My Own Dear Brother - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 140886679X ISBN 13: 9781408866795

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2017

Synopsis

An unforgettable, nightmarish coming-of-age story set in rural Austria towards the end of World War II.

It is 1944, and war has taken the men in Nazi-controlled Austria to the front line. For thirteen-year-old Ursula Hildesheim, life in the village of Felddorf remains almost as it was: bullied by her schoolmates, enlisted in endless chores by her mother and sister, thieving, and running wild with her adored older brother, Anton.

But then Russian prisoners escape from the local concentration camp, her mother starts an affair with a married man, her only friend goes missing, and her brother's allegiance to the Hitler Youth emerges in shocking ways--and Ursula finds herself alone, disturbed by dark memories, and surrounded by threat.

In this new world of conflict, Ursula discovers a bravery she has never known before and is forced to recognize that danger comes not only from the enemy at the door but from the enemy within.

My Own Dear Brother is a remarkable coming-of-age story and an unflinching study of both cruelty and courage. Rich in folklore, it introduces a daring young heroine and a powerful new literary voice.

About this title

About the Author:

Holly Muller is a writer and musician. She teaches Creative Writing at the University of South Wales and sings in the band Hail! The Planes. My Own Dear Brother is her first novel. Muller lives in Cardiff.

Review:

"A powerful and absorbing novel that pulls you deep into the troubled war years of its young heroine. Love and loyalty are the book's real themes, and the manipulation of the innocent. Brilliantly done." Esther Freud, author of MR. MAC AND ME

"A moving portrait of a girl forced to come of age in a world at war." "The Sunday Times"

"Intensely imagined." "The Independent""

"A powerful and absorbing novel that pulls you deep into the troubled war years of its young heroine. Love and loyalty are the book's real themes, and the manipulation of the innocent. Brilliantly done." - Esther Freud, author of MR. MAC AND ME

"Muller explores difficult questions concerning what defines personal morality during a period of collective malevolence . . . This tough, unflinching novel illuminates the cost of war on those most closely affected." - Kirkus Reviews

"An eye-opening view of the suffering of the innocents of war. Yet what resonates most about Muller's intense, moving novel is the revelation that some of those who helped end Nazi rule may have treated the women and children worse than the previous Nazi occupiers." - Publishers Weekly

"[A] powerful coming-of-age story . . . Muller's writing is lyrical and haunting, and she allows readers to delve deeply into the universal themes of loyalty, morality, and courage in the face of extreme adversity. VERDICT This well-researched and stark first novel paints an unflinching portrait of daily life in Austria under the Nazis and later Soviet occupation. Its adolescent protagonist may appeal to readers of Marcus Zusak s The Book Thief." - starred review, Library Journal

"A moving portrait of a girl forced to come of age in a world at war." - The Sunday Times

"Intensely imagined." - The Independent

"

"A powerful and absorbing novel that pulls you deep into the troubled war years of its young heroine. Love and loyalty are the book's real themes, and the manipulation of the innocent. Brilliantly done." - Esther Freud, author of MR. MAC AND ME

"Muller explores difficult questions concerning what defines personal morality during a period of collective malevolence . . . This tough, unflinching novel illuminates the cost of war on those most closely affected." - Kirkus Reviews

"An eye-opening view of the suffering of the innocents of war. Yet what resonates most about Muller's intense, moving novel is the revelation that some of those who helped end Nazi rule may have treated the women and children worse than the previous Nazi occupiers." - Publishers Weekly

"[A] powerful coming-of-age story . . . Muller's writing is lyrical and haunting, and she allows readers to delve deeply into the universal themes of loyalty, morality, and courage in the face of extreme adversity. VERDICT This well--researched and stark first novel paints an unflinching portrait of daily life in Austria under the Nazis and later Soviet occupation. Its adolescent protagonist may appeal to readers of Marcus Zusak's The Book Thief." - starred review, Library Journal

"Muller has created complex characters living through the most difficult of times, and I think her book needs to be read. As dark as it is, it bears out Anne Frank's words that 'people are good at heart.'" - Historical Novel Society

"A moving portrait of a girl forced to come of age in a world at war." - The Sunday Times

"Intensely imagined." - The Independent

"A compelling coming-of-age story and an unflinching study of both cruelty and courage. A consistently engaging read from beginning to end, My Own Dear Brother clearly establishes author Holly Muller as an exceptionally gifted novelist." - Midwest Review of Books

"Muller's strength as a storyteller shines . . . My Own Dear Brother is a touching chronicle of some of the lesser-known casualties of war and of the resilience of human spirit despite those difficulties." - Washington Independent Review of Books

-A powerful and absorbing novel that pulls you deep into the troubled war years of its young heroine. Love and loyalty are the book's real themes, and the manipulation of the innocent. Brilliantly done.- - Esther Freud, author of MR. MAC AND ME

-Muller explores difficult questions concerning what defines personal morality during a period of collective malevolence . . . This tough, unflinching novel illuminates the cost of war on those most closely affected.- - Kirkus Reviews

-An eye-opening view of the suffering of the innocents of war. Yet what resonates most about Muller's intense, moving novel is the revelation that some of those who helped end Nazi rule may have treated the women and children worse than the previous Nazi occupiers.- - Publishers Weekly

-[A] powerful coming-of-age story . . . Muller's writing is lyrical and haunting, and she allows readers to delve deeply into the universal themes of loyalty, morality, and courage in the face of extreme adversity. VERDICT This well--researched and stark first novel paints an unflinching portrait of daily life in Austria under the Nazis and later Soviet occupation. Its adolescent protagonist may appeal to readers of Marcus Zusak's The Book Thief.- - starred review, Library Journal

-Muller has created complex characters living through the most difficult of times, and I think her book needs to be read. As dark as it is, it bears out Anne Frank's words that 'people are good at heart.'- - Historical Novel Society

-A moving portrait of a girl forced to come of age in a world at war.- - The Sunday Times

-Intensely imagined.- - The Independent

-A compelling coming-of-age story and an unflinching study of both cruelty and courage. A consistently engaging read from beginning to end, My Own Dear Brother clearly establishes author Holly Muller as an exceptionally gifted novelist.- - Midwest Review of Books

-Muller's strength as a storyteller shines . . . My Own Dear Brother is a touching chronicle of some of the lesser-known casualties of war and of the resilience of human spirit despite those difficulties.- - Washington Independent Review of Books

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 140886679X
• ISBN 13: 9781408866795
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464