Bread and Salt (Hardcover)

by Connie Biewald (Author) "At the very beginning of the First World War, when many folk in Germany still had enough to eat, there lived three hungry sisters..." (more)
Key Phrases: mining students, jellied meat, mining school, Frau Neufeld, Sister Gabriele, Frau Mueller (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Germany, 1914. Three young sisters are torn from their mother and each other, sent to the country to do the work of farmers off fighting in the Great War. They struggle to endure the painful separation.

Sofie, Amalia, and Dora Bauer reunite with their mother at the war’s end and come of age during the Weimar years, a time of resistance, retaliation, food shortages, and wild inflation, when a cabbage costs a billion marks and a wheelbarrow of money can’t buy a loaf of bread.

Their passions and search for safety and meaning in a violent and chaotic world lead them to make religious, political, and romantic choices that test the limits of their powerful bond.

As circumstances wrench them apart once again, Sofie, Amalia, and Dora fight to stay connected, sustained by memory, story and fierce love.

About the Author
Connie Biewald writes and teaches in Massachusetts. She is the author of the award winning novel, Digging to Indochina, and the recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant and a PEN New England Discovery Award. Visit her website at www.conniebiewald.com

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (October 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595673619
• ISBN-13: 978-0595673612
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,635,652 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really, really, really, really good!, March 14, 2006

By	Friday Next (The Library) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bread and Salt (Paperback)

I stumbled upon this book by accident. One of the librarians at our local library ordered it because she had read some other book by the author and really liked it. She was going on and on about this book, so I thought I'd give it a try. And now I'm really glad I did. This is the best book I've read in ages. It's not just that it's so well written. The story and the characters really grab you.

It's all about three sisters groing up in Germany during World War I and after. They're really close. They get split apart for a little while but then the come back together. But each of them has a different dream: one wants to own her own farm, another wants to be a nun, the third just wants a passionate husband.

Anyway, you really feel like you're living these girls' lives. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves deeply felt stories about family and relationships and the struggle to survive in bad times. In fact I think it should be nominated for the National Book Award.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book!, January 27, 2006

By	webshred (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bread and Salt (Paperback)

I am not an avid reader of historical fiction. If I was, Germany between WWI and WWII would probably not be the first period I would choose to read about. Why? Because let's face it--it was a dark and dismal time.

So why did this book captivate me so much? Because Connie Biewald manages to do what few writers of historical fiction can do--tell us what was going on behind the grim, stoic faces, tease the living color from the black-and-white photos and return to the world all the life and love and hunger that must once have been there.

The three central characters of the novel--Sofi and Amalia and Dora--are as real as any sisters you'll ever meet. Their story isn't just about the tragedy of their times, however; it's also about the stretch and strain of family. How do 3 people born of the same mother and father, living in the same place, the same times, become such different people? How, once their differences begin to show and they are no longer in the same place physically, emotionally, or philosophically, do they still manage to preserve their bonds? And if the bonds are broken, how do they renew them?

This is such a rare book--a tender yet powerful unveiling of the human heart. Read it. You won't regret it.