Rating: 
Summary: Dreadful. Let me count the ways....
Review: I read this book because I enjoyed some of Hegi's short stories in Hotel of the Saints. I'm wondering now if they were written by different people. Or, maybe she just had a terrible editor for this book.It's long and plodding, with way too much detail that adds nothing to the story. The narrator and heroine is a dwarf named Trudi, who grows from an unhappy, mostly friendless girl into a preachy, gossipping woman. Her endless navel-gazing makes her a less than compelling character. She occasionally has a supernatural ability to predict the future but it doesn't seem to do her any good. I gathered that the theme of this novel was 'secrets' but never understood what that was all about. It ended abruptly, as if Hegi suddenly--finally!--ran out of steam. I waded through the entire thing because of the historical information it contained. The descriptions of the lives of ordinary Germans between the wars and during the 2nd WW were good and I'll give this book an extra star for that.
Rating: 
Summary: Made me a fan!
Review: This book made me a fan of Ursula Heggi. What a great writer with a gift for human interest. Beginning in pre-Nazi Germany, this story ends after the war and focuses on the conception, chidlhood, adolescence, and adulthood of a female dwarf and the keeper of the pay library. She knows just about everyone in her small town, and all the drama, triumphs and tragedies in their lives are detailed along with her own. Wonderful book!
Rating: 
Summary: 5-stars for what?!?!?!?
Review: If you are reading all these 5-star reviews, be aware that not everyone out there found this book "superb" or "spellbinding" or any such nonesense. I bought this book because I saw nothing but stunning reviews for it here on Amazon, which goes to show you can't always trust reviews. I thought there must be something wrong with me when, upon finally forcing myself to finish the book after about a month of starting and stopping, my only real thought was - "How can someone write a book about WWII Germany and the Holocaust where you just don't CARE if every person in the book dies?" I mean, that's rough to do! But I just kept wishing allied bombs would wipe everyone in the book out of existance so the torture could be done already! So I must be crazy, right? However, turns out I may be crazy, but I'm not alone. I've persoanlly met at least a dozenother people who felt the only thing this book was good for was (a) kindling, or (b)insensitivty-creation training, or (c) valium-replacement. So just BE SURE you want to plunk down your money for this one - maybe just buy a used copy if you're determined to avoid being too annoyed.....
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
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".
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