Rating: 
Summary: A Maze.....
Review: I read this book after reading "Stones from the River" and was a little disappointed. Hegi is a wonderful storyteller and she has a gift of writing poetically sensible sentences which strike at your heart and make you see things in her characters which you recognise in yourself. However, I can't help but feel that this was an over-ambitious work. The parts where it deals with Stefan Blau's attempt to adapt to life in America as an immigrant are not well explored, and when the novel unfolds, the introduction of the various characters becomes a tad confusing and you get the feeling that you're reading alot more about characters you don't care about only because they fall into the correct time frame. I would rather she had concentrated on characters from the first and second generation, as their lives were neglected towards the last third of the novel, leaving a sense of dissatisfaction in the reader. The writing of "Stones of the River" was much more in-depth and the fact that the story was seen through the eyes of a main protagonist managed to give the novel a degree of centrality which was severely lacking in "The Vision of Emma Blau". At the end of the novel, there is a sense that you have read everything, but have escaped the pertinent points. This was an average novel, but its resources, setting, people and themes could have been worked into something much more powerful. I still look forward to Hegi's other offerings.
Rating: 
Summary: A sort of immigrant "Buddenbrooks"
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book, merely for the rich language, and was reminded once again of the tremendous command of English that some foreign born authors have managed to put together. Also, the narrative is compelling and the conflicts the author sets up are truly believable and interesting. I think what's troubling about this book is that we're expecting an "immigrant success story" like we're used to reading and that's not what Hegi gives us--instead we have sort of more of the "good family in decline" motif of Thomas Mann's _Buddenbrooks_. I was also gratified that some loose ends from _Stones in the River_ were picked up, although I would agree with other reviewers that this book isn't as thrilling. I suspect that may have to do with the period and location it covers--the perception of WWII by Americans in the US is probably inherently less exciting than WWII experiences within Germany. Worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I've read many of Ursula Hegi's books. This was by far, the worst. It just seemed to have no point to it and I didn't like the characters. After reading two-thirds of the book, I just couldn't stand it anymore and put it aside for another book.Her best book: Salt Dancers
Rating:
Summary: A decent sequel to Stones From the River
Review: If you read Stones From the River, then you were not surprised by Hegi's style of writing. In this novel, she simply shifts the focus to a different family member entirely and tells about the same exact time period as that in Stones - just with the setting in America instead of Germany. Which, of course, makes all the difference in the world. Stefan Blau, the protagonist as the book opens, immigrates from Germany at age 13, comes to America and works for a few years in New York City. By the time he is a young man, he is living in New England, beginning a family, as well as the dream of his own restaurant and plans for a housing complex to boot. After 2 wives die in childbirth, he marries a neighbor friend from Germany to raise his children and moves them all into the now-functional apartment building. Two generations later, his granddaughter Emma is born who shares his passion for the complex and for whom the book is named. She carries on his dream when he dies and makes it her life goal to better the place as he would were he still alive. I enjoyed the first and final third of the book very much, yet somewhere in the middle, Hegi began to introduce too many characters and write too much nonsense. Her 400-page book would keep her readers attention throughout its entirety if she cut out all the extra, unneeded information and just told the story. Although well-written, it takes too much effort to make it to the end. The reader should, in my opinion, feel compelled to finish a story not compel themselves to finish what they started.
Rating:
Summary: Too long and too dry.
Review: It took me a long time to get through this book. I bought it because it really sounded like it had promise, but the story just goes on and on and there is too little drama, too little of everything. Stefan Blau is a German immigrant to America at the age of 13. With savings from various waiter jobs and such, he manages to build a hotel (The Wasserburg) and turn it into an elaborate apartment building. He has a vision of a young girl that eventually turns out to be his granddaughter Emma, who will come to love and care for the Wasserburg and preserve it's heritage forever. But it doesn't work because that's all there is. The characters are lively enough and the story is well-written, but it's arid, with little substance. It felt very long to me and I picked it up to read off and on at random only when I was very bored. It started out as a nice idea, but I think Ursula Hegi should have added some excitement or mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Hegi's artistry shines through again
Review: It would be impossible for Ursula Hegi to match... or surpass...the vision, compassion and artistry found in her first best-selling novel, Stones from the River. Still, fans of Stones from the River will appreciate the opportunity to go inside a family of more of Hegi's all-too-human characters -- this time in America over several generations -- and to witness the way each grapples with his or her unique life, vision and various interrelationships. Hegi is one of today's very best writers whose insights into human nature and the many ambivalences of life powerfully touch her loyal and devoted readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic book, you can always count on Ursula Hegi
Review: ONE OF THE MANY GREAT BOOKS URSULA HEGI HAS WRITTEN.
Having previously read, many of Ursula Hegi's books, I was not disappointed with a continuation of some of the characters from her "Stones from the River". This book is also equal to that wonderful book. Here as usual you get in the skin of her characters, from their observations to their priorities and justifications. In this book emigrant Stefan Blau comes to the US and eventually settles in a small town in New Hampshire. He has picked up the skill for French cooking and does well for himself in a small restaurant he creates. However, this is not his dream. His dream is an apartment building he is inspired to build: The Wasserburg. In a daydream while boating, he is inspired not only by the building he imagines creating, but a child he imagines playing in its courtyard. Stefan's financial adventures go well, but his personal life is troubled. Things go on that bring one misfortune to the other to his doorstep. I don't want to go into too much detail and ruin the book, but this book isn't all doom and gloom. This is a not-so-typical families saga, with both good and bad. However, there are forces in Stefan Blau's life that eventually steer him to lead his life in a particular fashion. This book chronicles Stefan Blau's family over 3 generations and 2 continents. An excellent tale of a family, the ties that contrict, bind, bond and break one. SOLID SENSE OF EACH CHARACTER AND WHO THEY ARE: As always Ursula Hegi fleshes out her characters. You understand the motivation of Stefan and his family right down to the youngest grandchild Emma. Not till the end of the book do you understand the meaning of the name... At least I didn't. YOU CAN PICTURE THE WASSERBURG:
What I particularly liked is the description of the house. You can see it through the author's eyes. I love houses so this was pleasant. Also, you see the basis for all the characters, but not in a descriptive way. You get in their skin. This story centers around a community and a family living in this one building. YOU CAN IMAGINE BEING GERMAN AND IN AMERICAN DURING WWII LEFT YOU FEELING DIVIDED.
One other point, I imagine dear to Ursula Hegi's heart is the portrayal of a German family in American when Germany was the enemy. She describes how the immagrant family feels out of place in both country, but beholden to both. An excellent read, hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Kudos to Ms Hegi..
Review: She is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This book is filled with so many emotions and events my mind is still going over everything. Def a book that stays with you for awhile. I wanted to comfort the characters and felt as if I was myself living at the Wasserburg. I do agree that the characters had a sad tone to them, but none the less, made for a book I couldn't put down!
Rating:
Summary: A Rhapsody in Prose
Review: Spanning over ninety years and four generations, The Vision of Emma Blau explores the frailties and strength of the human condition. With musical pose, in-depth character development and multi-threaded plot lines, Hegi manages to deliver a clear story of unrequited love, hunger for success, and desire for acceptance. The life of each character is detailed in a manner that connects the reader to their circumstances and makes one question the true cost of adoration from afar and the price one pays for wanting those things that they can never really have. It is true that anything one is willing to have at any cost, one will acquire at all cost; and why pay more than necessary for anything.
Rating:
Summary: Hegi's Tragic Trilogy
Review: Stones from the River was dynamic...beautifully crafted, entertainingly consistent and historically sound. The vignettes of Floating in My Mother's Palm were like an author's notebook of sketchy stories that lead us to "Stones" and, though interesting, leaves one wondering...why was is published? The Vision of Emma Blau had brilliant potential as a sequel to "Stones". Hegi went into the novel full force with all her armor of polished writing skills. But then a strange thing happens, and it's almost abrupt enough to startle, the novel begins to fall apart, to digress. By the end it is in shambles. It seems like Hegi turned this over to another person and went on vacation. As Hegi is studied for her compilation of work, these three books will be forever linked, a tragic trilogy. I was as disappointed with "Floating" and "Emma Blau" as I was in praise of "Stones". As a famous author once told me about a British poet though, "He was third rate...only got a few right...but then, how many can say they've done even that?" I look forward to the Hegi's next novel. Everyone has a bad day.
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