What choices would you make? No... You don't know. And I don't know, either. As Wisława Szymborska, the Polish Nobel prize-winning poet, said: "We only know about ourselves only what we've been tested."
World War 2 historical fiction is difficult to write, especially when it touches upon the topics Holocaust and the persecution of Jews.
Takis Würger writes a compelling love story set in 1942 Berlin, where a young, naivé man madly falls for a woman who is not what she initially seems.
Again, it's one of those stories which is difficult to summarise without giving too much away. Friedrich, a young ambitious Swiss, relocates to Berlin in pursue of his dreams of becoming an artist. As he prowls through the streets the buzzing city, he meets as beautiful as mysterious Kristin, who introduces him to the world of the underground bohemian existence, filled with smoky jazz clubs, the titillating scent of cognac and rich chocolate.
As they fall in love, it becomes apparent that Kristin is not who she says it is, and her entire life is a story of unimaginable choices, guilt and heartbreak.
Würger is a very skilled storyteller, whose style is distinctly continental. His voice is very well developed and he takes the time to fully explore the characters and allow you, the reader, make your own choices and decisions on how you will perceive them. The story takes place in one of the most challenging of periods in German history, but he doesn't try to either whitewash it nor explain it. The author just lets it be. The harsh, clinical reality depicted in the book is both, harrowing and captivating. The choices made by the characters are something that not many of us would be able to relate to, but most importantly, we all should be grateful that we don't have to.
Stella is a gorgeously written, yet deeply unsettling romantic story, which breaks your heart and makes it race. Whether you are a fan of historical fiction or not - you will not be disappointed.
World War 2 historical fiction is difficult to write, especially when it touches upon the topics Holocaust and the persecution of Jews.
Takis Würger writes a compelling love story set in 1942 Berlin, where a young, naivé man madly falls for a woman who is not what she initially seems.
Again, it's one of those stories which is difficult to summarise without giving too much away. Friedrich, a young ambitious Swiss, relocates to Berlin in pursue of his dreams of becoming an artist. As he prowls through the streets the buzzing city, he meets as beautiful as mysterious Kristin, who introduces him to the world of the underground bohemian existence, filled with smoky jazz clubs, the titillating scent of cognac and rich chocolate.
As they fall in love, it becomes apparent that Kristin is not who she says it is, and her entire life is a story of unimaginable choices, guilt and heartbreak.
Würger is a very skilled storyteller, whose style is distinctly continental. His voice is very well developed and he takes the time to fully explore the characters and allow you, the reader, make your own choices and decisions on how you will perceive them. The story takes place in one of the most challenging of periods in German history, but he doesn't try to either whitewash it nor explain it. The author just lets it be. The harsh, clinical reality depicted in the book is both, harrowing and captivating. The choices made by the characters are something that not many of us would be able to relate to, but most importantly, we all should be grateful that we don't have to.
Stella is a gorgeously written, yet deeply unsettling romantic story, which breaks your heart and makes it race. Whether you are a fan of historical fiction or not - you will not be disappointed.