Thursday, March 05, 2020

What is Katrin Schumann reading?

Featured at Writers Read: Katrin Schumann, author of This Terrible Beauty: A Novel.

Her entry begins:
To be honest, I'm in the middle of reading four books right now because I'm doing research for my next novel. It's hard for me to really enjoy an immersive reading experience when I'm in research mode. However, I read Rick Moody's atmospheric novel, The Ice Storm, about the 1970s recently and was utterly engrossed and transported. It's definitely the kind of book I'll read again: full of incredible period details, but also thoughtful about...[read on]
About This Terrible Beauty, from the publisher:
From the bestselling author of The Forgotten Hours comes an unforgettable story of one woman’s journey to reclaim what she lost in a country torn apart by the devastating legacy of WWII.

On the windswept shores of an East German island, Bettina Heilstrom struggles to build a life from the ashes. World War II has ended, and her country is torn apart. Longing for a family, she marries Werner, an older bureaucrat who adores her. But after joining the fledgling secret police, he is drawn deep into its dark mission and becomes a dangerous man.

When Bettina falls in love with an idealistic young renegade, Werner discovers her infidelity and forces her to make a terrible choice: spend her life in prison or leave her home forever. Either way she loses both her lover and child.

Ten years later, Bettina has reinvented herself as a celebrated photographer in Chicago, but she’s never stopped yearning for the baby she left behind. Surprised by an unexpected visitor from her past, she resolves to return to her ravaged homeland to reclaim her daughter and uncover her beloved’s fate, whatever the cost.
Visit Katrin Schumann's website.

Writers Read: Katrin Schumann.

--Marshal Zeringue