I should have added unlike on here I did not read any swear words ;D
Well done Swin,
There was a lot of long words I could not pronounce though. :B
That'll be the Dutch ;)
As he must have done a fair bit of research into the War and the Holocaust it's not surprising he's such a miserable fecker.
Posted by: grimsby pete, March 18, 2019, 10:53am; Reply: 5
A few reviews now and all good .(thumbup1)
Posted by: psgmariner, March 19, 2019, 2:24pm; Reply: 6
Well done Swin. Some great reviews there.
Posted by: Ipswin, March 25, 2019, 1:26pm; Reply: 7
Many thanks to Pete for his kind words and to others. A great relief. Please can I ask that if you have read it that you leave a review on Amazon. I met my Dutch publisher up at Olympia last week (she's gorgeous BTW) and she re-iterated how important the number of reviews is. Also I really enjoyed the research, Amsterdam is my favourite city and as 50% of the story takes place in a bar I had to do lots of research and take beer whilst doing so. The war and holocaust didn't seem too bad through a glass of Westmalle
Posted by: grimsby pete, March 25, 2019, 2:16pm; Reply: 8
Many thanks to Pete for his kind words and to others. A great relief. Please can I ask that if you have read it that you leave a review on Amazon. I met my Dutch publisher up at Olympia last week (she's gorgeous BTW) and she re-iterated how important the number of reviews is. Also I really enjoyed the research, Amsterdam is my favourite city and as 50% of the story takes place in a bar I had to do lots of research and take beer whilst doing so. The war and holocaust didn't seem too bad through a glass of Westmalle
I have put a review on Swin it said it might take several days to appear,
Forgot to add my name BUT you should be able to guess which is mine. :P
PS They did add my name and also added a D to Roger . ;D
Posted by: Brazilnut, March 29, 2019, 6:23pm; Reply: 9
Many thanks to Pete for his kind words and to others. A great relief. Please can I ask that if you have read it that you leave a review on Amazon. I met my Dutch publisher up at Olympia last week (she's gorgeous BTW) and she re-iterated how important the number of reviews is. Also I really enjoyed the research, Amsterdam is my favourite city and as 50% of the story takes place in a bar I had to do lots of research and take beer whilst doing so. The war and holocaust didn't seem too bad through a glass of Westmalle
I read it on kindle and all I can seem to do is rate it with stars .....how do i write a review
Posted by: Ipswin, March 29, 2019, 6:31pm; Reply: 10
I read it on kindle and all I can seem to do is rate it with stars .....how do i write a review
As far as I know click on the 'Kindle' as opposed to 'paperback' box then scroll right down to 'write a review' at bottom left of the page. You will then be asked to log into your (or your wife's) Amazon account You should then be able to write a review which will also show you as a 'verified purchaser' I think that's how it works, I can't review my own book sadly. If not you'll have to ask Pete, he's cracked it
Make sure you are on Amazon.co.uk. Amazon.com won't let you review unless you've spent $50 US!
Thanks in advance and welcome home
Posted by: Ipswin, May 8, 2019, 6:34pm; Reply: 11
Just got the following superb review on a US website from an accomplished author. The book is going down well, if you have read it please review on Amazon, if not, why not? Buy it now - please
Simon is the sole survivor of his family in Roger Swindells’ novel, Mendelevski’s Box. His father was a watchmaker, his talents sought after by wealthy patrons across the Netherlands. The family went into hiding shortly after the Germans invaded, but someone betrayed them and the family was sent to Auschwitz. Simon returns, bent on finding out who betrayed his family, who sent them to their deaths. What he finds is a country struggling to survive after the Germans were routed: people who starved or froze to death for lack of food and fuel, non-Jews who lost family members and were injured in unspeakable ways, and so much suffering. There isn’t much left of his Jewish community: most of the Jewish population was sent to death camps, never to return. His home is owned by a Dutch family (non-Jewish). And there continues to be a lot of anti-Semitic fervor amongst the Dutch people. Home is not what he remembered. Reconnecting with good people, those who helped during the war and others helping him after the war, Simon discovers a box left behind by his father, well hidden. The contents provide the young man with clues to help him unravel what really happened: how they were betrayed and by whom. Roger Swindells’ novel, Mendelevski’s Box, is a passionate tale that almost reads like a memoir. The sad plight of the Jewish people, and many others for that matter, at the hands of the Nazis during World War II has been written about in countless ways. Earth-shattering and heart-wrenching as it was during the war, what about the aftermath? What happened when those who survived the Nazi death camps returned to their homes? In great detail, the author presents the sad and sorry state of the Dutch people at the end of World War II. He outlines the ongoing distrust and anti-Semitism that remains ripe and he presents an almost unfathomable life. The plot reads like a memoir, a mystery, and a journey of discovery as Simon struggles to define a place for himself in this new world, the aftermath of barely surviving hell on earth. As he follows his goal of unmasking the betrayer, he comes to the sad realization that the Jewish population were not the only ones to suffer greatly. And, many Dutch people were continuing to suffer terribly in the aftermath of the German occupation. As he unravels what happened to his family, Simon discovers a soul mate and, unexpectedly, falls in love. The journey continues as the two seek to find their place in this new world that is rising slowly from the ashes of disaster. A compelling and heart-wrenching tale of courage and survival. – Emily-Jane Hills Orford
Posted by: 140485 (Guest), May 23, 2019, 4:31am; Reply: 12
Many thanks to Pete for his kind words and to others. A great relief. Please can I ask that if you have read it that you leave a review on Amazon. I met my Dutch publisher up at Olympia last week (she's gorgeous BTW) and she re-iterated how important the number of reviews is. Also I really enjoyed the research, Amsterdam is my favourite city and as 50% of the story takes place in a bar I had to do lots of research and take beer whilst doing so. The war and holocaust didn't seem too bad through a glass of Westmalle
If you think about it, I have always associated Amsterdam more with Cbd oils and De Wallen but not with bars. Apparently, I just didn't have a good company) The description of the book seemed interesting to me, so I'll certainly take the book to make up my own opinion. I'll just have a free weekend this week.
Posted by: Ipswin, May 25, 2019, 7:23pm; Reply: 13
Quoted from 140485
If you think about it, I have always associated Amsterdam more with Cbd oils and De Wallen but not with bars. Apparently, I just didn't have a good company) The description of the book seemed interesting to me, so I'll certainly take the book to make up my own opinion. I'll just have a free weekend this week.
Thanks mate, if you rate it please can you give a rating on Amazon (don't give one if you think it's crap tho')
Posted by: Ipswin, June 11, 2019, 6:29pm; Reply: 14
Well if you can stand it, my publisher has just posted a vid we made on You Tube with yours truly talking, in a Grimsby accent I thought had long disappeared, about the book. Yes I know the eyebrows are flipping weird (Mrs Swin reckons I look like Alistair Darling)
Posted by: cmackenzie4, June 11, 2019, 8:06pm; Reply: 15
Well spoken Swin, I know your face, I’ve seen you before at Town matches 👍
Posted by: grimsby pete, June 12, 2019, 1:59pm; Reply: 16
Well spoken Swin, I know your face, I’ve seen you before at Town matches 👍
Are you sure you did not see him on wanted posters Chris ,? ;D
Seriously well done Swin you have done well mate.
Posted by: moss_side_mariner, June 29, 2019, 12:18pm; Reply: 17
I read it on kindle and will be ordering the paperback for my dad. I'm not the most prolific reader but, really enjoyed it and got through it in a few days. In my mind I saw the bar owner, Jos, to be D1ck Strawbridge off the telly.
Posted by: Ipswin, June 29, 2019, 2:02pm; Reply: 18
I read it on kindle and will be ordering the paperback for my dad. I'm not the most prolific reader but, really enjoyed it and got through it in a few days. In my mind I saw the bar owner, Jos, to be D1ck Strawbridge off the telly.
Thanks mate, pleased you liked it and that you are ordering a copy for your dad. I would be obliged if you could review it on Amazon or on Good Reads.com. I see Jos as a bit more of a urine artist than Strawbridge but with an equally scary missus!
Posted by: Ipswin, June 25, 2021, 10:46am; Reply: 19
Just have to tell everyone my book reached 1,000 ratings on Goodreads.com today!
Book #2 is proving difficult as I can't travel to the Netherlands to do research thanks to Covid plus my oncologist has just told me I now have to have more treatment which will probably stop me going anyway.
Should have been in Amsterdam last week for the Euros, damn Covid!
Posted by: grimsby pete, June 25, 2021, 10:55am; Reply: 20
Just have to tell everyone my book reached 1,000 ratings on Goodreads.com today!
Book #2 is proving difficult as I can't travel to the Netherlands to do research thanks to Covid plus my oncologist has just told me I now have to have more treatment which will probably stop me going anyway.
Should have been in Amsterdam last week for the Euros, damn Covid!
Good to have you back Swin 8)
Posted by: Yossarian, June 25, 2021, 6:38pm; Reply: 21
Well done Ipswin - great dedication and talent. Not an easy task to do what you have done.....
Posted by: ginnywings, June 25, 2021, 7:31pm; Reply: 22
Great news on the book Swin.
Hope you get to travel to Amsterdam soon. A few thousand Wales fans know how you feel.