Review
The Luck of the Weissensteiners by Christoph Fischer is nothing short of pure genius. I fell in love with the writing the moment I flipped the first page. The author's exquisite sense of style combines intricate historical facts with dramatic family turmoil that shocked the whole world when first revealed back in 1945. This beautifully crafted novel is filled with desperation and sheer determination to survive against insurmountable odds.
Greta Weissensteiner falls in love with the young man who sneaks books from his library and uses them to see her. Wilhelm Winkelmeier does not care she is a Jew and marries her. They live on his parents' farm where Greta is subjected to harsh living conditions and has to forget her love of books to take care of their son, Karl. Slowly, she wins the respect of Wilhelm's parents, but a storm is racing across the horizon in the shape of Nazi hatred of all things Jewish.
Then the unthinkable happens - the world turns a blind eye as Germany invades Austria and then Sudetenland bordering their home country of Czechoslovakia. It is only a matter of time before the terror begins.
The Weissensteiners have always believed in their own brand of luck that has kept them in good stead, but once the Jewish question is implemented that luck is needed time and again. And yet their luck seems to protect them, but at what cost.
This wonderful novel handles a difficult subject matter with style and grace, showing a close-knit family fighting injustice and never losing their dignity in the face of bigotry and hatred.
I must admit I was often brought to tears with several scenes so poignant and tender. This book deserves to be in every library as a reminder of man's inhumanity to man and how easily society can ignore such cruelty.
This FIVE STAR masterpiece should be read by every teenager as part of their school curriculum. I LOVE IT.
Greta Weissensteiner falls in love with the young man who sneaks books from his library and uses them to see her. Wilhelm Winkelmeier does not care she is a Jew and marries her. They live on his parents' farm where Greta is subjected to harsh living conditions and has to forget her love of books to take care of their son, Karl. Slowly, she wins the respect of Wilhelm's parents, but a storm is racing across the horizon in the shape of Nazi hatred of all things Jewish.
Then the unthinkable happens - the world turns a blind eye as Germany invades Austria and then Sudetenland bordering their home country of Czechoslovakia. It is only a matter of time before the terror begins.
The Weissensteiners have always believed in their own brand of luck that has kept them in good stead, but once the Jewish question is implemented that luck is needed time and again. And yet their luck seems to protect them, but at what cost.
This wonderful novel handles a difficult subject matter with style and grace, showing a close-knit family fighting injustice and never losing their dignity in the face of bigotry and hatred.
I must admit I was often brought to tears with several scenes so poignant and tender. This book deserves to be in every library as a reminder of man's inhumanity to man and how easily society can ignore such cruelty.
This FIVE STAR masterpiece should be read by every teenager as part of their school curriculum. I LOVE IT.
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