This is a refreshingly unusual book. It is mainly about rural Ireland in the 1940s and it is full of fun, enjoyment, insights and sheer delight in everything about that society. Herbert Remmel was one of the German children who was brought to Ireland after World War II by the Red Cross. His book begins with wartime life in Cologne and there is a graphic description of War and everyday life in a suburb of Cologne. This book is a child's eye view of Ireland as the Author found it just after the War, and as such is a joy to read and a great release from the dogmas about rural Ireland. His objectivity derives from the fact that he was an outsider who found himself in the middle of the society and writes straightforwardly about what he experienced and the impressions made on him, and writes with a great talent for vividly painting a variety of people and situations in a few sentences.
Jack Lane, Aubane Historical Society, January 2008