by Anna Patrick
Acknowledgements
My thanks to everyone who read the first drafts for their kind words and helpful suggestions: Janet Hurton, Phil Parker and especially Mick Jeffs who kept me on track in the early days.
I am indebted to Barbara Dresner and Geraldine Parker whose insightful comments proved invaluable. Barbara also translated Our Lady’s Dream and polished my own translation of Two Christmas Eves.
Last but never least, my husband, Mike, my soulmate, without whom this book would not exist and who gave endless encouragement and support.
There are many excellent books about Poland’s history and the Second World War but I found the following particularly useful: Berlin at War by Roger Moorhouse; The Third Reich in Power by Richard J. Evans; The Gestapo by Frank McDonough; The Forgotten Holocaust by Richard C. Lukas; Heart of Europe: The Past in Poland’s Present by Norman Davies.
Inspiration also came from A Girl Called Judith Strick by Judith Strick Dribben; Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada; Ravensbrück by Micheline Maurel; And I Am Afraid of My Dreams by Wanda Poltawska. I was pleased to find confirmation of my mother’s memory of being washed in a long vest in The Last Mazurka by Andrew Tarnowski.
I also benefitted from the wisdom of The Literary Consultancy and the Jerry Jenkins Guild.