A review by infosifter
The Vision of Emma Blau by Ursula Hegi
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!