Stella, Takis Wurger
Stella, Takis Wurger
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Stella

Author: Takis Würger, Liesl Schillinger

Narrator: Will Damron, Shayna Small

Unabridged: 4 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/09/2021


Synopsis

From the internationally bestselling author of The Club comes a new novel of love and betrayal, set in Berlin in 1942

In 1942, Friedrich, an even-keeled but unworldly young man, arrives in Berlin from bucolic Switzerland with dreams of becoming an artist. At a life drawing class, he is hypnotized by the beautiful model, Kristin, who soon becomes his energetic yet enigmatic guide to the bustling and cosmopolitan city, escorting him to underground jazz clubs where they drink cognac, dance, and kiss. The war feels far away to Friedrich, who falls in love with Kristin as they spend time together in his rooms at the Grand Hotel, but as the months pass, the mood in the city darkens as the Nazis tighten their hold on Berlin, terrorizing any who are deemed foes of the Reich.

One day, Kristin comes back to Friedrich's rooms in tears, battered and bruised. She tells him that her real name is Stella, and that she is Jewish, passing for Aryan. More disturbing still, she has troubling connections with the Gestapo that Friedrich does not fully understand. As Friedrich confronts Stella's unimaginable choices, he finds himself woefully unprepared for the history he is living through. Based in part on a real historical character, Stella sets a tortured love story against the backdrop of wartime Berlin, and powerfully explores questions of naiveté, young love, betrayal, and the horrors of history.

About The Author

Takis Würger is a reporter working for the German news magazine Der Spiegel. Named one of Medium's "Top 30 Journalists under 30," alongside other accolades, Würger's work as a journalist has taken him to Afghanistan, Libya, Mexico, and Ukraine. His first novel, The Club, won the lit.Cologne debut prize in Germany.Liesl Schillinger is a literary critic, writer, and translator, and teaches journalism and criticism at the Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts of the New School for Social Research in New York City. She has translated works by Alexandre Dumas fils, Nataša Dragnić, and Jean Echenoz, and is the author of Wordbirds: An Irreverent Lexicon for the 21st Century. In 2017 she was named a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters of France


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ceecee

Friedrich lives in Choulex near Geneva with his heavy drinker mother and wealthy father who imports velvet. As he grows up he becomes impressed with what he perceives as Nazi strength especially as he sees himself as ‘small’. In January 1942 he goes to Berlin ostensibly to attend art school but in r......more

Goodreads review by NILTON

Goodness… what to say? This is a fiction work inspired by the true life of Stella Goldschlag, and she is the only real character. I can’t tell anything about her without spoiling. Personally, I have never heard of her. Anyways… during the first 30% I was mesmerized and completely hooked. It was so str......more

Goodreads review by Olaf

Egal wie viele Kontroversen dieser Roman von Takis Würger auch ausgelöst hat, für mich hat er das Thema Judenverfolgung im dritten Reich mit "Stella" sehr gut umgesetzt und lässt die Protagonistin hier von geheimnisvoll bis unheimlich erscheinen.......more

Goodreads review by Kuszma

Kellemetlen könyv. Mert olyan kérdéseket tesz fel, amelyekre nem tud válaszolni - mert nem lehet rájuk válaszolni. Hogy a hallgatás jobb-e, vagy a hazugság. Hogy a hallgatás jobb-e, vagy az igazság. Hogy kitartani valaki mellett meddig erény, és mikortól bűn. Stella és Fritz 1942-ben, Berlinben talá......more

Meine Meinung zum neuen Roman Stella Die drei Erzählebenen Die Geschichte um Stella und Friedrich wird auf drei Erzählebenen geschildert. Zum einen gibt es am Anfang jedes Kapitels, die die 12 Monate im Jahr 1942 darstellen, eine Einordnung des Zeitgeschehens durch eine kurze historische Einordnung mit......more