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Summary: Ursula Hegi's great achievement: Stones From the River
Review: Obviously I'm not the only person who loved the novel. I just finished reading "Floating in My Mothers Palm" also by Ursula Hegi and would recommend it as well. Bonus: Trudi Montag's character appears in this novel as well.
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Summary: Wonderful story and characters, but rambling
Review: Wonderful story; wonderful characters. The author makes one think hard about the complicity of silence. Thought it rambled, and could have been 50 - 100 pages shorter.
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Summary: In tragic times we are all human and look no different.
Review: I thought the book was excellent, the description of the book on the back cover does nothing for the story inside. It made me go through many emotions, I wish the book would never end.
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Summary: Ever wonder how the Germans "let" the Holocaust happen?
Review: This book was a wonderful story, and a great insight to the German people who allowed Hitler to gain so much control over their country.Many of the books written about the Holocaust either tell the American point of view or the Jewish point of view - this one is different. Trudi, the main character, is a midget Catholic who comes of age during the war. The story is not just another 'lesson' about the terrible things that happened to the Jews in Germany during the war, but it's also the story of a girl whose physical differences set her apart from others her own age. I don't want to say any more because it might spoil the book. All in all, it was a wonderful read, I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Trudi Montag is difficult and sometimes painful to hear.
Review: This book is very long and full of prose that can either be classified as rambling, if you do not identify with the author, or rich -- if her voice has personal meaning for the reader. Scenes from this book, particularly a horrible scene in Trudi's adolescence, characterize the sense of "otherness" that is so much a part of the adolescent world, and whose echoes can haunt for a lifetime. Hegi perfectly captures the emotions of rage and hurt that those painful coming-of-age experiences can evoke. Not a fun read, not a feel-good book -- but a resonant work.
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Summary: Fascinating and different, but flabby prose.
Review: This book gives us a rare and fascinating look at the Second World War from the German point of view. Characters are complex and well-rounded, and an air of mystery and fairy tale colors the whole. My only complaint: the prose rambles, often veering out of control. I felt myself longing for an editor to reign it into focus.
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Summary: One of my favorite books ever written
Review: This is the first book of Ursula Hegi's that I've read, and I loved it. I'd love to read more, but in Hong Kong, they don't sell these types of books, so I have to wait untill I go holiday in Canada or the States to get more. I pulled it off my mom's bookshelf one day just to have a glance at it and I loved it, it's a story that could go on forever, the only problem is Trudi doesn't live forever.
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Summary: Unusual and unforgettable
Review: Some may say that it's too long and that it's hard to familiarize oneself with the charcter with whom many people don't have a lot in common. But no matter how long it takes to finish this book, you won't regret it and won't soon forget it. The main character is a dwarf, Trudi. She is born towards the end of World War I and lives through the horrors of World War II. It is a very gut-wrenching portrayal of a small fictional town and people in it. The descriptions of people's behavior during the time of Hitler are very honest and close to the truth, as I see it. But that is not what makes this novel great. It is the character of Trudi. She is not perfect -- she gets jealous; she curses people; she betrays trusts. But she is so real, you can practically reach out and touch her. She is the strength and the foundation on which this novel rests. And no other heroine in recent memory has been so unique and so real. Read "Stones from the River". I guarante! e that you will treasure it for years to come.
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Summary: A ripple in history
Review: Ursula Heigi's "Stones from the River" is right on historically. Not only did she manage to capture an era of hate and prejudice, but she carefully weaved in the fictitious life of Trudi Montag. This is not a love story, nor a story for the weak at heart - but a story of a courageous young woman in one of the world's bleakest, most horrific periods in history. It starts off subtly - giving much needed background for this epic and ends with a bang. Read the first half in one week, the second half in one night. Excellent! Deserves 4 1/2 stars!
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Summary: Book didn't make sense
Review: I read this book expecting an epic tale about saving people during WWII. I expected too much. Trudi Montag, the main character who tries to accept herself through others, didn't hold my attention and gave me a cold feeling throughout the book. She antagonites over somewhat petty things, but seems to not let them go, resulting in a slow, awkward book. Although Helgi tries to show the German population and how they were affected, I found the town and it's people to be overbearing at times. This book is a long one, and unless you like the author, I don't think it is worth reading ! Melody
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