By Kip Wilson
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This is a beautiful story written in free-form poetry about love, family, and humanity prevailing during a time of a lot of despair, violence, and hatred.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended Age Level: 12+
Stand-alone
Rating: 4.2/5
Synopsis
After her eighteenth birthday, Hilde, an orphan in 1930s Berlin, goes out into the world hoping to find her place. She comes up short, at least until she stumbles into Café Lila, a vibrant club full of love and music, and meets Rosa, the club’s waitress and performer, whom she can’t take her eyes off of. There, Hilde starts to find her voice and embrace her blossoming feelings for Rosa.
But Berlin is in turmoil. Between elections, protests in the streets, and the growing unrest in Café Lila itself, Hilde will have to decide what’s best for her future . . . and what it means to love a place that will soon be changed forever.
A Review
This is one of the most innately beautiful stories I have ever read, and that is particularly impressive considering that it takes place in Germany right before WWII, a place filled with hatred and violence. Poetry can seem off-putting and challenging, but this was simultaneously easy to digest and multi-layered. This book was a gorgeous reminder that love of all forms will persevere through any circumstances, and it was also a necessary reality check that the hatred displayed during WWII did not come out of nowhere and also did not vanish after the war. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an important, unique, historical read!
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