Stones From the River

by Ursula Hegi

I read this out of curiosity, since it's been so talked about and everything, and was amazed by how good. it was.  Of course, maybe the fact that I happen to be a short young woman helped a little.  The title does indeed end up being significant.

This is basically the life of a woman who is born a dwarf in the middle of World War One and describes her childhood during the end of the war and the early years of the Weimar Republic, the rise of Hitler, and World War Two.  It is exceedingly well written except for two things.  First, it moves a little too fast through time sometimes, although this can be excused by considering how much time the book goes through--almost fifty years.  Also, the events of the book seem disconnected from outside events, more so than I think of the average life being.  But maybe I've just studied European history too much.

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