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Carry Me: A Novel
The award-winning author of"The O'Briens"and"The Law of Dreams"now gives us a devastating novel of love and family set in the violent years between 1914 and 1938 as Europe staggers between two world wars.
Our narrator is Billy: born to a German father and Irish mother on the Isle of Wight summer estate of the German-Jewish Baron von Weinbrenner. This is the story of Billy and the baron's entrancing daughter, Karin, and the dangerous paths they travel as their childhood attachment deepens to a complex love overshadowed by the rise of the Nazis. Their story takes us from a golden Edwardian summer on the Isle of Wight to London under Zeppelin attack to Ireland on the brink of its War of Independence and at last to Germany in the darkening Weimar period, where Billy and Karin come of age in a country wounded by war and seething with hatreds. On Baron von Weinbrenner's stud farm outside Frankfurt, they share a passion for racehorses and for the Wild West novels of Karl May, whose dream of escape to"El Llano Estacado, "a richly imagined New Mexico landscape, becomes a powerful beacon of freedom as Germany marches toward Hitler, war, and the Holocaust. Richly imagined, deeply researched, and profoundly moving, "Carry Me"is a love story, a historical epic, and a powerful meditation on the violence of Europe's 20th century. "From the Hardcover edition.""
Our narrator is Billy: born to a German father and Irish mother on the Isle of Wight summer estate of the German-Jewish Baron von Weinbrenner. This is the story of Billy and the baron's entrancing daughter, Karin, and the dangerous paths they travel as their childhood attachment deepens to a complex love overshadowed by the rise of the Nazis. Their story takes us from a golden Edwardian summer on the Isle of Wight to London under Zeppelin attack to Ireland on the brink of its War of Independence and at last to Germany in the darkening Weimar period, where Billy and Karin come of age in a country wounded by war and seething with hatreds. On Baron von Weinbrenner's stud farm outside Frankfurt, they share a passion for racehorses and for the Wild West novels of Karl May, whose dream of escape to"El Llano Estacado, "a richly imagined New Mexico landscape, becomes a powerful beacon of freedom as Germany marches toward Hitler, war, and the Holocaust. Richly imagined, deeply researched, and profoundly moving, "Carry Me"is a love story, a historical epic, and a powerful meditation on the violence of Europe's 20th century. "From the Hardcover edition.""
464 pages, Paperback
First published February 20, 2016
68 people are currently reading
1426 people want to read
About the author
Peter Behrens
43 books76 followersPeter Behrens is author of three novels: THE LAW OF DREAMS (Steerforth/Random House); THE O'BRIENS (Pantheon), and CARRY ME (forthcoming Feb 2016, from Pantheon (US) & Anansi (Canada)). Also 2 collection sof short stories, NIGHT DRIVING (Macmillan) and TRAVELING LIGHT (Astoria). Behrens held a prestigious Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University. He was born in Montreal and is currently a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
March 16, 2018
Carry Me by Peter Behrens is a beautifully woven tale of the world wars that gives a unique perspective into the life of people in those times.
The first half of this book was incredibly addicting to me, and I could hardly put it down. It was a solid five out of five stars, and I wish I could have kept reading! Unfortunately, life hit me and I came back a week later to this novel. When I started reading at about page 243 I found myself not as interested and the story began to drag on and on and on. Some of the information could have been left out and the story would have felt just as full when I got to the end.
While this book seemed a little to long, I think the descriptions Peter wrote were divine. I couldn't believe how clear I could imagine this story in my head! The beauty in Peter's words truly wow-ed me, and if you love a descriptive author/book then this one is for you! It's truly exquisite, and I'm surprised this book hasn't won many awards for it's intense descriptions.
The story goes back and forth between World War 1 and World War 2. Sometimes I found it hard to distinguish between the time lines (even though it stated which was which), and I almost wish Peter would have written the timelines in different tones. This wasn't a major issue, but it did make this book a little more confusing for me (personally).
There is a small bit of romance in this novel, but you can hardly call it romance. While that was part of what drew me to the novel (you read the back of the book and it makes it seem like an epic war story with a splash of romance), yet there wasn't much there in terms of romance. There was attraction and sweet comments, but it was more just happening in the story - there was no focus on the romance specifically. This could be a pro or a con for you, but to me I felt the marketing portrayed the romance as more than it was.
The battles in this story were well written - the war itself, the battle between leaving and staying in a place you love, and the troubles of complete opposites (woman vs men, idealisms, romanticism, etc). If you're into themes and like reading into a book, there is so much potential to pick apart in this novel.
And then the ending is somewhat expected (I mean, most people know about history so we kind of know where it was going), but it still blew me away. Without spoiling, I think the way Peter tied this story together and increased conflict was truly incredible.
Overall, this piece of writing is a definite must read for fans of history, war stories, descriptive fiction and historical fiction. I normally stray far away from novels about history, but this one was fantastic!
Three out of five stars.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
The first half of this book was incredibly addicting to me, and I could hardly put it down. It was a solid five out of five stars, and I wish I could have kept reading! Unfortunately, life hit me and I came back a week later to this novel. When I started reading at about page 243 I found myself not as interested and the story began to drag on and on and on. Some of the information could have been left out and the story would have felt just as full when I got to the end.
While this book seemed a little to long, I think the descriptions Peter wrote were divine. I couldn't believe how clear I could imagine this story in my head! The beauty in Peter's words truly wow-ed me, and if you love a descriptive author/book then this one is for you! It's truly exquisite, and I'm surprised this book hasn't won many awards for it's intense descriptions.
The story goes back and forth between World War 1 and World War 2. Sometimes I found it hard to distinguish between the time lines (even though it stated which was which), and I almost wish Peter would have written the timelines in different tones. This wasn't a major issue, but it did make this book a little more confusing for me (personally).
There is a small bit of romance in this novel, but you can hardly call it romance. While that was part of what drew me to the novel (you read the back of the book and it makes it seem like an epic war story with a splash of romance), yet there wasn't much there in terms of romance. There was attraction and sweet comments, but it was more just happening in the story - there was no focus on the romance specifically. This could be a pro or a con for you, but to me I felt the marketing portrayed the romance as more than it was.
The battles in this story were well written - the war itself, the battle between leaving and staying in a place you love, and the troubles of complete opposites (woman vs men, idealisms, romanticism, etc). If you're into themes and like reading into a book, there is so much potential to pick apart in this novel.
And then the ending is somewhat expected (I mean, most people know about history so we kind of know where it was going), but it still blew me away. Without spoiling, I think the way Peter tied this story together and increased conflict was truly incredible.
Overall, this piece of writing is a definite must read for fans of history, war stories, descriptive fiction and historical fiction. I normally stray far away from novels about history, but this one was fantastic!
Three out of five stars.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
March 21, 2016
“Of course there really is no country of dreams that also exists outside the dreams.”
Behrens’ story, which alternates primarily between the periods before WWI and up through and after WW II, is set mostly in Germany, although is also located in England and Ireland. Baron von Weinbrenner is a wealthy German Jewish industrialist, yacht racer, and thoroughbred horse trainer married to an Irish Protestant who collects Catholic medieval art. Their daughter, Karin, born on the Isle of Wight, is a German with a British passport.
Buck Lange, the baron’s captain and trusted friend, was himself born on the high seas, but registered as a German citizen. Like the baron, he was married to an Irish woman. Their son, Billy, although born in the same seaside cottage as Karin (but a year or so later), also was registered as German with a British passport. There is a brutal irony to the countries that the characters are identified with, and consider home, as this has consequences, as much of the action takes place during the Nazi rise to power.
Billy and Karin grew up in their parallel lives, sometimes together, sometimes separated by tragic or mundane circumstances. The Langes eventually move to the baron’s estate in Frankfurt, between world wars, where the baron and Buck raise thoroughbred horses for racing. Karin had a standard elite boarding school education. Billy attended local schools; Karin was a bit of a wild child, Billy more reserved. They both loved horses and the forests of Germany. Their affectionate bond was palpable to the reader, and their love for each other grows from sibling-like to romantic.
As children, Karin introduced Billy to the novels of Karl May and his Winnetou tales, stories of the high planes of western Texas and New Mexico, known as “El Llano Estacado.” They both dreamed of the boundless place of big skies and wide-open spaces, unlike the narrowness of German woodlands and the burden of all that history. It was their dream of escape to a new land with the pioneering spirit and vast, spacious expanse. At least, that’s how they imagined it in their dreams.
I’ve read numerous novels that take place during world wars, so what makes this one stand out? In hindsight, we know that Hitler embodied the very nature of evil, but during his ambitious climb to power, there were many Germans that did not understand his insidious ambitions, or what was emerging from his power. However, there’s a scene in the early 1930s, where Karin is confronted with the Führer’s rabid anti-Semitism, (when he was still a largely unknown candidate), a turning point that is both nuanced and profound. Moreover, this brings us back to the perception of home and the familiar safety of it, and the resistance to leave even in the face of terror.
Behrens is a master storyteller. The prose is lean, understated, but the architecture of the novel is key to the pathos. He goes back in forth in time, generally between Karin and Billy’s Edwardian childhood, and then to 1938. Most of the story is narrated by Billy, who tells us from page one that it is Karin's story. "Her story is not mine, but sometimes her story feels like the armature my life has wound itself around." He uses documents, letters, poetry, and narrative to advance the plot, but it took me a while to truly understand how his construction evolved into a sublime denouement that encompasses his themes. It isn’t the ending I saw coming, and yet it was inevitable. What an exquisite novel!
Behrens’ story, which alternates primarily between the periods before WWI and up through and after WW II, is set mostly in Germany, although is also located in England and Ireland. Baron von Weinbrenner is a wealthy German Jewish industrialist, yacht racer, and thoroughbred horse trainer married to an Irish Protestant who collects Catholic medieval art. Their daughter, Karin, born on the Isle of Wight, is a German with a British passport.
Buck Lange, the baron’s captain and trusted friend, was himself born on the high seas, but registered as a German citizen. Like the baron, he was married to an Irish woman. Their son, Billy, although born in the same seaside cottage as Karin (but a year or so later), also was registered as German with a British passport. There is a brutal irony to the countries that the characters are identified with, and consider home, as this has consequences, as much of the action takes place during the Nazi rise to power.
Billy and Karin grew up in their parallel lives, sometimes together, sometimes separated by tragic or mundane circumstances. The Langes eventually move to the baron’s estate in Frankfurt, between world wars, where the baron and Buck raise thoroughbred horses for racing. Karin had a standard elite boarding school education. Billy attended local schools; Karin was a bit of a wild child, Billy more reserved. They both loved horses and the forests of Germany. Their affectionate bond was palpable to the reader, and their love for each other grows from sibling-like to romantic.
As children, Karin introduced Billy to the novels of Karl May and his Winnetou tales, stories of the high planes of western Texas and New Mexico, known as “El Llano Estacado.” They both dreamed of the boundless place of big skies and wide-open spaces, unlike the narrowness of German woodlands and the burden of all that history. It was their dream of escape to a new land with the pioneering spirit and vast, spacious expanse. At least, that’s how they imagined it in their dreams.
I’ve read numerous novels that take place during world wars, so what makes this one stand out? In hindsight, we know that Hitler embodied the very nature of evil, but during his ambitious climb to power, there were many Germans that did not understand his insidious ambitions, or what was emerging from his power. However, there’s a scene in the early 1930s, where Karin is confronted with the Führer’s rabid anti-Semitism, (when he was still a largely unknown candidate), a turning point that is both nuanced and profound. Moreover, this brings us back to the perception of home and the familiar safety of it, and the resistance to leave even in the face of terror.
Behrens is a master storyteller. The prose is lean, understated, but the architecture of the novel is key to the pathos. He goes back in forth in time, generally between Karin and Billy’s Edwardian childhood, and then to 1938. Most of the story is narrated by Billy, who tells us from page one that it is Karin's story. "Her story is not mine, but sometimes her story feels like the armature my life has wound itself around." He uses documents, letters, poetry, and narrative to advance the plot, but it took me a while to truly understand how his construction evolved into a sublime denouement that encompasses his themes. It isn’t the ending I saw coming, and yet it was inevitable. What an exquisite novel!
March 18, 2018
Peter Behrens is a highly skilled writer whose novel Carry Me is a perfect example of his dazzling abilities. Although it took me some time to connect with the story, by the end I was completely absorbed by the characters and the trajectories of their lives. It takes some patience to read this book, but it is worth it!
January 31, 2024
Set primarily in Germany in the period between the two World Wars, this book is a sweeping saga of two families. Each has a German father, Irish mother, and a child born in England. It starts on the Isle of Wight, where the wealthy German Jewish industrialist Baron von Weinbrenner has hired Heinrich “Buck” Lange as the captain of his racing yacht. Buck’s son Billy serves as the narrator. Born in 1909, he is a child during the First World War when his father (a German citizen) is interned for the duration of the war and his grandfather is an Irish Republican involved in political unrest. The primary narrative arc involves Billy’s love for the Baron’s daughter Karin. They have known each other their entire lives.
After the war, the Baron again employs Buck, this time to set up an elite horse racing stable at his forested estate in Frankfurt. Billy moves there as a child, and grows up in this isolated environment, which allows these families to view the developing historic events at a distance – at least initially. Of course, this idyll cannot last, with Hitler’s rise to power and the attendant disruptions of the status quo. This book provides insight into the interwar period, and the events that served as a crucible for the upheaval that occurred with World War II. The characters are beautifully drawn, and their unusual mix of backgrounds allows the author to view these events from a variety of angles.
It contains a wide-ranging scope of events, which the author handles beautifully. The story flows well and the reader is carried along. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of references to the popular Karl May novels of the late 19th century set in the Llano Estacado in the southwestern US, which is portrayed as an escapist land of freedom. This serves as a stark contrast to what is going on in Germany at the time. I also enjoyed the archival material that serves as an introduction to many chapters – these are short and they set up the chain of events that will follow. It is a wonderful way to avoid information dumping and honors the reader’s ability to assemble the bigger picture from the historic material.
Behrens prose is descriptive and lyrical. He has a knack for setting up episodes that drop the reader into the center of events. He sets a tone of yearning for a better world while dealing with almost intolerable situations. I’ve read many books set in this time period, and this one is a solid addition to the canon. Recommended to those who enjoy historical fiction of the time period between the two World Wars.
After the war, the Baron again employs Buck, this time to set up an elite horse racing stable at his forested estate in Frankfurt. Billy moves there as a child, and grows up in this isolated environment, which allows these families to view the developing historic events at a distance – at least initially. Of course, this idyll cannot last, with Hitler’s rise to power and the attendant disruptions of the status quo. This book provides insight into the interwar period, and the events that served as a crucible for the upheaval that occurred with World War II. The characters are beautifully drawn, and their unusual mix of backgrounds allows the author to view these events from a variety of angles.
It contains a wide-ranging scope of events, which the author handles beautifully. The story flows well and the reader is carried along. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of references to the popular Karl May novels of the late 19th century set in the Llano Estacado in the southwestern US, which is portrayed as an escapist land of freedom. This serves as a stark contrast to what is going on in Germany at the time. I also enjoyed the archival material that serves as an introduction to many chapters – these are short and they set up the chain of events that will follow. It is a wonderful way to avoid information dumping and honors the reader’s ability to assemble the bigger picture from the historic material.
Behrens prose is descriptive and lyrical. He has a knack for setting up episodes that drop the reader into the center of events. He sets a tone of yearning for a better world while dealing with almost intolerable situations. I’ve read many books set in this time period, and this one is a solid addition to the canon. Recommended to those who enjoy historical fiction of the time period between the two World Wars.
March 18, 2016
I’m always fascinated by stories that examine the liminal space and time between the two World Wars. Take
The Great Gatsby
, for instance: it captures perfectly the weird mixture of fatigue and optimism that followed the Great War. In Carry Me, of course, Peter Behrens has the benefit of hindsight to allow him to trace the rise of Nazi Germany from the ashes of World War I. But he does this through a very meditative narrative, one that captures the way the 1920s and 1930s served as an all-too-brief respite during which the storm clouds gathered visibly, even if too few people were capable of recognizing what they foretold.
Carry Me came out at the end of February. I received this as an ARC from House of Anansi, but because I am a terrible person, I got completely distracted by reading books from a library trip and forgot to read this before its release. I love receiving free books: if you would like me to completely forget to read your book until after it comes out, send me a message and we’ll work something out!
Anyway, this is one of the types of historical fiction that really gets to me. Billy Lange kind of floats on the surface of life. His father and mother come from diverse backgrounds, German and Irish respectively, but more international in their experiences. The former’s internment during the Great War shapes a great deal of Billy’s youth, causing him and his mother to move from the Isle of Wight to London and then finally to Ireland until, reunited with his father, they relocate one more time to Germany. There Billy begins, properly, his on/off friendship (and sometimes more than that) with Karin von Weinbrenner, daughter of his father’s Jewish employer. It’s not quite a “forbidden cross-class romance” story—it’s not much of a romance at all, in fact, but more a kind of gravity between the two people.
The narrative alternates between episodes in Billy’s life, from childhood to young adulthood, and 1938, when Billy and Karin are preparing to leave Germany in the midst of its crackdown on Jews. Despite the intensity of this subject matter, Behrens manages to keep the pacing very mellow. There’s a surrealism to some of the story. This is probably best seen in the way Billy and Karin bond over their mutual love for Karl May’s Winnetou stories of the Wild West: May’s stories in no way attempt to represent the wild plains of North America, and its Indigenous peoples, realistically; rather, the stories serve as allegories for German idealism and the romantic connection between nobility and nature. Behrens does much the same here, with his characters feeling a lot like archetypes of the time rather than people.
Billy’s life is more defined by the in-between than anything else. German–Irish by descent, born and raised in England and then Ireland and then Germany, inspired by Germanic visions of North America, raised on notions of English propriety but betrayed by English xenophobia, and finally coming of age in post-war Germany while being taunted as an outsider … Billy has a lot of cultural baggage. It’s not surprising, then, that he fails to discover something uniquely his, and settles instead for an office job doing translation work. Similarly, it’s important to note that while Billy has some sexual encounters prior to and outside of his physical intimacy with Karin, he never has a serious romantic relationship. The closest he comes is to fantasizing about marrying a secretary at the law firm where he does some clerical work, and nothing comes of that.
As with most things in his life, Billy is stuck in the in-between with Karin. She constantly addresses him as “old Billy,” or “Billy, my old friend,” often peppering her speech with Anglicisms that make her sound more modern and forthright. She leans on Billy, falls back on him when she needs refuge, but sees him not as a viable partner so much as a pillar in her life. Or, at least, that’s the way Billy tells it … unreliable narrators and all. It’s worth noting, too, that Billy marries towards the end of the novel … though we might infer that the relationship is very different from the one he had with Karin, as I suppose romances begun later in life often must be.
I spent some of my time reading this book trying to decide whether Karin fits the profile of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (TVTropes). On balance I have to conclude she does not. Although Billy occasionally refers to her rebelliousness, it always seems to be a fairly tame and understandable reaction to her issues with her parents. And Karin does not really embody a character who exists as a kind of wish fulfilment for Billy: she seems to have her own goals and her own life. Instead, the two are more like planets whose orbits occasionally cross rather than one orbiting the other as a satellite.
And then that Hitler guy shows up and ruins everything.
Behrens deftly deals with the rise of fascism. He shows how people on every side of the issue don’t quite grasp the shape of what is to come. Both Billy’s father and von Weinbrenner fail to comprehend the dangers posed by Hitler’s anti-Semitic rants. The way that Billy describes the fascist crackdowns in Frankfurt and the changing zeitgeist is sinister. A great deal of literature and movies attempt to depict the horror of living under Nazi Germany (or in Nazi-occupied Europe) during the war, but I haven’t been exposed to as much literature that focuses on the rise of Nazism. In characters like Gunther Krebs, Behrens demonstrates how the Nazis leveraged personal and political beliefs in order to get people to conform to a sharp, manic vision of what Germany needed to become. And, alas, one gets a good sense of why it was so difficult for those with consciences to stand up and fight this rising power in an effective way.
The ending is a little bit predictable, and to be honest, I’m not sure I like it. Oh, it makes sense, in a kind of cinematic, inevitably tragic way. And I like that Behrens fast-forwards through Billy’s life during the Second World War and afterwards, that the story speeds towards its conclusion with little emphasis on what happens now that they have left Germany. This just might be one of those cases where the author does their job too well, and, like a meal that is so rich you know you won’t be able to eat your fill, the emotions inherent in this novel inexorably lead to a bit of a hollow feeling.
So that’s good, I guess? Carry Me is definitely some of the best literary historical fiction I’ve read in a while (using the word “literary” here to connote a certain style as distinct from historical fiction more driven by plot and circumstance than the character and consciousness of Behrens’ prose). It is a relaxing read, in the sense that the writing has the quality of a luxurious, soft blanket or bath towel—though the setting and subject matter, of course, doesn’t have the same soporific and reassuring qualities!
Carry Me came out at the end of February. I received this as an ARC from House of Anansi, but because I am a terrible person, I got completely distracted by reading books from a library trip and forgot to read this before its release. I love receiving free books: if you would like me to completely forget to read your book until after it comes out, send me a message and we’ll work something out!
Anyway, this is one of the types of historical fiction that really gets to me. Billy Lange kind of floats on the surface of life. His father and mother come from diverse backgrounds, German and Irish respectively, but more international in their experiences. The former’s internment during the Great War shapes a great deal of Billy’s youth, causing him and his mother to move from the Isle of Wight to London and then finally to Ireland until, reunited with his father, they relocate one more time to Germany. There Billy begins, properly, his on/off friendship (and sometimes more than that) with Karin von Weinbrenner, daughter of his father’s Jewish employer. It’s not quite a “forbidden cross-class romance” story—it’s not much of a romance at all, in fact, but more a kind of gravity between the two people.
The narrative alternates between episodes in Billy’s life, from childhood to young adulthood, and 1938, when Billy and Karin are preparing to leave Germany in the midst of its crackdown on Jews. Despite the intensity of this subject matter, Behrens manages to keep the pacing very mellow. There’s a surrealism to some of the story. This is probably best seen in the way Billy and Karin bond over their mutual love for Karl May’s Winnetou stories of the Wild West: May’s stories in no way attempt to represent the wild plains of North America, and its Indigenous peoples, realistically; rather, the stories serve as allegories for German idealism and the romantic connection between nobility and nature. Behrens does much the same here, with his characters feeling a lot like archetypes of the time rather than people.
Billy’s life is more defined by the in-between than anything else. German–Irish by descent, born and raised in England and then Ireland and then Germany, inspired by Germanic visions of North America, raised on notions of English propriety but betrayed by English xenophobia, and finally coming of age in post-war Germany while being taunted as an outsider … Billy has a lot of cultural baggage. It’s not surprising, then, that he fails to discover something uniquely his, and settles instead for an office job doing translation work. Similarly, it’s important to note that while Billy has some sexual encounters prior to and outside of his physical intimacy with Karin, he never has a serious romantic relationship. The closest he comes is to fantasizing about marrying a secretary at the law firm where he does some clerical work, and nothing comes of that.
As with most things in his life, Billy is stuck in the in-between with Karin. She constantly addresses him as “old Billy,” or “Billy, my old friend,” often peppering her speech with Anglicisms that make her sound more modern and forthright. She leans on Billy, falls back on him when she needs refuge, but sees him not as a viable partner so much as a pillar in her life. Or, at least, that’s the way Billy tells it … unreliable narrators and all. It’s worth noting, too, that Billy marries towards the end of the novel … though we might infer that the relationship is very different from the one he had with Karin, as I suppose romances begun later in life often must be.
I spent some of my time reading this book trying to decide whether Karin fits the profile of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (TVTropes). On balance I have to conclude she does not. Although Billy occasionally refers to her rebelliousness, it always seems to be a fairly tame and understandable reaction to her issues with her parents. And Karin does not really embody a character who exists as a kind of wish fulfilment for Billy: she seems to have her own goals and her own life. Instead, the two are more like planets whose orbits occasionally cross rather than one orbiting the other as a satellite.
And then that Hitler guy shows up and ruins everything.
Behrens deftly deals with the rise of fascism. He shows how people on every side of the issue don’t quite grasp the shape of what is to come. Both Billy’s father and von Weinbrenner fail to comprehend the dangers posed by Hitler’s anti-Semitic rants. The way that Billy describes the fascist crackdowns in Frankfurt and the changing zeitgeist is sinister. A great deal of literature and movies attempt to depict the horror of living under Nazi Germany (or in Nazi-occupied Europe) during the war, but I haven’t been exposed to as much literature that focuses on the rise of Nazism. In characters like Gunther Krebs, Behrens demonstrates how the Nazis leveraged personal and political beliefs in order to get people to conform to a sharp, manic vision of what Germany needed to become. And, alas, one gets a good sense of why it was so difficult for those with consciences to stand up and fight this rising power in an effective way.
The ending is a little bit predictable, and to be honest, I’m not sure I like it. Oh, it makes sense, in a kind of cinematic, inevitably tragic way. And I like that Behrens fast-forwards through Billy’s life during the Second World War and afterwards, that the story speeds towards its conclusion with little emphasis on what happens now that they have left Germany. This just might be one of those cases where the author does their job too well, and, like a meal that is so rich you know you won’t be able to eat your fill, the emotions inherent in this novel inexorably lead to a bit of a hollow feeling.
So that’s good, I guess? Carry Me is definitely some of the best literary historical fiction I’ve read in a while (using the word “literary” here to connote a certain style as distinct from historical fiction more driven by plot and circumstance than the character and consciousness of Behrens’ prose). It is a relaxing read, in the sense that the writing has the quality of a luxurious, soft blanket or bath towel—though the setting and subject matter, of course, doesn’t have the same soporific and reassuring qualities!
June 26, 2017
Perhaps if I had been able to put things in plain language, it might have made plain that things between us were so damnably unequal, that I loved her as I would never love anyone else and that she loved me as a young woman might love a devoted brother, a trusted bodyguard, or a horse that never stumbles, never shies, but takes all fences willingly, and carries her safely across.
Carry Me might correctly be called a love story, but this isn't “just” a romance. And as it spans the two World Wars, it might correctly be called historical fiction, but this isn't “just” a gratuitous retread of what I could catch any evening on the History Channel. As I closed the covers of this book, tears streaming down my cheeks – not because of a melodramatic ending but because I had been profoundly touched – I could only conclude that this was a story of humanity, and as is true of all great literature, I felt connected to that humanity; this was the story of us all; the story of me.
But in the beginning, this is the story of Karin Weinbrenner. As the narrator Hermann "Billy" Lange opens with: Her story is not mine, but sometimes her story feels like the armature my life has wound itself around. I am telling it, so this story is also about me. After briefly sketching out his early relationship to Karin – they were born a year apart on the Isle of Wight, where Billy's father acted as the captain of the racing yacht belonging to Karin's father (a German-Jewish aristocrat, the Baron von Weinbrenner) – the next chapter skips to 1938, with Karin summoning Billy to Berlin. And this is the structure of the entire book: Going back to the beginning and quickly sketching along the years in which Karin was the spoiled but largely ignored daughter in the big house and Billy was the beloved son in servants' quarters, intertwined with 1938 and Billy's efforts to get Karin out of an increasingly antisemitic Germany. What's incredible is the tension that author Peter Behrens is able to achieve with this format: despite the present day Billy (who makes reference to the Iron Curtain, so he's writing post-WWII, pre-fall of the Berlin Wall) often telling the reader what is going to happen before it does in the flashback sections, hardships and dangers are palpable and real. Also intriguing are the frequent inclusions of letters and diary extracts that are currently being held in the Archives at the University of McGill: not only are these interesting (and often plot spoilers before events happen) in their own right, but they beg the question, “Who in this narrative is eventually going to do something worthy of being archived at McGill?” The writing that pulls off this tricky tension is masterful without seeming so; such a deft skill.
Although Billy understands that his full story might not have universal appeal (I don't want to lose you over tedious genealogy and history that must be very dim to you), the peculiar genealogy of these characters is what argues for their universality. The Baron von Weinbrenner, while a nonpractising Jew, is German to his bones; a loyal subject of the Kaiser and a decorated war hero. He married an aristocratic Irishwoman (Northern Ireland, her family holds a seat in the House of Lords), and since Karin was born on the Isle of Wight, she has a British passport. Billy's father, Buck, was born a thousand miles off the coast of San Francisco to a German sea captain who had married an Irishwoman (Buck's birth was registered in the US as a German citizen), and Buck himself married an Irishwoman who had been hired on at the baronial estate, Walden, outside Frankfurt. When Buck and Eilín married, von Weinbrenner offered them the position of caretakers of the summer home on the Isle of Wight, their only real duties coming into play for the month of August when the Weinbrenners would be in residence and Buck would be expected to race the baron's yacht. This makes for an idyllic childhood for Billy until the outbreak of WWI, when Buck is arrested as a potential German spy and sent to a loathsome detention center in London for the duration of the war. Eventually, Billy and his mother move to the Irish town of Sligo – where both Eilín's father and Buck's mother live – and while Billy (despite his Irish mother and British passport) is tormented as “Herm the Germ”, his grandfather gets tangled up in the prevailing winds of Irish nationalism. This question of nationality and nationalism – can a person be reduced to what it says on their passport, or is that trumped by their actions or their beliefs or their nominal religion or residence – is returned to over and over again, and if this question wasn't at the heart of tens of millions of deaths throughout the twentieth century, it might seem farcical to keep returning to it. When armistice arrives and Buck is finally freed, when Billy's family finds themselves to be homeless and penniless deportees, they accept the baron's offer to make their home at Walden.
Burning aviators, clots of fire. The reeking night jar in our bedroom in Muswell Hill. Children skipping round me in the school yard, shouting taunts. My ship Lilith. London's winter cold and dark. The smell of ground sliced open in Regent's Park, my father's pale prisoner's face, his white hands on a table in the visiting hall. There it is. That was my war.
The interwar years (once Billy, recently ostracised as too German, can overcome being considered too British) are happy ones, with increasing prosperity and pride for the German people. Karin and Billy's paths only cross about once a year – which seems ironic considering how close the reader knows they will be in the future – but they always share in-jokes about their mutual love of the adventure writer Karl May and his tales of the high plains of western Texas and New Mexico, known as “El Llano Estacado”; the desert heat and light contrasting nicely with their forest setting, cold and dark. When the streets of Frankfurt start filling with brownshirts and Billy's coworkers begin showing up in SS uniforms – even after Billy and Karin are dismayed by a rally where they heard Die Donaustaaten Kuriosität storm and splutter – the baron refused to believe that he was personally in danger, and the reader understands where it all will end.
This all happened before I or anyone else had watched half a century's worth of films about secret police and Nazis and the brutality of ordinary “decent” men in uniforms, so I didn't recognize the situation, I didn't know the story line. I couldn't put it together fast enough to tell myself what was happening. What had started as an ordinary day kept getting darker and crazier. I was reeling.
I appreciate the time-frame that Behrens chose for his book: by having the “future” sections in 1938, he's capturing the last possible moment that the people of Germany could convince themselves that everything was normal. He is able to demonstrate how essentially “good” people could be inflamed by nationalism and prejudice to do terrible things (or, by trying to protect themselves, to turn a blind eye to terrible things). Several scenes are haunting my memory (perhaps, primarily, every time that Billy literally carried Karin) and I found the writing to be simply exquisite. But most of all, I simply believed this story – there's truth here and it touched me, and I couldn't ask for more from a book.
February 14, 2016
Peter Behren's latest novel, "Carry Me", is a sweeping saga narrated by Hermann "Billy" Lange, that takes us through both World Wars. It is beautifully written and masterfully told, and it is, at the end of the day, a love story.
In Berlin at the brink of WWII (1938), Billy and Karin (a Jew), once childhood friends summering with their families on the Isle of Wight, now lovers, find all of Karin's possessions tossed out in the street, no neighbor offered help or sympathy. It's clear that the time has come to leave Germany, as Billy is also getting letters from an old schoolmate urging him to join the Nazi party like a "good German". We as readers, know the urgency of Karin leaving Berlin, but in 1938, the characters don't know the future of Hitler's Germany, so we feel the suspense and urgency that they, in their understandable ignorance, do not. Will Billy and Karin get out in time?
Billy's intimate first-person narration is a strength of this novel. Behren creates the feeling that Billy is speaking directly to "you" alone. This is very effective as it enables the reader to feel enveloped by Billy and Karin's plight. The intermittent inclusion of letters, telegrams, and articles are less effective as they remove the reader from the intimacy of Billy's story.
Behren's attention to detail shows how well-researched this novel is. I felt I was living in pre-war Berlin; did you know that what we call a martini was known then as a "clear-cold"? These touches are what make me use the term "sweeping". I felt so swept away by this novel that, when I discovered that 17 pages in the middle were missing from my Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) I couldn't stop reading. I managed to figure out what those pages held, and later when I discovered another set of 17 missing pages...well, I was too lost in the story to even slow down; I had to find out what happens to Billy and Karin. And I did.
In Berlin at the brink of WWII (1938), Billy and Karin (a Jew), once childhood friends summering with their families on the Isle of Wight, now lovers, find all of Karin's possessions tossed out in the street, no neighbor offered help or sympathy. It's clear that the time has come to leave Germany, as Billy is also getting letters from an old schoolmate urging him to join the Nazi party like a "good German". We as readers, know the urgency of Karin leaving Berlin, but in 1938, the characters don't know the future of Hitler's Germany, so we feel the suspense and urgency that they, in their understandable ignorance, do not. Will Billy and Karin get out in time?
Billy's intimate first-person narration is a strength of this novel. Behren creates the feeling that Billy is speaking directly to "you" alone. This is very effective as it enables the reader to feel enveloped by Billy and Karin's plight. The intermittent inclusion of letters, telegrams, and articles are less effective as they remove the reader from the intimacy of Billy's story.
Behren's attention to detail shows how well-researched this novel is. I felt I was living in pre-war Berlin; did you know that what we call a martini was known then as a "clear-cold"? These touches are what make me use the term "sweeping". I felt so swept away by this novel that, when I discovered that 17 pages in the middle were missing from my Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) I couldn't stop reading. I managed to figure out what those pages held, and later when I discovered another set of 17 missing pages...well, I was too lost in the story to even slow down; I had to find out what happens to Billy and Karin. And I did.
December 12, 2016
The book is the reason why I'm in book groups. I had never heard of this book, or tis author, Peter Behrens, but after reading the story of how a vision of a landscape that none of the characters had ever seen carried them through the worst o times, I want to read more by this remarkable writer.
The story of Billy Lange and Karin Weinbenner who spend magical pre-World War I summers on the Weinbenner estate on the Isle of Wight. Karin's father is a rich industrialist who was one of the founders of the IG Farben chemical conglomerate and was made a Baron by the Kaiser, and Billy's father is his nautical racing manager. They are separated by the war, but then reunited in its aftermath at the Baron's palatial estate outside of Frankfort Germany. There Billy and Karin become fascinated by Karl May's tales of the American west - specifically the Llano Estacado - the high plains that stretch from West Texas into New Mexico. At first Billy thinks the place is one of fantasy. But then, when looking at an atlas, he discovers that it is a very real place indeed.
That's when I saw the words LLANO ESTACADO strewn across an otherwise empty map of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico and realized that the landscape of Winnetou actually existed, For me this was a great, wonderful shock - like finding God listed in the Frankfort telephone directory.
Billy and Karin grow up to lead very different lives: He as a salesman for IG Farben and she a rather flighty starlet in the German film industry. Their idea of the Llano Estacodo, however, remains with both of them and shines like a beacon as the terrible nightmare of Nazi Germany begins to unfold. Billy is the one who ends up being strong, while Karin has a bad time facing the truth and Billy finds he has to carry her to safety.. How this happens and how they each react to finally arriving at the land of their childhood fantasies makes for a glorious read.
The story of Billy Lange and Karin Weinbenner who spend magical pre-World War I summers on the Weinbenner estate on the Isle of Wight. Karin's father is a rich industrialist who was one of the founders of the IG Farben chemical conglomerate and was made a Baron by the Kaiser, and Billy's father is his nautical racing manager. They are separated by the war, but then reunited in its aftermath at the Baron's palatial estate outside of Frankfort Germany. There Billy and Karin become fascinated by Karl May's tales of the American west - specifically the Llano Estacado - the high plains that stretch from West Texas into New Mexico. At first Billy thinks the place is one of fantasy. But then, when looking at an atlas, he discovers that it is a very real place indeed.
That's when I saw the words LLANO ESTACADO strewn across an otherwise empty map of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico and realized that the landscape of Winnetou actually existed, For me this was a great, wonderful shock - like finding God listed in the Frankfort telephone directory.
Billy and Karin grow up to lead very different lives: He as a salesman for IG Farben and she a rather flighty starlet in the German film industry. Their idea of the Llano Estacodo, however, remains with both of them and shines like a beacon as the terrible nightmare of Nazi Germany begins to unfold. Billy is the one who ends up being strong, while Karin has a bad time facing the truth and Billy finds he has to carry her to safety.. How this happens and how they each react to finally arriving at the land of their childhood fantasies makes for a glorious read.
July 13, 2016
This novel carried me to places and times I had never been before. It jumps from prior to World War I and carries on until prior to World War II. Times afterword are mentioned, but not focused on. The story happens on the Isle of Wight, Ireland, London, and primarily Germany.
Three themes stood out for me: Germany after Hitler comes to power and how society changes gradually for ordinary people. This book doesn't look back from a historical perspective -- it shows the sinister significance of subtle power shifts; The power of fiction to inspire -- Karl May's Winnetou novels about el Llano Estacado. Young Hermann "Billy" Lange is introduced to the stories by Karin Weinbrenner who is the daughter of his parents' employer; labels -- nationalities, religions, party affiliations -- how broad categorization is used to divide people.
Billy and Karin's early relationship resembles distant siblings before it becomes something more. Billy seems to have no part in this alteration. Billy thinks that things between them were "so damnably unequal, that I loved her as I would never love anyone else, and that she loved me as a young woman might love a devoted brother, a trusted bodyguard, or a horse that never stumbles, never shies, but takes all fences willingly, and carries her safely across." This beautifully describes them, and yet their story which is interspersed throughout the book weaves it all together with bright sunlight and dreams of escape to el Llano.
The scene that inspires the title is unforgettable as is the one when young Karin gives Billy her bow and arrow and the use of her books. He learns German while he learns to dream. Haunting and unforgettable.
Three themes stood out for me: Germany after Hitler comes to power and how society changes gradually for ordinary people. This book doesn't look back from a historical perspective -- it shows the sinister significance of subtle power shifts; The power of fiction to inspire -- Karl May's Winnetou novels about el Llano Estacado. Young Hermann "Billy" Lange is introduced to the stories by Karin Weinbrenner who is the daughter of his parents' employer; labels -- nationalities, religions, party affiliations -- how broad categorization is used to divide people.
Billy and Karin's early relationship resembles distant siblings before it becomes something more. Billy seems to have no part in this alteration. Billy thinks that things between them were "so damnably unequal, that I loved her as I would never love anyone else, and that she loved me as a young woman might love a devoted brother, a trusted bodyguard, or a horse that never stumbles, never shies, but takes all fences willingly, and carries her safely across." This beautifully describes them, and yet their story which is interspersed throughout the book weaves it all together with bright sunlight and dreams of escape to el Llano.
The scene that inspires the title is unforgettable as is the one when young Karin gives Billy her bow and arrow and the use of her books. He learns German while he learns to dream. Haunting and unforgettable.
November 18, 2016
This wasn't an awful book overall. I liked the premise -- two young people, living in the Germany during the years the Nazis rose to power, and the author has intentionally created these characters who are not entirely German. One was raised in the UK, and the other is the daughter of a titled British woman and a German-Jewish baron. These days I would call them "third culture;" the point is that they are both within and outside of German culture at the same time (even without the Nazis).
It moves back and forth chronologically, from the characters' childhoods to their decision-making about whether or not (and if so, when) to leave Germany. That was all mostly fine. It was a reasonably good story about a family, or rather, two interconnected families.
BUT. The romantic, or the doomed romantic, because Nazis, aspect of the book was jaw-dropping. This woman might as well be Lili Von Shtupp. She's weird, moody, dramatic, scribbles notes that read like a 7th grader pretending to be deep yet fanciful, and apparently leaves a bunch of love-struck men in her wake. I think she was supposed to be alluring? It was almost unbearable. It seems like such an example of a female character that a male author thinks is "ethereal" or "tragic" but it's terribly awkward. For me, as a reader.
My life is long.
It moves back and forth chronologically, from the characters' childhoods to their decision-making about whether or not (and if so, when) to leave Germany. That was all mostly fine. It was a reasonably good story about a family, or rather, two interconnected families.
BUT. The romantic, or the doomed romantic, because Nazis, aspect of the book was jaw-dropping. This woman might as well be Lili Von Shtupp. She's weird, moody, dramatic, scribbles notes that read like a 7th grader pretending to be deep yet fanciful, and apparently leaves a bunch of love-struck men in her wake. I think she was supposed to be alluring? It was almost unbearable. It seems like such an example of a female character that a male author thinks is "ethereal" or "tragic" but it's terribly awkward. For me, as a reader.
My life is long.
February 8, 2018
I should have gotten a clue regarding this book when I first picked it up at the library. It looked like it had never been read and was in the library since February 2016. Secondly, the authors name is larger on both the front of the book and spine. A subtle indication that the author is being presented to the potential reader in a higher position then the book name. Thirdly, if you read the reviews you get comments like "ambitious" "vividly imagined" and "paint[ed] with wide universal stokes". All comments are an indication that the book itself was not particularly held in high esteem by the reviewers.
This book was definitely done with wide, very wide strokes of paint. Except for approximately one hundred pages describing working environments just prior to the outbreak of the second World War this book did not particularly make sense. One minute I felt that I was reading a laundry list of what the author was endeavouring to cover to trying to read a spoonful of alphabet soup. It was disjointed and all over the place. Behrens wrote for example in the year of 1938, then suddenly you were reading about 1920 then in the next sentence, not even a paragraph, one is reading about the 1970s. What was Behrens trying to accomplish with this book. I read each and every page and still don't know why he bothered to get it published.
This book was definitely done with wide, very wide strokes of paint. Except for approximately one hundred pages describing working environments just prior to the outbreak of the second World War this book did not particularly make sense. One minute I felt that I was reading a laundry list of what the author was endeavouring to cover to trying to read a spoonful of alphabet soup. It was disjointed and all over the place. Behrens wrote for example in the year of 1938, then suddenly you were reading about 1920 then in the next sentence, not even a paragraph, one is reading about the 1970s. What was Behrens trying to accomplish with this book. I read each and every page and still don't know why he bothered to get it published.
January 16, 2018
This was a hard book to give a number to. I hovered between a two and three for a while. What ultimately tipped it up to a three was the history in the book. There are so many books that look at WWI or WWII but there aren't as many that talk about what was happening during the interwar years. It showed how easily it was for a society to allow injustices and ultimately atrocities to happen. It is easy still now.
I also liked the first part of the book that talked about Billy's experience during WWI. I found that interesting and it flowed. I wished the rest of the book was like that.
What I didn't like was the characters. I couldn't get why Karin was such a lure for Billy and in a way Mick. I thought there would be more of a love story and development into a relationship. Instead there were a few moments during the summer for a decade and that created this weird feeling of necessity.
Once Billy got older and working, that seemed to be when the book became uninteresting for me. At least character wise.
All in all it wasn't bad, but I would be reading it for learning about the history of the time not for a great relationship story.
I also liked the first part of the book that talked about Billy's experience during WWI. I found that interesting and it flowed. I wished the rest of the book was like that.
What I didn't like was the characters. I couldn't get why Karin was such a lure for Billy and in a way Mick. I thought there would be more of a love story and development into a relationship. Instead there were a few moments during the summer for a decade and that created this weird feeling of necessity.
Once Billy got older and working, that seemed to be when the book became uninteresting for me. At least character wise.
All in all it wasn't bad, but I would be reading it for learning about the history of the time not for a great relationship story.
April 2, 2016
I found it very difficult to follow the story of Billy Lange and Karin von Weinbrenner. The time period covered spanned from their birth in the early 1900's, through the first and second World War, to post WWII Time but jumped back and forth a lot. It was challenging to develop a connection with the characters and their story. Reading the novel felt like reading a series of post-it notes that planned out different sections of the story and descriptions of settings. Unfortunately what was missing was the actual story-telling that captures the readers' attention and imagination. It seemed like the author paid so much attention to details, descriptions, and time but forgot to go back to weave in the emotion and feelings required to engage me as a reader.
November 11, 2015
More like 3.5, but really a great piece of writing. I always wish for tighter editing and CM is no exception. This will be a hot title for sure and it took a few twists I didn't expect. I was compelled to see how all these people wind up at the end even if it took a bit too long to get there. Absolutely perfect for book clubs.
May 23, 2017
I did not hate this but I'm not feelin the love either. With our library closing in one week, gulp, I am not wasting any more time on a book that half way through has yet to fully engage. Auf wiedersehen.
January 15, 2018
*** Possible Spoilers ***
I was quite prepared to hate this book so it came as a pleasant surprise that I rather liked it. Before starting I’d read both positive and negative reviews. The positive ones were too gushy and the negative ones stated that the book was excruciatingly boring. I suspected that they were correct and that I’d be thoroughly bored.
I wasn’t. Certainly the pace of this book is slow and the plot is fairly limited. Most of it is the narrator attempting to understand his own feelings as he encounters world after world that he doesn’t understand. He’s born in 1909 so is a small child during the First World War where his father is interned in England because he holds German citizenship – more by accident than because he was born there. The young lad can’t really understand why his father is locked up nor why the children at school bully him relentlessly; nevertheless he survives and even begins to thrive when his mother moves them to Ireland.
Following the war, the family is deported to Germany where they do quite well. The father receives employment from a wealthy German aristocrat and the narrator progresses well at school, makes friends and the family carves out a new life. However, as they are thriving we see the gradual deterioration in German society. It starts off small and gradually escalates.
The narrator of course falls in love with the daughter of the Baron for whom his father works but it is a very slow relationship. They both go their own ways for years and years. It is only after the narrator had been given a job in the Baron’s company – and a good job at that – that they reunite and gradually form bonds. The problem, of course is that the Baron is Jewish and, by extension, so is his daughter; and Jews were becoming less popular in Germany.
Gradually the society deteriorates. Hindsight, however, is twenty-twenty and neither Billy, the narrator, or Karin, the Baron’s daughter – nor any of the others with whom they are associated – can really believe that what they are seeing isn’t merely an aberration – a temporary breakdown in society that will be rectified in time. And so they stay, and things become progressively worse until they are forced to leave. But by this time the damage has been done and although they make it to America, Karin, is unable to put her life back together. Billy does, because the author realized that no matter what happens, life usually goes on, somehow. People wake up in the morning, do whatever they have to do during the day and go to bed at night. They survive. They may not be happy. They may have regrets, but they carry on – mostly.
Sometime ago I read, ‘Do not Say We Have Nothing’ and the parallels were impressive. In that book we have China’s Red Guards terrorizing the population. Here, we have the Nazi Brown Shirts doing the same thing. I watched a movie recently in which footage of the student riots in Iran were shown when the American embassy was overrun by the mob and hostages were taken. Whether it’s the Red Guards, the Nazi Brown shirts, the Iranian Students, the Colectivos in Venezuela or Antifa in North America, they’re all the same – young thugs cherry-picking from various ideologies in order to run amok and act out violently against anyone they don’t like – or who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In North America we like to pretend that we’re immune for societal collapse. Perhaps we are – perhaps not.
Although I enjoyed this book, I don’t recommend it for everyone. I think one needs to be older to appreciate it. As noted above, the pace is very slow and rather out of touch with much of today’s fiction. One needs to have lived long enough to understand the narrators feelings as well as his shortcomings. There are times in the book he acts badly but there are times when most people fail to act in accordance with their values. I believe that the best audience for this book would be older than 65 but I could be mistaken. Read the first 15 pages. The author’s style is pretty clearly illustrated in that sample. If you don’t like the first 15 pages there’s a good chance you won’t like the rest of the book and will probably find it highly frustrating.
I was quite prepared to hate this book so it came as a pleasant surprise that I rather liked it. Before starting I’d read both positive and negative reviews. The positive ones were too gushy and the negative ones stated that the book was excruciatingly boring. I suspected that they were correct and that I’d be thoroughly bored.
I wasn’t. Certainly the pace of this book is slow and the plot is fairly limited. Most of it is the narrator attempting to understand his own feelings as he encounters world after world that he doesn’t understand. He’s born in 1909 so is a small child during the First World War where his father is interned in England because he holds German citizenship – more by accident than because he was born there. The young lad can’t really understand why his father is locked up nor why the children at school bully him relentlessly; nevertheless he survives and even begins to thrive when his mother moves them to Ireland.
Following the war, the family is deported to Germany where they do quite well. The father receives employment from a wealthy German aristocrat and the narrator progresses well at school, makes friends and the family carves out a new life. However, as they are thriving we see the gradual deterioration in German society. It starts off small and gradually escalates.
The narrator of course falls in love with the daughter of the Baron for whom his father works but it is a very slow relationship. They both go their own ways for years and years. It is only after the narrator had been given a job in the Baron’s company – and a good job at that – that they reunite and gradually form bonds. The problem, of course is that the Baron is Jewish and, by extension, so is his daughter; and Jews were becoming less popular in Germany.
Gradually the society deteriorates. Hindsight, however, is twenty-twenty and neither Billy, the narrator, or Karin, the Baron’s daughter – nor any of the others with whom they are associated – can really believe that what they are seeing isn’t merely an aberration – a temporary breakdown in society that will be rectified in time. And so they stay, and things become progressively worse until they are forced to leave. But by this time the damage has been done and although they make it to America, Karin, is unable to put her life back together. Billy does, because the author realized that no matter what happens, life usually goes on, somehow. People wake up in the morning, do whatever they have to do during the day and go to bed at night. They survive. They may not be happy. They may have regrets, but they carry on – mostly.
Sometime ago I read, ‘Do not Say We Have Nothing’ and the parallels were impressive. In that book we have China’s Red Guards terrorizing the population. Here, we have the Nazi Brown Shirts doing the same thing. I watched a movie recently in which footage of the student riots in Iran were shown when the American embassy was overrun by the mob and hostages were taken. Whether it’s the Red Guards, the Nazi Brown shirts, the Iranian Students, the Colectivos in Venezuela or Antifa in North America, they’re all the same – young thugs cherry-picking from various ideologies in order to run amok and act out violently against anyone they don’t like – or who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In North America we like to pretend that we’re immune for societal collapse. Perhaps we are – perhaps not.
Although I enjoyed this book, I don’t recommend it for everyone. I think one needs to be older to appreciate it. As noted above, the pace is very slow and rather out of touch with much of today’s fiction. One needs to have lived long enough to understand the narrators feelings as well as his shortcomings. There are times in the book he acts badly but there are times when most people fail to act in accordance with their values. I believe that the best audience for this book would be older than 65 but I could be mistaken. Read the first 15 pages. The author’s style is pretty clearly illustrated in that sample. If you don’t like the first 15 pages there’s a good chance you won’t like the rest of the book and will probably find it highly frustrating.
June 11, 2016
From Nazi Germany to "El Llano Estacado"
"El llano estacado," or the palisaded plain, is the setting of the Winnetou novels of the late 19th-century German adventure writer, Karl May. May, who had not been to America at the time, pictured the high mesa country at the intersection of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico as an enchanted land of freedom. It is a recurring image of escape in this epic novel by Canadian author Peter Behrens because the real country in which most of the book is set, Germany in the interwar years, is far from a land of enchantment. There is a yearning for the impossible throughout the novel—the impossible that one knows to be impossible—that makes the searing events it describes so poetic and poignant.
Many other novels have explored these times and locales—the Indian summer of Edwardian England, Weimar-era Berlin, Kristallnacht—and many of them have also been good. I was reminded often, for instance, of the recent Sweet Caress by William Boyd; Behrens has a similar ability to place readers quickly in the heart of a situation. But one of the things that makes his novel so successful is his choice of characters; one could imagine it billed as an epic with an international cast. Essentially, it consists of two trios, each with a German father, and Irish wife, and a child born in England, where both families were living before the First World War. Baron von Weinbrenner, a wealthy Jewish industrialist, has a house on the Isle of Wight, where he employs an expatriate German, Heinrich Lange (always known as Buck) to captain his racing yachts. The narrator is Buck's son Billy, and the novel's most persistent thread is his love for the Baron's daughter Karin, both of them born in the same seaside room.
Once the war is over, and Buck has been released from internment, the Baron invites the family to his estate near Frankfurt, where Buck is engaged to set up a racing stable that will be the envy of Europe. For Billy, growing up in a forest among animals, it is easy to ignore what is happening in the outside world; Karin, meanwhile, is sent off to boarding schools in England and Switzerland. But soon enough Hitler appears in the wings and things begin to change. This is where Behrens's canniness in his casting pays off. By making his protagonists German but atypically so—one father a Jew, the other a wanderer, the mothers both Irishwomen, and the children with British passports—he gets a variety of sideways angles on what is going on. But because of the wealth of the Baron (a co-founder of IG Farben), the author can isolate them for a long time in their contained environment before that too collapses.
It can be difficult to sustain a novel of this length and scope, but Behrens has a couple of tricks up his sleeve. Most of the historical chapters are preceded by one or more documents, supposedly taken from some university archive and meticulously catalogued. Being short, these items provide a welcome change of pace, and get the reader already imagining the story that the ensuing chapter will tell. And the longer historical chapters alternate with briefer sections dated 1938, in which Billy persuades Karin to leave Germany and sail with him to the New World, fondly holding out the promise of "el llano estacado" as a kind of rainbow's end. At first, I thought that events in these sections were happening a little too easily, fitting in with my one criticism of the book that sometimes Behrens moves from episode to episode too quickly. But as the novel approaches its climax, the short sections begin to coalesce, gaining momentum and, at the end, an almost unbearable pathos.
"El llano estacado," or the palisaded plain, is the setting of the Winnetou novels of the late 19th-century German adventure writer, Karl May. May, who had not been to America at the time, pictured the high mesa country at the intersection of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico as an enchanted land of freedom. It is a recurring image of escape in this epic novel by Canadian author Peter Behrens because the real country in which most of the book is set, Germany in the interwar years, is far from a land of enchantment. There is a yearning for the impossible throughout the novel—the impossible that one knows to be impossible—that makes the searing events it describes so poetic and poignant.
Many other novels have explored these times and locales—the Indian summer of Edwardian England, Weimar-era Berlin, Kristallnacht—and many of them have also been good. I was reminded often, for instance, of the recent Sweet Caress by William Boyd; Behrens has a similar ability to place readers quickly in the heart of a situation. But one of the things that makes his novel so successful is his choice of characters; one could imagine it billed as an epic with an international cast. Essentially, it consists of two trios, each with a German father, and Irish wife, and a child born in England, where both families were living before the First World War. Baron von Weinbrenner, a wealthy Jewish industrialist, has a house on the Isle of Wight, where he employs an expatriate German, Heinrich Lange (always known as Buck) to captain his racing yachts. The narrator is Buck's son Billy, and the novel's most persistent thread is his love for the Baron's daughter Karin, both of them born in the same seaside room.
Once the war is over, and Buck has been released from internment, the Baron invites the family to his estate near Frankfurt, where Buck is engaged to set up a racing stable that will be the envy of Europe. For Billy, growing up in a forest among animals, it is easy to ignore what is happening in the outside world; Karin, meanwhile, is sent off to boarding schools in England and Switzerland. But soon enough Hitler appears in the wings and things begin to change. This is where Behrens's canniness in his casting pays off. By making his protagonists German but atypically so—one father a Jew, the other a wanderer, the mothers both Irishwomen, and the children with British passports—he gets a variety of sideways angles on what is going on. But because of the wealth of the Baron (a co-founder of IG Farben), the author can isolate them for a long time in their contained environment before that too collapses.
It can be difficult to sustain a novel of this length and scope, but Behrens has a couple of tricks up his sleeve. Most of the historical chapters are preceded by one or more documents, supposedly taken from some university archive and meticulously catalogued. Being short, these items provide a welcome change of pace, and get the reader already imagining the story that the ensuing chapter will tell. And the longer historical chapters alternate with briefer sections dated 1938, in which Billy persuades Karin to leave Germany and sail with him to the New World, fondly holding out the promise of "el llano estacado" as a kind of rainbow's end. At first, I thought that events in these sections were happening a little too easily, fitting in with my one criticism of the book that sometimes Behrens moves from episode to episode too quickly. But as the novel approaches its climax, the short sections begin to coalesce, gaining momentum and, at the end, an almost unbearable pathos.
November 13, 2017
Carry Me is an engrossing saga of two families in the time between WWI and WWII. The Lange and von Weinbrenner families are linked through loyalty as the Lange's work for and support the von Weinbrenner's in England and then are invited to Germany to continue their association after Buck Lange is interred and then ordered to leave England after WWI. The Langes and von Weinbrenners are also linked through the Irish roots of the women and the German ancestry of the men.
Over time, a relationship develops between the children of the families, Billy Lange and Karin von Weinbrenner. As Germany changes in the lead up to WWII, Billy and Karin find themselves caught between their pasts and the new reality of Germany, and a future which may involve starting over in America.
In the tradition of rich, multi-generational family sagas, Carry Me is a smooth read that moves quickly despite being over 400 pages. Behrens writes in a very readable style, compassionate to the characters, and not condescending to the reader. The description of the personal toll of WWI and the lead up to WWII is quite devastating. An interesting twist in the narrative is the story of El Llano Estacado, learned about by Billy and Karin during their childhood readings of the books by Karl May, an author who was very popular in Germany with his descriptions of the freedom of the plains in New Mexico. May's vision of freedom is something that keeps Billy's hope for a future alive as Germany changes under the growing power of Hitler and Billy yearns to start over with Karin.
I really enjoyed this book, however I can't give it 5 stars as it is a little too similar in theme to many other books I have read lately. There are many books out there now about the time between WWI and WWII (The Lake House, The German Girl, The Nightingale), so I think Behrens book will not find as many readers in this crowded market, despite the fact it is at least their equal or better.
Over time, a relationship develops between the children of the families, Billy Lange and Karin von Weinbrenner. As Germany changes in the lead up to WWII, Billy and Karin find themselves caught between their pasts and the new reality of Germany, and a future which may involve starting over in America.
In the tradition of rich, multi-generational family sagas, Carry Me is a smooth read that moves quickly despite being over 400 pages. Behrens writes in a very readable style, compassionate to the characters, and not condescending to the reader. The description of the personal toll of WWI and the lead up to WWII is quite devastating. An interesting twist in the narrative is the story of El Llano Estacado, learned about by Billy and Karin during their childhood readings of the books by Karl May, an author who was very popular in Germany with his descriptions of the freedom of the plains in New Mexico. May's vision of freedom is something that keeps Billy's hope for a future alive as Germany changes under the growing power of Hitler and Billy yearns to start over with Karin.
I really enjoyed this book, however I can't give it 5 stars as it is a little too similar in theme to many other books I have read lately. There are many books out there now about the time between WWI and WWII (The Lake House, The German Girl, The Nightingale), so I think Behrens book will not find as many readers in this crowded market, despite the fact it is at least their equal or better.
June 1, 2016
I'd rate this a 3.5. I loved the premise of the book which follows the fortunes and lives of two intermingled families in the first half of the 20th century, in England, Ireland, and Germany. It was great at the beginning but slowed in the middle. I loved the historical context of the brewing Irish rebellion, the English mistrust of Germans in World War I, including those who had lived in Great Britain for many years prior and had successful lives (somewhat similar to the treatment of the Japanese in the US during World War II), the carefree years of the 20s, and the years in Germany building up to Hitlers takeover. The story shows the two families from the early 1900s and then in 1938. The novel revolves around two children of the two families, a year apart. The girl Karin is the daughter of a wealthy Jewish entrepreneur whose mother is of Irish nobility, and Billy, the grandson of a German sailor and whose mother is Irish. Billy's father, Buck worked for Karin's family on the sea and on land. The story circles around the lives of each of these characters, with the tumultuous years having an impact in different ways on their lives and livelihood. Character development was weak in many characters, and some characters totally unlikeable. It's an interesting read on the historical front, less so on the story told, but lovely prose.
February 9, 2020
High drama on an operatic scale—it is possible, at times, to imagine Karin von Weinbrenner, the privileged daughter of a decorated WWI veteran, Baron von Weinbrenner, as a soprano, singing the notes of a tragic aria a la Madam Butterfy. Duty, unrequited love, Nazi villains, they are all here. But there is much, much more—it also delves into the mundane ordinariness of the actions of those corporate employees in the chem labs at IG Farben (think BASF today), who just do their jobs, obey their superiors, take home fat salaries, keep their hands clean. Or do they? This is a novel of sweeping scope full of multilayered characters. I enjoyed it very much, although I find the title to be lame. It should be much more compelling.
January 13, 2017
This sensitive and profoundly elegant novel is a meditative exploration of a deep friendship forged in childhood and continuing into adulthood, of a man and a woman--she being Jewish, and he not--leading up to and during the first Hitler years in Germany. He, the narrator, speaks in 1st person; his receptive and loving attachment to his friend, Karin, invites the reader's empathy and awareness of the existential and moral crises facing these 2 intimate friends, and, by extension, the whole of German society--with emphasis on Frankfurt and Berlin-- at that time. A very relevant read.
June 8, 2016
Caught between two world wars, two families find themselves displaced by war and
circumstance. The characters each yearning for a place where they can be free to be themselves. It’s a story about friendship and love, and the ties that bind us to the place
we call home. The story moves back and forth in time, setting the scene for the troubles
to come, yet in the end I was caught by surprise.
circumstance. The characters each yearning for a place where they can be free to be themselves. It’s a story about friendship and love, and the ties that bind us to the place
we call home. The story moves back and forth in time, setting the scene for the troubles
to come, yet in the end I was caught by surprise.
December 2, 2016
This is the first book by Peter Behrens I have read. His writing is lovely. His storytelling is superb. The narrator is telling the story of a lifelong friend. There are twists and turns as with any story set in war time. When I read the last page I turned to the front page and started again. I wasn't ready to let go of these characters and this writer's great writing.
February 20, 2018
I’m drawn to novels that are set between the wars; I’m interested in how people felt and thought and lived while slowly being taken over by the kind of thinking that seems to be just around the corner in our current times. The love story seemed incomplete though;I never quite got to understand the main character of Karin. Maybe that was the point.
October 27, 2015
A marvelous book, The story is not unlike many other stories set in Europe as war looms, but the telling is so fresh and the characters so appealing that everything is completely fresh and immediate. Highly recommended.
September 24, 2016
I was so bored for the first half of this book, that although the second half was better, it still failed to really capture my interest.
May 19, 2017
Carry Me
Peter Behrens
“Of course there really is no country of dreams that also exists outside the dreams.”
I read Peter Behrens’ Law of Dreams several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the story and the writing. When The O’Briens was published I was excited to read another of Behrens’ novels but the story fell short for me and I ended up abandoning it before finishing. When I read about Carry Me I was tentative to try it but I am so glad I did. This novel has such a nice pace to both the writing and to the story. This story also has an exceptionally satisfying ending – something that I find to be incredibly rare in the novels I choose to read.
With a narrative that moves back and forth in time, Carry Me follows Billy, his parents and Karin, the daughter of close family friends and employers, through Europe during the two World Wars. Throughout the story Billy and Karin both dream of escaping their war-torn lives to freedom, space and open air in El Llano; a place they believe to exist only in the American novels they read. One of the most striking aspects of this story is the way the narrative moves seamlessly between the First and Second World Wars. Because Billy narrates the entire story as it happened it the past, it is not always immediately evident which era he is describing and it gives the story a bit of a disorienting and dream-like state at several points where I was unsure how old the characters were or where the story was taking place. I really enjoyed the effect this had on the narrative.
I also really appreciated Billy’s narrative style. Like I said, Billy was re-telling the story of his childhood and young adulthood. Frequently throughout the story, Billy directly addresses the readers, for example, when he tells us that he won’t explain the nitty-gritty family details because he doesn’t want to bore us with genealogy, when he promises to be honest, or when he explains his choice to incorporate letters, telegrams and diary entries because he wants us to be able to hear the real voices of the characters. Perhaps most interesting is the way Billy readily admits his own unreliability as a narrator – something I can’t remember ever having come across in other novels I have read.
The plot of this novel is unusual to me in the way that it takes place during the Wars but it is not a story about the wars. I loved the human aspect of this story: the development of Billy from childhood through to adulthood, his descriptions of Karin as a character and the various writings pulled from Karin’s journal. Through Billy and Karin we see a very interesting development in the perception and experience of the wars at two different points in their lives.
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April 29, 2016
Even though we're barely into 2016, I know Canadian author Peter Behrens' novel, "Carry Me", will make my top 10 list of great books. "Carry Me" is not a "literary" novel but rather a story-telling one. And the story Behrens tells is unforgettable.
"Carry Me" is set in two time periods, 1938 and "before". Set mostly in Germany, but a bit in Ireland and the United States and Canada, the novel is the story of Billy Lange - a young man with an Irish mother and a German father - and Karin von Weinbrenner - also the child of a German father and an Irish mother. In Karin's case, though, her father is a Jewish industrialist, who has converted to Lutheranism, but that's not enough to make him "Aryan" under the racial laws of the Nazis. His daughter, too, is considered Jewish. Karin and Billy are scarcely a year apart in age and grew up together. Billy's father works for Karin's as first a yacht master - before WW1 - and then as the head of the thoroughbred program at Weinbrenner's estate near Frankfurt.
Peter Behrens writes brilliantly of the times - politically, socially, and economically - and how the Langes and the Weinbrenners lived through those years. Reading the book, I almost thought I was living in Frankfurt and Berlin in the 1920's and 1930's and living through the on-going terror of the Nazi takeover of Germany. Chilling...
One of the background points in the story is the influence that German writer Karl May and his books about the American West, and featuring Old Shatterhand and Winnetou. (An article in Wikipedia states, "The popularity of his writing, and indeed, his (generally German) protagonists, are seen as having filled a lack in the German psyche which had few popular heroes until the 19th Century.[14] His readers longed to escape from an industrialised capitalist society, an escape which May offered") Karin and Billy both want to travel to America to see where May placed is stories and explore "El Llano Estacado", an area in Texas and New Mexico. You have to read the book to find out if they ever make it to that beautiful area.
All of Peter Behrens' characters are vividly drawn. There are no caricatures; even the Nazis have some "humanness" to their portrayal. But at the center of the book are Billy and Karin. They are fully present in Behrens' story. This is a remarkable novel.
"Carry Me" is set in two time periods, 1938 and "before". Set mostly in Germany, but a bit in Ireland and the United States and Canada, the novel is the story of Billy Lange - a young man with an Irish mother and a German father - and Karin von Weinbrenner - also the child of a German father and an Irish mother. In Karin's case, though, her father is a Jewish industrialist, who has converted to Lutheranism, but that's not enough to make him "Aryan" under the racial laws of the Nazis. His daughter, too, is considered Jewish. Karin and Billy are scarcely a year apart in age and grew up together. Billy's father works for Karin's as first a yacht master - before WW1 - and then as the head of the thoroughbred program at Weinbrenner's estate near Frankfurt.
Peter Behrens writes brilliantly of the times - politically, socially, and economically - and how the Langes and the Weinbrenners lived through those years. Reading the book, I almost thought I was living in Frankfurt and Berlin in the 1920's and 1930's and living through the on-going terror of the Nazi takeover of Germany. Chilling...
One of the background points in the story is the influence that German writer Karl May and his books about the American West, and featuring Old Shatterhand and Winnetou. (An article in Wikipedia states, "The popularity of his writing, and indeed, his (generally German) protagonists, are seen as having filled a lack in the German psyche which had few popular heroes until the 19th Century.[14] His readers longed to escape from an industrialised capitalist society, an escape which May offered") Karin and Billy both want to travel to America to see where May placed is stories and explore "El Llano Estacado", an area in Texas and New Mexico. You have to read the book to find out if they ever make it to that beautiful area.
All of Peter Behrens' characters are vividly drawn. There are no caricatures; even the Nazis have some "humanness" to their portrayal. But at the center of the book are Billy and Karin. They are fully present in Behrens' story. This is a remarkable novel.
November 10, 2017
I generally love anything that revolves around Germany at war, and this was no exception.
Carry Me is the story of two people, Billy and Karin, told against the backdrop of Germany in the early twentieth century. They meet as children and, in spite of radically different social circumstances, become very close.
It's clear from the start that the relationship means radically different things to each of them. Billy is in love with Karin; Karin appreciates the role Billy plays in her life. As they grow up, and apart, they only see each other occasionally when Karin comes home from boarding school, or Berlin, where she ends up working.
As World War II looms, circumstances bring Billy and Karin closer again. Their interaction is a bit uncomfortable for me, because it feels like Billy is being used and I'm not sure he understands that. One the other hand, Karin is a charming character - in a selfish, flighty way - so I ended up forgiving her much.
Billy is ethnically German-Irish, which means he's spent much of his life trying to fit in and not quite succeeding. By the time the Nazis rise to power, he's assimilated into German life quite well, but he's not longer sure he wants to. As for Karin, she's constantly running away from something, and it's never clear that she even knows where she's going, which is sad.
The book ends up exploring the nature of identity, and how belonging can be a double-edged sword. Behrens does that well, with pathos and wit, and - as dramatic as the events of the book are - they never feel melodramatic.
The one issue I had was the structure. We flick back and forth between the first and second World Wars, but the sections on WWII are only a page or two long - far too short to be satisfying in any way. So, rather than adding to the narrative, they interrupt the sections on WWI, and leave you irritated because they don't really tell you anything about WWII.
Eventually, the chronologies meet and that problem is solved. But it annoyed me enough to take away one star. If it hadn't been for that structural flaw, this would have been a five.
Wonderful book. Just one word of advice: give it a good 75 pages. That's how long it takes to realize how much you love it.
Carry Me is the story of two people, Billy and Karin, told against the backdrop of Germany in the early twentieth century. They meet as children and, in spite of radically different social circumstances, become very close.
It's clear from the start that the relationship means radically different things to each of them. Billy is in love with Karin; Karin appreciates the role Billy plays in her life. As they grow up, and apart, they only see each other occasionally when Karin comes home from boarding school, or Berlin, where she ends up working.
As World War II looms, circumstances bring Billy and Karin closer again. Their interaction is a bit uncomfortable for me, because it feels like Billy is being used and I'm not sure he understands that. One the other hand, Karin is a charming character - in a selfish, flighty way - so I ended up forgiving her much.
Billy is ethnically German-Irish, which means he's spent much of his life trying to fit in and not quite succeeding. By the time the Nazis rise to power, he's assimilated into German life quite well, but he's not longer sure he wants to. As for Karin, she's constantly running away from something, and it's never clear that she even knows where she's going, which is sad.
The book ends up exploring the nature of identity, and how belonging can be a double-edged sword. Behrens does that well, with pathos and wit, and - as dramatic as the events of the book are - they never feel melodramatic.
The one issue I had was the structure. We flick back and forth between the first and second World Wars, but the sections on WWII are only a page or two long - far too short to be satisfying in any way. So, rather than adding to the narrative, they interrupt the sections on WWI, and leave you irritated because they don't really tell you anything about WWII.
Eventually, the chronologies meet and that problem is solved. But it annoyed me enough to take away one star. If it hadn't been for that structural flaw, this would have been a five.
Wonderful book. Just one word of advice: give it a good 75 pages. That's how long it takes to realize how much you love it.
August 1, 2016
Technically 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding down for this one.
I found this book very...uneven. The first half of the book was slow and dragged a little, but by the time I got to the second half of the book, I couldn't put it down as the Nazi regime gained ground and more and more bad things started happening. I enjoyed the characters in this book, and I loved reading a historical fiction about the buildup of the Nazi regime between WWI and WWII, since most books focus on the regime itself. The details and research were amazing, and I loved the bittersweet ending.
The first half of the book dwelled too much I think on Billy's childhood and traveling back and forth. Not that it wasn't important because it really made Billy into who he became as a young man, but I think it could have been condensed a bit, since it didn't pull me into the story as well as it could have. Ultimately, though, I thought this was a poignant and tragic romance story that reflected in a real way the turmoil of Germany post-WWI and leading into WWII. I would be interested in reading more books/fiction set during this time.
I found this book very...uneven. The first half of the book was slow and dragged a little, but by the time I got to the second half of the book, I couldn't put it down as the Nazi regime gained ground and more and more bad things started happening. I enjoyed the characters in this book, and I loved reading a historical fiction about the buildup of the Nazi regime between WWI and WWII, since most books focus on the regime itself. The details and research were amazing, and I loved the bittersweet ending.
The first half of the book dwelled too much I think on Billy's childhood and traveling back and forth. Not that it wasn't important because it really made Billy into who he became as a young man, but I think it could have been condensed a bit, since it didn't pull me into the story as well as it could have. Ultimately, though, I thought this was a poignant and tragic romance story that reflected in a real way the turmoil of Germany post-WWI and leading into WWII. I would be interested in reading more books/fiction set during this time.
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