Tag Archives: Germany

All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days by Rebecca Donner

14 Monday Mar 2022

Posted by in 20th century, Biography, History, Non-fiction

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This work of nonfiction examines the life of Mildred Harnack, an American woman who married a German man; living in Berlin in the 1930s, she and her husband joined others to secretly work in the German resistance. This engaging book follows their efforts while also describing what life was like for Germans as Hitler seized power.

“[Donner is] a meticulous researcher and master of narrative suspense… Here is a historical biography that reads like a literary thriller.”―Wall Street Journal (Best Books of the Year)

“Highly evocative, deeply moving, a stunning literary achievement. Rebecca Donner forges a new kind of biography—almost novelistic in style and tone, this scholarly work resurrects the courageous life Mildred Harnack, an unsung American hero who led part of the German resistance to the Nazi regime. A relentless sleuth in the archives, Donner has written a page-turner story of espionage, love, and betrayal.”―Kai Bird, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography

“A stunning biography… Donner’s research is impeccable, and her fluid prose and vivid character sketches keep the pages turning…This standout history isn’t to be missed.”―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre

29 Friday Mar 2019

Posted by in Biography, History, Non-fiction

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During World War II, Englishman Eddie Chapman is recruited by Germany to become a spy, only to turn himself in and become a double agent for England. This work of nonfiction contains characters as colorful as any in fiction. A true story that often seems too incredible to be real.

“Agent Zigzag is a true-history thriller, a real spy story superbly written. It belongs to my favorite genre: the ‘Friday night book’–start it then, because you will want to stay with it all weekend.” —Alan Furst

“A portrait of a man who double-crossed not only the Nazis, but just about every other principle and person he encountered. In doing so, Eddie Chapman made all thriller writers’ jobs harder, because this spy tale trumps any fiction.” —Men’s Journal

“Superb. Meticulously researched, splendidly told, immensely entertaining and often very moving.”—John le Carré

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The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

31 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by in Biographical fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction

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The Big Library Read (BLR) @ OverDrive announces the winning title!  The Other Einstein will be available for unlimited access on the OverDrive-powered website between June 12-26, 2017. And, of course, you can pick up a copy at your library:

“Mileva “Mitza” Marić has always been a little different from other girls. Rather than thinking about marriage, she’s studying physics with only male students trying to outdo her clever calculations. And then fellow student Albert Einstein takes an interest in her, and the world turns sideways. Theirs becomes a partnership of the mind and of the heart, but there might not be room for more than one genius in a marriage.”

“In her compelling novel… Benedict makes a strong case that the brilliant woman behind [Albert Einstein] was integral to his success, and creates a rich historical portrait in the process.” – Publishers Weekly

“Benedict’s debut novel carefully traces Mileva’s life-from studious schoolgirl to bereaved mother-with attention paid to the conflicts between personal goals and social conventions. An intriguing… re-imagining of one of the strongest intellectual partnerships of the 19th century.” – Kirkus

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Dead Wake: the Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

22 Monday May 2017

Posted by in Non-fiction, Travel

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It is a story that many of us think we know but may not.  Erik Larson tells a thrilling story, switching between hunter and hunted, while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era. Gripping and important, Dead Wake captures the sheer drama and emotional power of a disaster whose intimate details and true meaning have long been obscured by history.

“In his gripping new examination of the last days of what was then the fastest cruise ship in the world, Larson brings the past stringingly alive…He draws upon telegrams, war logs, love letters, and survivor depositions to provide the intriguing details, things I didn’t know I wanted to know…Thrilling, dramatic and powerful.”—NPR

“Larson has a gift for transforming historical re-creations into popular recreations, and Dead Wake is no exception…[He] provides first-rate suspense, a remarkable achievement given that we already know how this is going to turn out…The tension, in the reader’s easy chair, is unbearable…”—The Boston Globe

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The Double Life of Liliane by Lily Tuck

14 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by in Fiction

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Beautiful writing.  Complex at first as the reader swings between past and present, but I fell in love with the book by the end.

“[An}exquisitely crafted narrative collage.”—Jane Ciabattari, BBC.com

“Playful, buoyant prose and poignant scenes…that quicken the heart…In Tuck’s prose—… lively, dizzy, happy—one gets a contagious sense of fun that she has transmuting life into words.”—Publishers Weekly (starred, boxed review)

“Special, provocative, unusual.”—Booklist (starred review)

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