moxiedoll's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved this book. Its not the kind of book I would have probably stuck with reading, but listening to the audiobook kept me compelled the entire time. The reader adds so much to the rich prose through her luscious pronunciation of all of the German that is laced throughout the book. The story is very real and beautifully told, especially when its read by someone with familiarity with the German language.
lenascholman's review against another edition
3.0
The writing is beautiful - a whirlwind of history and character that reminds me of James Michener’s Chesapeake / Elena Ferrante’s Naples. Ultimately, though I couldn’t put it down, and while I savoured each chapter, I hoped for a more satisfying ending, wanting a story that began with a curse to end with a blessing. Others might say it does, and maybe that’s true. Maybe I’m being greedy and wanting a blessing and an epilogue.
pepper1133's review against another edition
3.0
Hmmm. This is a difficult one to categorize. I loved the first two books in the "cycle" (I feel compelled to put quotes around the word because it feels like this was not meant to be a series per se, but rather something that perhaps a publisher suggested in order to capitalize on the success of "Stones From the River."). This novel however lacks the coherence of those previous entries. It was wildly uneven, and so great description was given to things such as Robert's alter ego, Fatboy, while at the same time (spoiler alert!) the entire affair of Emma and Justin Miles which results in the conception of their son is literally given one line before the kid is born. By the last few pages, I kinda hoped Emma would just drop the damn match on the roof. Oh well. I have higher expectations for the last book in the series, "Children and Fire," which takes us back to Bergdorf.
bookthia's review
3.0
This was a good book, although not as good as Stones from the River, by the same author. I wouldn't call this a 'sequel' although there is some character overlap. The two books stand alone though. The strength of this book lies in its characters. Everyone is likeable yet flawed, but not overly-flawed. Some, more flawed than others. Some, more likeable than others. Even the "bit" characters are wonderful. I especially liked the way the characters interacted. How they loved and fought like real people -- the relationships were very believable. My favorite character was Helene Montag/Blau. She was wonderfully human. Impetuous and dreamy, self-conscious and yet confident, petty and generous at the same time, loving but still holding back her love too. I would love her if I were ever to meet her in real life. The story itself was fine -- it kept my attention and I liked the way the house became a character unto itself. I struggled with the part of the story about Emma as an adult... it just didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the book, and I had a hard time immagining Emma allowing that to happen to herself. But maybe that's supposed to be the tragedy of it.Anyhow, very good book.
heather_kassman's review against another edition
2.0
Very disjointed and slow. I usually love Hegi's writing, and while she did a great job developing the characters, she lost the story and purpose. The ending was hugely disappointing.
infosifter's review against another edition
2.0
I loved the two earlier books in the Burgdorf cycle which take place in Burgdorf, Germany, but I didn't like this American story nearly as much.
It starts with the story of Stefan, a boy who runs away from his small German town to follow his dreams in America, which he imagines to be filled with skyscrapers and Buffalo. His personal life is beset with tragedy, so he compensates by throwing himself into the restaurant and luxury apartment building he builds. The apartment building is Stefan's pride and joy, but it is also a source of guilt which becomes a burden to his family for generations to come. The family believes the building is cursed because of a loan Stefan refused to repay. This is just one example of what I find frustrating about the book; it is filled with magical thinking, visions, and other mystical oddness. Honestly, I think superstition is a greater burden on these characters than the entropy-ridden building they are allowing to drag them down could ever be!
It starts with the story of Stefan, a boy who runs away from his small German town to follow his dreams in America, which he imagines to be filled with skyscrapers and Buffalo. His personal life is beset with tragedy, so he compensates by throwing himself into the restaurant and luxury apartment building he builds. The apartment building is Stefan's pride and joy, but it is also a source of guilt which becomes a burden to his family for generations to come. The family believes the building is cursed because of a loan Stefan refused to repay. This is just one example of what I find frustrating about the book; it is filled with magical thinking, visions, and other mystical oddness. Honestly, I think superstition is a greater burden on these characters than the entropy-ridden building they are allowing to drag them down could ever be!
kate327's review against another edition
3.0
This was definitely worth reading, though not as engrossing as [b:Stones from the River|77163|Stones from the River|Ursula Hegi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1366513909s/77163.jpg|1253009]. Hegi is a wonderful storyteller; her writing is rich and emotional.
This is a multi-generational saga. German immigrant, Stefan Blau, builds an upscale (for its day) apartment building on the shores of a New Hampshire lake. The Wasserburg building becomes a central character, its relevance to the family and the community is transformed through the generations. The relationship of some of the family with the building shows the effects of being obsessed by physical possessions, which tore the family apart. The challenges faced by immigrants and their ancestors is a central theme in the book, which is just as relevant to immigrants today.
This is a multi-generational saga. German immigrant, Stefan Blau, builds an upscale (for its day) apartment building on the shores of a New Hampshire lake. The Wasserburg building becomes a central character, its relevance to the family and the community is transformed through the generations. The relationship of some of the family with the building shows the effects of being obsessed by physical possessions, which tore the family apart. The challenges faced by immigrants and their ancestors is a central theme in the book, which is just as relevant to immigrants today.
dkhunt's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting and wonderfully written, but very depressing. Nice play through history, but the characters seem to dig deeper and deeper holes and learn nothing from their mistakes.
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
Stefan Blau runs away from his home in Germany when he is a young man. He's always dreamed of living in America. He eventually finds himself in New Hampshire, building a beautiful apartment building, running a restaurant, and doing his best to provide for his family.
Honestly, this book might have suffered from too many interruptions. My review is definitely suffering from allowing too much time to go by between finishing the book and reviewing it.
I mostly enjoyed this, my problem was that I felt a little too distanced from the characters. An immigrant acclimating to America, German-Americans living through WWII, love, loss, family, strange neighbors--any of these should have made a book that I loved. The third-person narration felt so very distant from the action though that I just couldn't click with anyone. Also, this family is just desperately unhappy. The narration changes from Stefan to Helene to Robert to Emma and not one of them is happy. I just can't take that.
The meaning of the title just dawned on me. I was understanding it as "Emma Blau's Vision," and it has a little to do with that, but mostly it's about "Stefan's Vision of Emma." If that had clicked earlier, I might have gotten a little more out of this. I kept waiting for Emma to show up and she didn't make her appearance until page 268. That's a lot of waiting.
Once Emma did appear, she was actually my least favorite character. She's so very pushy and clingy, I felt a little smothered just reading about her. As an adult, she makes horrible choices in her life and doesn't really understand why she's unhappy. She's terrified of change and fights it however she can. She's one character in a line that takes care of the inheritance of the apartment house in a less-than-optimal way.
I honestly feel like there was a deeper meaning to this book that I just didn't understand. Without that, I just feel lost writing this review, so I'm just going to stop here.
Honestly, this book might have suffered from too many interruptions. My review is definitely suffering from allowing too much time to go by between finishing the book and reviewing it.
I mostly enjoyed this, my problem was that I felt a little too distanced from the characters. An immigrant acclimating to America, German-Americans living through WWII, love, loss, family, strange neighbors--any of these should have made a book that I loved. The third-person narration felt so very distant from the action though that I just couldn't click with anyone. Also, this family is just desperately unhappy. The narration changes from Stefan to Helene to Robert to Emma and not one of them is happy. I just can't take that.
The meaning of the title just dawned on me. I was understanding it as "Emma Blau's Vision," and it has a little to do with that, but mostly it's about "Stefan's Vision of Emma." If that had clicked earlier, I might have gotten a little more out of this. I kept waiting for Emma to show up and she didn't make her appearance until page 268. That's a lot of waiting.
Once Emma did appear, she was actually my least favorite character. She's so very pushy and clingy, I felt a little smothered just reading about her. As an adult, she makes horrible choices in her life and doesn't really understand why she's unhappy. She's terrified of change and fights it however she can. She's one character in a line that takes care of the inheritance of the apartment house in a less-than-optimal way.
I honestly feel like there was a deeper meaning to this book that I just didn't understand. Without that, I just feel lost writing this review, so I'm just going to stop here.
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