We're Visiting Germany Today! With Host Carole P. Roman, Of Course!

When your tante and onkel come to visit, your sister always wants to take them to see Neuschwanstein Castle. Onkel is your mother' brother and Tante is his wife. She was born in America.
The castle is one of Europe's most beautiful and famous tourist sites. It can be seen high on a hill in the old town of Fussen in the Bavarian mountains. King Ludwig II built the castle during the years 1869-1886, and many say it was the inspiration for Walt Disney's famous castle in his Disneyland theme park. You have to visit the throne room and pretend you are the rules of the country.
~~~

If You Were Me and Lived in...                                              Germany

A Child's Introduction to Culture Around the World

By Carole P. Roman

Illustrated by Kelsea Wierenga

I had a very personal interest in reading this book, given my heritage. I can still remember, when I was very young, that when I asked my mother if we were German, she quickly exclaimed that we were Americans! Of course, history would have affected her quick response--who wanted to be connected in any way to the Nazis regime? So I found that I didn't learn too much about Germany...until now... What a pleasure to learn of the country as if I were a child, living in what is now a very popular country. Let's learn more!

If you were me and lived in Germany you would call your country Deutschland, but the rest of the world would know it as the Federal Republic of Germany. You would find your home located in the northeastern part of Europe. The word Germany comes from a Germanic world meaning folk or people.

~~~

Germany has 16 states but also is a member of the European Union which is a group of countries that choose to make decisions together involving trade and money. Do you know that it is the most populated member of the European Union and the second most popular immigration destination in the world? What a wonderful way for children to learn of the countries of the world through this series!

Let's head to Berlin, the capital, and the largest city in Germany. It has been an important city for so long because it is located at the crossroads of two vital trade routes.

Along with all the other details about Germany, one interesting spot mentioned was the Port of Hamburg where the Miniature Wonderland is located...It is the world's largest model railway! Very Cool and I'd love to see that, wouldn't you?

With reading about some delicious cultural food from German, athletic games played, plus a very interesting assignment in school to name five important things about Germany--and you're right I'd never learned about any of them--I was pleased to see that we also got to visit Octoberfest n Munich... 

But I really wanted to see one of the five important things in Germany! A giant cuckoo clock! Wow!

And to learn of Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) who was a composer and a woman who was known because her works led to what is now known as  opera...

Her works are considered the foundation for what became known as opera...

Just a final note for the inside artwork... It is outstanding--many kudos sent to Kelsea Wierenga... I'm so happy to have learned more about my heritage through Carole Roman's book on Germany...The series is always excellent, but this one was especially of value to me... Does your family originally come from Germany, then you just want to read this, as well as provide it for your child's introduction to the great country of Germany...

Highly recommended!

GABixlerReviews

Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2012 for her first book, award winning author Carole P. Roman started writing as a dare from one of her sons. Using an imaginary game she played with her grandson as a base, Captain No Beard was born."Captain No Beard- An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life" has not only been named to Kirkus Best of 2012, it received the Star of Exceptional Merit, and won the Pinnacle Award for 2012. "Pepper Parrot's Problem with Patience" Book 2 in the series, received 5 Stars from The ForeWord Review The Clarion Review. Strangers on the High Seas has won second place in the Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards 2013. It has followed with six more books to the series. This year, Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis was named to Kirkus Best 2015. The entire cultural non-fiction series If You Were Me and Lived in... was named Best Series by Shelf Unbound. She has begun work on two new series that will be released in early 2016.
Motivated by her love of yoga, Roman has written a book that not only teaches four poses, but shows how easy and accessible yoga can be.
Her new non fiction series, "If You Were Me and Lived in..." combines her teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the world around us. The debut book in the series, "If You Were Me and Lived in...Mexico" has won the Pinnacle Award for Best in Children's Non Fiction 2012. France, South Korea, and Norway. Rebecca's Reads has given If You Were Me and Lived in...Norway an honorable mention in the 2013 Choice Awards. If You Were Me and lived in ...France won second place. ForeWord Review has nominated If You Were Me and Lived in...France for best in children's non fiction literature 2013. They will be followed with Kenya, Turkey, India, and Australia. She plans to do Portugal, Greece, and Argentina next year.
Writing for children has opened up a whole second act for her. While she is still working in her family business, this has enabled her to share her sense of humor as well as love for history and culture with the audience she adores. Roman lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children.

Phantom Panthers by David Shultz--Historical Eeriness! Beware!

As they approached Wewelsburg, the Castle eclipsed the setting sun forming a black silhouette against the twilight sky.  The sun created shimmering lines of light around the edges of the Castle's silhouette, deep red and magenta clouds blended into gold across the evening sky. It was ias if Mother Nature herself were giving them royal treatment.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Hans said from his seat next to Otto...Otto had no reply. Seeing Wewelsburg Castle for the first time hadn't done anything to assuage Otto's unease

"Once you enter  these doors, you will not be able to leave until the
ceremony is complete. Any man without the courage to continue
had best leave now..."
Finally, they reached what had to be the top of the tower. The
stairs led them directly into an enormous circular chamber with a
massive roundtable at the center. The scene of fresh baked
bread filled the air, and Otto saw why. The table was set with
several loaves of break and just as many stoneware carafes.


Phantom Panthers



By David Shultz

"I hope you will forgive for preparing
such a modest meal, the pudgy man who
called himself Himmler said, "but I
thought it fit given the circumstances.
A 'last supper' of sorts..."

This was getting a little bit too strange for Otto and he didn't think that wine would do anything to help his nerves. So, he politely refused when Himmler went to fill his chalice. "Do you have water? I'm too tired for wine." Otto stated, trying to be polite but too exhausted to care if he failed.
Himmler smiled, which only made his double chin more noticeable. "Ah, I think you will find this particular wine more,,, Rejuvenating... Than most, gently. " he urged gently. "Plus, a little inebriation will help you to relax."
...Now that you've eaten your fill, the ritual can begin!

"I Otto Mader..."  Otto repeated.
"A trueborn warrior of the Reich..."

~~~

Otto Mader

This is the first novel where I've met German soldier characters, who are not bad guys,,, We'll always hate Hitler, Himmler and others who were obsessed in their goals for Germany, but at the same time, we all must recognize that not all Germans were fighting on behalf of Hitler--rather, on behalf of their country, which is what all soldiers do... Otto and Hans seemed to be serving together during their time in the service and became close friends. Readers get to know their families...and empathize when suddenly their families died just as many families were split by war. Otto had discovered his youngest daughter Petra was alive and found by a nearby family. They had taken her in, and when Otto came back to find his home totally destroyed, he was grateful that they agreed to keep her until he could come again...\

During the first half of the book, a very detailed accounting of the operations, such as Operation Bagration in 1944 are explored and the primary target for Germany in this action was Russia.
If you are interested in the details about the tanks used, you will greatly enjoy this early part! What I found most intriguing took place at the Wewelsburg Castle when the best of the

panzertruppen were pull together to form a new and special unit and were initiated into 

an  elite group that were to have special powers, including a new type of tank...
They each received the ring that bore the Luciferian Crown, the Spear of Longinus and the Teutonic Cross...

And, of course, the various new tanks that were especially equipped to allow connections between the man and the tank...

Interestingly, because of the superior numbers of the Russian forces, on the first meeting of the new tanks, all of them were destroyed except for those driven by Otto and Hans...

But many years later, when both men were out of the service, Petra, Otto's daughter was grown and working, they heard on the news... Where the tanks driven by Otto and Hans had been found... Both men immediately contacted each other, even though they had not been in contact for years! They knew what was going to happen!!!

I gather in putting my review together that there are many of what is included in this book that are, even today, of a dubious nature. None of that was included in this book. The two soldiers had assumed they had been drugged and never knew what had taken place at the castle, but they had not received any long- term changers. They were still loyal to their country, but had no super powers that had been implied by Himmler...just brave, strong men willing to fight for what they believed had to occur to save their homeland...

Also, another point that I need to mention... DON'T take the first 20 pages or so as the overall quality of the book. My guess is that the author got very involved in setting up his story and was not as conscientious about his writing skills...and it shows, for instance, in his handling of dialogue and telling rather than showing... But this overall story is quite fascinating and I decided to start over and continue reading the entire book. Soon I was captured with the science fiction and action that Shultz had created. What happened at the Castle was kinda spooky and mysterious; what happens in the last part of the book is edge-of-your seat stuff that results in an ending that could only have occurred in this situation.

There is a little romance when Petra has found and is living with her father and, after the news announcement, is requested by her father to go talk to the man who had announced what was happening on television... She was quite happy to since she had noticed he was attractive while he was on TV... Fortunately, he had the same reaction when he met her! That relationship does made the final ending one to be appreciated and enjoyed!

War buffs--this is a must-read, I think...  If you like action/adventure with a side of fantasy...wow, do check this one! I'm certainly glad I gave the book a second chance after my first start! Do try again if you have the same reaction...you'll be very glad you did!

He could tell from Hans' face that he felt the same thing he did; the pull was stronger now. He felt both alive and afraid at the same time, as if his very soul were humming in tune with some unheard melody. Which is why Otto had to do a double-take when he got out of the personnel truck and actually heard a melody, though faint, come from the clearing ahead. It was a tune that was somehow familiar, but altogether unsettling...

~~~ 

GABixlerReviews



Meet the Author
Dave "The Tankman" Shultz is a Vietnam veteran that is a Machinist by trade, a Manufacturing Engineer by profession and a wanna be entrepreneur. His latest project, he has developed radio controlled Panther tanks to give this SyFy action adventure story the potential to be adapted into an exciting film commodity.

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The Taste of Apple Seeds by Katharina Hagena Already International Bestseller...Now in U.S.!

Where should we sit? On the steps outside the house, below the rose bush? Not festive enough, and it was visible from the road. On the terrace under the willow? Given what I wanted to talk to him about, the former conservatory was not the right place. In the copse? Too dark, too many spiky branches. In the chicken shed? Too poky, and anyway it would still smell of paint. In the orchard? In the middle of the lawn in front of the house? Or maybe inside?
I decided on under the apple trees behind the house. The grass was too tall, but there was plenty of garden furniture around to put things on. And behind the orchard the wide pastures began. I went into the barn and fetched Hinnerk's scythe. Why shouldn't I be able to do it, too? I tried to remember how my grandfather had wielded the scythe as he made his way easily and slowly through the falling blades of grass. But what had looked so easy was actually very arduous, and the heat didn't help things. Bravely I cut a rather uneven patch beside the large Boskoop tree in which Bertha and Anna had once had their hideaway. It looked less as if someone had tried to prepare a pleasant spot for a picnic and more like the site of a fight. It was, in fact, and the scythe had won. I hung the blunt tool back in its place. Only blankets would help now. I went upstairs, rummaged through the chests, and found a large patchwork rug, several course woolen blankets, and a golden-brown brocade curtain. I hauled them down the stairs as if they were the skins of animals I'd slain, dragged them through the barn and into the meadow at the back.
Those dower chests were wonderful. I went back and fetched a white broderic anglaise tablecloth. As I walked down the stairs again my gaze fixed on the bookshelf. The spines of the books were looking at me. I stopped. There wasn't any system; things just happened and sometimes the arrangement worked.

~~~

"Memory would be of no use to us if it were strictly truthful." --Paul Valery

The Taste of Apple Seeds

By Katharina Hagena

Starting a drama revolving around a family will normally contain much that will touch readers personally. I am sure this will be the case if you follow the more than one million readers that have already enjoyed this novel. The author lives in Hamburg, Germany, where the setting also takes place. There were a couple of connections for me, but the family story as told and experienced by Iris, the young grandchild, will pull you in with the smells of the fields of apples, currant bushes, et. al., along with the fresh country air that seems to reach out as you read more and more...

My memories include fresh, delicious apples and pears picked from the trees, or picked up from the ground, just as Iris remembered. She had always loved visiting her grandmother Bertha; still, she was surprised, along with the rest of the family, that her grandmother's house came to her, with only the properties being divided among her three girls... She would have felt better if the house had gone, first, to her mother, and then be passed on to her. Bertha had made her own decisions, instead. I remember that a close sister of my mother had left her inheritance to Mom's four children. She lived with me and I learned of the hurt she felt for not having had it come to her first, which is what she had understood would happen.

So many secrets come out at the death of a family member, don't they? Or, if not, they continue to fester and affect those who are left. Just by being the new home-place owner, Iris was to learn much of what had happened in the lives of her relatives...

Before her memory went completely, Bertha
remembered us in her will. My mother, Christa,
inherited the land, Aunt Inga the stocks and
shares, Aunt Harriet the money. I, the final
descendant, inherited the house. The jewelry and
furniture, the linen and the silver were to be
divided up between my mother and aunts.
Bertha's will was as clear as spring water--and
just as sobering. The stocks and shares were
not particularly valuable, nobody except cows
wanted to live on the pasture of the north German
lowlands, there wasn't much money left, and the
house was old.
~~~

Bertha must have remembered how
much I used to love the house. But
we didn't find out about her will
until after the funeral. I went on my
own; it was a long, circuitous trip
involving a number of trains. I set off
from Freiburg and had to travel the
entire length of the country until finally,
right up in the village of Bootshaven at
the stop opposite my grandmother's
house, I got off a bus...I was worn down
by the journey, the grieving, and the
feelings of guilt you always have when
someone dies whom you loved but
didn't know very well.
~~~

Bertha had been the dominant leader in the home, while her husband spent most of the time in his office...But one day while picking apples, she had fallen and like many women, immediately got up, 
brushed herself off and
went on working.

But soon they were thinking that was when she started. First, forgetting little things. Her husband had little
tolerance for what could be happening and still depended upon her. After he had died, Inga and Harriet spent most of the time taking care of Bertha and had come to resent Christa, just because she was married and away from the area, did not take her turn.
Finally they had to place her in a care home since she had no memory left of her family or home...

Afterward, everyone went to the cafe beside the cemetery
to eat... As always happens after funerals, the mourners
all started talking at once, first in a murmur, then
gradually more loudly. The three admirers were now
standing around Aunt Inga, their legs wide apart and their
backs very straight. It seemed as if Aunt Inga had been
expecting them to pay homage, but at the same time she
accepted it with gentle irony...
When we left the cafe it was still warm. Herr Lexow
fastened metal clips around the bottoms of his trouser
legs and climbed onto a black bicycle that was leaning
unlocked against a wall. He raised his hand briefly and
rode off toward the cemetery. My parents and aunts
stayed by the entrance to the case, squinting in the
evening sun.

My father cleared his throat. "Those gentlemen from
the law firm--you saw them. Bertha left a will."
So they were the lawyers. My father wasn't finished;
he opened his mouth to speak again, but paused. The
three sisters continued to look at the red sun and
said nothing.
"They're waiting at the house."
~~~

What readers experience is not so much the family itself, but rather the memories that death evokes, often not the happy, but the sad or angry ones...

It was Iris, though, that spent the time going through the house, remembering her childhood times, her friends, and when her cousin, Harriet's daughter, died...

Rosmary and Myra had been her best friends, even though she was younger and was always brought into exactly what was happening. Now, Rosmary was dead, Myra was far away and only Myra's younger brother, who was a year younger than Iris, was still in town...

And now her lawyer... And soon she found that he was no longer the little wimp, the pest that had hung around with the girls...

Now, because Iris had thought her trip would be short, she "dressed up" in her aunts gowns and you will enjoy the fun she gets into with them!

You must understand that some of what you read will not be complete. You can look back, as Iris did, but you really can't be sure. The secret of Rosemary's death for instance... What exactly happened? Was it truly accidental?

And did her grandmother really have an affair? Or was it just the ramblings of an old man who had taken care of the house while nobody else had visited for years...

But even then, does it matter? Can memories only be true for the one that was involved? Or maybe not even for them? Was Bertha already losing her memory when Herr Lexow had visited?

What is memorable is the story, the way Katharina Hagena brings it all alive for readers--tempting you, forcing you to relive the parts of your own life that had similar results or feelings. Walk with Iris through her first home, if she decided to stay, as she picks up items that were important or wonders who kept changing the order of the books...and why? I remember I dreamed several times about having my grandmother's house come to me, or in another scenario, I would buy it from the estate. I would walk through the house in my mind and see the threadbare carpeting, the cupboard where the cookies were always waiting for me to sneak, and the fear of wearing red out into the fields where the animals were, having been told they would attack me... Why do some places hold good memories, and even the bad ones and you want to stay there and have those feelings for yourself that must have once been felt by your ancestors? Hagena pulls you in with her fluency of thought, with her search for love, now lost...but, also, for a love, now found???

Let your emotions come, your tears, warm thoughts, or the mystery and wonderment that unknown answers to secrets bring to you... Read The Taste of Apple Seeds... You know, I never in my life even thought of chewing on the seeds! Have you? Well, Katharine Hagena gives us much to chew on in her second novel! Find your past again, while experiencing the literary magic Hagena presents.


GABixlerReviews

Katharina Hagena is the author of On Sleep and Disappearing. She lives in Hamburg, Germany. www.katharinahagena.de. Her second novel, Apple Seeds is available now at Amazon | BandN | iTunes| IndieBound

Or try to win a copy at http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/97a55e15/

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Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson Outstanding Drama Easily in my Top Ten 2013 Favorites!

http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse

"Stanislaw did not move. 'I am not a Jew,' he announced.
"'And I am not a Christian,' said my father. 'And now that we know what we're not, why don't you come in and have a cup of tea.'
"So they sat in the parlor and talked. Stanislaw cried. He had no way to care for his son. He had lost his job as a woodcutter in the forest outside Zamosc and he'd been evicted from the workers' compound at the lumber company. He had no place to live and no money. Otto's mother had abandoned them and run back to her family in Leipzig, Germany. 'My son is freezing,' Stanislaw said. 'I cannot keep him warm.'
"There were newspapers stuffed in the soles of Otto's shoes to keep out the snow. Stanislaw cursed his German wife who had run off. Even if he could find a job, what was he supposed to do with Otto? He'd been told that my father had helped some people get back on their feet.
"It took my mother but a second to see that Otto needed dinner and a bath. She took him by the hand and walked him straight into the bathroom where she filled the tub with hot water. Afterward she asked me to sit with him at the kitchen table where she fed him roast and potatoes.
"Otto and I were about the same size, so we gave him clean clothes. I remember that night like it was yesterday. He sat at the table, staring straight ahead, eating two helpings of everything. And never said a word.
"My mother returned to the kitchen with the news that Otto would be staying with us for a while...Otto was to live with us and share my bedroom. I was less than thrilled, but my mother had laid down the law."
"How long did Otto live with you?" Catherine said.
"For the better part of six years... At our home, Otto received equal portions and was given equal responsibilities. Beka and I had chores, so Otto was given chores, too. My mother knew that taking on responsibilities would give him pride and self-worth.
"She did everything to treat him fairly. When I got new clothes, so did Otto. When we took our winter vacation at Uncle Joseph's and I got new boots, Otto did too. I think my parents became resigned to the fact that Otto would grow to manhood in our home.
"Beka and I attended school at the Jewish academy, but Stanislaw, in one of his few erly, said he thought it best that Otto go to the public school. I don't kow whether Stanislaw ever went to church, but Otto was baptized a Catholic...
"And you shared your room with Otto?"
"I did, and eventually Otto and I became fast friends. We were the same age, we have similar interests and enjoyed the same activities, although Otto was much stronger than I--he was the athletic type. I was more of a bookworm. My Grandpa Yaakov had horses on his farm and we would ride on Sundays. We would pretend to be American cowboys. Tom Mix, Gene Autry," he said with a slight grin..."

~~~

Once We Were Brothers

Ronald H. Balson

Readers of this novel will become involved with finding, proving, and prosecuting a possible war criminal, now living in Chicago. That part of the novel is dramatic, action-oriented and full of suspense as to whether the man, now going under a different name, with great wealth and societal acceptance, is really Otto Piacek, a man once known as... 

But the real story that you will fall into...and be controlled by...is the story told by Ben, who once lived as brother with that same man when he had been hungry and needed food, when he had been cold and needed clothing... Otto became a part of and treated equally in Ben's family during the Depression in Poland... 

His becoming part of the Nazi Germany occupation changed that little boy. 

Ben now sought...

"Chicago, Illinois, September, 2004
"Ben Solomon stood before his bathroom mirror fumbling with his bow tie. He was eight-three years old and getting dressed for Judgment Day. Years had come and gone since he had last worn his tuxedo, but then, Judgment Day was a black tie affair.
"He uttered a Polish phrase to the man in the mirror and reached into his pocket to reexamine his pricey ticket.
"Lyric Opera of Chicago. Opening Night Gala...

"Once more he checked his appearance in the mirror. He asked Hannah if he looked all right. Was he dapper? He wished she were there to answer.

"Underneath his sweaters, in the bottom drawer of his bureau, lay a cardboard cigar box. Setting the box on the bureau top, he lifted the lid and removed a German PO8 Lugar, World War II vintage, in mint condition, purchased at an antique gun show for $1,250. Another hit to his savings account. He stuffed the pistol in his belt beneath his cummerbund.

"Five forty-five. Time to walk to the corner, flag a southbound taxi, and join up with the glitterati at the 'undisputed jewel of the social season."

~~~

"...The city owes you a great deal, Elliott. You're a priceless resource."

"Maybe not so priceless, John." And the two of them laughed.

"While they continued to exchange flatteries, Ben Solomon quietly wound his way through the crowd toward the Grand Benefactor. He was oblivious to the music. He heard no conversations. He saw only his target. Making his way across the floor, he declined a flute of Champagne from a seventeenth-century Italian peasant girl and felt for the Lugar in his belt. 

"He paused until the mayor and his wife had moved on to the next grouping and walked directly to Rosenzweig, his

heart pounding like a pile driver.

"What did you do with all that jewelry?" he said inches from Rosenzweig's face.

"Excuse me, sir?" said the esteemed donor with a smile, unsure if this was part of a staged repertoire. Perhaps an opera joke?

"But there was no sign of frivolity. "Just curious," Solomon said, "I asked you what you did with the jewelry--you know, the watches, diamond bracelets, wedding bands. You have a whole chest full. Don't you remember?"

..."I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, sir."

"In a flash, Solomon drew the polished Lugar and pressed the barrel hard against Rosenzweig's forehead...

"Recognize this gun, Otto? Should be real familiar to a Nazi officer," Solomon said, waving the crowd away with his left arm. "Look at me, Otto. It's Ben Solomon. Here we are, together again, just like when we were kids. Never thought you'd see me again, did you, Hauptscharfuhrer Piatek?"

~~~

I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to receive an ARC of this novel, Once We Were Brothers, which is due out early this month. As you can see, it became one of my favorite books read this year. In fact, I also have the opportunity for a Giveaway, so be sure to express your interest as a comment here or on my interview with the author... Actually, you may have already heard of the book--it was first self-published and sold, word-of-mouth over 120,000 copies. It has been picked up by St. Martins, one of my favorite publishers, so be sure to look for the latest version in case there were any small changes...

Ben Solomon. What can I say but that you will be enthralled with his memorable story. In fact, another character in the book, Catherine Lockhart, was so affected by he and his story that she wound up losing her job over him. Her law firm had refused to allow her to represent him, after being coerced by the opposition! She quit! I loved it! Two other devoted friends, Adele and Liam also totally supported Ben, knowing that he was telling the truth, believing him even when they had not yet found proof...

But, as usual, I get ahead of myself with books I'm excited about! So, back to how the book begins... Ben is now in his 80s and out for blood...I'll let you find out whether that's figurately or literally. In any event, he had seen a picture of a man now calling himself Elliott, who was a prominent resident in the Chicago society. He knew immediately that he was actually Otto Piatek, a man who had been a Nazi officer and involved with the activities related to prisoners of war in Poland...

He had also once lived with Ben's family, sharing Ben's bedroom as a brother...

Ben did do a foolish thing--he'd taken a gun to confront Elliott during a major opera performance! And, of course, had been arrested... Adele and Liam had already met Ben. It was Liam, who also served as an investigator for her, that recommended Ben meet with Catherine for representation.

Almost immediately she was stressing that her calendar did not allow for her taking any clients! And readers will immensely enjoy how Ben starts telling his story, with Catherine continually interrupting, asking for specifics, evidence, etc. Ben calmly continues to let her know that his story is, indeed, part of the evidence. What he knows is that if he can develop passion in Catherine--that she will become committed to helping him. And, of course, Catherine does exactly that, spending hours and hours listening to Ben tell what happened all those years ago...

And Readers will have total access! Can't wait until you tell me he pulled you in too! By the way, Ben is Jewish, so tells much about the Holocaust. But the story is much more about Poland and one location in particular there in that country...

http://www.poland.travel/en-us/news/zamosc-the-pearl-of-renaissance
"In the early 1930s, I was a child growing up in southern Poland, in a town called Zamosc. I had a warm and loving family.
My father's name was Abraham. My mother's name was Leah. God rest their souls. We lived in a three-story home in the Jewish quarter of the city."
"...Zamosc was the jewel of prewar Poland, a gingerbread city built by an Italian architect in the sixteenth century and modeled after the Italian city of Padua. So colorful, so magical it was, you would swear you wode up in Renaissance Italy," Ben said.
..."There were linen doilies on polished tables, Miss Lockhart. Each piece of furniture in our home was special. It had significance. Not like today, when women buy groups of mass-produced generic furniture from warehouse sales on credit terms. Each of my mother's pieces was a treasure to her. Some were heirlooms, passed to her from her parents and their parents, to be passed on to her children and their children. Do you understand what I'm saying? Her home was a reflection of who she was..."
"Before the war, Zamosc was a multicultural city--Greeks, Armenians, Scots, Hungarians, Russians, Italians. And so there were Greek neighborhoods, Russian neighborhoods, Jewish neighborhoods. But we all got along. The mystery of other cultures was something we were taught to respect. In those days, Zamosc was about forty percent Jewish...
"Zamosc was also blessed geographically. The surrounding countryside was like an impressionist's canvas, with thick forests, clear rivers, and rolling hills. Farmlands lay to the north and east. And in the middle our little pastel village. All in all, Zamosc was an idyllic place to live. That was before the Germans decided we were a subspecies to be exterminated like a colony of ants..."
~~~

I'll let Ben share his story as you read...

While Catherine and Liam put together a civil suit, seeking an equivalent value for money and jewelry that Otto had stolen during the war, Ben keeps ensuring them that everything will work out--in the meantime, stopping to talk to his dead wife, or to pause in memory of a specific incident. Would he be able to handle a court case and be accepted as rational and a good witness?

This research activity is exciting to watch as identification, false papers, government records are all sought out and compared. They thought they had a good enough case and proceeded to plan for trial...

I am going to wholeheartedly recommend this novel to you, if you want not only a great legal novel, but care about how people treat each other--and applaud when the bad guy faces judgment!

GABixlerReviews

Ronald H. Balson is an attorney practicing with the firm of Stone, Pogrund and Korey in Chicago. The demands of his trial practice have taken him into courts across the United States and into international venues. An adjunct professor of business law at the University of Chicago for twenty-five years, he now lectures on trial advocacy in federal trial bar courses. Travels to Warsaw and southern Poland in connection with a complex telecommunications case inspired this novel.

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Dark Thriller Takes You Where You May Not Want To Go...

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"WE ENSURE THAT NOTHING
EMBARRASSES YOU ANY MORE
SLIPS, MISUNDERSTANDINGS
DISMISSALS ARGUMENTS AND
ERRORS.

WE KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD SAY
WE SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR
PROFESSIONAL AND DISCREET."

Sorry


By Zoran Drvenkar


Translated by Shaun Whiteside








I'm not totally sorry I read this book, but I do caution readers...this is a very dark thriller in my opinion. Be advised...

There are, basically, two separate stories that merge almost immediately. From then on, there is constant movement--action, if you will--that allows readers to see each character's "take" on the story. Specifically, the story moves from the point of view of various characters and also moves from the past to the present. If you don't sink into the story, you could become lost. At the same time, sinking into the story may be difficult and chilling...

Four childhood friends, at a specific point in their adult lives, fatefully meet again. Each of them has a past that has left them hesitantly looking toward the future, wondering what they can do. Kris is the one that comes up with the idea...after just losing his job, he nonetheless found himself talking to a woman and helping her through her own problem, sharing the right words that, in truth, should have come from the individual who had hurt her.

Later, as each of his friends arrive at his apartment, he remembers what had happened and realizes that he has a skill, the ability to say, "I'm sorry." And that is how the four go into business--a business, where individuals can pay to have somebody else apologize for something you've done. It was aimed toward businesses especially, such as when somebody was fired...

Without little effort, the business becomes a success!

And then You entered the story...

"You" is the character that hires the company, to apologize to a woman... But when everything is arranged and the trip is made to the woman's home, she is found hung on the wall, nailed by her hands and head... Still, Kris and his friends had been threatened, they tape the "apology" read to the deceased for their client who then adds... Oh, and while you are there...get rid of the body...

"You" begins to tell his story to readers, about how he was once a young boy with a close friend, who called themselves Butch and Sundance. But one day while they were out playing, a man and woman find them and take Butch away. He is returned later, changed... A month later they come again. Sundance wants to go in place of Butch, but they want Butch... They threaten the lives of their parents if the boys tell. It goes on for years...

Readers: Enter cautiously into the world of child physical and sexual abuse and his pedophile companions...

"Then Butch sobbed. Once, loudly. Karl immediately drew a knife from his belt. Butch fell silent. Karl tapped the tip against Butch's nose. He ran it over his cheek and wiped the tears away with the blade.
"Would you like me to pop upstairs to your parents and cut their lousy hearts out?"...

What happens, though, when an abused child becomes an adult?

Can justice occur? Can an apology suffice?

This book is very suspenseful and it fulfills the best of whodunits, simply because there is so much violence. It must be seen as uniquely well-written. Interestingly, in the acknowledgments by the author, you will see: "I've tormented you over and over again with this novel, until you found out how much I was tormenting myself with it and took me aside and told me it would all be OK"...or "I was full of doubts, because you love the darkness and forgive me my evil self..."for the thoughts that shouldn't be."

There are many thoughts that shouldn't exist in this world, especially about what ultimately happens to children. But it does happen and I believe this book portrays what could and probably has happened as a result. For that reason alone, I applaud the efforts of this author. But I can only recommend it to those who are willing to experience what happened to Butch and Sundance... You decide...


Book received via
Amazon Vine


GABixlerReviews