Stones from the River

Rating:
Summary: well told story of difficult time in history
Review: Intriguing seemed to be most repeated word during our book group discussion regarding Stones in the River. The creation of the character of Trudi was well done, and we wondered how the author knew so much of dwarfism. The description of small town life in Germany during the holocaust was very descriptive and we were able to empathize, as we live in a small town ourselves.

Rating:
Summary: A Task to Read, But Worth the Effort
Review: The characters are rather bizarre. Don't expect to be able to relate, unless you're a pretty off-beat person, but the book is worth the read. It explains how the people of Germany could have allowed Hilter to come into being and produce the madness of Nazi Germany. The only disappointment is the story sort of dies at the end with no real climax or closure. Not a fun book to read, but worth the effort.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting slice of life
Review: This book was full of interesting characters. I especially liked the way the women of the town stepped in to take care of others' children when needed. There was a real sense of community there, as long as you weren't a Jew. I kept hoping that the townspeople's characters could have been a little more fully developed. There were so many of them but they all seemed to be strangely alike. Maybe that's what the author was going for, to demonstrate the sheep mentality that allowed the Nazis to rise to power. The ending was unsatisfying, a little too mystical for me, I guess.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Having spent a fair amount of time in Germany and with German people, I found this book very enlightening. It really educated me about the day-to-day issues that the German populace faced during the rise and fall of the Nazis. These issues should be understood by *every* member of a democracy. For this reason alone (aside from the immense read-ability of the text) I strongly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: awsome
Review: i am 15 years old and this book is the best book i have ever read. the plot was strong and the characters exellenty developed. you can really relate to how trudi feels and how life mustve been like in world war 2. i thought the story was very rich and also very sad. but the underling message is super. ursala hegi did a really good job

Rating:
Summary: I am finding it hard to keep reading after 1/3 of the book.
Review: This book was suggested for my book discussion group. I have only read 178 pages and I wonder if I can bear to read more. The writing seemed good at first. When I realized Trudi was not even 4 years old when she was so all-knowing that lost me. But I kept on. I now feel it is sooo sloooow. And almost childish in the writing or telling of the story. I do not know if I can keep reading as I feel it has gotten very tedious. Perhaps if the author edited it so that it was half its length the story would move. I am normally a patient reader. If my book discussion group decided to take the book off its list I do not think I would ever pick it up again. I have read Holocaust literature. I feel this book is laboriously getting to the Holocaust. It is making me forget the writing I did like in the book.

Rating:
Summary: Tedious though thought provoking
Review: Although the book gives insight to the mentality of silence that led to the extermination even of their own neighbors, the reading became laborious in many sections. Especially jarring was the precocious presentation of the toddler Trudi. Thought processes and exchanges between the 3-4 year olds were so abberant that it was difficult to shake the distraction.

Rating:
Summary: Undoubtedly the best!
Review: I read this in Europe-WHAT A TREAT!!!! This book has so many precious memories for the woman telling the story. I enjoyed the small-town anecdotes, characters-like the unknown benifactor-and the way Helgi interweaves characters with a real historical plot. A must read. (But a real depression when you have finished!)

Rating:
Summary: Don't miss it
Review: A magical and poignant tale for anyone who ever marveled at the power of words in everything that we are a part of-- relationships, politics, community, family, tragedy, prejudice, fantasy. Trudi's story deals with strong topics, but is tender and beautiful, spinning the history of an entire generation with moments that make you feel like you are there. On numerous occasions, it literally made me smile as I read. This book is very powerful; don't be scared away by the sometimes dense reading, and for God's sake, don't miss it.

Rating:
Summary: Very fine book
Review: Enjoyed "Stones from the River". It is a fair vision of German attitudes toward Jews seen through the eyes of a German dwarf who is also a victim of persecution. Although this book is fiction, it does touch upon true edicts against the Jews during the Holocaust period. Recently, letters written by my grandparents in Germany to their sons in New York, between 1938 through the end of 1941 were discovered. Because of nazi censorship they wrote many things in a sort of code. My grandmother went to school to learn English, as they hoped to emigrate from Germany. My grandfather writes that the school was too far for him to walk to. He doesn't explain why. Ursula Hegi clarifies the reason in her book. She says that public transportation was prohibited to Jews, for only those who worked over 7 km from their home, were permitted to do so. My grandparents had to move from their home. Ursula confirms that Jews had to move to Jewish houses in order to facilitate their control by the nazis. Thank you Ursula for giving me additional insights through your gentle book to help me analyze and interpret my grandparents letters. They perished in Auschwitz