Stones from the River
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4.1 • 109 Ratings
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
From the acclaimed author of The Worst Thing I've Done and Children and Fire, a stunning story about ordinary people living in extraordinary times—“epic, daring, magnificent, the product of a defining and mesmerizing vision” (Los Angeles Times).
Trudi Montag is a Zwerg—a dwarf—short, undesirable, different, the voice of anyone who has ever tried to fit in. Eventually she learns that being different is a secret that all humans share—from her mother who flees into madness, to her friend Georg whose parents pretend he’s a girl, to the Jews Trudi harbors in her cellar.
Ursula Hegi brings us a daring, dramatic, and complex novel of life in Germany through an unspeakable time, weaving together a profound tapestry of emotional power, humanity, and truth.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
It’s ambitious for a single novel to tackle the subjects of physical difference and the Holocaust, but Stones from the River pulls it off. Born in a small German village during World War I, Trudi is marked as an outsider by dwarfism, but it also grants her the gift of resilience and an uncommon compassion for her country’s persecuted Jews. Coming of age just as the Nazis rise to power, Trudi goes on a journey to find herself that is both harrowing and uplifting. With heartbreaking sensitivity, German-born author Ursula Hegi pulls us deep into Trudi’s isolation and her incredible emotional growth. Hegi finds redemption in unexpected places, just as Trudi finds it in herself.
Customer Reviews
Always Amazing!
I read this book when it was first released and now again many years later. A master work by a gifted writer. It’s good to remember how much I enjoyed reading this story even though it is difficult and painful at times. It makes me hope that I never make anyone’s life harder than it is and maybe even help make their life lighter and better. Many people become broken by life but this book reminds me to see each person with fresh eyes and look for their value. Also to see what is going good in life today and love it today. To stop wishing for what we don’t have and embrace what we do have. It’s a little bit like The Wizard of Oz. There’s no place like home.
Stones From the River
The best book I ever read.
Stones from the River
Let me start out by saying, I am not one for reading long novels. But with that being said, I felt this book was wonderful and a true "page turner." This novel strikes nearly every emotion as you read it; especially if you have any knowledge of German history during that time period. It also has many deeper meanings that you truly have to sit down and think about. I loved this book, and I highly recommend it!