The Berlin Apartment: A Novel by Bryn Turnbull
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Web ID: 19876023Compelling, immersive historical fiction
A must read! An absolutely beautiful book--rich in historical detail, very immersive, and with finely-drawn characters. While the painful, sad, and ultimately triumphant love story of Lise and Uli is at the heart of this book, it's also much more than that. I learned a lot about East and West Berlin at that time, and about the desperation of families and lovers separated by the Berlin Wall. The writing is so good it feels like an eye-witness account. There were characters I loved, and those I hated/pitied, but in the end, I found compassion and understanding for most, as everyone was forced to make impossible decisions when faced with impossible choices. The ending was poignant and perfect, and I was glad to have a box of tissues handy. Doing my best not to give away any plot points -- just do yourself a favor and read this book!
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The Berlin Apartment
The Berlin Apartment by Bryn Turnbull Historical romantic fiction. Multi-timeline and POV. Berlin 1961: Lise Bauer lives with her father and brother in East Berlin and is studying to be a doctor in West Berlin where she meets Uli Neumann. Uli and Lisa fall in love and get engaged. She won’t wear the engagement ring until they can have dinner with her father. Two days later, East Germany puts up a barbed wire fence, separating East from West, splitting the city into two hostile halves. Lise is on the East side when the wall goes up. They try to convince the guards they are engaged. They try to find a place to go over or around the wire but get caught. Lise is stuck behind the iron curtain when the wire is replaced with a more permanent wall of cement. Socialist East Germany will not let their citizens leave. Mail is censored. People are watched. Then Lise realizes she’s pregnant. Her life is now under a microscope. On the West side of the Wall, Uli is devastated he can’t be together with Lise. He convinces his friends they need to build a tunnel to get Lise and other family out of East Germany. It’s a dangerous plan, more than likely to fail, but Uli was in school to be an engineer. He and his friends are sure they can figure out structure, support and placement. Digging and building will have to be in secret. This is not something that will happen in a week, but rather months. Uli and Lise will have to live on their own side and follow strict rules while waiting for the tunnel to be completed. Devastating separation for so many families. The wall went up without warning and there was no way across for German citizens. The compelling storytelling broke my heart. I was too young at the time to remember it going up, but I do remember all the news of when the wall came down. Uli is so strong and committed to helping. Lise will do her part but living in the east comes with strict rules and so many eyes and difficult decisions. A lot of tears. When the wall comes down, and we know it did, there is a lot of healing to be done. Almost thirty years of loss, life, and missing family. This romance is difficult and long awaited. This story of Uli and Lise is a romance. So many others, weren’t so lucky. I received a copy of this from NetGalley.
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