Stones from the River

Rating:
Summary: Poignant and Memorable
Review: I read this book after reading Ursula Hegi's "Tearing the Silence" which referred to it many times in the introduction. I found it highly readable and moving. The mood created is at once mystical and potent and the book has many well-drawn characters. Trudi, herself, of course, and my favourites -- her father (I forget the name now) and the unknown benefactor -- all of them contribute to the uplifting of the story and highlight the strength and generosity in the human condition amidst a very cruel world of senseless destruction. What is refreshing is the ability to discuss the very sensitive topic of the holocaust using the novel form and Hegi should be congratulated for the depth of exploration she put into the characters and the juxtaposition between personal trials and deprivation against the larger difficulties and crimes of the age. Some parts of the story are corny and predictable, but the book as a whole is good, as Hegi has masterfully weaved the lives of her characters with our own. I should be picking up "Floating in my Mother's Palm" soon to give myself a more rounded and complete picture of the story of Burghof.

Rating:
Summary: Stones from the River = Pearls of Wisdom
Review: Ursula Hegi writes a compelling novel set in Germany before and after the rise of Hitler. The main character Trudi, acquaints you personally with all of the people in her life -- German, Jew, Catholic and Protestant. You get a first-hand account from Trudi of how fragile the fabric of community can be -- in this case ripped apart by the ideals of a madman (Hitler). It's been a while since I've read a book that endeavored to bring me face to face with atrocities accepted for ages -- things WE'VE accepted for ages -- which human nature tells us to gloss over. Trudi is the story teller in us all. We all record day to day events and use or discard that knowledge as we see fit. Some spread rumors, some keep secrets. Some live with the torment of the truth. What I walked away with from this book is that we can't change what we see, even after the fact. It is up to us to accept the good and the bad that comes from each of us -- to appreciate that we are indeed human and fallible

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down
Review: I read books during my 30-minute lunch break at work, and I sped through this novel, always wanting to sit for longer than those 30 minutes each day! Hegi weaves a beautiful story that made me laugh out loud, even cry at times. The characters are wonderful, and Hegi's descriptions really put you in early 20th-century Burgdorf. She also does a good job of weaving connections that support the themes like storytelling and individuality/differences as beauty.

Reading the back cover before reading the novel actually made me wonder if I would like it, but I'm glad I did read it; the cover just does not do the book justice.

Rating:
Summary: Pure Perfection
Review: The first time I read "Stones From the River" was with my book club. I believe it was the only book we all categorized equally with "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The Grapes of Wrath"
Yes, it was that good.

The second time I read it was for the pure pleasure of Hegi's words. Her powerful voice is translated through Trudi Montog, the main character. A German girl whom happens to be a dwarf (Zwerg) A misfit. Who hangs from doorframes until her fingers are numb. "Grow, grow!" she prays to an ineffective God...why else would he create her short, stubby, ugly, and utterly despicable.
But she was given a gift. The wonderful gift of story-telling. This will save her as humour saves the character in "A Beautiful Life" or at least made life tolerable.

In the midst of Trudie's battles, Hitler is rising. Slowly, like a cancer spreading. Jews are being taken from their homes, disappearing, losing their German passports, given a yellow star to wear on their chests.
Nobody believes it is really happening.
"They are only working at those camps." they say.

INDIFFERENCE is worse than anything. Indifference makes monsters grow.

"Stones From the River" is about the human condition during war. How it can sometimes turn us into animals, Intolerant of our differences. Hating one another because of them.

Who understands better than Trudie about the ugliness of being different...."They will find anything. Anything to separate one from another. Widows. Jews. Swergs. Madness. Hitler will find something."

"Stones" is not an easy read. I wanted to scream at times...WHY did you all let this happen? WHY?" And at the same time...the story was so beautiful, I carry some of the sentences around like jewels to savor later.

In the end, Trudie accepts herself as she is...too much has already happened to feel sorry for herself now.

..."And what to end the story with. It had to do with what to enhance and what to relinquish. And what to embrace." ...STONES

Rating:
Summary: Simply superb
Review: This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The story is woven into a rich and vibrant fabric. There are those who would criticize it as an apology for German attrocities and compare that time in history to our VietNam war. Not the same. VietNam was brought to us in living color every night on every TV in every home. Telecommunication in Europe in the '40s was a lot slower and during that time in Germany news was sifted, sanitized and doled out in small portions via press and radio. Never mind that. Other critics complain that 3 year old Trudi could never have been so "knowing". Ha. This is ... hello ... FICTION! That notwithstanding this is a wonderful book. I thought Trudi was a brilliant character, full of pathos and humor, and very, very human. It is not perfect literature. It's not an accurate historical account of pre- and post-war Germany. It is a very readable, thought-provoking book; an interpretation of history by a gifted writer. I particularly enjoyed the metaphor of the "stones" and the river: ever changing, always the same. Doesn't make sense? Oh well, that's life. I would wholeheartedly recommed this book to anyone who appreciates a good story.

Rating:
Summary: A flowing saga, with nuggets of beauty
Review: Stones from the River deals with a heroine who is everything a heroine is not. She is a small sized person, a 'dwarf' as it were, not remarkably pretty and not truly bestowed with the milk of human kindness in all spheres like the heroines of romantic stories. Yet for me, she and the book are like a passionate love affair with life, feelings, honesty, brutality, beauty and redemption.
The book traces Trudi's growth from birth, seeing her mother turn crazy, her tribulations and triumphs due to her short stature. Trudi curses, abuses, gossips, has her insecurities, trades off her secrets and yet somehow you cant help admiring the gumption of this pint sized heroine. How she and her father help their Jewish friends during the holocaust, her wanton curiosity in luring men on the basis of false information, her tumultous inner world, her forthrightedness.
There are other players in the saga of Trudis stories...the unknown benefactor who blesses her town with strange gifts, the children of Trudi's youth who live out their own tableus, the lady who dresses her son as a girl, Leo, Trudi's father - truly a character to rival Atticus in To Kill a Mocking Bird. I think women will identify with the emotions that Trudi confesses to..the loss of a man, the strength of appearance, the solidariy of friends, the gain of ones esteem. Truly...a wonderful flowing river with enough beauty, like the stones in the river.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I have owned this book for 6 years. I have picked up this book a dozen time- if not more- and I could never get past the first page. I forced myself to read this book and I have to admit it's one of the best books I have read.

Rating:
Summary: A Touching Novel
Review: Ursula Hegi's "Stones from the River" is a very touching novel about a zwerge (dwarf) girl, Trudi, who lives in Burgdorf, Germany. She has many difficulties living in a small town, with many people isolating her because of her physical differences, and has only her father for support. As she grows up, she makes it her job to know everyone in the town's business. Trudi uses the power of gossip to help herself be noticed and accepted in her town. Hegi can therefore weave the stories of the people in Burgdorf around the central story of the maturing Trudi. With the help of some other misfit, yet lovable, friends, Trudi is able to expand and grow during the second World War. Through all of Hegi's perfect literary usage, one can become completely submerged in the time and life of a young girl, desperately trying to fit in. I recommend this book to anyone who understands how it is to want to be "normal".

Rating:
Summary: Excitingly moving
Review: Reading Ursula Hegi's book, Stones from a River, for the first time was excitingly moving. The book is told by Trudi Montag, a dwarf girl, a zwerg in a little town of Burgdorf, Germany. Trudi is isolated from the other people in town because of her physical difference. Trudi tells her story of her life and brings you through her struggles and high points and you travel with her feeling her pain and her happiness. But, it is because of Trudi's difference that she matures and learns about other people. Trudi becomes wise, and sees that she knows other people better than she knows herself. Trudi up holds her self values, especially when at a time during World War II when you did not have a choice. Trudi held true to her values and was very strong willed in what she believed in. During this horrible time in history she shapes who she is by reacting to the war and the persecution of people who were different around her. Trudi telling about her life keeps you intrigued and always wanting to read more. The story was compelling and a good construal of history. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves an excellent story to read with history in it.
Shana McMahon, a student at Mercy High School

Rating:
Summary: Meghan from CT
Review: Stones from the River by Usula Heigi focuses on the life of a dwarf in Germany during the Nazi occupation. The author uses Trudi's love of storytelling and small town gossip to weave a story not only of the main characters life, but of all those around her. The begining of the book was slow but as Trudi grew the stories began to pick up. The presence of the Nazi's brings a historical element to the novel. I would recommend this book-but you have to trudge through the slow begining to get to the heart of the story. You ultimately get to see Trudi and all those around her mature into acceptance and understanding.