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Crooked Cross #2
The Prisoner
Not yet published
Expected 16 Apr 26The novel opens in August 1933, just a few weeks after Crooked Cross ended. Set mostly in Munich, it describes the lives of the Kluger family as Nazism strengthens its grip on Germany: we watch as Erich’s commitment to the Party grows, while Helmy's struggles to accept its strictures threatens to be the family’s undoing. This is a most unusual and unforgettable novel: an English woman, and therefore an outsider, writing about two perfectly ordinary German men who become, or are meant to become, implacable Nazis – as early as 1933.
As one contemporary review put it, 'Sally Carson, who gave us such a vivid picture of Germany inside with her clever book Crooked Cross, has given her readers another wonderful story showing the terrible crisis through which the German nation is passing today in spite of the mad enthusiasm so often displayed... Although presented as a story, the reader cannot get away from the feeling that all the time he is reading the true drama of a great nation which appears to have made a god of its present leader.'
Described on its initial publication as 'a novel of unusual power and poignant interest', ‘a deeply moving story’ and ‘the finest novel on modern Germany’, reading The Prisoner today one can't help but wonder whether, if Sally Carson’s book had had a wider audience at the time, it might have changed the course of history. But alas, it was ‘only’ a woman’s novel.
Written by Sally Carson whilst she was holidaying in a Bavarian resort town in the summer of 1935 and then first published in the spring of 1936, The Prisoner offers a rare contemporaneous account, and from a female perspective, of what it really felt like to live through this terrible period in history.
As one contemporary review put it, 'Sally Carson, who gave us such a vivid picture of Germany inside with her clever book Crooked Cross, has given her readers another wonderful story showing the terrible crisis through which the German nation is passing today in spite of the mad enthusiasm so often displayed... Although presented as a story, the reader cannot get away from the feeling that all the time he is reading the true drama of a great nation which appears to have made a god of its present leader.'
Described on its initial publication as 'a novel of unusual power and poignant interest', ‘a deeply moving story’ and ‘the finest novel on modern Germany’, reading The Prisoner today one can't help but wonder whether, if Sally Carson’s book had had a wider audience at the time, it might have changed the course of history. But alas, it was ‘only’ a woman’s novel.
Written by Sally Carson whilst she was holidaying in a Bavarian resort town in the summer of 1935 and then first published in the spring of 1936, The Prisoner offers a rare contemporaneous account, and from a female perspective, of what it really felt like to live through this terrible period in history.
- GenresFiction
413 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1936
62 people want to read
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Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Prisoner opens shortly after the final events of Crooked Cross, events that have changed the Oliver family for good. Here Oliver has decided to move the family to Munich, to try to get away from what has happened. Erich is still doing well as a storm trooper, and has come to terms with what happened. Helmy, on the other hand is struggling with his conflicting feelings. It is hard for him to remain a loyal member of the party after what has happened, and he becomes increasingly disillusioned about what is happening in Germany.
Sally Carson would often stay in Germany in the early 1930's, so she could see what was happening there, which makes these novels feel more insightful than many with the same setting. What seems truly horrifying is just how normal the Nazi characters come across as. Many are simply trying to get some direction in life. It's this depiction of them that makes for such a chilling read, showing us how easy it can be for ordinary people to fall in line with such hateful ideas.
With thanks to Persephone Books for sending me a copy for review.
Sally Carson would often stay in Germany in the early 1930's, so she could see what was happening there, which makes these novels feel more insightful than many with the same setting. What seems truly horrifying is just how normal the Nazi characters come across as. Many are simply trying to get some direction in life. It's this depiction of them that makes for such a chilling read, showing us how easy it can be for ordinary people to fall in line with such hateful ideas.
With thanks to Persephone Books for sending me a copy for review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review