Welcome to Litsy!

From the very start, this book told me where it was going. Even so, I was surprised when it got there. I knew nothing about life in post WWII Vienna and found this aspect of it fascinating. I enjoyed Resi‘s story, but she was such an ephemeral character I didn‘t feel a lot for her. I felt much more connected to Professor Adler & his efforts to make a new life in his old home. #PersephoneClub

This book is part author‘s memoir,intermingled with discussions & interviews with her grandmother,Helga, archival material from Nazi &Jewish organizations,family mementos,letters,files,& journals her father kept.She writes,”For…Helga, remembering has become a sport– race against oblivion”(21).The author‘s great grandparents & one son perished in a concentration camp.The other son Hans,hides in plain site with his later adopted grandfather,Pepi.⬇️

This was a fascinating look at post-WWII Austria, a time of which I knew very little about before reading this novel. We follow three exiles on their return to Vienna from America and try to figure out how their lives will intersect to explain the “accidental” death described in the prologue. So good!

#PersephoneClub

Starting this before dinner. Have had this on my shelf several years. “
“Why would you return to a city that tried to murder you?” ( cover,Kirkus Review).Anna, the author of this book,is the granddaughter of two Jewish doctors who came to the U.S in the early 1950s. Her grandfather lost his entire family in a concentration camp,while her grandmother was a concentration camp survivor. #porchlife

I‘m so glad the de Waals family allowed her novels to be published posthumously. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and circumstance of this one, which were unique enough to keep me engaged. It also went off in surprising directions! Makes me wonder whether this could have been published in the 1950‘s. 🤔 #PersephoneClub

I still have to sew all the ends in and block the thing, but here‘s a preview of the hexagonal spirals blanket I made for my cousin‘s baby.

I get to do this tedious work while I listen to MADENSKY SQUARE, my last unread adult Eva Ibbotson novel! I‘m so, so glad my library finally subscribed to the bookish bits of Hoopla so I can experience it at long last. It‘s amazing so far. Ibbotson had such love for people, and for Vienna. #audioknitting

Perfect outdoor reading time. ☺️ Definitely enjoying the #PersephoneClub pick. Elizabeth has made all of the characters interesting. I want to know more!

Repost for @LeahBergen

It‘s now June so that means it‘s time for one of our #PersephoneClub reads!

@elkeOriginal ‘s pick for us this month is The Exiles Return by Elisabeth de Waal. This is a casual buddy read; read and comment on each other‘s posts and reviews as you see them. We usually aim to finish by the middle of the month but that‘s not written in stone. 😉 And anyone is welcome to read along with us, of course!