Hanna Caspian

The Gut Greifenau series has six volumes, but it is clear that these are rather like two trilogies, because volume three brings most of the plot lines to a conclusion. This made me very happy, because there are so many elements to the story that already started in book 1, so it felt like a relief to finally see them be played out and finished. But of course, before the grand finale, there are more twists and turns, more tragedies, more secrets and political upheaval.
The novel starts on an estate in Pomerania in 1917 and ends in the summer of 1919. The aristocratic family owning the estate, as well as their servants, are swept away by the historical events, each person trying to find their own way to deal with what is happening. I must admit that the parallels to today's world were rather eerie at times, both because of the war and because of the Spanish Flu - sometimes it felt like listening to a story about covid, which is even more extreme considering that the book was written in 2019.
Like in the first two volumes, I loved the characters. I even cried a few times while listening, for example when the women of the estate finally travel to town to vote for the first time in their lives, wearing their best clothes for the occasion. There were a few plot elements that I did not like that much because they were a bit too cheesy or too alike to a soap opera, but apart from that, I simply loved it again and felt like coming home each time I opened the audible app and started listening.… (altro)

Noch ein aus dem letzten Jahr übertragenes Buch. Ich liebe Gut Greifenau, einfach weil ich diesen Stil, der der Geschichte eines Zimmermädchens genau so viel Platz und Bedeutung einräumt wie der einer Komtess, einfach großartig finde. Das Gutshaus und dessen erweitertes Umfeld bilden einen Mikrokosmos vor dem Hintergrund der Geschichte der späten 20er des letzten Jahrhunderts, einer Zeit des Umbruchs, der das Leben, wie die Bewohner von Greifenau es kennen, vollständig umzukrempeln droht.

Ich freue mich auf den nächsten Band dieser Wohlfühlreihe (für mich, sicher nicht für die handelnden Figuren).… (altro)

Gut Greifenau is a large estate in the east of Germany, owned by an aristocratic family. The story follows the lives of the children of that family. Book 2 starts shortly after the beginning of World War One and ends at Christmas 1917.
In comparison to book 1, "Nachtfeuer" is much darker, reflecting the lives of the people during this difficult time. While the lives of the servants are of course much more burdened, the hardships still don't spare the upper classes at all.
Konstantin, the eldest son, has to join the war, while Katharina, the youngest daughter, is pressured to finally become engaged to the Emperor's nephew, whom she detests. Meanwhile, Albert, the coachman, gets closer and closer to finding out what his roots are, while the other servants have to cope both with their private struggles as well as the changes in their work that are brought on by the war.
Again, some parts are quite shallow and cheesy, but I was surprised by some aspects of the plot that I had not expected in a fluffy novel such as this. For example, one of the main characters realizes that he is gay, while one of the maids decides to go through a horrible and unsafe abortion rather than losing employment. There is also a lot of social conflict as Konstantin and Katharina start to realize their privileges more and more because the war changes their world, something their mother will not accept at all costs.
What I did not like was that sometimes, the political context seemed a bit like a lecture, especially when it came to the Russian Revolution, in which some family members get involved due to their Russian heritage. Apart from that, I loved this book as much as the first one.
While I listened, I grew more and more attached to the cast of characters, and I cannot wait to see where the story takes them.… (altro)

The events take place in 1914 in the east of Germany. Gut Greifenau is a large estate, owned by an aristocratic family. The story follows the lives of the children of that family over the course of a few months and until the first days of World War One. They try to find their way in the world, loving their home and the luxurious life which is all they have ever known, but they also fall in love, realize that things will change and that their parents' world is slowly crumbling down, and that they are locked in the proverbial golden cage. While Konstantin, the eldest son and heir, falls in love with the village teacher - and a social democrat! - Katharina becomes attached to a young man from Berlin who is very rich, but alas, he is not an aristocrat.
Yes, some parts of this are very cheesy, but what I liked was the depiction of the epochal change taking place in that period, shown not only through clashes between the classes and political discussions between the various characters, but also in the tensions between the generations, for example in the way that Konstantin wants to buy farming machinery while his father insists on farming in a traditional way. Katharina, on the other hand, wonders why she shouldn't marry a successful and affluent man only because he doesn't have a meaningless title.
Very similar to Downton Abbey, though, apart from these main characters there is a whole ensemble cast of people upstairs and downstairs, and I followed all of their stories with interest. Of course, there are also a lot of family secrets, and when the war starts, things are shaken even more. While many people are dazzled by the prospect of a quick victory, others are afraid of the war and fear for their loved ones and their little slices of happiness.
I loved, loved, loved the characters in this and I already started listening to the second book of the series because I can't wait to see what happens!… (altro)