Love Among the Ruins: A memoir of life and love in Hamburg, 1945

(Paperback)

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Description

At 22, the war is over for RAF serviceman Harry Leslie Smith - author of the acclaimed Harry's Last Stand - but the battle for love and hope rages on.

Stationed in occupied Hamburg, a city physically and emotionally ripped apart by Allied bombing, and determined to escape grinding poverty of his Yorkshire youth, Harry unexpectedly finds a reason to stay: a young German woman by the name of Friede.

Their love develops uneasily, but gradually they win each other's trust, Harry taking on the responsibility of finding food for Friede's near-destitute family. But they must face both German suspicion and British disapproval of relations with 'the enemy'.

Presenting a street-level view of a city reduced to rubble, populated with refugees, black marketeers, corrupt businessmen and cynical soldiers, Love Among the Ruins is a unique snapshot of a terrible period in Europe's history, a passionate love letter to a city, to a woman, and to life itself.

Reviews

His straight-from-the-heart delivery makes these events seem as clear and immediate as if they happened yesterday * Morning Star *
Harry Leslie Smith is absolutely one of my heroes. Everyone should read this and be humbled. * Annie Lennox *
A deep love of humanity is what animates Smith. He is a hero of our times. * Newsweek *
The writing is beautiful and honest. The story is genuinely life-affirming. * Dipolmat *

Author Bio

Harry Leslie Smith's Guardian articles have been shared almost a quarter of a million times on Facebook and have attracted huge comment and debate. His book Harry's Last Stand attracted huge praise, with Annie Lennox saying that Harry 'is absolutely one of my heroes. Everyone should read this and be humbled.' He lives in Yorkshire.