Veel üks Lotte

by Erich Kästner, Linda Ariva (Translator)

Saksa kirjanik Erich Kästner on lisaks luuletustele kirjutanud ka edukalt populaarseid lasteraamatuid («Emil ja detektiivid»). «Veel üks Lotte» on kordustrükk 1971. a eesti keeles ilmunud teosest.

Genres: Classics, Childrens, German Literature, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Germany

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Erich Kästner (1899–1974) was a German author, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known for his humorous, socially astute poetry and children's literature.
A stout pacifist and democrat, he was expelled from the national writers' guild during the Nazi era, with many of his books being burned in public. Today, he is widely regarded as one of Germany's most prolific and beloved children's book authors.

AKA:
Έριχ Καίστνερ (Greek)

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I often see people here on Goodreads complaining that they can no longer read books the way they used to when they were kids. Once, you'd just get completely absorbed by the story and follow it breathlessly as it progressed, identifying with the characters and willing things to come out right for them. But now, you're too sophisticated; you keep on thinking about the author's style, and how he's manipulating you into believing this and expecting that, and anyway you saw someone else do it better in that book you read a few years ago. It's hard to keep focused on what's actually going on.

I discover, to my surprise and delight, that there is a solution to this problem! I have recently been making efforts to improve my very unsatisfactory German (it's the language two-thirds of Switzerland speaks, even if they don't speak it here in Geneva), and I've been using my normal method of simply picking things up and reading them, starting with very easy stuff and gradually moving towards more challenging material. I'm guessing I now have the German reading age of a bright seven-year-old. But here's the amazing thing: I find I'm reading the books like a seven-year-old! The first few times I couldn't do it, because I was still spending too much effort acquiring the grammar and vocabulary. To be honest, this is still interfering with my pleasure every now and then, but mostly I'm just reading; I got through Das doppelte Lottchen in a little more than a day.

And what a terrific book it is! Luise, nine, is at summer camp when a girl turns up who looks exactly like her. At first she's angry that someone else has stolen her face, but then she makes friends with Lotte and discovers something weird: not only has she got Luise's appearance, she was also born on the same day, in the same town. They're twins, but their parents (Luise lives with her dad, Lotte with her mom) have never told them!

Evidently the parents have their reasons for doing this. Each one must have decided to act as though the other simply doesn't exist any more. Luise and Lotte are terrified by the thought that they'll never see each other again after camp is over. But what can a couple of nine-year-old girls do? And then they come up with a plan. They each take an exercise book and write down everything about the other's life, so that they have a full list of names, places, friends, teachers, favorite foods, all of it. And when it's time to go home, they swap identities.

If I'd been reading this as a grown-up, I'd have been making various kinds of cool-headed comparisons: Shakespeare, The Parent Trap (distantly based on the story, but changed in many places), behaviorist and Freudian psychology, the author's background. But as it was, I was just plain enjoying it, and I was astonished to find that it moved me to tears several times.

Erich Kästner is my German self's new favorite author. I've already raided my piggy-bank to buy another of his books.

[Melindam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vintage Classic Children's Book and no mistake. And honestly, who can resist an IDENTICAL TWIN SWAP story, especially if it's done so perfectly? I cannot.

My delight as an adult was almost totally unspoilt while re-reading the novel. At one point, of course I started going down the road of "how could the parents do such a thing", but my 9-year-old self was firmly guarding the path and chased me back to enjoy the story.

And I did, boy, I did it all right, I was moved both to laughter and even to tears sometimes.

Originally published in 1949 (Erich Kästner was forbidden by the Nazis to publish anything for a long time) this book is the original source of Disney's The Parent Trap and other film adaptations.
Of course, the plot is not that original - think of Plautus' Menaechmi; Or, the Twin-Brothers and Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors - but Kästner was the first 20th century author to use it and he did it in the loveliest way possible. The book is about children and to children and I am still surprised at the honest and open way he communicated to child readers (and adults) through it.

Louise is a sassy and feisty 9-year-old from Vienna, where she lives with father, a famous & rich composer and conductor with bohemian tendencies.
Lotte is a shy & kindhearted 9-year-old from Munich, where she lives with her lovely mother, a newspaper editor, who has to work hard to make ends meet for them.
The girls meet in a summer holiday camp and you can imagine everyone's - including their own- huge surprise when they meet for the first time and look to be the spitting images of each other.

It does not take for them long to discover that they are identical twins whose parents divorced when they were 2 and also separated them. (Yes, it's a terrible and stupid thing to do, but there would be no story without this, so let's leave it.)

In order to meet their, so-far, unknown parent, the girls decide to switch places and impersonate each other. It's very hard, especially in the beginning, but it is lovely to read how - with their different personalities- they start to make changes to their surroundings as well as to their parents.
Louise -taking after her father in character- teaches her mother to take life a little less seriously and to let go sometimes and enjoy it more.
Lotte -taking after her mother- starts "domesticating" her Bohemian father, showing him that life in a cosy, well looked-after home with family can be enjoyable without having to feel tied-down about it.

And this leads me to another aspect of the story: the parents' relationship.
I did not pay too much attention to it as a child, I simply took it for granted that they divorced but then decided to give it a go after the twins ask them to do so. However, this takes much more than that, and as the story is developing, Kästner is showing us simply & subtly that these 2 people have not forgotten and still have feelings for each other.
Even after the divorce, Ludwig had a photo of his wife standing on his piano, where he was constantly working, so he could always look at it. It was only removed when he noticed Louise noticing. Or when Lotte got ill & he learned the reason why, he is shown to appreciate Lotte's silent determination and strength, which he naturally assumes to come from his wife and not from him.
In her turn, Louiselotte always went to concerts when one of Ludwig's new pieces were performed and could feel through his music that he was not happy despite his success.

Before the happy ending we have the necessary obstacle and unwilling catalyst in the form of the beautiful, but cunning Irene Gerlach, who wants to marry Ludwig Palffy because he is famous & rich. BUT all's well that ends well, the girls defeat all obstacles and manage to get the parents together so they can also come to terms with what they had done and face the feelings they still have for each other.

[Piyangie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, emotional, and charming! The Parent Trap or Lisa and Lottie is one of a kind. The writing is so powerful that it really moved me. It is one of the few children's classic that has made me so emotional. I admire Kästner for achieving that feat.

Two estranged identical twins meet for the first time in a summer camp. Imagine their initial surprise and the state of their feelings when they learn the truth about themselves! They may be only nine years old. But they know what they want; they want their family united once again.

Narrated from the children's perspective, the story addresses the issue of the effects on children when their parents go their separate ways. As a lawyer, divorce and custody have always been the most painful legal proceedings for me because of the emotional strain that it puts me through. My colleagues have teased me saying that I'm oversensitive. But I never could stop feeling keenly the children's suffering because of the actions of the adults. Of course, there are justifiable circumstances for divorce and custody, but more times than not people take the easy way without trying to work out their differences. These decisions affect children more than parents realize. Consequently, the children suffer emotionally. Writing from the point of view of the children, Kästner powerfully word their thoughts and feelings:
"They really should have asked whether it was all right to divide us up first!"
"Well, we couldn’t talk yet at that time."

From the point of view of a children's novel, I enjoyed the childish behaviour of Luise and Lottie. They were adorable. I don't think any reader reading this book can resist loving their sweet innocence. The story was entertaining. It made me both laugh and cry. Undoubtedly, it is one of the best children's classics I have read.

More of reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/

[Paul Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein ausgezeichneter erster wirklicher deutscher Roman

An A level challenge based on a vocabulary of approximately 600 words, Easy Readers has created an interesting, challenging read appropriate to second year students of the German language. The difficulty level at which the publishers have set this abridged and modified version of Erich Kästner's classic children's novel is perfect. The first couple of chapters seem heavy going indeed and the easily discouraged student, forced to resort to a dictionary on numerous occasions might be tempted to set the book aside as simply beyond his or her capabilities. But the more persevering student soon discovers (as I did to my surprised delight) that he or she is reading (slowly, to be sure) but without the assistance of any dictionary at all and relying solely on context to determine the meaning of never before seen words and brand new colloquial German sentence structures.

What's even better is that DAS DOPPELTE LOTTCHEN, as the basis for the well-known English story, THE PARENT TRAP is a REAL story with real emotions and real outcomes. I found that I was enjoying reading the story for its own sake ... NOT just because I was assigned the reading as part of a German class.

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently learned that the film "The Parent Trap" was based on a book so I gave it a read. It was good, could have stood a bit more development. I have a feeling there was more sly humor in the German that didn't really come through in English; may try a different translation.

One thing I noticed, which I don't remember if it was present in the film, was the mother's financial difficulties and how Lottie was well-behaved not because of strict parenting but because of having to do the house-keeping, cooking, etc and not get into trouble which would cause her mother to miss work.

[Alwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erich Kästner's charming 1949 novel's been adapted for the screen countless times in numerous countries. Originally controversial both for its non-judgemental perspective on divorce and its positive representation of a single, working mother - a character based on Kästner's partner Luiselotte Enderle - it tells the story of two children who accidentally meet at summer camp and realise they're identical twins. They were separated not long after they were born nine years earlier: Luise remained with her composer father ending up in Vienna; Lottie was left with her journalist mother in Munich. Now they know the truth, Luise and Lottie hatch a plot to reunite their parents so that they can live together as sisters. A fluid, satisfying story peppered with moments of wry humour, greatly enhanced by long-time collaborator Walter Trier's evocative illustrations. Translated by Anthea Bell*

Thanks to Edelweiss and publisher Pushkin Press for an ARC


*An earlier translation was published by Puffin under the title Lottie and Lisa in the early sixties.

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Das doppelte Lottchen (the German original) absolutely to pieces when I was a child and I have also watched and greatly enjoyed the German film version multiple times (the one from 1954 that had author Erich Kästner write the actual screen play); it is much more authentic than the generally more well-known and famous The Parent Trap (the original, starring Hayley Mills) which took some rather huge and for me, unforgivable, liberties with the plot (and while I do realise that many seem to very much adore the latter movie, for me, it just veers too much and too far from the original to ever be fully enjoyable).

And with this novel, with Das doppelte Lottchen Erich Kästner has definitely and truly managed to both engagingly and realistically portray the many problems and issues that are often faced by children of divorced parents, as well as the irresponsible behaviours that are at times exhibited by the same, by the parents (such as in this case, separating very young twin siblings, and then not even telling them that they have siblings, which Kästner clearly shows is NEVER an acceptable solution, as children are not objects or playthings). Das doppelte Lottchen (Lisa and Lottie) takes children, their hopes, dreams and desires seriously, and is also a reminder to adults (to parents) that children must not be ignored, that they deserve to know the truth, and that irresponsible adult behaviours can have problematic, difficult, even potentially dangerous consequences. And considering that Das doppelte Lottchen was penned in 1949, it is both amazing, and I guess also more than a trifle disconcerting and frustrating to have to acknowledge that similar heartbreaking scenarios are still prevalent and relevant nowadays, and on a global scale at that.

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Das doppelte Lottchen (the German original) absolutely to pieces when I was a child (and have probably read said novel at least twenty or so times, and that is a conservative estimate at best). And I have also and repeatedly watched and greatly enjoyed the German film version (the one from 1954 which had author Erich Kästner write the screen play and which starred actual twin girls as the main protagonists); it is much more authentic than the generally more well-known and famous Disney The Parent Trap movie (the original, starring Hayley Mills, I have not seen the more recent Lindsay Lohan version nor am I planning to) which takes some rather huge and for me almost unforgivable liberties with the plot (I do realise many seem to adore the parent trap movies, but for me, they veer too much and too far from Kästner's original plot and thematics to ever be fully or even partially enjoyable).

With this novel, with Das doppelte Lottchen, author Erich Kästner has definitely managed to realistically portray the many problems and issues faced by children of divorced parents, as well as the irresponsible behaviours that are at times exhibited by the same, by parents (separating very young twin siblings, and then not even telling them that they have siblings is NEVER an acceptable solution, as children are not objects or playthings). Das doppelte Lottchen (actually titled as The Parent Trap in this new 2014 translation by the incomparable and talented Anthea Bell) takes children, their hopes, dreams and desires seriously, and is also a rather stringent reminder to adults (to parents) that children must not be ignored, that they deserve to know the truth, and that irresponsible adult behaviours can have problematic, difficult, even potentially dangerous consequences. And considering that Das doppelte Lottchen was penned in 1949, it is both amazing, and I guess also more than a trifle disconcerting and frustrating to have to acknowledge that similar heartbreaking scenarios are still prevalent and relevant nowadays, and on a global scale.

Now I do NOT often rank a translation (especially a translation of a personal favourite) with five stars, but Anthea Bell's 2014 English language rendition of Das doppelte Lottchen is for lack of a better word, simply and utterly perfect in every way. Presenting Erich Kästner's narrative in a delightfully authentic manner while also keeping as much as possible to the rhythm, cadence and feel of the original without fortunately providing a literal word-for-word translation of Kästner's words, Anthea Bell has provided a sweet story in and of itself, and one that actually does not even feel all that much like a translation, but incredibly and enjoyably reads like simply an entertaining and evocative account of Lisa and Lottie's escapades and struggles. And that ALL of the personal and geographic place names have been kept in the original, have been retained in the German of the original is an added bonus and makes this translation of Kästner's classic, makes Anthea Bell's The Parent Trap miles and miles above earlier translations (which, while most definitely readable and adequate, also do often change at least some of the names to German sounding variants that the translator I guess feels are more easily pronounced and understood by English language readers and speakers).

Although for me, personally, Anthea Bell's The Parent Trap (and please note that the title does NOT in any way refer to the Hayley Mills or Lindsay Lohan movie versions) is absolute translation perfection, I should at least offer as a small caveat that Anthea Bell is British and that some of the expressions (actually many of them) have a distinct British feel to them (now I both love and actually much appreciate this, but I could perhaps see it potentially distracting and perhaps even confusing readers who are not all that familiar with British English idioms). But I for one, have simply and utterly adored this 2014 translation of Erich Kästner's Das doppelte Lottchen (almost on the same level and scale as the original and that is saying an awful lot) and am increasingly of the firm and unshaking opinion and belief that Anthea Bell is one of the best if not actually the best current translator of German children's literature into English. Five well-deserved stars and even a permeant resident on my favourites shelf (and finally, furthermore, unlike the recent translation of Das doppelte Lottchen published by Lizzie Skurnick Books, that I have also perused and reviewed, this here translation also and thankfully contains ALL of the wonderful and evocative accompanying illustrations by Walter Trier).

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Das doppelte Lottchen (the German original) absolutely to pieces when I was a child (and have probably read said novel at least twenty or so times, and that is a conservative estimate at best). I have also and repeatedly watched and greatly enjoyed the German film version (the one from 1954 which had author Erich Kästner write the screen play and that starred actual twin girls as the main protagonists); it is much more authentic than the generally more well-known and famous Disney The Parent Trap movie (the original, starring Hayley Mills, I have not seen the more recent Lindsay Lohan version nor am I planning to) as the Disney movie version takes some rather huge and for me almost unforgivable liberties with the plot (and I do realise many seem to adore the parent trap movies, but for me, they veer too much and too far from Kästner's original plot and thematics to ever be fully or even partially enjoyable).

With this novel, with Das doppelte Lottchen, author Erich Kästner has definitely managed to realistically portray the many problems and issues faced by children of divorced parents, as well as the irresponsible behaviours that are at times exhibited by the same, by parents (separating very young twin siblings, and then not even telling them that they have siblings is NEVER an acceptable solution, as children are not objects or playthings). Das doppelte Lottchen takes children, their hopes, dreams and desires seriously, and is also a rather strict reminder to adults (to parents) that children must not be ignored, that they deserve to know the truth, and that irresponsible adult behaviours can have problematic, difficult, even potentially dangerous consequences. And considering that Das doppelte Lottchen was penned in 1949, it is both amazing, and I guess also more than a trifle disconcerting and frustrating to have to acknowledge that similar heartbreaking scenarios are still prevalent and relevant nowadays, and on a global scale at that.

Now when I started to read Cyrus Brooks' Lottie and Lisa, the first English language translation of Das doppelte Lottchen (published in 1950, and thus only one year after Kästner's original German), I was at first rather taken aback that the location of the girls' camp where Lisa first meets Lottie (and where they discover that they are separated identical twins) is called Bohrlaken on Lake Bohren instead of (as in the German original) Seebühl on the Bühlsee. However, I very quickly and actually even with much appreciation began to realise and understand that this minor change (and at least the location is still German sounding) is in fact a very astute and prudent narrative and translative strategy, as while Bohrlaken and Bohren would be comparatively easy to pronounce and/or read by the majority of English language speakers, the same cannot unfortunately be said with regard to Seebühl and Bühlsee (as the "ü" sound does not exist in English and is, in fact, a sound that can be difficult for particularly English language speakers to fully master).

And considering that even in the original novel, that even in Das doppelte Lottchen, the camp location where Lisa and Lottie meet is indeed entirely fictitious, it really does make basic common sense to render the location into a German sounding place name that is a bit easier to pronounce in the English language translation, or rather, in this English language translation. Furthermore, this is also one of the comparatively few deliberate name and locality changes I have found in Lottie and Lisa, as the majority of the other locations (as well as personal names), such as, for example, Munich, Vienna and their respective street names have basically all been kept the same as in the original (unless of course there might be potential pronunciation issues, and even then, as already mentioned, the changes are still presented in a German sounding manner, but simply in a more easily read and understood German for English language readers, or perhaps listeners if the novel were being read aloud).

Therefore and generally, happily, Cyrus Brooks' Lottie and Lisa is what I would strongly consider a more than successful English language translation of Das doppelte Lottchen, keeping both ALL of the content, the plot and as much of the style and vocabulary of the original as possible (whilst also not reading like a slavish and literal word-for-word rendition, which often tends to result in awkwardness). There are perhaps a few clumsy parts (such as the use of smile wrinkles for Lachfalten, which should probably be more reasonably translated as laugh lines), but these are generally so insignificant that they really are almost unnoticeable. Highly recommended and while perhaps not quite as spectacular and brilliant as the more recent 2014 English language translation by Anthea Bell, this is definitely a standardly good and still more than acceptable and usable English language rendition of Erich Kästner's classic, of Das doppelete Lottchen (and unlike the more recent and anonymous Cyrus Brooks translation published by Lizzie Skurnick Books, Lottie and Lisa DOES indeed also contain all of the accompanying evocative illustrations by Walter Trier, whose illustrations of Kästner's children's books are as much part of the reading experience as the author's narrative and really should NEVER be removed or in some way replaced).

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I totally and utterly loved Das doppelte Lottchen (the German original, from which Lisa and Lottie is translated) absolutely to pieces when I was a child and I have also watched and greatly enjoyed the German film version multiple times (the one from 1954 that had author Erich Kästner write the actual screen play); it is much more authentic than the generally more well-known and famous The Parent Trap (the original, starring Hayley Mills) which takes some rather huge and for me, unforgivable, liberties with the plot (and while I do know and understand that many adore the latter movie, for me, it veers too much and too far from the original to ever be fully enjoyable).

And with this novel, with Das doppelte Lottchen, Erich Kästner has definitely managed to realistically portray the many problems and issues that often are faced by children of divorced parents, as well as the irresponsible behaviours that are at times exhibited by the same, by parents (separating very young twin siblings, and then not even telling them that they have siblings is NEVER an acceptable solution, as children are not objects or playthings). Das doppelte Lottchen (Lisa and Lottie) takes children, their hopes, dreams and desires seriously, and is also a reminder to adults (to parents) that children must not be ignored, that they deserve to know the truth, and that irresponsible adult behaviours can have problematic, difficult, even potentially dangerous consequences. And considering that Das doppelte Lottchen was penned in 1949, it is both amazing, and I guess also more than a trifle disconcerting and frustrating to have to acknowledge that similar heartbreaking scenarios are still prevalent and relevant nowadays, and on a global scale.

When I started to read Lisa and Lottie, this here English language rendition published by Lizzie Skurnick Books of Brooklyn, New York (the translator's name is not listed, but I am now pretty well one hundred percent certain that it is the 1950 translation by Cyrus Brooks, and why his name has NOT been acknowledged is both hard to understand and actually in any manner to even accept), I was at first rather taken aback that the location of the girls' camp where Lisa first meets Lottie (and where they discover that they are separated identical twins) is called Bohrlaken on Lake Bohren instead of (as in the German original) Seebühl on the Bühlsee. However, I very quickly and with much appreciation began to realise and understand that this minor change (and at least the location is still German sounding) is actually a very astute and prudent narrative and translative strategy, as while Bohrlaken and Bohren would be comparatively easy to pronounce and/or read by the majority of English language speakers, the same cannot unfortunately be said with regard to Seebühl and Bühlsee (as the "ü" sound does not exist in English and can, in fact, often be quite difficult to fully master, as I do know from my own personal German language teaching experience).

And considering that even in the original novel, even in Das doppelte Lottchen, the camp location where Lisa and Lottie meet is entirely fictitious, it really does make basic common sense to render the location into a German sounding place name that is a bit easier to pronounce in the English language translation, or rather, in this particular English language translation. Furthermore, this is also one of the comparatively few deliberate name and locality changes I have found in Lisa and Lottie, as the majority of the other locations (as well as personal names), such as, for example, Munich, Vienna and their respective street names have basically all been kept the same as in the original (unless of course, there might be potential pronunciation issues, and even then, as already mentioned, the changes are still presented in a German fashion, but simply in a more easily read and understood German for English language readers and/or listeners).

Therefore and generally, happily, Lisa and Lottie is what I would strongly consider a more than successful English language translation, keeping both ALL of the content, the plot and as much of the style and vocabulary of the original as possible (whilst also not reading like a slavish and literal word-for-word rendition, which can result in awkwardness). There are perhaps a few clumsy parts (such as the use of smile wrinkles for Lachfalten, which should probably be more reasonably translated as laugh lines), but these are generally so insignificant that they really are almost unnoticeable. And I was truly more than willing to give this translation of Das doppelte Lottchen a four star rating (not a five star, as sorry, the original novel is such a childhood and adulthood favourite that NO translation will generally ever sparkle with the same amount of magic for me) until I noticed that NONE of the accompanying original illustrations by Walter Trier have been retained, that instead of Trier's evocative and classic depictions, the ones that I grew up loving and adoring, the illustrations in this edition, in Lisa and Lottie are by an anonymous illustrator, vaguely rendered and really not even all that German or even European looking in expression and style (both an insult to the memory and the legacy of Walter Trier as an illustrator and also at least somewhat causing a sense of uncomfortable disconnect between text and image). Still recommended is Lisa and Lottie, although the illustrations truly are a huge and personal disappointment, as Walter Trier's illustrations are as much an integral part of this novel as Erich Kästner's storyline, as his printed words and text.

Also and honestly, finally, why does the book cover of Lisa and Lottie show both of the twins with curls, considering that while Lisa has curls, Lottie generally wears braids (and when Lisa and Lottie switch roles, when they switch places and locations, Lisa becomes Lottie with the strict braids in Munich, and Lottie becomes Lisa with the wild curls in Vienna). Although in no way a major issue (and thus not really all that much affecting my star rating), I definitely would much prefer a cover image that shows one girl with braids and one girl with a curly hairdo (and thus, although the translation itself of course ranks as four stars, the fact that Cyrus Brooks' name as translator is not at all mentioned and that NONE of Walter Trier's accompanying original illustrations have been retained does in fact now anger me enough to only consider two stars for Lisa and Lottie).

[Saranya [uni- kinda ia] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Double trouble, twice the charm!!!

If you’ve ever wished for a twin just to swap places and dodge your responsibilities—or maybe just to see how the other half lives, Lisa and Lottie would be your childhood fantasy wrapped in a bow of cleverness and heart.

Two girls meet at summer camp and discover they’re identical. Not just “we could be sisters” identical, but actually sisters!!

The twins are delightfully mischievous but never mean-spirited, but “adorable chaos agents.”
The adults are just clueless enough to make the whole scheme plausible, but not so clueless that they would lose faith in humanity.

It is a charming romp with just enough emotional depth to tug at your heartstrings—before tickling your funny bone again. It’s the literary equivalent of sneaking dessert before dinner: sweet, slightly rebellious and totally satisfying:)

[MischaS_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opět jsem si jednou připomněla, proč jsem jako malá tak toužila po dvojčeti :D

[leynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meine Mama hat diese Ausgabe des Buchs neben den Mülltonnen gefunden und für mich gerettet. Es ist in einem sehr guten Zustand und stinkt auch nicht, no worries. ;) Ich denke, in Deutschland kennt so gut wie jeder die Geschichte von Das doppelte Lottchen, selbst wenn man sie, wie ich, damals nicht in der Schule gelesen hat.

Die Zeit vergeht. Sie weiß es nicht besser.

In dem Buch lernen sich die beiden Mädchen Luise Palfy und Lotte Körner in einem Ferienlager kennen. Obwohl sie sich vorher noch nie gesehen haben, stellen sie schnell fest, dass sie sich sehr ähnlich sehen. Bald entdecken sie den Grund: Sie sind Zwillingsschwestern. Ihre Eltern haben sich nach ihrer Geburt getrennt und die beiden Mädchen jeweils bei sich behalten. Lotte lebt mit ihrer Mutter in München, während Luise mit ihrem Vater in Wien aufwächst. Beide wussten bisher nichts voneinander.

Die Mädchen beschließen, nach den Ferien ihre Rollen zu tauschen. Lotte fährt mit Luises Vater nach Wien, während Luise mit Lottes Mutter nach München fährt. So wollen sie herausfinden, warum ihre Eltern sich getrennt haben und ob sie ihre Familie wieder zusammenbringen können.

Es ist einfach eine superlustige und ziemlich skurrile Prämisse, die Kästner erstaunlich gut in Kinderliteratur umgesetzt hat. Es macht unglaublich viel Spaß, Luise und Lotte bei ihren Abenteuern zu begleiten, auch wenn die Geschichte an sich natürlich nicht besonders glaubhaft oder realistisch ist. Gerade das Rollentausch-Spiel der beiden sorgt für viele witzige und charmante Momente: In ihren neuen Familien versuchen sie, sich möglichst überzeugend wie die jeweils andere zu verhalten, und geraten dabei immer wieder in lustige, aber auch schwierige Situationen. Gleichzeitig erfahren sie immer mehr darüber, wie ihre Eltern leben und warum die Familie überhaupt auseinandergebrochen ist. Schließlich gelingt es den Mädchen, ihre Eltern wieder miteinander ins Gespräch zu bringen, und ihr Vater erkennt, dass er seine frühere Frau noch immer liebt. Am Ende findet die Familie wieder zusammen – zugegebenermaßen ein ziemlich kitschiges und sehr märchenhaftes Ende, aber irgendwie passt es auch zum Ton der Geschichte.

Was mich allerdings besonders beeindruckt hat, ist Kästners unglaublich guter Schreibstil. Der Text ist überhaupt nicht mit vielen heutigen Kinderbüchern zu vergleichen. Kästner verwendet einen sehr reichen Wortschatz und unglaublich schöne, teilweise poetische Bilder. Zum Beispiel beschreibt er das Heimweh der Kinder so: "Freilich abends, da setzt sich zuweilen der graue Zwerg Heimweh an die Betten im Schlafsaal, zieht sein graues Rechenheft und den grauen Bleistift aus der Tasche und zählt ernsten Gesichts die Kindertränen ringsum zusammen, die geweinten und die ungeweinten." Solche Formulierungen machen das Buch nicht nur unterhaltsam, sondern bieten Kindern auch die Möglichkeit, mit Sprache, Metaphern und einem viel größeren Wortschatz in Berührung zu kommen. Gerade davon können Kinder meiner Meinung nach unglaublich profitieren.

Interessant fand ich außerdem, wie stark das Buch Hausarbeit thematisiert. Lotte ist eine hervorragende Köchin, weil sie bei ihrer Mutter einen großen Teil der Hausarbeit übernehmen muss, während Luise diese Aufgaben überhaupt nicht kennt. Kästner beschreibt das mit dem herrlichen Satz: "Doch mit dem Kochen ist das eine eigene Sache. Entschlossenheit genügt vielleicht, um von einem hohen Turm zu springen. Aber um Nudeln mit Rindfleisch zu kochen, dazu braucht's mehr als Willenskraft." Einerseits ist es schön, dass dadurch sichtbar wird, wie viel Arbeit hinter alltäglichen Dingen wie Kochen und Haushalt steckt. Andererseits wird hier auch deutlich, wie selbstverständlich einem Kind – und dazu noch einem Mädchen – diese Verantwortung übertragen wird.

Überhaupt finden sich im Buch einige sehr zeittypische und patriarchale Vorstellungen, die aus heutiger Sicht durchaus kritisch zu betrachten sind. Besonders der Satz "Als berufstätige Frau weiß man überhaupt zu wenig von seinem Kind" ist mir dabei aufgefallen. Die Verantwortung dafür, das eigene Kind gut zu kennen, wird hier implizit der Mutter zugeschrieben – während offenbar niemand fragt, warum der Vater genauso wenig über sein Kind weiß oder warum diese Verantwortung überhaupt hauptsächlich bei der Frau liegen sollte. Solche Stellen erinnern daran, wie stark das Buch in den gesellschaftlichen Vorstellungen seiner Entstehungszeit verwurzelt ist.

Trotz dieser problematischen und teilweise sehr altmodischen Aspekte hat mir das Buch unglaublich viel Spaß gemacht. Es ist witzig, sprachlich wunderschön und bietet überraschend viel Stoff zum Nachdenken. Gerade die Mischung aus einer völlig überdrehten Prämisse, warmherziger Familiengeschichte, großartiger Sprache und ziemlich deutlichen Zeitzeugnissen macht Das doppelte Lottchen auch heute noch interessant – selbst wenn das zuckersüße Happy End vielleicht doch eher unrealistisch ist. But what can I say? I live for the cheese.

[Mahdi Lotfi · Rating 2 out of 5]

دو خواهر دوقلو بی خبر از وجود یکدیگر نزد پدر و مادری که اکنون با هم زندگی نمی کنند، به سر می برند، دست تصادف این دو را به دیدار هم می کشاند و ...

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Goodreads friend Gundula (I can’t adequately thank her!) who gave me this copy of the book. So, I finally got a chance to read it. For years, ever since I knew that the movie The Parent Trap was based on this book, I’ve wanted to read it.

My whole life I always wanted a twin sister, or at least siblings. This book would have definitely been a favorite book of mine had I read it at age 9 or 10, about the time I was first enjoying the movie. And, despite being a huge fan of Hayley Mills, I think I would have enjoyed the book even more than I enjoyed the movie.

Delightful. Charming. Smart, very smart. I loved the writing style/translation. I loved the story. I loved the two girls. All of the characters are significantly different from those in The Parent Trap movie. The girls are only nine in the book, but they’re very mature. It’s got a more old fashioned tone than the movie and is a bit more sober in tone, but it’s also very funny in many places.

The wait was worth it; it didn’t disappoint in the slightest.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prasminga ir pamokanti vaikiška knygelė, kartais norisi atsipalaiduoti ir kažką prasmingo perskaityti.

[Hanieh Sadat Shobeiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

امکان دارد وقتی این کتاب را می‌خوانید، آدم بزرگ‌سالی از بالای سر شما به کتاب نگاهی بیندازد و داد بزند: "به حق چیزهای ندیده! این آدم، چطور می‌تواند این چیزها را برای بچه‌ها بنویسد؟" آن‌وقت لطفاً مطلب زیر را برایش بخوانید:
وقتی شِرلی تِمپِل دختری هفت-هشت ساله بود، یکی از ستاره‌های مشهور سینما در سراسر دنیا بود. فیلم‌سازان با استفاده از او، میلیون‌ها دلار درآمد داشتند. ولی وقتی شرلی می‌خواست با مادرش به سینما برود که یک فیلم شرلی تمپل را تماشا کند، اجازه ندادند که وارد شود. هنوز بچه بود، قدغن بود. اجازه داشت فقط در فیلم بازی کند! این قدغن نبود. برای این کار بچه نبود.
اگر آن آدم بزرگی که از پشت سر شما این کتاب را می‌خواند، مثال شرلی تمپل و ارتباط آن را با پدر و مادر لوییزه و لوته و طلاق آن‌ها نفهمید، آن‌وقت از قول من به او سلام برسانید و از طرف من بگویید که در دنیا پدران و مادران فراوانی هستند که طلاق گرفته‌اند و کودکان بی‌شماری هستند که از این موضوع رنج می‌برند! کودکان بسیاری هم هستند که از این‌که پدر و مادرشان از هم جدا نشده‌اند، رنج می‌برند! ولی اگر از کودکان توقع دارند که این شرایط را تحمل کنند و با همه‌ی این‌ها خوش‌رفتار هم باشند، اشتباه می‌کنند. در ضمن، آن‌ها باید با بچه‌ها به تفاهم برسند و در حد مهم بچه‌ها با آن‌ها صحبت کنند.

پ.ن: هیچ نویسنده‌ای به اندازه‌ی کستنر، نمی‌تونه احساسات بچه‌ها رو درک کنه :))

[Faeze Taheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

فیلم اقتباسی از این کتاب از بهترین‌های دوران بچگی منه. یادمه کوچیک که بودم نوار آهنگایی که تو فیلم خونده میشد رو هم داشتم و شبا گاهی حتی روی تخت با گذاشتن واکمن بغل گوشم و شنیدن اونا میخوابیدم.
اینطوریه که فکر میکنم جدا از ارزش خود فیلم، که به نظرم کم نیست، همه‌ش برای من حس خوب خاطرات گذشته و به قولی نوستالژی‌ه!
برای همین وقتی که این کتابو پیدا کردم، که دقیقا یادم نیست کی بود، اما خیلی بعد از دیدن فیلمش بود که تعجب منو برانگیخت که فیلم رو از روی یک کتاب برداشتن، بسیار بسیار ذوق کردم. البته قابل ذکره که من بعد از خوندن کتاب رفتم و چک کردم که توی فیلم به اقتباس از این اثر اشاره شده و کیومرث پوراحمد نخواسته همه‌ی داستان رو تراوشات ذهن خودش جا برنه:) البته کتاب و فیلم تفاوتهایی هم دارن که خوب به دلیل تفاوتهای ناشی از فرهنگ دو کشور ایران و آلمانه. اما وفاداری فیلم خیلی خدشه‌دار نشده
این کتاب رو میتونم به همه اونایی که مثل من عاشق فیلمش بودن توصیه کنم

[Tatevik (on hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up loving the Parent Trap movie. I found this book about a year ago.

It’s a sweet story for teens. The writing is simple and a little childish (like Secret Garden-if you get what I mean), but I still liked it a lot. I will definitely read the author’s other books.

P.S. I still love the movie better than the book. The actors gave more charm to the characters.

[Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this story in school so vividly, sitting at my old desk and going through the story chapter by chapter as classmates read sections out loud. Back then I never read books in my free time and sometimes barely finished the ones that were assigned in school, but I did finish this one.

It was a strange period in my personal life and some of those negative impressions and emotions I unintentionally associated with this story. Since then I have watched numerous movie adaptations of it and it has become such a part of my literary upbringing that I couldn't imagine my humble beginnings as a reluctant reader without it. I have to confess that I forgot it was written by the very well known and admired Erich Kästner and I wonder if my local library has a copy of it in the original language.
It certainly is a must not only for German-speaking readers, but for all that are interested in classic (German) literature.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally read the source behind both movies which I loved growing up!

What Worked: The Parent Trapis definitely charming in it's own way with an interesting premise. Though the idea of twins being split between parents isn't super realistic, I did find that Kastner was able to beautifully capture the feelings and experiences of children especially those of divorce. The scheming and plotting of Lottie and Luise remained true to the way in which children process problems and attempt to solve them.

What Didn't Work: I would caution any reader going into this book expecting it to be the same as the movies. After all, the movies did draw from this book as a source. The complexity of the relationship between the mother and father and even Lottie and Luise will feel more fleshed out in the films than in this book. It didn't make the story less enjoyable; however, I did find myself attempting to fill in the gaps because of my previous experience.

Overall, this was a solid read and I'm glad that I finally read it.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ерих Кестнер е един от най-любимите ми детски автори, а "Двойната Лотхен" е едно от най-добрите му произведения!

Като малка бях обсебена от филмчето "Капан за родители" с Линдзи Лоън, а именно тази книжка го е вдъхновила.

Горещо препоръчвам!

Криси

[Christy Whitsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a charming fairy tale! I have always liked the movie, and I am glad I finally got around to reading the book. I’ll have to read this short book aloud to my kids. ❤️ I read this to complete the “read a book a favorite movie is based on” category for The Literary Life 2023 Reading Challenge.

[Ayeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

من عاشق این کتاب بودم. 😭
یه بخش بزرگی از بچگیم بود.

[Anka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wo es in "Das fliegende Klassenzimmer" quasi keine Mädchen gab, kommen in "Das doppelte Lottchen" keine Jungs vor. Trotzdem sind die beiden Bücher bisher meine Lieblinge von Kästner. Irgendwie seltsam, oder?

Ich habe das Buch sehr gerne gelesen, wünschte aber, dass ich es bereits als Kind gelesen hätte. Aber was soll's, dann muss ich es eben in einigen Jahren meinen eigenen Kindern vorlesen, die es hoffentlich ebenfalls mögen werden.

Ich finde sowieso, dass Kästner mit seinen Kinderbüchern Geschichten geschaffen hat, die Kindern zeigen, dass sie wichtig sind und ihre Meinung wichtig ist, ohne den Eltern, die diese mitunter vorlesen, bloßzustellen. Stattdessen fühlt man sich als Erwachsener in seine Kindheit zurückversetzt und erinnert sich daran, dass man es als Kind auch nicht immer leicht hat und Eltern öfter mal auf ihren Nachwuchs hören sollten.

Ich hoffe, dass Kästners Kinderbücher noch lange Zeit in den verschiedensten Kinderzimmern zu finden sein werden!

[Radina ☕ Ravenclaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erich Kästner understands children – as he says adults should not forget that children’s unhappiness is as real and honest just like theirs, it doesn’t matter what children cry about, because in life it’s not important what you grieve about, only how much you grieve. He is not afraid to write about adults’ problems (like divorce) and their effect for children. And his stories are flavoured with considerable amount of humour, so that both young readers and their parents don’t forget to always see the funny side.

[Maria Yankulova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Разкошен, любим Ерих Кестнер и една от най-любимите ми детски истории. Супер щастлива съм, че препрочитам любимите си детски книги с дъщеря ми. С баща и имаме пакт, че когато дойде ред да ги четем на сестра и ще правим размяна на историите :-)

[Evgeniya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Толкова умна и забавна история за най-очарователна детска смелост и някои значителни родителски неволи! Чудесна беше възможността да я преживея още веднъж за себе си, но и като за първи път "през ушите" на дъщеря ми. Истинско бисерче в детската литература (особено в момичешката ѝ част).

[Eva Lavrikova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neuveriteľne táto knižka stále funguje. Ako decko som ju čítala nespočetkrát, vždy požičanú z knižnice, keďže bola beznádejne vypredaná. Pred rokom vyšla vo Verbariu v novom vydaní a ja som jej neodolala.
A aká krásna nostalgická cesta späť v čase to bola! Napriek tomu, že príbeh dôverne poznám, nevedela som sa od knihy odtrhnúť a autenticky ma dojala hneď niekoľkokrát. Veľmi sa teším, že po všetkých tých rokoch mám konečne svoj výtlačok.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Das dürfen wir doch gar nicht", meint Lotte schüchtern. "Wir sind doch nur Kinder!"
"Nur?" fragte Luise.

Der nächste Kästnerroman aus meiner Liste und vielleicht der Wichtigste aus meiner Kindheit. Das doppelte Lottchen war ein großer Teil meiner Kindheit, die Verfilmung habe ich rauf und runter geschaut, also wurde es nun wirklich Zeit, den Roman zu lesen. Die Geschichte ist sehr ergreifend und die Charaktere der Mädchen gefallen mir sehr gut. Die Darstellung der Familienverhältnisse ist Kästner sehr gut gelungen und auch hier war er der Zeit wieder voraus, in dem er sagt, dass eine Scheidung auch besser für eine Familie sein kann, was in den 1940er Jahren wahrscheinlich eher eine skandalöse Ansicht war. Generell wird auch in diesem Roman betont, wie wichtig Kinder sind und dass sie, genau wie Erwachsene, gehört und gesehen werden sollen, was dieses Buch zu einer wichtigen Kinderlektüre macht. Alles in allem ein sehr gutes Kinderbuch, bei dem für mich vorallendingen auch die Nostalgie eine große Rolle spielt.