Margot Benary-IsbertBesprekingen

Gundula Immofila forever! ♡

Colourful dust wrapper design, title incorporated within it and author's name as Margot Benary

Sequel to The Ark. This one is probably a little more appropriate for older kids, 10+, due to reference to a suicide in the book and more "romance". I definitely enjoyed The Ark more, but this is a good sequel for those who loved The Ark.

Lovely, engaging read about a German family enduring and finding joy despite hardship following World War 2. I think this could be a valuable addition to WW2 reading, showing Germans as humans and portraying recovery from war. Appropriate as a read aloud for all ages. Probably best for 8-12 or so.

Translated from the German.Ex-lib. Huron High School

Ex-lib. Saline Junior High School library

The Wicked Enchantment carries one along in a fantasy, or modern folk tale. Is the city actually under a spell? Why aren't people getting along like they used to? And where on earth has the foolish virgin statue disappeared to? Benary-Isbert lived in Erfurt, Germany for a number of years, and the setting of this marvelous tale certainly sounds like Erfurt with its Cathedral Hill, and the hundred steps up it.

Surprisingly, the de Grummond Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi, where Margot Benary-Isbert's papers reside, does not mention this book which was published in 1955, after she'd moved to the United States.

No valid German National Library records retrieved.

The second in the series of a refugee family in Germany shortly after WWII (~1948). They've found a home on a farm where the eldest son helps in the orchard & fields, the oldest daughter is kennel assistant (the farm raises Great Danes) plus all other animals, the mother begins a sewing group to show other refugee women how to makeover old clothes, another daughter stays in school & enjoys drama, and the 2 youngest boys have all kinds of adventures at their new school.
I'm reading this aloud to my son, & he keeps wanting to go visit Rowan Farm.
The author writes interestingly, with a few philosophical musings which could actually be said in our current times. The overall life philosophy of the family seems to be "no one can help us if we don't help ourselves," and it seems to be working well for them. The book does touch on some social problems such as the fate of veterans after release from prison. This is a mind-benders for an American as I stop to realize these are Nazi soldiers whom we are taught were quite ruthless. Yet for those caught on the Russian side of the wall, the fate for them after prison is to be sent to uranium mines in Russia where they will be worked until they die. Even for those on the American side, there is no work, homes are frequently bombed out, and food is in short supply. Until the currency reform happens(also mentioned in this tale), no one really wants to buy or sell anything.
It was interesting to read some translations of quotes that are different in this book than we know. e.g. Evensong of matthias Claudius (p. 191); God Gave Me a Little Light (Negro spiritual)(p. 267).

Lovely story of life in Germany just after WWII. The struggle of common folks to find work and a place to live and food. It was a very hard time, but the wonderful characters never gave up hope and were always willing to help when they could. I loved the positive attitude of the book. I really loved the people and felt for them in the difficult situation.

Lovely follow-up to The Ark. One cares passionately about these people and their ruined Germany. The sheer grit of these farmers is humbling. It rings true, especially the "rascally boys". Highly recommended.

Immediate post-WWII Germany is the setting for this engaging book. The family consists of the mother and 4 children. One of the children lost her twin brother during the war, along with her dog. The father's last known location was a Russian camp. They've lost everything but each other, and have been foisted off by the refugee bureau on a reluctant widow who asked for a nice quiet couple. How they cope makes for a very interesting and ultimately hopeful story. Benary-Isbert is masterful at capturing bittersweet emotions in a few words. Highly recommended.

Warm and wise but also pretty dated. I like her attitude toward aging, and her feelings about love. She was a good writer and a champion of adventure in all its forms. If you can overlook the sexism with which she writes, there's much to be gleaned here. Interesting, too, to read the older versions of translations of things I love in their more familiar forms. It was interesting to read a 75-year-old's perspective on nursing homes, on being alone after a happy marriage, and on grandchildren. Recommended.

Excellent juvenile fiction about a family's experiences in post-WW II Germany.

Sequel to The Ark showing the future of Margret and Matthias especially. An interesting insight into life in post-WW2 Germany.

This book shows the future lives of Andrea and Matthias from The Ark and Rowan Farm as well as another visit to Lena from Castle on the Border. It is primarily set in America, but does still give an insight into Germany pre-reunification.
Not quite as magical as The Ark and Rowan Farm, but worth having as part of the series.

"This book has everything: gargoyles, a girl who runs away to join the circus, wise animals and a magic puppet show, an evil tyrant and a happy ending." –Lisa Goldstein