Rating: 2.3/5
As someone who speaks the language, I prefer to read books in the original German when I can. No matter how capable the translator, certain nuances of the original writer's work are invariably lost in translation. However, in this instance I read the (American) English translation rather than the original text.
"Stella" is based, in part, on the life of Stella Ingrid Goldschlag, a German Jewish woman who collaborated with the Gestapo during WWII. She was responsible for exposing numerous Jews in Berlin and leading the Gestapo to them. Her activities earned her the nickname of "blonde poison" amongst the German Jewish community.
In the novel, "Stella", Takis Würger blends historical facts with romantic fiction to create a somewhat unusual love story. The two central characters of the story are the eponymous Stella and Friedrich, a young Swiss who has taken the curious decision to relocate to Berlin at the height of the war in order to pursue his ambitions as an artist.
The novel focuses on the events of one particular year, 1942. Once Friedrich has arrived in Berlin the story unfolds chronologically and each chapter of the book deals with a separate calendar month, running all the way through from January until December. The format for each month is broadly similar and comprises three sections: The chapter is introduced by a listing of actual (and sometimes apparently quite random) historical events from Germany and around the world. This is followed by the latest instalment of the fictional Friedrich-Stella love story and then, finally, there are extracts from the tribunal held in 1946, where Stella Goldberg gave evidence relating to her wartime actions.
The structure does make for engaging reading, particularly for anyone who has a particular interest in this period of history. The love story element is less straightforward to assess. Stylistically it is quite simplistic and I suspect this is a deliberate ploy on the part of the author rather than an undesired outcome of the translation process. Certainly the character of Friedrich is quite unwordly and the simplistic style of the fictional narrative does serve to highlight this naivety.
Given the subject matter of the novel and the writer's reputation, I had anticipated something a bit more emotionally involving and thought-provoking, but I found it all a bit too unchallenging and too much of an easy read. You really shouldn't be able to come to the end of a book dealing with these themes and be able to describe it as an easy read ... it should be harrowing, unsettling and force the reader to question aspects of human behaviour in certain situations. This felt more like a gentle invitation.
As someone who speaks the language, I prefer to read books in the original German when I can. No matter how capable the translator, certain nuances of the original writer's work are invariably lost in translation. However, in this instance I read the (American) English translation rather than the original text.
"Stella" is based, in part, on the life of Stella Ingrid Goldschlag, a German Jewish woman who collaborated with the Gestapo during WWII. She was responsible for exposing numerous Jews in Berlin and leading the Gestapo to them. Her activities earned her the nickname of "blonde poison" amongst the German Jewish community.
In the novel, "Stella", Takis Würger blends historical facts with romantic fiction to create a somewhat unusual love story. The two central characters of the story are the eponymous Stella and Friedrich, a young Swiss who has taken the curious decision to relocate to Berlin at the height of the war in order to pursue his ambitions as an artist.
The novel focuses on the events of one particular year, 1942. Once Friedrich has arrived in Berlin the story unfolds chronologically and each chapter of the book deals with a separate calendar month, running all the way through from January until December. The format for each month is broadly similar and comprises three sections: The chapter is introduced by a listing of actual (and sometimes apparently quite random) historical events from Germany and around the world. This is followed by the latest instalment of the fictional Friedrich-Stella love story and then, finally, there are extracts from the tribunal held in 1946, where Stella Goldberg gave evidence relating to her wartime actions.
The structure does make for engaging reading, particularly for anyone who has a particular interest in this period of history. The love story element is less straightforward to assess. Stylistically it is quite simplistic and I suspect this is a deliberate ploy on the part of the author rather than an undesired outcome of the translation process. Certainly the character of Friedrich is quite unwordly and the simplistic style of the fictional narrative does serve to highlight this naivety.
Given the subject matter of the novel and the writer's reputation, I had anticipated something a bit more emotionally involving and thought-provoking, but I found it all a bit too unchallenging and too much of an easy read. You really shouldn't be able to come to the end of a book dealing with these themes and be able to describe it as an easy read ... it should be harrowing, unsettling and force the reader to question aspects of human behaviour in certain situations. This felt more like a gentle invitation.