Reviews
Adult novel with an adult theme
“This is a beautiful book–one I too picked up and tried to read at age 11 right after reading Summer of German Soldier. I didn’t like it then. How could I? At age 11, change is not a favorite condition–which is all this novel is about.
I decided to try it again at 21. The book is just wonderful for adults seeing Patty grow up and make decisions as an adult. An adult knows that sick feeling when they are about to disappoint their family but knows they have to to follow their own path.
To address other issues: Michael Werner was abusive like her father–she had to learn to choose someone not abusive. There is the reference to sex–it is not out of place in a coming of age novel. And at 18, she is not particularly young to be portrayed as a young woman losing her virginity. If it helps the morality police–this is the guy who begs to marry her.
There should be no more mention of Anton. He’s dead–they were never in love or a couple. They were good friends. He opened her eyes to another continent and she went as soon as she got the chance. She chose to go to Paris first–Roger did not cause her to detour. She finally does go to Gottingen. Sure, she could have talked to Anton’s dad–but why? When she realizes his mother is dead, she also realizes Anton is gone and the past is just that–past. She freaks out–and quite frankly Anton’s poor dad had lost his wife and a son–why bring it up and cause him grief?
The novel is a sweet story about a woman realizing she can tell others not to abuse her–the way a child cannot. She is learning to let go of the past the way a child cannot, and she is learning to live a new life–her own in the place she chose.
This novel was about Patty–not about what happened 7 years earlier with her now dead friend. Patty goes from being a girl to a woman in this novel.
This is a book that needs to be read by adults and certainly not just after reading Summer of My German Soldier in school.”
By Jayme
Pretty Good! 
“When I started reading Morning is a Long Time Coming, I was a little upset… It had the same characters, but was very different from Summer of My German Soldier. I can completely understand why several people in these reviews have written they were let down– at first, I was too. But then something dawned on me: The sequel takes place 6 or so years later from Summer of My German Soldier… of course it’s going to be different… I thought this was a very good book, one that you definitely should read after Summer of My German Soldier… You basically have to!”
By “alwayss”
MORNING IS A LONG TIME COMING
“I really liked this book, and I found it intresting to see what happened to Patty after the events in “Summer of my German Solider”. It was exactly the opposite of what I had thought about when I read “Summer of my German Soldier”. The characters were more grown up, and had to deal with different issues than in “Summer of my German Solider”. If you liked “Summer of My German Soldier” you will like “Morning is a long time coming” also.”
By book lizard
A surprise
“I got this book because it was the sequel to “Summer of my German Soldier”, which i thought was good. I didn’t really expect anything of it, i thought it would just be about her recovering from his death, and everything, i didn’t expect much romance or anything. That’s more or less why I got “Summer of my German Soldier”, because it had romance. So, i was very surprised to find that there WAS romance in it, a lot. Yet it also had more than romance ( no matter how much you love romance, there’s always gotta be something else ). It had healing for the death of ANton and doing what should be done, not always what her heart tells her. I’m not big on that, but i admire people who sacrifice something they love to do something they know is right. I can’t really do that, and i admire Patty for doing it.”
A must have!!
“I was so glad to finally find this book!! I’ve been looking for a copy for awhile. It is the sequel to a terrific book called Summer of My German Soldier (a must have, as well). It is so wonderful to get to find out what happened to the heroine of the first story. You could read this book on its own, but it might get a little confusing. I’d really suggest reading the first novel before proceeding. The books were written for a young teenage audience, but I think that older readers would enjoy it, too. I know that I did, and I’m in my 20′s. Bette Greene is a wonderful writer, and this book reflects that. I suggest that everyone read this book! ”
By Lori A. Walls
A great book about a girl who’s trying to follow her dream
“This is the compelling sequel to Summer of My German Soldier. Since the second I started reading Morning Is A Long Time Coming I was intrigued. Morning Is A Long Time Coming is about a girl named Patty, who wants to fulfill her dream. Her dream is to go to Germany to meet the love of her life’s mother. On the way she meets a Frenchman named Roger, who tries to make her realize it’s not right for her to go to Germany to meet this stranger. Does she go to Germany? You’ll have to read this book to find out.
I thought Morning Is A Long Time Coming was a very good book but it did have a few slow moments. I liked how the book had vivid description however it wasn’t too abstract. I would suggest you read this book after you read the prequel, Summer Of My German Soldier, so you understand Patty’s intense emotions. I hope you enjoy reading this powerful book as much as I did!”
Angieville: MORNING IS A LONG TIME COMING
“MORNING IS A LONG TIME COMING opens six years after the events of Summer of My German Soldier (Puffin Modern Classics). Patty is graduating from Jenkinsville High and heading to visit her grandparents in Memphis to celebrate. While there, they present her with a check for college and she begins entertaining the possibility of fulfilling her dream and traveling to Europe to find Anton’s mother. Unable to set the circumstances of his death behind her, Patty longs to meet his family and explain her story to the mother of her friend. Against the wishes of her family (and the entire close minded population of Jenkinsville), she sets sail for Europe, making a few friends on the voyage who help her come out of her shell a little and who remind her there is so much more to the world than Arkansas. In Paris, Patty meets a young photographer and English instructor name Roger who opens up another view of the world to Patty. And even as she experiences a happiness and freedom she has never known before, her obsession with Anton’s death and with finding and meeting his mother rears its head, lurks in the back of her mind, pressing on her, prodding her to leave Paris and Roger for Germany and the possibilities it represents.
I love this book. It is such a simple, sweet story. And I love it as a sequel because, even set six years later, it addresses the implications of its predecessor with just as much gravity and attention as they deserve. Patty was just twelve years old when she met Anton. The fact that she has reached the legal age of adulthood has nothing on the power of the impressions that were made at that tender age. At the same time, I was proud of how strong she’d gotten in the interim. She stood up to her mother and father, she defied everyone who ever told her she was dirt and she left them in the dust and traveled to the Old World, which for her was so breathtakingly new. It’s a fine line presenting a protagonist with a true obsession. And Patty was a slave to hers. But she was cognizant of it. That fact is what always strikes me about her. She knows it’s killing her, dragging her under with its constant emotional assault. And yet she moves through it, trying to keep her head above water and do the right thing and accomplish what it takes to lay her ghosts to rest and move on with her life. I love her for her doggedness and her earnestness. And I love Roger for his quintessential Frenchness and for the wholehearted and compassionate way he embraces life and Patty.
Few people read beyond the first book. Many don’t even know this one exists and it deserves so much more than that. Recommended for fans of Eva Ibbotson (particularly A Song for Summer) and Madeleine L’Engle’s And Both Were Young. ”
Angela Thompson
We Must Understand the Past To Get On With The Future
“I agree, in some ways, with other, somewhat less than enthusiastic reviews of this book. However, I think we are all comparing it to the prequel, Summer of My German Soldier. It cannot be compared, because then we are denying the power it holds on it’s own. Anton is dead. That was difficult to accept when I first began reading this novel, I rarely believe bad news. And neither does Patty truly accept his death. She travels to Europe, to find answers that she must know are not there. She meets Roger, who cares about her now, and still she clings desperately to the idea of Anton. She tried to save him, and she forgets the real service she did, showing him kindness. In the end, the past must be released into memory, not forgotten, but not held to so tightly that the present is ignored. Patty changes, always a mature girl, she has now grown up.”
By McKay
A beautiful story
“The story is wonderful the way patty falls in love with roger is very romantic. The only part that made me sad is that patty treats ruth like a stranger even though she is like her mother. I highly recommend this book it will leave you wit a feeling of love, anger,confusness,and you have the feeling you are there where the story is being told. “
Morning Is a Long Time Coming
“I orderd this book for my granddaughter. It is the sequel to “Summer of My German Soldier which we both enjoyed. Even though this is classified as being for teenagers, it is very well written and I enjoyed both books a lot.”
By Wanda L. Tomlin
Morning Is a Long Time Coming
“The sequel to Summer of My German Soldier, is just as exciting. Patty Bergen follows through with her plan to go to Germany to find her “real mother”, which is the mother of the German soldier, Anton, whom she hid during World War II. Along her trip, she meets a man named Roger. They take a liking to each other and soon become close friends. While on her tour of Paris, she suddenly becomes ill. She soon learns that a peptic ulcer has been found in her stomach. After overcoming many obstacles, she looks for Anton’s mother. When she reaches the house she soon learns something veru surprising! For readers who like love stories and stories of hope, this is the book you’ve been waiting to read!”
18 year old Girl Goes To Paris in 1950′s
“Patty Bergen is off on an adventure to find Anton’s mother. Anton is a Germany POW killed by Americans. Patty has to travel to Germany to find Anton’s family. She does this by using the money her grandparents gave her for college.
On her way to Germany Patty is sidetracked by Roger. Patty and Roger ended up falling in love. A few more things sidetrack Patty before she has a chance to go to Germany. Then Patty decides to go to Germany. To see what happens read Morning is a Long Time Coming By Bette Greene. * I think you should read the book Summer of My German Solider before you read this book. It may help you understand the book better.* “
Morning Is A Long Time Coming
“It has been six years since the summer that changed Patty Bergen’s life forever- the summer she sheltered Anton, an escaped German POW. Her high school graduation should mark a new beginning, but Patty cannot face her future until she comes to terms with her pst. She decides to go to Germany in search of Anton’s mother, desperate for a connection to the man she loved and lost. En route, she stops in Paris, where she meets Roger. And now she must think twice about her plan-not only because of what she might find, but because of what she must leave behind…. “
