| Reviews2
Barnes & Noble Reviews
A Powerful Story of Love and Faith
 Reader Rating Posted October 4, 2008, 4:22 PM EST:
This is a poignant, powerful story of survival and the power of love. Set during the growing tyranny of the Nazi regime, the book chronicles the horrors and sacrifices that Lizzi and Fredl faced in their desperate escape from their Austrian homeland. While we have heard many accounts of Jewish people escaping the Nazis, this is the dramatic, touching, historically accurate story of two Catholics whose decision to oppose the Nazi overthrow of their native Austria forced them into a long, tortuous journey. Most poignant for me was the love that Lizzi and Fredl had for one another and how its power literally save their lives. The history has been meticulously researched, which adds to the intensity of the narrative. It is a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the enduring power of love, no matter how horrendous the force of history may become. It's so uplifting!
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Anonymous
A book from and for the heart and soul.
Reader Rating Posted August 19, 2008, 9:27 PM EST:
I have read this outstanding book and have considered it a privilege to do so. As the junior high Language Arts teacher at St. Callistus School in Garden Grove, I found this book to be an account written from the heart and soul for the heart and soul. It is a magnificent account of faith, love, determination, and courage that truly speaks about the horrific events of the holocaust. The book realtes the 'real' account of two people who are very much in love with each other and this love, based in faith, brings them through many trials as their very existence hangs in the balance. Without a doubt this book needs to be cherished and shared.
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Anonymous
A Tremendous Story I'll Never Forget
Reader Rating
Posted June 13, 2008, 1:32 PM EST:
I have never been so inspired by a book-- fiction or non-fiction. It is a testament to the beauty and strength of the human spirit, even in the most trying of times. Lizzi and Fredl were true heroes, as were the people who helped them along the way. This book is a small but important piece of history that must never be forgotten. The story telling is beautiful, and the photos are incredible-- unlike anything I've ever seen. Thank you, Dr. Stanford, for sharing this amazing story. Lizzi and Fredl are undoubtedly smiling down on you, bursting with pride.
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Anonymous
An amazing, inspiring story
Reader Rating Posted June 4, 2008, 1:17 PM EST:
I absolutely loved this book.
While I am not often a fan of traditional biographies, this memoir was utterly fantastic! I cried my eyes out so many times, and while it sounds cliche, I really couldn't put it down at times. It was beautifully written, and I really felt like I was in another time and place, like I was there with Lizzi and Fredl, going through the horrors of WWII and fearing for their lives. I can't fathom the pride and love Dr. Stanford and his family must all feel, for what Lizzi and Fredl went through and their huge desire to have the wonderful family they were undoubtedly blessed with. What an incredible way to document their legacy!
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Anonymous
Amazing!!! Wow!!!
Reader Rating Posted April 29, 2008, 12:06 AM EST:
What an incredible book! I only put it down to dry my tears. This author made me step into the shoes of Lizzi & Fredl and feel what they must have felt. He has a powerful mastery of the written word. I could visualize everything he wrote. I thought I was living their lives right along with them. If this book doesn't pull on your heart strings you need a transplant. The 400 plus pages flew by and my only criticism was that it was far too short. I hope there is a sequel. The last chapter was so moving that I read it over and over again. I thought Schindler's List was dramatic, but Lizzi & Fredl beats it by a wide margin. This has to make the N.Y. Best Sellers list. I see why this was given a Publisher's Choice award. Bravo - Dr. Standford. Please keep writing!
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LIZZI & FREDL:
A Perilous Journey of Love and Faith
By William B. Stanford
444 pp. iUniverse $27.95
Six years of horror, with rare moments of joy, make up this tale of a refugee couple who fled Austria just before the Anschluss and succeeded in staying alive through World War II.
Stanford spent years wading through old documents and badgering Fredl and Lizzi, his elderly parents, for information in order to put this book together, and it rings true. One might call it a fictionalized biography; Stanford provides dialogue and writes in scenes. His parents read what he wrote and told him more stories; each one found out things the other had never before revealed. The result is a thriller a good deal better than many historical novels.
The pair, Fredl a Catholic and Lizzi Jewish, decided to leave their homeland when Fredl, an expert jeweler, was drafted to work in a German airplane factory. Their frightening escapes began as soon as they left their homes, their parents, and the Vienna they loved. Fortunately for them, kind strangers helped them get to France and a sort of freedom that didn't last long. German occupiers soon made their lives there as perilous as they would have been had the couple stayed in Vienna. Fredl spent years in labor camps, and when his health deteriorated he nearly died, but survived. After years of hiding and running, he and Lizzi made it to the United States to live the rest of their lives in peace.
Suspenseful and moving, Stanford's book deserves to be read. (Reviewed by Carter Jefferson)
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