The Gut Greifenau series has six volumes, but it is clear that these are rather like two trilogies, because volume three brings most of the plot lines to a conclusion. This made me very happy, because there are so many elements to the story that already started in book 1, so it felt like a relief to finally see them be played out and finished. But of course, before the grand finale, there are more twists and turns, more tragedies, more secrets and political upheaval.
The novel starts on an estate in Pomerania in 1917 and ends in the summer of 1919. The aristocratic family owning the estate, as well as their servants, are swept away by the historical events, each person trying to find their own way to deal with what is happening. I must admit that the parallels to today's world were rather eerie at times, both because of the war and because of the Spanish Flu - sometimes it felt like listening to a story about covid, which is even more extreme considering that the book was written in 2019.
Like in the first two volumes, I loved the characters. I even cried a few times while listening, for example when the women of the estate finally travel to town to vote for the first time in their lives, wearing their best clothes for the occasion. There were a few plot elements that I did not like that much because they were a bit too cheesy or too alike to a soap opera, but apart from that, I simply loved it again and felt like coming home each time I opened the audible app and started listening. ( )