The Granddaughter

A Novel

By: Bernhard Schlink

Narrated by: Richard Burnip, Sarah Moule

“Compelling . . . unfailingly interesting, building suspense as readers wonder what will happen” —Booklist (starred review)

“[A] powerful story of loss and the desire to move forward.” —Publishers Weekly

From the bestselling author of The Reader, a striking exploration of the past, told through the story of a German bookseller’s attempt to connect with his radicalized granddaughter.

It is only after the sudden death of his wife, Birgit, that Kaspar discovers the price she paid years earlier when she fled East Germany to join him: she had to abandon her baby. Shattered by grief, yet animated by a new hope, Kaspar closes up his bookshop in present day Berlin and sets off to find her lost child in the east.

His search leads him to a rural community of neo-Nazis, intent on reclaiming and settling ancestral lands to the East. Among them, Kaspar encounters Svenja, a woman whose eyes, hair, and even voice remind him of Birgit. Beside her is a red-haired, slouching, fifteen-year-old girl. His granddaughter? Their worlds could not be more different— an ideological gulf of mistrust yawns between them— but he is determined to accept her as his own.

More than twenty-five years after The Reader, Bernhard Schlink once again offers a masterfully gripping novel that powerfully probes the past’s role in contemporary life, transporting us from the divided Germany of the 1960s to modern day Australia, and asking what unites or separates us.

Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins

The relationship between the granddaughter and her grandfather

Not a genre I would normally choose, but once I got into the story, I wanted to read.more and more

The novel’s construction.

The simplicity of the language with which the author maintained my interest. A wonderful way to explain how Germany has dealt with its horrible acts during the Second World War.

Interesting twists of family intertwined with history and culture clashes

Although it started a bit slowly the personalities of the characters were well developed and not predictable. I liked the German culture that was part of the story especially how the two Germanys affected Germans.

Historical thoughts

I cannot admit i had enjoyed this book.. it was Heavy and depressing.. it was a naked truth about very painful periods of human history.. i didn’t want to read it, but i did -it made me worry even more about the time we live in now.. its stressful enough to watch news on TV..

Getting better as you go

Narration is great. The story is slow to start, and I often thought to abandon it as it seemed boring at the beginning. But then when the main character finds a clue, the book becomes a page turner into a relationship