The novel opens with Beatrice, a young girl living in rural Ireland, discovering that her circumscribed life as the daughter of two self-contained and distant parents, can be enlarged through reading and studying birds with her teacher, and later by making lace which she begins to sell at the family shop. She meets a cosmopolitan woman who talks her into moving to Germany to make lace for an aristocratic family. In her naïveté she is quickly out of her depth even as the gentleman of the house ( Herr M.) exposes her to interesting people and ideas. As the war years begin and the reach of the Nazi party becomes more oppressive, Beatrice takes on the roll of servant and companion to the couple. Privation in the countryside sets in, and Herr M and his wife continue to hide their valued possessions and those of their friends. Herr M. Is a man in love with beauty and beautiful things. He has a relationship with individual works of art. They are family to him and he will not leave them. In time, as the bombing raids come closer and closer to Berlin, their mansion is bombed and destroyed. They comb through the wreckage of the home hunting for valuables. The home destroyed, the family and remaining servants retreat to a smaller house within the forest. As their stocks off food and other supplies dwindle, increasing numbers of refuges join their community. Disaster strikes when the Russians arrive. What little they had was further destroyed, as well as any trace of Beatrice's innocence. And yet, Herr M. tries to retain his beautiful objects while selling them off one by one to feed the refugees. Frau M. Remains aloof to her surroundings. Her life has been so privileged that while she can cope with the physical loss of her things, she cannot process how to deal with their loss emotionally. Finally, Herr M. Is arrested by the Russians and Frau M. spends any remaining money on trying to find him. Having moved to another estate, Frau M and Beatrice begin to rebuild their lives. At the end, there is hope. The novel sets Beatrice adrift in the world where the old has crumbled and been bombed all to hell. She emerges at the end tattered but having survived. The suffering could have been avoided if Herr M. had been willing to divorce his wife and leave the country, but he could not and would not. Emotionally I found the characters cold. Sure they had relationships, but none were demonstratively warm. Everyone seemed to exist within their own bubble and occasionally they'd bump into each other's world, but not often. The descriptions of the war's effect on society is staggering in how difficult life was for so many. The loss is hard to comprehend. Also difficult to comprehend is the cruelty people show one another, even in the face of grace and goodness. The M's were careful to feed people who came to the for help, and yet the very villagers they had supported turn on them as the Russians take over the area. So, did I like the book? I'd have to say, comme-çi, comme-ça. It's leaves me a bit uneasy, and I guess that isn't a bad thing. Technically the writing is spare, but good. Susanna Moore did excellent research and it shows. One of many novels I've read in recent years set in the WW2 era, this one takes a look at German aristocrats through the eyes of young, sheltered and unworldly Irish girl. She learns about their lifestyles and priorities even as their world (and everyone's) is crumbling around them.Priorities do a complete reversal. Lace, fine paintings, china, silver -- these things mean nothing when there is nothing to eat. Recommended.
What do You think about La Vida De Los Objetos (2000)?
Perfect pitch. Historical background is extremely well done. Great reading.
—xxl
