Wunderland: A Novel
USA TODAY BESTSELLER • “Searing . . . a heartbreaking page-turner.”—People
“Both heartbreaking and hopeful, this story of a daughter searching for the truth about her mother’s secret past, tangled up in old secrets and terrible lies, kept me up late turning pages.”—Martha Hall Kelly, bestselling author of Lilac Girls
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE
Once inseparable, Berlin teenagers Ilse Fischer and Renate Bauer find their friendship ripped apart by their nation’s abrupt swing into fascism. Ilse, a so-called Aryan, throws her lot in with the Nazi Party, while Renate sees her once-secure world dismantled by Adolf Hitler’s race laws and then shattered by a shocking betrayal. Decades later, that same betrayal will upend the life of Ilse’s daughter, Ava, as she discovers long-buried truths about her mother’s past. A harrowing page-turner, Wunderland traces the lives of three women across two generations—and the devastating repercussions of choices made in the dark days of wartime Germany.
Praise for Wunderland
“Engrossing . . . Epstein reveals the devastating choices these women make.”—Real Simple
“Wunderland is both an engrossing family drama and a foray into a dark period of history . . . a wholly original angle to the WWII novel. You’ll read it in one shivered sitting.”—Refinery29
“A vividly written and stark chronicle of Nazism and its legacies.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A wealth of history turns Wunderland into a novel that’s both beautiful and devastating. . . . Epstein taps into the 1930s prewar era, laying out an unsparing narrative that details tragic events and horrifying legacies . . . opening a new door that may lead to redemption and joy for future generations.”—BookPage (starred review)
“[A] heartbreaking historical tour de force . . . Man’s inhumanity to man—and the redemptive power of forgiveness—is on stark and effective display in Epstein’s gripping novel, a devastating tale bound for bestseller lists.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
From the Publisher
Wunderland by Jennifer Cody Epstein
ASIN : B07FZNTTKK
Publisher : Crown
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : April 23, 2019
Language : English
File size : 3.6 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 386 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-0525576921
Page Flip : Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #619,042 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #186 in Epistolary Fiction (Books) #1,456 in Women’s Sagas #1,640 in Historical World War II Fiction
Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,089) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Original price was: $17.00.$13.99Current price is: $13.99.
USA TODAY BESTSELLER • “Searing . . . a heartbreaking page-turner.”—People
“Both heartbreaking and hopeful, this story of a daughter searching for the truth about her mother’s secret past, tangled up in old secrets and terrible lies, kept me up late turning pages.”—Martha Hall Kelly, bestselling author of Lilac Girls
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE
Once inseparable, Berlin teenagers Ilse Fischer and Renate Bauer find their friendship ripped apart by their nation’s abrupt swing into fascism. Ilse, a so-called Aryan, throws her lot in with the Nazi Party, while Renate sees her once-secure world dismantled by Adolf Hitler’s race laws and then shattered by a shocking betrayal. Decades later, that same betrayal will upend the life of Ilse’s daughter, Ava, as she discovers long-buried truths about her mother’s past. A harrowing page-turner, Wunderland traces the lives of three women across two generations—and the devastating repercussions of choices made in the dark days of wartime Germany.
Praise for Wunderland
“Engrossing . . . Epstein reveals the devastating choices these women make.”—Real Simple
“Wunderland is both an engrossing family drama and a foray into a dark period of history . . . a wholly original angle to the WWII novel. You’ll read it in one shivered sitting.”—Refinery29
“A vividly written and stark chronicle of Nazism and its legacies.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A wealth of history turns Wunderland into a novel that’s both beautiful and devastating. . . . Epstein taps into the 1930s prewar era, laying out an unsparing narrative that details tragic events and horrifying legacies . . . opening a new door that may lead to redemption and joy for future generations.”—BookPage (starred review)
“[A] heartbreaking historical tour de force . . . Man’s inhumanity to man—and the redemptive power of forgiveness—is on stark and effective display in Epstein’s gripping novel, a devastating tale bound for bestseller lists.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
From the Publisher
Wunderland by Jennifer Cody Epstein
ASIN : B07FZNTTKK
Publisher : Crown
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : April 23, 2019
Language : English
File size : 3.6 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 386 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-0525576921
Page Flip : Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #619,042 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #186 in Epistolary Fiction (Books) #1,456 in Women’s Sagas #1,640 in Historical World War II Fiction
8 reviews for Wunderland: A Novel
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Original price was: $17.00.$13.99Current price is: $13.99.
Akamai Okole –
Haunting, tragic, necessary, utterly beautiful and devastating
Over my near 76 years I have read innumerable books on the Holocaust, the events leading up to it, German and Jewish history. While not Jewish, many of my closest friends are, and the law firm where I spent my career was overwhelmingly Jewish when I joined it as one of the few token goyim.This novel captures the horror, the terror, the desperation, the betrayals in Germany in the years before WWII came in earnest, and the death machine of the “Final Solution” was operating at full tilt. It will stay with me always. The author’s writing is often lyrical, despite its dark themes, seemingly without the author’s being conscious of it. But also utterly real.In this time when anti-Semitism is again surging, this is an essential book. Reading it one understands, just a little, what the Jews have suffered in the last 2000 years, and how they have somehow survived when so many other groups and civilizations have disappeared. My highest recommendation.
Patricia Seaton –
Excellent perspective of Nazi Germany through the eyes of two teenage girls
I really enjoyed this story and an in-depth perspective of how the rise of the Nazis affected the everyday youth. The story of Renate is heart-wrenching as even her best friend is lead to believe that betrayal is a necessary sacrifice. One read many WWII books from the perspectives of the Resistence in many countries, but this was the first that deeply explored the personal effect on teenage girls. I felt it was well researched and well written. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is that for the first time, I felt the timeline jumps for the character Ava were a little confusing. First she’s an adult with a teenage daughter. Then she’s a teenager. Then she’s starting school. Then she is 6. Then she’s an adult again. While I appreciated her character, I didn’t understand why her timeline jumped all over the place while the other characters jumped chronologically.
Elizabeth K. –
A peek into how a young German might have gotten swept up into Nazi-ism
Aside from the WWII German/Jewish setting which is an era of particular interest to me, this novel stands out in two ways. One, I enjoy novels in which chapters are devoted to both furthering the narrative and changing the perspective through a different character per chapter. In this case it also involves changing years which is critical to the story. Two, and this is critical for me, it examines the subtle ways ordinary and ordinarily patriotic Germans, especially schoolchildren, were manipulated into seeing so much of the gradual behavior towards the Jews as “natural”. You know it’s horrifying from our 21st century perspective but “watching” it happen on the page is frighteningly insidious and all of a sudden you can see how young people like Ilse and Rudi would be easily swayed. I think we all need to understand that phenomenon. Fascinating, entertaining and ultimately greatly satisfying.
Sybil Brown –
Great read
I absolutely loved this book. I love a good World War II book. And this didn’t disappoint. It is terrible how the Jewish people were treated under Nazi rule. Even the Jewish children in schools were abused mentally by the teachers and could not participate in school activities and made fun of and hated by kids they had known all their life. I can’t imagine how hard that would be to face each day. This book is about the two best friends, both German and what happens when “the Jewish problem” starts and one of them is half Jewish. A well written and very good book.
Kathleen Edelmuth –
Back And Forth And Back And Forth
Two things:1. If you are a fan of World War II tales you will like this. The beauty of this book is the revelations of what the Jewish population went through. No holds barred. It is told in fine fashion.2. If you are not a fan of back-and-forth-and-back-and-forth in decades of time , this is not for you. Why can’t current authors just tell the story….beginning to end. Skip the constant jumping back and forth in time. It is so annoying. And believe me this book gives new meaning to the format……1939 – 1989 – 1933 – 1956. It never stops! You need a play card!
Lori Rutherford –
Excellent read
I have had many books regarding the holocaust and anything that was remotely related to it. I feel drawn to that. For some reason I can never get enough of these books. This one should extensive light on the atrocities Against the Jews by the Nazis. The friendship between a gentile and a Jewish girl was both beautiful and haunting. The way the story was back-and-forth between the past and the present can’t be very interested and surprised until the very end. One of my favorite books so far. Thank you to the Author
Marcus Durant –
Good Story Line
Loved the plot, loved how the background was seamlessly interwoven in the action, loved the characterization and many other things in this novel. The structure added interest and mystery, SPOILER ALERT and the surprise ending was enjoyable—- almost like a reward for all the pain many of the characters (and readers) had slogged through. I would love to have given this book more stars, but the for the writing, at times, the author used trite phrases and over-used descriptive conventions.
fwventer –
Heartbreaking And Engaging
I have read quite a lot of WWII / Holocaust novels, many based on true stories. But none quite like this one. How did so many normal, good people get caught up in such madness? What were the thought processes that led to so many evil individual decisions and actions? This story doesn’t answer all those questions, but it goes a long way in making one realize how each small, seemingly justifiable action, added to the big lie that claimed so many lives. A great read that had me hooked.