Helga Warren

What a wonderful gift it must have been to open a suitcase to find the writings and photographs that her father had put into it. Not many people have the opportunity to have such a treasure trove of history. I am so glad that Helga Warren has shared the stories her Father wrote with others in her book "The Enchanted Suitcase" To read a first-hand account of World War II and then the internment in a prisoner-of-war camp in Alabama through a German's eyes was very compelling. Her Father was a truly gifted writer. I also enjoyed the further notes on each chapter that the author included to help readers to understand what her Father was writing about to readers unfamiliar with the settings being described. It is well worth reading.… (altro)

I won this book in a LibraryThing giveaway. Thank You Helga Warren for sending me a signed copy of your book. I rate this book 3.5 stars rounded down. This book came about because the author opened a suitcase belonging to her father. It contained letters to and from her father, Karlheinz Rudolf Stoess, diplomas and two short books, written by her father while he was at a prisoner of war camp in Alabama. This book was clearly a labor of love for the author. She typed all the letters and books in German, and then translated them and put them together as a book. She the spent a couple of years looking for a publisher who would publish this book.
Pros: If you are interested in what life was like for an ordinary German soldier in WWII, sometimes called a "Scheuerfrau" or "scrubwoman" of the Wehrmacht, then this book is for you. The letters and second book are excellent descriptions of both life as a German soldier and then as a POW.
The first book is a description of the romance that developed while he was stationed in Paris, France for the month of Oct., 1943.
Cons: The first book is overly romantic for me, since I don't usually read romance books.
One quote: Karlheinz thinking: "How happy I am inside! I could jump all over the seats with glee. And that sweet little Michi still has a grumpy look on her face. How sincere she is, how young, how unspoiled! Such an adorable being, such a fine girl! I feel closer to her than ever."
If you like romance books, this a chaste romance--no sex. While Karlheinz and Michi agree to marry at the end of the war, he marries someone else , but does keep in touch with her.
This was a short, easy read. Only 239pp, I read it in 3 days.… (altro)

While much has been written about the battles, cruelty, and bravery of WWII, there are far less historical literary works concerning the life experiences of WWII German POWs detained in camps mostly in the American south.

Through meticulous translation and research into her German father's WWII diaries, letters and short stories that he had written, first time author Helga Warren has granted us an interestingly unique glimpse of this one soldier's life. 'The Enchanted Suitcase' refers to the old suitcase she explored containing her fathers writings. They include his stories of heart warming romance, bitter conflict, suffering, politics, and his survival in American POW camps and his eventual freedom. 'The Enchanted Suitcase' is a special historical documentary offering the reader a unique perspective of WWII times through the eyes and experiences of Warren's father.

I recommend the book to those interested in WWII history from a very personal point of view.… (altro)