Review by ohlendorfbe -- The Weeping Woman of Putten

[ohlendorfbe]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Weeping Woman of Putten" by Alyce Bailey.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Weeping Woman of Putten is a well-documented, wonderfully-written historical fiction book based on actual people and events that took place toward the end of World War II. The author, Alyce Bailey, was born a few years after the war in the village of Putten in the Netherlands. She interviewed all who she could find who witnessed or lived through the events, and also reviewed documents and letters. The historicity of this book is stunningly authentic.

The story begins with an attack on a car carrying several Nazi officers, which was perpetrated by the Resistance. During the attack, one officer is killed and another injured. The purpose was to obtain Nazi maps and documents, of which unfortunately there were none. This unnecessary attack begins a cataclysm of events for the town of Putten that will never be forgotten. The next morning, the little village of Putten is flooded with German soldiers, and all of the inhabitants are summarily herded into the town square. Eventually the women and children are dismissed, but several hundred of the most important men are kept under armed guard. Enter our protagonist – a lovely young nurse named Janneke, who is not only a caring nurse but also a very brave young woman. Wearing her nurse's uniform, she is allowed to enter where others are prohibited, and she discovers that several of her uncles and cousins are among the guarded men.

At that point the Nazis decide to make an example of the village of Putten and announce that they will burn the town to the ground. They command everyone to evacuate, and that night most of the homes are completely destroyed by fire. The evacuated citizens find refuge in the homes of some of the outlying farms, one of which is inhabited by Janneke's family. The next morning the men who have been rounded up in town are loaded onto cattle cars of the railroad and transported to various labor or “death” camps. Much of the book follows Janneke's uncle, Johan, and cousin, Dirk, through the travesties that they endure at these camps.

One of the things that I really liked about this book was the photographs at the beginning of each chapter. These were photos of actual buildings in the town of Putten, as well as pictures of the prisoners at the camps and other historical photos of the war. This added a lot to the authenticity of the account. Being of Dutch descent myself, I truly empathized with the poor people of Putten as they suffered at the hands of the Nazis. Bailey did a superb job of describing the different settings – the placid farms and the horrific labor camps. She truly made the story come alive in my mind. I had no trouble imagining the men who had to sleep sometimes four to a bunk bed on flat straw mattresses, or the miserable feeling of digging trenches in the pouring rain. Another fact that I really appreciated was that a Lutheran pastor showed love and kindness by taking the dead bodies piled up at the gate and burying them in his church's cemetery. As a Lutheran pastor's wife, I could sympathize with that act of kindness. There was actually nothing about this story that I did not appreciate.

I only spotted a couple of errors in the editing of this book, so I assume that it was professionally edited. That fact, plus the excellent writing style, gives me a good reason to rate it 4 out of 4 stars. There was very little vulgar language, and literally no scenes of graphic description, so it would not be objectionable to anyone. If you appreciate a good historical fiction set during World War II, then I recommend that you read this unforgettable tale of The Weeping Woman of Putten by Alyce Bailey. You won't be disappointed!

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The Weeping Woman of Putten
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[Caffrey_19]

This book is quite thrilling. I have no doubts that lovers of history books will be captivated by The Weeping Woman of Putten by Alyce Bailey. I enjoyed the review. Nice work.

[ohlendorfbe]

Thanks for reading my review. Glad you liked it!

[Leen282]

Great review, I have the book on my shelves but haven't had the chance yet to read it.

[ohlendorfbe]

Thanks for the comment! I hope you enjoy the book!