but The Children of Willesden Lane was full of excitement from beginning to end. I recommed this book to anyone with any kind of passion. Through this book you will see what can come of your talents, no matter what is going on around you in your life. It will most certainly help you to fully understand the amazing power of music.

An Inspiring Tale of Courage and Love

The Children of Willseden Lane is a motivational piece of literature about a young woman, Lisa, who dared to dream and made that dream a reality. Her daughter, Mona Golabek, wrote this memoir on her mother's wondrous gift of playing the piano. Lisa spent all her life in Vienna, Austria before the Nazis invaded causing her to be sent to London on the Kindertransport leaving her heartbroken parents and two sisters behind. She was sent to a hostel on Willesden Lane where she lived with thirty other Jewish children for the duration of World War II. She felt a sense of comfort right away because these children were dealing with the same loneliness, and Lisa became part of the big family. The would have a special bond which would stay with all of them forever because they would spend most nights huddled together in a bomb shelter fleeing the late night bombings. As soon as her matron, Ms. Cohen, realized that she had a prodigy living under her roof, she did everything in her power to help Lisa achieve her goal. Before long, everyone in the hostel was encouraging her to become a pianist and begged her to play for them every night after dinner. After much hard work, Lisa was accepted into an elite music school, which proved that anything was possible. The children became motivated and were given a sense of hope that they too could "make something of themselves". After the war was over, she was reunited with her two sisters and learned that her parents were sent to a death camp. Lisa became even more motivated to continue with her musical talents so that she would always play for her mother as a tribute for their shared love of music.

Anne Frank's "Might Have Been"

Anne Frank's parents turned down the chance to send their daughters to England before the war, not recognizing the imminent danger until it was too late. Lisa Jura's parents did recognize that danger and took advantage of an empty seat on the Kindertransport to send Lisa to the relative safety of the English countryside. Several other reviews have noted the "can't put it down" quality of this wonderful story. I must add my agreement to that sentiment! The only interruptions in my reading were stopping to play at least a snippet of the Chopin, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff pieces on my CDs, so I could follow Lisa's enjoyment of them even better! This book should be used by all teachers who teach Anne Frank's story, as it is a beautiful look at the life Anne herself might have had had her parents only seen the danger in time.

Remarkable!

The Children of Willesden Lane is a remarkable, transporting story, at once upllifting and heartbreaking. I'm a better person for reading it. The authors' flawless narrative style facilitates a "can't put the book down" memoir read. After grabbing their readers' hearts, Golabek and Cohen seize their readers' minds with a cogent, compassionate, and otherworldly understanding of the intricacies of living a life in music, and its accordant near-mystical ability to bring humanity as close as it can get to the divine. Such are Golabek's and Cohen's gifts that one can almost hear the music coming from the pages of The Children of Willisden Lane. I loved this book. It is a gift.

a grand & hopefilled read!

This is a Heroine's journey during time of war. From Vienna, the city of music, to a little house outside London, where Lisa Jura will find safety & a piano where she can continue her mother's legacy.It is the memories of the descent into the hell that Adolph Hitler visited upon the people of Europe, upon the life of one girl with a huge talent & a family who sent her away that she might survive.It is memories of danger & death, as well as hope & the goodness in people's hearts, & how a dream made a girl brave & true to her heritage.THE CHILDREN OF WILLESDEN LANE is passionate, engaging & charming, destined to find its place beside THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.