Ursula HegiBesprekingen

This mesmerizing story was hard to put down! It was such a beautifully written book. I was instantly connected to the main character, Trudi, and concerned for the well-being of the minor characters such as Frau Ambromovitz and the others who populate this fictional town. I recommend it highly.

I thought it would be better. There were so many paths the author could have taken but didn't. The author could have used the rule of writer's to show and not tell. Like letting the reader in on the main character's rumor making and story telling abilities, would of made a better read, in my humble opinion.½

I'm not sure why this book gets such terrible reviews. I found the writing alone, lyrical and mesmerizing, worth the reading. The characters are sharply drawn and vivid, with the nearly titular Mason looming the largest. I liked the tension that Hegi managed in making Mason's relationship with Annie both warm and nostalgic and terrifying and abusive.

The meditative first quarter, with talk radio hosts intermingling with imagination and contemplation was by far the strongest and the last quarter, with political protests tacked on in weak parallels dimmed by comparison, but on the whole, I enjoyed it and I'll seek out Hegi's other works.

Finally, I can't help saying this: the inability of modern writers to write deep, intense and platonic relationships never fails to disappoint me.

Not as good as Stones from the River.

I enjoyed this novel because Hegi does such a wonderful job of weaving the narratives together without ever making it overwrought and preachy. It is not a story about a Zwerg (dwarf) woman in Germany prior and during World War II. It is a story about Trudi Montag, whose experiences and fears are a mirror to our own trials and tribulations--perhaps not in severity, but in the lessons that can be learned. Despite the sometimes difficult subject matter, Trudi is a redemptive protagonist (at least for the reader), and the book is a beautiful tribute to the challenges of humanity.

This sweeping novel, set in a German town on the banks of the Rhein, reckons with German history between World War I and World War II. Trudi Montag was different from the moment of her birth in 1915. Trudi is a Zwerge, a dwarf, and her birth seems to send her fragile mother over the edge of sanity. Trudi’s father, a disabled veteran who runs the town’s pay library, is sensitive to Trudi’s needs and finds creative and loving ways to accommodate them. Trudi and Leo run the library together, with Trudi taking over more of the responsibilities as her father ages.

Trudi has a gift – or perhaps a curse – of sensing others’ unexpressed thoughts and emotions, and this knowledge gives Trudi a feeling of power. She weaves her secrets into stories that both fascinate and repel her neighbors. The young Trudi is often cruel and manipulative, but as she matures, she learns to forgive and extend kindness. As the Nazi party gains a foothold in the town, Trudi uses her stories to protect her Jewish neighbors and others whose lives are endangered, and to force Nazi sympathizers to reckon with the truth.

The novel talks about the baby boom of 1946, following the soldiers’ return. Hegi was born in Germany in 1946, so she was part of that baby boom. She would have experienced the silence of the post-war years, and like Trudi, she uses story to bring truth to light.

They did not understand why Trudi Montag wanted to dig in the dirt, as they called it, didn’t understand that for her it had nothing to do with dirt but with the need to bring out the truth and never forget it. Not that she liked to remember any of it, but she understood that—whatever she knew about what had happened—would be with her from now on, and that no one could escape the responsibility of having lived in this time.½

Reason Read: American Author challenge
First time to read anything by this author. I found it to engage with any of the characters. The biggest theme being grief and shared delusions, disadvantaged people. It maybe was too many themes. I won’t feel drawn to read any other books by the author. While this was read for AAC, the author is German-American. Born in Germany and lived there until 18.

This illustrated children's book is adapted from Hegi's novel, [Stones from the River], and features its protagonist, Trudi, a dwarf trying to come to terms with her otherness. In the novel this takes place in German society, during the rise of Nazi rule and the trauma of WWII. The much abbreviated children's version eliminates all mention of Trudi's family and neighbors, war and politics, and focuses on her personal struggle to be herself in a world seemingly created for bigger people. When she finally meets another "little person", a circus performer named Pia, she learns to accept her "strangeness" as normal, and imagines they both have come from a magical island where everyone is small and beauty is all around. Presumably the point of this book is to let children see differences as gifts, rather than as obstacles. I don't think it works very well. The illustrations look as though they were done by a child with some artistic ability who hasn't learned about perspective yet. Since the story is all about perspective, this seems like a flaw, and the art lacks the primitive charm that could have saved it. It is listed as being for readers from 5 to 9 years of age. I think dwarfism may be too specific a difference to have wide appeal for that age range, and the lesson is too much the point of the story. I'm not going to share this one with my 5-to-9ers. I just don't think they'd care much for it. The presentation doesn't do justice to my memory of the novel, either, although it has been close to 20 years since I read it.

The story of a group of neighbors in a small German village outside Dusseldorf from 1915 to 1952. The main character is Trudi, a dwarf, who uses her outsider status to carefully observe all those she comes in contact with. She feels like a real person, intelligent and sensitive, but also capable of rage, hatred and revenge. The core of the book is the rise of the Nazis, the persecution of the Jews, the ravages of WWII, and the guilt and silence that follows the war. The book is unsparing in condemning those who turned their eyes away from atrocities and the rationalization of their actions, and inaction, when the war is over. It's important to revisit how dangerous authoritarianism governments can be now that they are on the rise worldwide, with even the US flirting with abandoning democracy.

Although this novel was slow reading and never really caught fire for me, the ending is wonderful and ties together how the story was told.½

Here's what I wrote in 2008 about this read: "Powerful tale of Nazi Germany, frequently remembered. Trudi, the victim of drawfism, and the many Germans who pragmatically found it easier to stay in step with the Nazi's, vs. resist or fight them."

Review: The Worst Things I’ve Done by Ursula Hegi. 3* 05/22/2022

I thought the author’s writing was strong but the story itself was somewhat bland and in places sad. I knew all along that Jake was in love with Hegi. I kept reading but knew that there was something weird about Mason. Somehow I felt from the beginning like I couldn’t connect with the characters.

With all the political propaganda within the story is what made me unsettled on how to rate this book. There were some interesting issues the characters went through but I felt a lot of it was predictable. It wasn’t really a story that uplifted my interest. I have read other works by Ursula Hegi and liked her writing and subject matter.½

Hmmm...this book could've been so much more, I think. A major event happens and we learn how it effected individual lives...kind of...sort of...I didn't care anything about any of these people so this book wasn't great for me.

It has been a while since a book has enthralled me the way this book has, and yet I am struggling to give it anything more than 3 stars. Ursula Hegi strength is her power to transport us into this German community during the years from the end of WWI until the years just after WWII. The small village inhabitants – their rivalry, small and big conflicts, acts of bravery or cowardice, etc... – are poignantly described by Hegi. But, I felt at the end that the background had taken priority over the individual characters.

While the communal experience of war left me breathless and teary at times, once the plot moved from it, the personal struggles seemed underdeveloped, becoming rushed or simply abandoned while new conflicts stirred up. This is too bad, because for quite a while the main character carried the story well, but at some time Ursula Hegi seems to lose the control of this world she created and too many characters with too many personal stories become too loosely connected, with side stories sprouting and disappearing, while what should had been the driving event directing the book – the revenge planed by the main character against the boys that so deeply hurt her – becomes secondary. This is evident at the end, when it is all tied together in a most unsatisfactory and unconvincing way.

Now, having said all this, I am considering nominating this book to my offline bookclub. While it lacks in literary sophistication, Stones from the River still raises deep questions on the personal responsibility of individuals in the political events happening around us all. A good book to discuss, I am sure.

A beautiful and touching collection of stories, Floating in My Mother’s Palm invokes a small town on the Rhein in post-war Germany. The book is driven by characters, from the all-too recognizable neighbor resting her elbows on a pillow as she gazes out the window all day long to the dwarf librarian who fuels the town’s gossip mill. Although described as a novel, the stories are fairly disjointed, with each one focusing on different characters and situations until we emerge at the end with an idea of the town’s inhabitants. We examine closely, then draw away a bit and find ourselves with a full and vibrant picture.

The narrator is a young girl, varying in age from not quite born in the first story, to a teenager at the end. As she discusses the world she grew up in and the people she knew, she herself is strongly influenced by her adventurous artist mother, who is constantly painting images of the town just as Hanna, the narrator, paints the town in words. It is clear in the end that she is her mother’s daughter – impulsive, sometimes rash, yet caring and with an eye for the beautiful and the unseen.

Each character and story is memorable, as is the town itself. The picture, hazy at first, becomes clearer and clearer as the same vistas are evoked in different stories and moods, until the whole town is built solidly in your mind.

A lovely book which I will surely revisit in the future

I saw some critics call this book a historical novel. I strongly disagree. This book is more of a character driven fantasy not magic realism but more a dream like setting than reality.

This sat on my shelf for such a long time. I thought about releasing it without reading it but something stopped me. And I'm glad.

One reviewer called it "epic" and I can't think of a better word. It is the story of Trudi Montag, born a little person - dwarf - zwerg - who tried to become normal. As a child she tried to stretch herself by hanging from closet bars. She tried to squash her head to make is smaller, more proportionate.

None of these efforts caused anything but pain, and eventually Trudi gave up on them. She took her place beside her father in their pay library, checking out books, taking in fees, finding books and saving the new ones for special customers. Her mother had lived on the edge of madness so it was Trudi and her father as she grew up.

Fortunately, Trudi's father was a kind, accepting, wise man. During the 1930s in Germany it was easy to be targeted if you were kind and accepting. Her father did not let this deter him from helping when his Jewish neighbors were pushed from their homes and arrested for no reason.

We follow Trudi through her early years, then on into the second world war and beyond. We watch as her neighbors show their true colors and as Trudi learns how to forgive sometimes, but not always. An incident in her early teens caused her to distrust almost everyone, especially those who wanted more from her, who wanted real love.

This huge novel takes a small life and brings into focus what it was like to be German during Hitler's reign, what it was like to be different then as it is now. I appreciated the nuanced portrayals of Trudi's town and neighbors. Written by someone who wasn't alive until much later, it reads like she was there, on the spot.

When they are this good, there is always room for more interpretations of those terrible times, as they bring about greater understanding.

While I admire Hegi’s departure from her usual style of writing, issues dealing with more modern times in Germany, I found this story of motherhood and loss to meander. Focusing on three mothers in the mid 1800’s, Hegi has chosen an 11-year old impregnated by her twin brother who is forced to go to a Catholic home for unwed mothers, Sabine who is mother to a mentally handicapped daughter and Lotte, who goes to live at the Catholic home for unwed mothers after three of her children drowned in a freak wave. There is a lot of compassion in the writing and like her outstanding book Stones from the River, misfits are central to the story. Where Trudi the dwarf in Stones from the River gripped me in empathy from the beginning, I was unable to get caught up emotionally in this story.

This mesmerizing story was hard to put down! It was such a beautifully written book. I was instantly connected to the main character, Trudi, and concerned for the well-being of the minor characters such as Frau Ambromovitz and the others who populate this fictional town. I recommend it highly.

Ursula Hegi leaves the reader wanting more! Several of these beautifully written stories end too abruptly. What happened to the young seminarian? How did Aunt Jocelyn do in her new hotel?
What happened to the new family in "End of All Sadness"? Two of the stories are connected: "Freitoid" and "For their Own Survival" take place in the same place and time, with different story lines. Do the stories eventually intersect?

Overall, Hegi provides a book of short escapes that make the reader think. And each could be a novel of their own.

It was a haunting story. I would have given it a higher rating but I do not care for "stream of conscious" writing. It was distracting and took away from the story.

Not as good as the other books in the Burghdorf Cycle. I found it sometimes veered off into details and sub plots that went nowhere or were distracting. Otherwise, He go does a great job of drawing the reader in.

Ursula Hegi captured me as soon as I opened the first page. Her writing is so beautiful and the story is so enthralling I couldn't put the book down. The only complaint is that I wished the book would never end!
I highly recommend this book, and the other books in the Burgdorf cycle.

I have always enjoyed Ursula Hegi. During shelter in place, I have been reading books that I have had for years but not gotten around to. Salt Dancers was one of those. It was a short book(240 pages) but lots of narration so it seemed longer. Julie is 41 years old, an architect, lives in Vermont, and is 4 months pregnant. She is not married but is connected loosely with the father to be. She decides to go back to Spokane to see her father who she hasn't seen in 23 years and her 40 year old brother who lives with him. Julia's mother left the family when she was 9 and she has basically disappeared. Julia's father abused her after her mother left them. This is the reason for her absence. The book shows her dealing with all these issues. We are totally in her head throughout the book and that is always difficult to have one point of view. I did enjoy the writing and appreciated how difficult things have been for Julia. However, it was almost too much to take in as a reader. There were plot elements that didn't add up for me. If you have read Hegi then you might enjoy this book.. It is not a happy subject but one that happens throughout our culture and I did like getting an insight into the mind of someone who had such a tough upbringing. If you have not read Hegi, then I suggest reading Stones from the River as an introduction to her.

3.5-My first introduction to the writing of this author, and I have to admit I wasn't immediately drawn into this novel. The writing was gorgeous, the descriptions like a poem, but it has a very different structure and tone.

It's the mid 1800's in the village of Nordstrand, off Germany's coast. There is a school for pregnant girls, run by the nuns, but these nuns are kind, loving and wise. There is a competitive yearly contest for the oldest man or woman and it is after this contest that a huge wave, takes away Lotte and Kallis three young children. There is also a a zircus which comes every year and will play a big part in the story. There are also a group of old women who gossip, hold secrets and I loved their inclusion.

A novel of loss, survival, love and redemption, showing both the frailty and inner strength of women. Three women will come together to help each other move forward. It is a melancholy story, elegant and ethereal, almost like a fever dream. Maybe a myth or tale of folklore. This is life in all its glory and struggles, of the pulling together and pushing apart. I ended up embracing this novel for its very different storytelling and beautiful writing.

This was my first Hegi, but it won't be the last. I have two novels by this author sitting on my home shelves.

ARC from Edelweiss.½

After Trudi's mother rejects, abandons, and runs away from her dwarf daughter, she eventually feels absolved from this sin of her creation to accept her child.

Trudy becomes both a storyteller and the storehouse of memory for her village.
Alternately totally unlikable as she betrays even her friends with her false rumors and admirable as she hides Jewish People from the Nazis,
the insightful book overflows with foreshadowing, sorrow, grief, and fury.

Dreams of Redemption?