Katrin Schumann enthralled
readers with her debut novel, The
Forgotten Hours, a Washington Post bestseller
that critics praised as “an addictive and timely read” (Kirkus) with a “clear and resonant” voice (New York Journal of Books) and a style that “will appeal to fans
of Liane Moriarty, Paula Hawkins, and Jenna Blum” (Booklist).
In THIS TERRIBLE BEAUTY, Katrin Schumann explores
the cowardice and courage of ordinary people trapped in a world over which they
have little control. As the novel opens, the war has ended and the Iron Curtain
has divided Europe with devastating consequences. Lonely and longing for a
family, Bettina Heilstrom marries Werner, an older bureaucrat who adores her.
But after joining the fledgling secret police, he’s drawn deep into its dark
mission and becomes a dangerous man. When Bettina falls in love with an
idealistic young writer, Werner discovers her infidelity and forces her to make
a terrible choice: spend her life in prison or leave her home forever. Either
way she’ll lose both her lover and her young child.
A decade later, Bettina has reinvented herself as a celebrated photographer in Chicago, but she’s never stopped yearning for the daughter she left behind. Surprised by an unexpected visitor from her past, she resolves to return to her ravaged homeland to reclaim her child and uncover her beloved’s fate, but at what cost?
A decade later, Bettina has reinvented herself as a celebrated photographer in Chicago, but she’s never stopped yearning for the daughter she left behind. Surprised by an unexpected visitor from her past, she resolves to return to her ravaged homeland to reclaim her child and uncover her beloved’s fate, but at what cost?
THIS TERRIBLE BEAUTY is filled
with gorgeous prose and complex characters and offers a fresh and surprising
perspective on the WWII era—a period that is tremendously popular with readers.
And the novel’s poignant and shocking conclusion will leave readers reliving
its moments long after turning the last page.
Advance Praise
“This Terrible Beauty by Katrin
Schumann is a compelling and richly layered story of love, motherhood, art, and
ultimately self-preservation. An intimate portrait of one woman’s journey in
Germany during WWII, East Germany after the war, and eventually Chicago in the
1960s—this is a vivid, rapidly-paced historical novel. Unputdownable!” ~ Jillian Cantor, USA Today bestselling author of The Lost Letter and In
Another Time
“A
love story as devastating as it is uplifting, this moving novel centers on a
young woman desperate to regain a sense of agency after WWII, shining a
spotlight on a shadowy era in German history defined by radical social change.
Deeply relevant to our current times, This
Terrible Beauty explores the lengths to which we will go to find love,
and the sacrifices we make for family and community. I fell in love with these
characters, and came away heartened and hopeful.” ~ Christopher Castellani, author of Leading
Men
“Schumann’s
luminous and unflinching lens in This
Terrible Beauty sweeps the reader into the crushing birth of the GDR
and a heart pounding love story that lays bare the trauma war leaves in its
wake. Her vivid focus reveals characters who crumble with heart break and rise
with strength, and above all draws her readers in and never lets them go.” ~ Rachel Barenbaum, bestselling
author of A Bend in the Stars
“Set in post-war Germany, this
gorgeously written, sweeping, cinematic story is also a riveting and
romantic page turner. Get ready to put everything on hold and let yourself
get lost in this sensual tale.” ~
Erica Ferencik, bestselling author of The
River at Night and Into the Jungle
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