The German Bride

by Joanna Hershon

Berlin, 1865. Eva Frank, the daughter of a benevolent Jewish banker, and her sister, Henriette, are having their portrait painted–which leads to a secret affair between young Eva and the mercurial artist. This indiscretion has far-reaching consequences, more devastating than Eva or her family could have imagined. Distraught and desperate to escape her painful situation, Eva hastily marries Abraham Shein, an ambitious merchant who has returned home to Germany for the first time in a decade since establishing himself in the American West. The eighteen-year-old bride leaves Berlin and its ghosts for an unfamiliar life halfway across the world, traversing the icy waters of the Atlantic and the rugged, sweeping terrain of the Santa Fe Trail.

Though Eva’s existence in the rough and burgeoning community of Sante Fe, New Mexico, is a far cry from her life as a daughter of privilege, she soon begins to settle into the mystifying town, determined to create a home. But this new setting cannot keep at bay the overwhelming memories of her former life, nor can it protect her from an increasing threat to her own safety that will force Eva to make a fateful decision.

Joanna Hershon’s novel is a gripping and gritty portrayal of urban European immigrants struggling with New World frontier life in the mid-nineteenth century. Vivid and emotionally compelling, The German Bride is also a beautiful narrative on how far one must travel to make peace with the past.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Westerns, Adult Fiction, American History, Family

302 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eva Frank is a young Jewish woman living in Berlin with her family in the late 1800s. She experiences a profound and tragic loss that compels her to hastily agree to marry Abraham Shein. Abraham, also a Berliner, emigrated to America years earlier and settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico to run a store with his brother Meyer. Abraham brings Eva to Santa Fe and much of the story is about their lives there.

Alas, Abraham is embroiled in gambling, drinking and stealing from his hard working and upright brother. It's clear that he does want to do right by Eva by building her a beautiful house and providing her with the comforts to which she was accustomed in Berlin. But he is just too far gone to make it a reality. Eva believes that once she has her beautiful home, all will be right with the world.

Though I found this story interesting from a historical perspective, I was never able to find any sympathy for any of the characters. Eva's wet dishrag of a personality was irritating. I became bored with the tales of Abraham's sins and his glimmers of recognition that he should change his waywardness were underdeveloped.

A happy story this is not. A story of a strong woman, this is not. Even the ending, which could have swayed me to cheering and hoping for Eva, and believing that she would finally get what she wanted, was simply too limp.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked many things about this book: primarily the plot elements. The idea of a Jewish-German woman in the mid-1860s, who flees Europe to get away from her horrible guilt...and ends up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a gambler tyrant of a husband...this was a great idea for a book.

Given the potentially rich settings, however, I had a hard time really settling into these characters. I struggled with Eva's motivation for her affection for Heinrich, given the fact that her first sexual experience was akin to rape. I thought many times of putting the book down, because it just didn't connect with me. It was lyrically written, but it did not hold my interest well enough.

When I find myself looking forward to finishing a book (and it's not because of the unsettling nature of the book), that's never a good sign. Perhaps I should have given up before slogging through to the end.

So in summary, this book held great promise but failed to deliver for me.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing, entrancing and sparkling novel that--as always with a Joanna Hershon book--impresses not only with its quirkily unpredictable plotline but with its starkly inventive writing. I'm a huge fan of "Swimming" and "The Outside of August," but in "The German Bride" Hershon has really shown herself to be not only an enviably creative writer but a master of historical fiction as well....five stars!!!

[Andria Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was incredibly good yet also seriously depressing. Eva was a likeable character though her sister annoyed me. The first part was a really strong start, and covered Eva's Jewish life fairly well. Then it progressed. I should note trigger warnings for sexual assault, rape, stillbirth and grief.

Then, Eva is swept away to the America's, where she learns it's not what she expected at all. Her marriage is still new and she leaves behind grieving parents over her sisters death. She arrives in America just as President Lincoln is shot.

The book continues and it's a heavy read. Really good, but heavy topics are scattered throughout all the book. I had to push myself to keep going and I still have mixed feelings about this one.

3.5 ⭐

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm struggling with how to rate this book. The premise sounded right up my alley, and I really liked the beginning of the book, but after the first 50 pages or so I completely struggled to get through the book (mostly evident by how long it took me to finish it!), but then the author sort of redeemed herself, because the last 50 pages of the book were really wonderful. I wish she had built the book around that part of the story. For me this book falls into the Willa Cather, Out Stealing Horses, The Whistling Season and Housekeeping category.............I know all these authors and books are supposed to be wonderful, but I just find them so slow and boring!! Like I said, the beginning and end I liked and would rate a 4, but the majority of the book(which basically revolved around her husband, who was so unlikeable and I just wondered why so much of the book was about him) I'd give a 3.

[Sus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because the reviews sounded so good....for me ...not so much. It kept my interest but it was like I kept waiting for something more...and there wasn't anything more..just my take

[Carolinecarver · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this two stars because, after all, I finished it. The plot could have been interesting, A Jewish Berliner suffers a heartbreaking loss and quickly marries a fellow countryman who has returned from Santa Fe to find a German bride. The year is 1865, and this audacious fellow has just left the Union Army and is helping his brother to establish a store in Santa Fe. What spoiled the book is a protagonist who was so moody and languid that large portions of the book are about convincing her to leave her home and go for a walk. The other half follows her drunken, gambling, adulterous husband on his nightly visits to the local saloon, gambling hall and brothel. Throw in a bishop and you have Death Comes to the Archbishop, right. Not even close. Skip this and read Willa Cather whose characters are worthy of our time.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so extraordinarily good. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. The story of a young jewish woman from a wealthy family in Germany who falls in love with a painter. Their match will never be accepted but they continue to try and see each other leading to dire circumstances for the girl's sister and her unborn child. To punish herself, Eva marries a man who is making his way in America. They live in Santa Fe and try to build a relationship, but he has a lot of secrets that ultimately help Eva make a life for herself free of blame.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Altogether a forgettable novel, which is unfortunate since the premise as stated on the jacket blurb is intriguing. Ultimately, though, Hershon's prose falls flat, and her characters are superficial and confusing.

[ERIK SALINAS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sentí que en realidad esta novela se dirige exclusivamente a las lectoras. La mujer en su mayoría tiene un poder de percepción amplio, temas que los hombres pasamos por alto porque no profundizamos o porque no nos llama la atención lo suficiente como para despertar nuestra curiosidad, aunque por otro lado si estamos interesados requerimos que sean claros, sin ambages, directos, contundentes y eso es lo que carece esta novela. Algunos capítulos terminan abruptamente que mi cerebro no capta el mensaje completo pero estoy casi seguro que una mujer lo entendería mejor. Mi intension es hacer una halago al género femenino.

La historia que narra no es aburrida solo algo criptica.

[Joan Roll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eva, a sixteen-year-old German Jewish girl, and her sister have had their portraits painted by a young painter. It is 1861 when Eva finds herself in an unacceptable relationship with that same painter. Eva’s sister Henriette who is pregnant searches for Eva and in doing so, she not only loses her baby but also her life. Eva is devastated following her sister’s death. Several years pass before she marries Abraham Shein, a German merchant, who has returned to Germany from America for a brief visit. Eva hopes this marriage will help her to forget the guilt she carries about her sister’s death, and as a result, allow her to start a new life.

Eva and Abraham soon depart for Santa Fe, New Mexico where Abraham is part owner of the Shein Brothers Store. Eva finds life to be much more difficult than the pampered life she led in Germany. But that is not the only problem she faces. Abraham is not the upright and faithful husband that she envisioned and she eventually experiences the unfortunate consequences of his actions.

The German Bride is a book about regret, guilt, love, broken promises, and the strength of the human spirit. The setting of Santa Fe, New Mexico populated with German immigrants in the 1800’s makes for an unusual historical tale. And throughout the book it is difficult to like Abraham and Eva who were such miserable characters until Eva redeems herself in the concluding chapters.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so torn between three stars and four stars! I found this fascinating and of course, like everyone, was attracted to the comparison to Willa Cather, whom I love, and yet found it totally different. I do appreciate the unique approach, having never read a novel about a German Jewish couple coming to this country as homesteaders, and yet I have heard that many did. My brother tells me that there was one time an entire community in my home state of North Dakota, which is dominated by Germans, Russian-Germans, and Scandinavians. My mother was an Italian war-bride and that is a story that deserves telling, but not here.

I like the telling of this story, Joanna's Hershon's wonderful prose, and yet something is missing and I haven't put my finger on it. I will add it as soon as I figure it out.

A few days later and I have just completed this book and finally loved the way it was pulled together in the end. I take back what I wrote earlier and in fact deleted it. Too many authors rush toward the end of a novel and Hershon just neatly pulled the saga together in a completely satisfying way.

[Randi Reisfeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure why this was called The German Bride; had less to do with Germmany than the immigrant experience in post-civil war Santa Fe, NM--not exactly a place you'd find a young, formerly spoiled Berlin-bred Jew named Eva. She sets off the action with a shameful act--won't spoil it here--which she believes makes her responsible for a tragedy. She marries hastily and heads off with her new husband named Abraham on an arduous journey west. Abe's uber-grandiosity leads to heartaches for our heroine. As is expected, her "journey" is not only geographical, but emotional and hard-won in the end. The main characters were well-drawn; not so much the secondary ones. The descriptive prose unbiquitous (too much for me, anyway) and I felt bit draggy in the middle. I'd recommend to those interested in the immigrant experience in an unexpected locale.
For me, a solid 3.

[Barbara (Bobby) Title · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry to say that The German Bride was a tedious read. And it shouldn't have been, as I like stories of the West, of immigrants, of Santa Fe, of the role of the French and the Catholic church in New Mexico, of Jews. It had so much going for it that I like, but unfortunately, the plot had as much movement as a broken record....like a note or a line being played over and over and over and... I kept hoping the book would be redeemed by the ending, but no, that didn't happen either. It seemed like all the characters got short shrift... they all were the same at the end as in the beginning, with barely a redeeming quality. And I felt especially bad for the depiction of the nuns. I stuck with the story to its conclusion...but that was a needless effort.

I will say this: at least I read to the end. This novel was marginally better than the ones I totally gave up on.

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not nearly as interesting as I'd hoped. Not enough is happening at the midpoint, but I've abandoned so many books of late, I'm loathe to do so once again.

A few comments in the reviews describe it perfectly: " . . . a rather scattered novel. The story didn't seem to have a center . . . " and "Altogether a forgettable novel, which is unfortunate since the premise as stated on the jacket blurb is intriguing. Ultimately, though, Hershon's prose falls flat, and her characters are superficial and confusing."

I should have followed my gut and set this book aside. Next time I shall abandon a book I am not enjoying. Even if I am halfway through it. I have so little time to read I must use it wisely.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting topic (starting with Jewish families in Germany in the latter part of the 19th century), but a rather scattered novel. The story didn't seem to have a center, & the characters & their actions didn't always make sense.

[Gaby Franz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un relato desordenado en algunas partes, muy detallista en simplezas y apresurado en lo importante.
No me terminó de convencer en absoluto. Eva no me gustó para nada, me pareció una mujer mezquina y arrogante que prodigaba querer expiar sus culpas pero que no hacía nada para conseguirlo.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 review to follow.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t finish. I enjoyed it in many ways, but it just dragged a bit and became a chore to read.

[Joansie Cloansie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was not a book I would recommend. It was disjointed

[Francoise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the tale of young Eva Frank, daughter of a depressive mother and of respectable Berlin, who falls in love with an artist and is drawn to marry an unlikely man to travel with him to frontier America. There, Eva must contend with an abusive gambling husband, many miscarriages, a dirt floor, no friends and, not least of all a growing agoraphobia and depression. The latter are not named in the book, which makes sense since the terms are modern and are not available to the inarticulate Eva. As the book progresses, Eva sinks ever deeper into herself. She craves a house, a bathtub, a stove. She sort of gets these things eventually, but they do not bring her peace, nor do they bring her closer to her husband. Some of the most evocative passages in the book recount the way that Eva feels she is disappearing.
But don't write her off just yet. At the end of the novel, in a manner I don't feel I should reveal, Eva makes some decisions that start to bring her into herself and we leave this tale of frontier woe a bit optimistic. In a way, the denouement has a sort of modern feel, but after so many pages of matter-of-fact grimness, the optimism is so welcome that the reader will not care.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former resident of Santa Fe, I was eager to read this novel. I have taken a course in Jewish Santa Fe and the merchant families who had settled here in the mid-1800's, and had grown along with the community. These merchants had prospered by trading with the native peoples AND by securing Army contracts. Many of the men in these merchant families had gone back to Germany for brides and had brought them to this new, wild land. As the century turned from 19th to 20th, many of these families moved Back East to a more cultured life than the wild west of Santa Fe could offer.

I expected Hershon to write the "conventional" story, that of young German bride, brought to Santa Fe and prospering along with her husband.
Instead, she writes of a misalliance, a marriage between a young woman and a profligate man, who gambled, drank, and caroused both his own money and that of his brother, with whom he worked.

This is quite a story she writes; earning easily the five stars it's been awarded so far by all the reviewers.

[Barbara Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering the rating: I wavered while reading this novel. It didn’t quite maintain credibility (for me at least.) “Abraham looked under the bed at the jewel box sometimes ten times a day” ????? for instance. A little thing but such catches my attention as in “the devil is in the details.” Neither Eva nor Abraham were compelling enough to redeem the book.

Still, learning of the presence of German Jews in Santa Fe in the 1800s was new to me and I liked reading about this.

It was not simplistic writing; it was just not rich enough for my taste. Eva was the only nuanced character and not always satisfactorily.

[Sherry Hession · Rating 3 out of 5]

When she thinks that she caused her sister's death (and the death of her unborn baby), Eva Frank quickly marries Abraham Shein and moves to America--Santa Fe, far from her family. Unfortunately, her new husband has a problem with philandering and gambling, so they are never able to get ahead in this new country.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very complicated, but totally enjoyable book. You never know what your simple decisions will bring into your life and where you will end up. Story of two sisters that will hold your attention until the very last word on the very last page!

[Shari Oster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems Ed Unfinished

Engaging book, however, needed to continue the story for two more chapters. It was a shame because the characters were well defined. Definitely left unsatisfied.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book definitely gave a unique perspective - that of a Jewish German woman moving to Santa Fe in the late 1800s. However, I felt like the story didn't really go anywhere. The prose at times was odd and kind of felt like the author was trying too hard.

[Megan Calfee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very slow read. Heartbreaking yet entrancing. It was a difficult read at times. It’s worth the time but is heavy.

[Ana✨Mi biblioteca inacabada · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es un libro con demasiados salton temporales y muy narrativa. Apenas hay diálogo entre los personajes.

[Adrian Huerta · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5