To See You Again: A True Story of Love in a Time of War

by Joyce Gabriel and Betty Schimmel

Book Overview

Betty Markowitz and Richie Kovacs fell in love as teenagers in Budapest amid the terror and uncertainty of a world at war. They planned their future together, secure in the belief that their love... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452280710
• ISBN13: 9780452280717
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 279 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Beautiful story, heart-wrenching at times - but definitely a good read for anyone looking to see deeper into the lives of the survivors from the horrific Holocaust.

Love in the Mist of Horror

I found this true powerful love story a page-turner. Betty was just a teenager when she fell in love with her schoolmate Richie. Betty, her mother Ethel, her sister Rose and a brother Larry were in Hungry during the Nazi occupation. Her father worked in the Underground aiding fellow Jews. Betty kept ties with Richie for as long as she could despite the fact that the Nazis took the Jews on long marches, constantly moving them to what seemed like worse and worse quarters. They lived in small rooms, crowded together, sleeping in limited beds and on the hard floors. The Nazis forced the Jews to clean up the debris after war bombings. They would not feed the Jews much at all: just some bread, potatoes. The Jews were physically weak from lack of nourishment and afraid of the Nazis as they would readily shoot anyone for any reason at all. Eventually Betty lost all touch with Richie. She did not know where he was, and did not know if he were still alive. Betty's spirit was lost without Richie. However, Betty's mother, Ethel was determined to keep her children alive, by guiding them to survive, despite all the odds against them. Betty and her family are taken to a concentration camp called Mauthausen. While in this camp, Betty saw more death, sometimes by suicide from a prisoner in despair. Finally, when the war was over, Betty, her mother, sister and brother were liberated to a "Displaced Persons Camp." The Americans who ran this home in Germany, helped the refugees gets healthy again with food, rest, medical aid and therapy. Betty met a man named Otto who was also a survivor of a concentration camp. He fell in love with Betty and adored her, but Betty's heart still belonged with Richie, and so she could not return Otto's love. However, she married Otto because he was good to her and persistent. Betty moved with Otto to America with her family. Otto worked hard in America. Finally Betty accidentally finds Richie almost three decades later back in Budapest, during a visit. I won't spoil want happens, but this incident will bring closure as well as tears to your eyes. I loved this book. It is powerful as many Holocaust survival stories are, but what I found most interesting was how love dominated all: the love Betty had for Richie, and the love Ethel had for her children.

YES....THIS STORY IS FACT

I have met Betty Schimmel and her husband Otto. How anyone can say her story is fiction is beyond me. Yes, both Betty and her husband Otto survived the concentration camps. The deep emotions of her story are still evident in her voice and face. This is a true life story about both the horrors of war and being a Jew in WWII Europe and of true love.True, this is not an ending to give away. Read Betty's story. It will rip your heart in many directions. You will not be disappointed. You will not be able to put this book down.

Riveting love story with historical accuracy

"To See you again" is one of the most touching stories I have read in ages. It is a riveting tale that holds the reader throughout its entirety. Although much of the story takes place in Hungary during the Holocaust, the mood is one of hope & even joy in a time & place when it is least expected. The characters become bigger-than-life & you feel as if you are there with them. I enjoyed this book completely and would recommend to all: historians, lovers, and anyone wanting a great story. Congrats to the authors.

A gut wrenching story of love, war and amazing courage.

I normally would not be drawn to love stories, nor stories involving the holocaust. However, this book was impossible to put down. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to get a better feel for what life was like under Nazi rule, and to hear an amazing story of a love that never died.

A terrifically moving story that celebrates life & love!

When most people think of war or the Holocaust, they probably don't immediately realize the very unique, personal stories that play out against the backdrop of the larger conflict. This book tells several such stories from the point of view of a young woman who was lucky enough to survive the worst kind of horror man can create. The pages not only describe interesting events from the Eastern European campaign of World War 2, but they contain a love story that operates on many different levels. People of the present generation may find the story in its totality hard to fathom, believe or empathize with, but the days lived by the author were during a different time when life was simultaneously cheap and valuable. Betty Schimmel is an incredible woman, and if her husband, Otto, wasn't Jewish, I think he could qualify for Sainthood. Buy this book. You'll learn something important while being deeply touched.