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Jump to navigationJump to searchTales of Loving and Leaving by Gaby Weiner (view source)
Revision as of 09:27, 10 November 2016
, 09:27, 10 November 2016no edit summary
Amalia, Uszer and Steffi led lives shaped by the turmoils of the twentieth century: not just the rise of the Nazis and WW2, but also the Russian Revolution, mass population transfers and the Cold War. It's the story of how three people reacted to forces greater than themselves, how they interacted with the politics and people in the countries they found themselves living in, and how these things affected the relationships they made and how they conducted them. It's fascinating and often very moving.
The writing is clear and elegant and is flavoured both by Weiner's honesty - for example, her jealousy on standing by her father's grave and seeing it was next to the grave of the wife who wasn't her mother - and her compassionate understanding of the flaws and frailties and courage of her family members. I read it in one sitting, fascinated by the careful research and the living of three lives that were so complicated and difficult yet so recognisable in the daily effort of putting one foot in front of the other, despite all the obstacles.
''Tales of Loving and Leaving'' comes recommended by me.
