Hello Book Loving Friends,
Today I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of, Distant Signs
by Anne Richter, which is being hosted by HFBT
Distant Signs by Anne Richter
Distant Signs is an intimate portrait of two families spanning three generations amidst turbulent political change, behind and beyond the Berlin Wall. In 1960s East Germany, Margret, a professor’s daughter from the city, meets and marries Hans, from a small village in Thuringia. The couple struggle to contend with their different backgrounds, and the emotional scars they bear from childhood in the aftermath of war. As East German history gradually unravels, with collision of the personal and political, their two families’ hidden truths are quietly revealed. An exquisitely written novel with strongly etched characters that stay with you long after the book is finished and an authentic portrayal of family life behind the iron curtain based on personal experience of the author who is East German and was 16 years old at the fall of the Berlin Wall. Why do families repeat destructive patterns of behaviour across generations? Should the personal take precedence over the political? Can we rise above our histories and political identities to forge a new understanding of the past and to welcome change?
Available on Amazon
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own
Why do families repeat destructive patterns of behaviour across generations? Should the personal take precedence over the political?
What was gained and what was lost with the re-unification of Germany?
Can we rise above our histories and political identities to forge a new understanding of
the past and to welcome change?
Distant Signs, Is an intimate depiction of three generations and two families as the unfolds from 1965 to 1992. The author,s moving storyline covers the effects of WWII, the German Democratic Republic and eventually the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The author precision narration along with well constructive character development kept me engaged all the way through to the end.The writing flows and you understand that even though each generation longs for a happier life than that of their parents, they have common goal that is compromised by restrictions and family dynamics along with some sad misunderstandings.
Margret is the daughter of a university professor, a brazen new generation of young people challenging their parents and the harsh realities of the East German state. Her father, Friedrich has achieved a privileged position in society.
Hans is a future biology student from a provincial town, and they meet and fall in love during an agricultural placement in the 1960s. What should be a happy couple and eventually a joyful family, they are emotionally crippled into the same pattern of their own parents.
Hans and Margaret’s household becomes tension filled, both are continuously struggling with their different upbringing. Coming from different social backgrounds, and both shouldering emotional scars from their childhood in the aftermath of WWII.
As the story moves along, I noted each member of the family is emotionally scared, struggling with what they have been exposed to. The author doesn’t just tell you why, she shows you what it is for generations living under a political system where expressing ones own thoughts was a conflict from official state policy’s. This silence is deafening, handed down generation after generation which is seen through this family historical storyline.
A delicate and thought provoking in depth look into the emotional struggles of post war. This is a book that you won’t just reread sentence after sentence, I found myself going back reading a couple of chapters, just to understand the complexity of the characters and the development of the plot line.
Anne Richter, has written a soul wrenching, emotionally charged, beautifully moving book, This is definitely one that you will remember well after you finished reading it.
November 9th, 2019, marked the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
*The book offers a wonderful inclusion of some phrases and words are explained at the back of the book.
About the Author
Anne Richter was born in 1973 in Jena, in the former German Democratic Republic. Her degree in Romance languages and English included study periods in England, Italy and France. In 2011, Anne was nominated for the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize, a highly regarded German-language literary award. Her debut novel, Distant Signs, was published in Germany in 2013. Anne is currently writing her second novel.
Douglas Irving is Scottish. He studied German and Spanish at Aberdeen University. In 2014 he completed a Masters in Translation at Glasgow University. His first translation, Crossing: A Love Story by Anna Seghers was published in 2016 in the US to positive reviews. His translation of Anna Seghers’ last work published in her lifetime, Three Women from Haiti, is set to follow.
Blog Tour Schedule
Thursday, November 7
Review at Broken Teepee
Review at Comet Readings
Friday, November 8
Review at A Book Geek
Sunday, November 10
Excerpt at A Darn Good Read
Tuesday, November 12
Review at Books In Their Natural Habitat
Wednesday, November 13
Excerpt at To Read, Or Not to Read
Thursday, November 14
Feature at Lost_in_a_book_reviewer
Friday, November 15
Review at Red Headed Book Lady
Monday, November 18
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books
Tuesday, November 19
Review at Locks, Hooks and Books
Wednesday, November 20
Review at 100 Pages a Day
Thursday, November 21
Review at Peaceful Pastime
Friday, November 22
Feature at What Is That Book About
Saturday, November 23
Review at Impressions In Ink
Monday, November 25
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Tuesday, November 26
Excerpt at Passages to the Past
Wednesday, November 27
Feature at Just One More Chapter
Friday, November 29
Feature at Coffee and Ink
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a copy of A Distant Signs by Anne Richter! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on November 29th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Paperback giveaway is open internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.
Distant Signs
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Gwendalyn’s Books 
What a great review, Gwendalyn! Thank you so much for hosting the Distant Signs blog tour!
Amy
HF Virtual Book Tours
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