Book 101 Review podcast
interview with Daniel Lucas
Another episode of The Girls - The Picture
Meet the Elite podcast
Listen to my interview
Times of Israel blog
BBC Newcastle filming at 55 Percy Park
Borderlines Carlisle Book Festival
Programme: https://www.borderlinescarlisle.co.uk/ 4th - 10th October 2022
Gilly Hope BBC radio Newcastle interview
Listen to Gilly's interview with me about the Tynemouth hostel at 55 Percy Park
Oxford Mail 3.2.2023
Jewish Telegraph 04/03/2022
Westmoreland Gazette 10/03/2022
The Mail 03/2022
Lancaster University alumni news
Reviews
This is a true story of a Jewish woman who escaped Vienna after the Nazis arrived and made it to England. Once in England she found work as a matron managing a home for Jewish girls escaping from Europe. It was thought that it would only be temporary but then war was declared. Girls of different age groups and different languages. Such challenges! The descriptions of living in Vienna and England before, during, and after the war were very enlightening. It is very well documented and must have taken years to investigate.
I just finished reading your book and really enjoyed it. Well written and very interesting. I have already recommended it to several people who you also match on MyHeritage. Maybe someone will trace back far enough. No matter what, your book is easy to read and I learned a loot about England and Europe during and after the war.
MS May 2023
"The new Hare with Amber Eyes"
"Understanding the implications of historical events on the lives of ordinary people, is key to grasping the import of movement of sociopolitical forces. This book gives an endearingly personalised account of the events across the first half of the 20th century, the Holocaust, and their impact on a particular family. Parallels can be drawn to the experience of many as Europe and the US , and others in “the west” deal with an increased virulence of right wing populist agendas …. A warning from history , and an intriguing read . It’s one thing to be told in broad strokes about the grand scheme of things in historical terms , it’s quite another to read about what it means to actual people and their lives. This sort of book should be required reading on any study of 20th century European history."
"Paula Sieber, born in 1889 into the affluent merchant class, lived a privileged life. An entrepeneuse in the dazzling society of Vienna, she prospered until the terrible events caused by the Nazi annexation of Austria overtook her and her Jewish family.
Paula's granddaughter, Vivien, has researched her family's history with the forensic skills of her scientific background. She has produced a history both detailed and accessible, which hums with glamour and fear, movement and concealment, travel to a strange country, and the slow realisation of the Nazi's final solution.
This book spans a period of great changes in Europe and tells a story that is both compelling and enlightening. It is an excellent book choice for young and old and carries a warning that we must never forget."
"This is an amazing book! Whilst telling the story of Dr Sieber's family and the struggles and suffering of various members of that family during the 20th century, it conveys the reality of life among the Austrian Jewish community and provides well-researched facts about the events of the times. At the same time, the main characters are portrayed in some depth and the visual descriptions and photographs bring their story to life, helping to make the book an easy - but not always comfortable - read. An engrossing book, written from a human perspective, combining compassion and wry humour. I strongly recommend it!"