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The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls
From beloved bestselling author Ursula Hegi, a new novel about three mothers, set on the shores of the Nordsee, perfect for fans of Water for Elephants and The Light Between Oceans.
In the summer of 1878, the Ludwig Zirkus arrives on Nordstrand in Germany, to the delight of the island’s people. But after the show, a Hundred-Year Wave roars from the Nordsee and claims three young children.
Three mothers are on the beach when it happens: Lotte, whose children are lost; Sabine, a Zirkus seamstress with her grown daughter; and Tilli, just a girl herself, who will give birth later that day at St. Margaret’s Home for Pregnant Girls. After the tragedy, Lotte’s husband escapes with the Zirkus, while she loses the will to care for their surviving son. Tilli steps in, bonding with him in a way she isn’t allowed to with her own baby, taken away at birth. Sabine, struggling to keep her childlike daughter safe in the world, forms a complicated friendship with Lotte. But the mothers' fragile trio is threatened when Lotte and her husband hatch a dangerous plan to reunite their family, and Tilli and Sabine must try to find a way to pull them back to reality.
As full of joy and beauty as it is of pain, and told with the luminous power that has made Ursula Hegi a beloved bestselling author for decades, The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls is a shining testament to the ways in which women hold each other up in the most unexpected of circumstances.
In the summer of 1878, the Ludwig Zirkus arrives on Nordstrand in Germany, to the delight of the island’s people. But after the show, a Hundred-Year Wave roars from the Nordsee and claims three young children.
Three mothers are on the beach when it happens: Lotte, whose children are lost; Sabine, a Zirkus seamstress with her grown daughter; and Tilli, just a girl herself, who will give birth later that day at St. Margaret’s Home for Pregnant Girls. After the tragedy, Lotte’s husband escapes with the Zirkus, while she loses the will to care for their surviving son. Tilli steps in, bonding with him in a way she isn’t allowed to with her own baby, taken away at birth. Sabine, struggling to keep her childlike daughter safe in the world, forms a complicated friendship with Lotte. But the mothers' fragile trio is threatened when Lotte and her husband hatch a dangerous plan to reunite their family, and Tilli and Sabine must try to find a way to pull them back to reality.
As full of joy and beauty as it is of pain, and told with the luminous power that has made Ursula Hegi a beloved bestselling author for decades, The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls is a shining testament to the ways in which women hold each other up in the most unexpected of circumstances.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published June 9, 2020
229 people are currently reading
5641 people want to read
About the author
Ursula Hegi
27 books1,073 followersUrsula Hegi is a German-born American writer. She is currently an instructor in the MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton.
She was born Ursula Koch in 1946 in Düsseldorf, Germany, a city that was heavily bombed during World War II. Her perception growing up was that the war was avoided as a topic of discussion despite its evidence everywhere, and The Holocaust was a particularly taboo topic. This had a strong effect on her later writing and her feelings about her German identity.
She left West Germany in 1964, at the age of 18. She moved to the United States in 1965, where she married (becoming Ursula Hegi) in 1967 and became a naturalized citizen the same year. In 1979, she graduated from the University of New Hampshire with both a bachelor's and master's degree. She was divorced in 1984. The same year, she was hired at Eastern Washington University, in Cheney, Washington, near Spokane, Washington, where she became an Associate Professor and taught creative writing and contemporary literature.
Hegi's first books were set in the United States. She set her third, Floating in My Mother's Palm, in the fictional German town of "Burgdorf," using her writing to explore her conflicted feelings about her German heritage. She used the setting for three more books, including her best selling novel Stones from the River, which was chosen for Oprah's Book Club in 1997. Hegi appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on April 8, and her publisher reprinted 1.5 million hardcover copies and 500,000 paperbacks. She subsequently moved from Spokane to New York City.
Hegi's many awards include an NEA Fellowship and five PEN Syndicated Fiction Awards. She won a book award from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) in 1991 for Floating in My Mother's Palm. She has also had two New York Times Notable Book mentions. She has written many book reviews for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post.
She was born Ursula Koch in 1946 in Düsseldorf, Germany, a city that was heavily bombed during World War II. Her perception growing up was that the war was avoided as a topic of discussion despite its evidence everywhere, and The Holocaust was a particularly taboo topic. This had a strong effect on her later writing and her feelings about her German identity.
She left West Germany in 1964, at the age of 18. She moved to the United States in 1965, where she married (becoming Ursula Hegi) in 1967 and became a naturalized citizen the same year. In 1979, she graduated from the University of New Hampshire with both a bachelor's and master's degree. She was divorced in 1984. The same year, she was hired at Eastern Washington University, in Cheney, Washington, near Spokane, Washington, where she became an Associate Professor and taught creative writing and contemporary literature.
Hegi's first books were set in the United States. She set her third, Floating in My Mother's Palm, in the fictional German town of "Burgdorf," using her writing to explore her conflicted feelings about her German heritage. She used the setting for three more books, including her best selling novel Stones from the River, which was chosen for Oprah's Book Club in 1997. Hegi appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on April 8, and her publisher reprinted 1.5 million hardcover copies and 500,000 paperbacks. She subsequently moved from Spokane to New York City.
Hegi's many awards include an NEA Fellowship and five PEN Syndicated Fiction Awards. She won a book award from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) in 1991 for Floating in My Mother's Palm. She has also had two New York Times Notable Book mentions. She has written many book reviews for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 320 reviews
June 12, 2020
3.5-My first introduction to the writing of this author, and I have to admit I wasn't immediately drawn into this novel. The writing was gorgeous, the descriptions like a poem, but it has a very different structure and tone.
It's the mid 1800's in the village of Nordstrand, off Germany's coast. There is a school for pregnant girls, run by the nuns, but these nuns are kind, loving and wise. There is a competitive yearly contest for the oldest man or woman and it is after this contest that a huge wave, takes away Lotte and Kallis three young children. There is also a a zircus which comes every year and will play a big part in the story. There are also a group of old women who gossip, hold secrets and I loved their inclusion.
A novel of loss, survival, love and redemption, showing both the frailty and inner strength of women. Three women will come together to help each other move forward. It is a melancholy story, elegant and ethereal, almost like a fever dream. Maybe a myth or tale of folklore. This is life in all its glory and struggles, of the pulling together and pushing apart. I ended up embracing this novel for its very different storytelling and beautiful writing.
This was my first Hegi, but it won't be the last. I have two novels by this author sitting on my home shelves.
ARC from Edelweiss.
It's the mid 1800's in the village of Nordstrand, off Germany's coast. There is a school for pregnant girls, run by the nuns, but these nuns are kind, loving and wise. There is a competitive yearly contest for the oldest man or woman and it is after this contest that a huge wave, takes away Lotte and Kallis three young children. There is also a a zircus which comes every year and will play a big part in the story. There are also a group of old women who gossip, hold secrets and I loved their inclusion.
A novel of loss, survival, love and redemption, showing both the frailty and inner strength of women. Three women will come together to help each other move forward. It is a melancholy story, elegant and ethereal, almost like a fever dream. Maybe a myth or tale of folklore. This is life in all its glory and struggles, of the pulling together and pushing apart. I ended up embracing this novel for its very different storytelling and beautiful writing.
This was my first Hegi, but it won't be the last. I have two novels by this author sitting on my home shelves.
ARC from Edelweiss.
August 22, 2020
This is one of the most unusual books I have read this year. Set on one of the Frisian islands in 1878 against the backdrop of the severe beauty of the North Sea, this beautifully-written book is full of quirky characters and heartbreaking stories of love and loss.
I found this beautiful, character-driven, complex book impossible to put down. The Patron Saint Of Pregnant Girls with it's intertwining stories of grief and courage to face life, families and friendships, strength and weakness, daily life and circus, children and old people with their particular brand of wisdom is an unusual, but strangely compelling book. It might not be everybody's kind of story, but if you like literary fiction with rich imagery that explores human relationships, pick it up. You might find it as fascinating as I did.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Flatiron Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
August 25, 2020
Wasps, bees, ponies, spider heads, ......”it’s nature”!
Church clothes, Sunday after mass....he will bring the fish ....he will claim them all as their daughters - a wedding will be planned for the summer ....concerns will be eased....
But....shhhhh “not a word”..... it will be a surprise .... their family will be bigger....
They are bringing the children home —they are alive —has she gone mad? The children are dead—
Mythology? Fables? Folklore?
Sand makes it indoors —- sweeping it away — always sweeping....
Growing old....grumpy dispositions...
Mothers...
Dusk...
Sleeping bugs...
Finger wings...
Beekeepers draw us all together like a storm...
Nordsee Setting ....1878....Norstrand in Germany...
Sugar on lettuce....
Hawks need to eat too...
Flies...
Children....
Promises...laughter...smiles....eyes closed....
Birds and humans remain to one migration....
Hiding from nuns, babies, ....
Over 100 degrees...
Water freezes....
You’re not a baby...
Go home...
Tomorrow...
Think you have figured out this book? Ha....think again.
Worse review you’ve ever read? ......( understandable)....
....Parts of this book ( gotta be in the mood)....was an enchanting fairytale ....
....Parts were very clear and straight forward....parts were goofy and not as clear.
The simple easy stuff: ( intellectually sad; not emotionally):
.....Lotte and her husband Kalle Jensen lost three young children in the one hundred year wave. Their baby, Wilhelm, is their only child alive.
Kalle literally ups and leaves his wife, baby, and his job, ( the toy company he owned), to work for the Ludwig Zirkus ( circus). Lotte’s milk has dried up.
.....Tilli is an 11 year old girl - pregnant - who gave her baby up for adoption .....but then becomes a wet nurse to Lotte’s baby ( Wilhelm) ....
.....Sabine a single mother who works for the circus...( also abandoned by her husband)...and cares for her mentally disabled daughter, Heike.
But then she meets Kalle....( the drama gets thicker and thicker ....and just because of loving a Trapeze artist?....
This story is about to burst its own bubble — it’s so overloaded with zebras — lions —circus characters - Townspeople, Fishermen, A Honeybee keeper - A Monkey trainer - nuns, mothers, fathers, parenting, children....
.....The St. Margaret Home is a home that cares for unmarried pregnant girls. The gossipy nuns mean well... to protect, shelter, and educate the young pregnant women ....but they have their own baggage too. One of the nuns had given up her baby forty years ago.
The harder stuff:
.....I’m not 100% sure what was fact, and what was fiction....
.....I liked the story ....but it’s heavily packed with everything but the kitchen sink.
.....The writing is both literary lovely and overkill too much.
.....Themes are tragic.....
This is not “Stones From The River”....but ‘like’ it....Ursula Hegi weaves together many stories, and themes. She has my full respect as an author....
I’m guessing that if I put in the time to read this a second time,..I’d feel a deeper emotional punch. It took energy for me just to piece the entire story ( present day and past days), together.
When all is said and done.....I’d recommend it. I think it might even make a great book club discussion. It takes a little patience IMO with all the material — but we are definitely taken below the surface of every day life....and that in itself is compelling.
Church clothes, Sunday after mass....he will bring the fish ....he will claim them all as their daughters - a wedding will be planned for the summer ....concerns will be eased....
But....shhhhh “not a word”..... it will be a surprise .... their family will be bigger....
They are bringing the children home —they are alive —has she gone mad? The children are dead—
Mythology? Fables? Folklore?
Sand makes it indoors —- sweeping it away — always sweeping....
Growing old....grumpy dispositions...
Mothers...
Dusk...
Sleeping bugs...
Finger wings...
Beekeepers draw us all together like a storm...
Nordsee Setting ....1878....Norstrand in Germany...
Sugar on lettuce....
Hawks need to eat too...
Flies...
Children....
Promises...laughter...smiles....eyes closed....
Birds and humans remain to one migration....
Hiding from nuns, babies, ....
Over 100 degrees...
Water freezes....
You’re not a baby...
Go home...
Tomorrow...
Think you have figured out this book? Ha....think again.
Worse review you’ve ever read? ......( understandable)....
....Parts of this book ( gotta be in the mood)....was an enchanting fairytale ....
....Parts were very clear and straight forward....parts were goofy and not as clear.
The simple easy stuff: ( intellectually sad; not emotionally):
.....Lotte and her husband Kalle Jensen lost three young children in the one hundred year wave. Their baby, Wilhelm, is their only child alive.
Kalle literally ups and leaves his wife, baby, and his job, ( the toy company he owned), to work for the Ludwig Zirkus ( circus). Lotte’s milk has dried up.
.....Tilli is an 11 year old girl - pregnant - who gave her baby up for adoption .....but then becomes a wet nurse to Lotte’s baby ( Wilhelm) ....
.....Sabine a single mother who works for the circus...( also abandoned by her husband)...and cares for her mentally disabled daughter, Heike.
But then she meets Kalle....( the drama gets thicker and thicker ....and just because of loving a Trapeze artist?....
This story is about to burst its own bubble — it’s so overloaded with zebras — lions —circus characters - Townspeople, Fishermen, A Honeybee keeper - A Monkey trainer - nuns, mothers, fathers, parenting, children....
.....The St. Margaret Home is a home that cares for unmarried pregnant girls. The gossipy nuns mean well... to protect, shelter, and educate the young pregnant women ....but they have their own baggage too. One of the nuns had given up her baby forty years ago.
The harder stuff:
.....I’m not 100% sure what was fact, and what was fiction....
.....I liked the story ....but it’s heavily packed with everything but the kitchen sink.
.....The writing is both literary lovely and overkill too much.
.....Themes are tragic.....
This is not “Stones From The River”....but ‘like’ it....Ursula Hegi weaves together many stories, and themes. She has my full respect as an author....
I’m guessing that if I put in the time to read this a second time,..I’d feel a deeper emotional punch. It took energy for me just to piece the entire story ( present day and past days), together.
When all is said and done.....I’d recommend it. I think it might even make a great book club discussion. It takes a little patience IMO with all the material — but we are definitely taken below the surface of every day life....and that in itself is compelling.
June 12, 2022
Hmmm. A brilliant writer and brilliant writing but the book still falls down... maybe under the weight of the grief. No, not really. Although this book deals with some devastating stories ( an 11 year old pregnant from incest, a mother whose three children drown in front of her, a single mother with a learning disabled daughter) the real problem with this book is not the themes or plot (although the ending was so jarringly out of character it did not work for me) it is the voice; there are so many voices it's a cacophony. And switching from third person to the first person perspective was so jarring it took me right out of the book as I tried to remember who was speaking.
I found it hard to get involved in this book and even once I did I really only began to enjoy it when I gave up on figuring out relevance or cohesion and just enjoyed the phrases and words of the author It did all start making sense toward the end. But it was a little bit too much work and not a good payout. For me the difficulty is that two of the women and their attending 'worlds' (the circus for one, the home for unwed mothers for another) are exposed in a kind of realistic way while the third story has elements of fantasy which are then immediately dropped.
I enjoyed it because of the beautiful writing and the imaginative stories but this felt like a very, very early draft of a book.
I found it hard to get involved in this book and even once I did I really only began to enjoy it when I gave up on figuring out relevance or cohesion and just enjoyed the phrases and words of the author It did all start making sense toward the end. But it was a little bit too much work and not a good payout. For me the difficulty is that two of the women and their attending 'worlds' (the circus for one, the home for unwed mothers for another) are exposed in a kind of realistic way while the third story has elements of fantasy which are then immediately dropped.
I enjoyed it because of the beautiful writing and the imaginative stories but this felt like a very, very early draft of a book.
August 9, 2020
The cover is gorgeous, but not a big fan of the story inside. There were bits I really loved, others not so much. I can say that my husband can bring home a zebra for me anytime. Lotte was a difficult person to love. Sabine was telling parts of the story? Tilli was so young to be a mother -- only 11 years old! The Zircus is a delightful addition, though it was much different than the one in "Like Water For Elephants." Overall, this is not my favorite style of writing and I found Elephants to be a much more appealing tale for me. Readers who love Diane Setterfield may really like this book as well.
Thank you to Flatiron Books and Edelweiss for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Flatiron Books and Edelweiss for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
July 31, 2021
1 star Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the chance to read and review this book. Published August 18, 2020.
This review is very easy...
The beginning....Gibberish!
Midway....Gibberish!
The ending.... Gibberish!
I had so expected to like this book. I usually love all circus - especially historical circus stories. Maybe had I read the print edition it would have made sense - but listening to the audio - gibberish! It started with about 10 characters in the first 15 min and the narrator just seemed to ramble on without even taking a breath. Personally I could not even settle characters in mind before she rattled on a few more. Being truthful this book became just noise in the background for me. I had hoped to like it, but certainly did not. Gibberish!
This review is very easy...
The beginning....Gibberish!
Midway....Gibberish!
The ending.... Gibberish!
I had so expected to like this book. I usually love all circus - especially historical circus stories. Maybe had I read the print edition it would have made sense - but listening to the audio - gibberish! It started with about 10 characters in the first 15 min and the narrator just seemed to ramble on without even taking a breath. Personally I could not even settle characters in mind before she rattled on a few more. Being truthful this book became just noise in the background for me. I had hoped to like it, but certainly did not. Gibberish!
March 31, 2021
I read 25% and I couldn’t finish this book... the premise was so interesting and I was excited to read it but man, I just couldn’t do the writing style. It was confusing and jumpy and I had the hardest time following or trying to understand what the author was trying to portray. I couldn’t tell what emotions I was supposed to be feeling by certain encounters. The perspective changing wasn’t handled well and a lot of background info was thrown in with no setup or context and was hard to follow. Others who have liked the book have mentioned the ‘poetic’ writing as a factor. To each his own. To me, an example of poetic writing is The Book Thief. This didn’t feel poetic. Just because you use one word sentences and run on sentences and big beautiful words doesn’t make it poetic. I don’t read it and say ‘This is so so confusing so it must be so deep that I can’t grasp the importance and intentionality.’ Who would? What’s the point of poetic writing if it doesn’t illicit emotion or take the reader on the proper journey? I was frustrated because I wanted to see it through and I want to see where it goes but I just can’t take the writing. I can only read so many books in a year and I didn’t want to continue wasting my time to read something that just frustrated me.
**Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and I’m sorry I couldn’t give a better review for this one**
See more reviews at www.shelfreflection.com!
**Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and I’m sorry I couldn’t give a better review for this one**
See more reviews at www.shelfreflection.com!
October 17, 2019
I read Stones from the River many years ago, so when I had the chance to read this one, before release, I jumped at the chance! Hegi has a way of making the extraordinary seem more ordinary and vice versa, with characters that are unique. This has a varied cast of characters: a family who loses three children, and how they react to the terrible tragedy; a disparate group of compassionate nuns living in an abandoned mansion they have restored, along with the various pregnant girls they take in; the traveling circus group and all of their idiosyncrasies and problems in their lives; the town people who vie to be crowned the oldest person; to the interactions among all of these people.
I knew it wouldn't be an ordinary novel, and it wasn't! Some of the people with the worst problems grasp and embellish on a local myth for self-soothing, to the point of true belief with possible dangerous consequences. I was almost holding my breath towards the end! I do like endings that don't leave you wondering what happened, but it did seem like it was finished very quickly at the end. I could have used a little more wrap up, but I did enjoy it! Thank you to Ursula Hegi, Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
I knew it wouldn't be an ordinary novel, and it wasn't! Some of the people with the worst problems grasp and embellish on a local myth for self-soothing, to the point of true belief with possible dangerous consequences. I was almost holding my breath towards the end! I do like endings that don't leave you wondering what happened, but it did seem like it was finished very quickly at the end. I could have used a little more wrap up, but I did enjoy it! Thank you to Ursula Hegi, Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
May 31, 2020
A very beautiful, almost fairy tale like story. Overall it's a story about girls, women and old women and how they intersect.
It took me a little bit to get into the groove with Hegi's style of writing. It's made up of quick and fragmented thoughts, but once I got into the rhythm it was a beautiful story to read.
The ending left some to be desired, it felt like you were just about to fall off the cliff, but your boat is left suspended in the air before it falls over. That is the best way to explain it - using that imagery. :-)
It took me a little bit to get into the groove with Hegi's style of writing. It's made up of quick and fragmented thoughts, but once I got into the rhythm it was a beautiful story to read.
The ending left some to be desired, it felt like you were just about to fall off the cliff, but your boat is left suspended in the air before it falls over. That is the best way to explain it - using that imagery. :-)
March 26, 2020
I’m often curious to see why certain books attract me, and there were several reasons why I couldn’t pass up a chance to read this one: a) the Nordsee setting in the mid 1800s, which promised an interesting background to an unusual story; b) Comparison of the book to WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, which I loved (even though I am always wary of comparisons to popular books); c) it had a circus in it! d) I wanted something character driven, quirky and unusual, and this one certainly fit the bill.
I am happy to say that Hegi’s book with the unusual title THE PATRON SAINT OF PREGNANT GIRLS lived up to all my expectations. Set in the mid 1800s, it centres around the stories of four different women who are loosely connected by the setting and the terrible accident that happens right at the beginning of the book: the tragic drowning of three children when a freak wave rips them out of their mother’s arms. Whilst this event forms the a big part of the story, it is only one thread among many others, musing about pregnancy, motherhood, female friendship, marriage, loss, grief and womanhood in general in Germany in the mid 1800s. Hegi’s writing is lyrical and descriptive and vividly painted the characters and the setting for me right from the start.
What I love most about historical fiction – apart from learning about different eras in history – is trying to put myself in the character’s position and reflect on how I would act, how different my life would be. Being a woman in the 1800s was no picnic: childbirth was hazardous for mother and child, and many infants didn’t survive long, claimed by illnesses and complications that are easily treated today. And if you were unlucky enough to be young and pregnant outside of marriage, an even grimmer fate would await you: death at the hands of some backyard abortionist or escape to homes for unwed mothers, where the child would be taken from you straight after birth. And yet womanhood held some of the same joys, hopes and dreams as we experience today.
THE PATRON SAINT OF PREGNANT GIRLS was a slow, reflective read that gently took me on its journey. I won’t be a good fit for readers who want action, or a definite progression of the journey towards a finale, or even a central plot, because this story isn’t like that. Instead, it flowed gently, like a gurgling brook, not reaching any destination. I was in the mood for such a story and appreciated the emotions the story awakened in me whilst reading, and the reflections it prompted. I can see that it will not appeal to everyone, but if you like that kind of story that rolls out in dreamlike pictures and landscapes, then I would urge you to give it a go.
3.5 stars
Thank you to Edelweiss and Flatiron Books for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
*blog* *facebook* *instagram*
I am happy to say that Hegi’s book with the unusual title THE PATRON SAINT OF PREGNANT GIRLS lived up to all my expectations. Set in the mid 1800s, it centres around the stories of four different women who are loosely connected by the setting and the terrible accident that happens right at the beginning of the book: the tragic drowning of three children when a freak wave rips them out of their mother’s arms. Whilst this event forms the a big part of the story, it is only one thread among many others, musing about pregnancy, motherhood, female friendship, marriage, loss, grief and womanhood in general in Germany in the mid 1800s. Hegi’s writing is lyrical and descriptive and vividly painted the characters and the setting for me right from the start.
What I love most about historical fiction – apart from learning about different eras in history – is trying to put myself in the character’s position and reflect on how I would act, how different my life would be. Being a woman in the 1800s was no picnic: childbirth was hazardous for mother and child, and many infants didn’t survive long, claimed by illnesses and complications that are easily treated today. And if you were unlucky enough to be young and pregnant outside of marriage, an even grimmer fate would await you: death at the hands of some backyard abortionist or escape to homes for unwed mothers, where the child would be taken from you straight after birth. And yet womanhood held some of the same joys, hopes and dreams as we experience today.
THE PATRON SAINT OF PREGNANT GIRLS was a slow, reflective read that gently took me on its journey. I won’t be a good fit for readers who want action, or a definite progression of the journey towards a finale, or even a central plot, because this story isn’t like that. Instead, it flowed gently, like a gurgling brook, not reaching any destination. I was in the mood for such a story and appreciated the emotions the story awakened in me whilst reading, and the reflections it prompted. I can see that it will not appeal to everyone, but if you like that kind of story that rolls out in dreamlike pictures and landscapes, then I would urge you to give it a go.
3.5 stars
Thank you to Edelweiss and Flatiron Books for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
*blog* *facebook* *instagram*
May 13, 2020
The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls reads like a good story. However, every chapter jumps from one point to another in a way that loses me. I am lost due to the scenes not connecting. I cannot connect from one moment to the other, excepts for the names of the characters. It does sound like a story I could dig deep into...but with the way it was organized, the jumps are just too wide for me, as a reader. I wanted to like this book so much! It does have the potential to be a great book. I started off thinking okay, let's see where this leads. Each chapter just led me down to more confusion as to what's happening and why. The plot contains a lot of sad and heartbreaking moments. Several of these included a young pregnant girl, motherhood, loss of loved ones plus, so much more. I like the topics but I just couldn't go from one chapter to next easily. It didn't flow well. Everything else, was well done.
I received this copy from the publisher. This is my voluntary review.
I received this copy from the publisher. This is my voluntary review.
December 25, 2020
“A lyrical meditation on motherhood and mourning.” -- Boston Globe
I was blown away by Angela Dawe’s narration. She sets the perfect tone this story needs and that’s why I think the audio book will be the superior choice for Ursula Hegi’s book. Oh, and Angela’s German is near perfect.
The audiobook is available on Scribd.
5 Stars
I was blown away by Angela Dawe’s narration. She sets the perfect tone this story needs and that’s why I think the audio book will be the superior choice for Ursula Hegi’s book. Oh, and Angela’s German is near perfect.
The audiobook is available on Scribd.
5 Stars
March 29, 2021
After having read Stones from the River
, I looked forward to reading this one as well. I didn't like it quite as a much, but I still enjoyed it quite a lot. This time, the story verges on magical realism without crossing over into it. It's the story of a mother and father trying to absorb the loss of three of their four children, the mother of an intellectually disabled 20-year-old, and a child of 11 who gives birth in a maternity home run by nuns and then has the baby taken away from her. Their stories intertwine and by the end have joined to become a single story. Along with them, Hegi creates the world of the maternity home and the world of a circus populated by her usual assortment of people not really suited to live in the general population because they are, somehow, "different."
, I looked forward to reading this one as well. I didn't like it quite as a much, but I still enjoyed it quite a lot. This time, the story verges on magical realism without crossing over into it. It's the story of a mother and father trying to absorb the loss of three of their four children, the mother of an intellectually disabled 20-year-old, and a child of 11 who gives birth in a maternity home run by nuns and then has the baby taken away from her. Their stories intertwine and by the end have joined to become a single story. Along with them, Hegi creates the world of the maternity home and the world of a circus populated by her usual assortment of people not really suited to live in the general population because they are, somehow, "different." 
June 29, 2023
I wanted to love this book but couldn’t.
Lyrical and beautifully-written, the book lacked cohesion for me. I wanted stronger characterization and plot points. The author presents several worlds: the zirkus, the nuns, the island, yet I never established a true sense of place and time. Something about this one didn’t click —though I wanted it to.
Lyrical and beautifully-written, the book lacked cohesion for me. I wanted stronger characterization and plot points. The author presents several worlds: the zirkus, the nuns, the island, yet I never established a true sense of place and time. Something about this one didn’t click —though I wanted it to.
December 9, 2019
From beloved bestselling author Ursula Hegi, a new novel about three mothers, set on the shores of the Nordsee, perfect for fans of Water for Elephants and The Light Between Oceans.
In the summer of 1878, the Ludwig Zirkus has come to the island Nordstrand in Germany. Big-bellied girls rush from St. Margaret's Home for Pregnant Girls, thrilled to see the parade and the show, followed by the Sisters who care for them. The Old Women and Men, competing to be crowned as the island’s Oldest Person, watch, thinking they have seen it all. But after the show, a Hundred-Year Wave roars from the Nordsee and claims three young children. Three mothers are on the beach when it happens: Lotte, whose children are lost; Sabine, a Zirkus seamstress with her grown daughter; and Tilli, still just a child herself, who will give birth later that day at St. Margaret’s. And all three will end up helping each other more than they ever could have anticipated.
As full of joy and beauty as it is of pain, and told with the luminous power that has made Ursula Hegi a beloved bestselling author for decades, The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls is a shattering portrait of marriage and motherhood, and of the ways in which women hold each other up in the face of heartbreak.
The story begins at the sea on an island in Germany at a time when the town is abuzz because the Lugwig Zirkus has come to town. But tragedy strikes when a Hundred Year Wave takes three young siblings out to sea and lives on the island are changed forever. Three mothers in particular are the focus of this story. Lotte, whose children are taken by the wave, Sabine, whose daughter will always remain a child, and Tilli, a child herself who gives birth to her own baby amidst the tragedy. Hegi brilliantly weaves the lives of these three women together as they all fight their own demons and attempt to overcome their struggles and find peace. From marriage to motherhood, Hegi illuminates the struggles that humans face as they live the lives that fate has handed them. There is a also a mystical aspect to this story as the Old Women weave lore and legend into the lives of these women. I enjoyed the novel greatly, even though i had a bit of difficulty keeping track of all the characters, and how they related to the main storyline.
In the summer of 1878, the Ludwig Zirkus has come to the island Nordstrand in Germany. Big-bellied girls rush from St. Margaret's Home for Pregnant Girls, thrilled to see the parade and the show, followed by the Sisters who care for them. The Old Women and Men, competing to be crowned as the island’s Oldest Person, watch, thinking they have seen it all. But after the show, a Hundred-Year Wave roars from the Nordsee and claims three young children. Three mothers are on the beach when it happens: Lotte, whose children are lost; Sabine, a Zirkus seamstress with her grown daughter; and Tilli, still just a child herself, who will give birth later that day at St. Margaret’s. And all three will end up helping each other more than they ever could have anticipated.
As full of joy and beauty as it is of pain, and told with the luminous power that has made Ursula Hegi a beloved bestselling author for decades, The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls is a shattering portrait of marriage and motherhood, and of the ways in which women hold each other up in the face of heartbreak.
The story begins at the sea on an island in Germany at a time when the town is abuzz because the Lugwig Zirkus has come to town. But tragedy strikes when a Hundred Year Wave takes three young siblings out to sea and lives on the island are changed forever. Three mothers in particular are the focus of this story. Lotte, whose children are taken by the wave, Sabine, whose daughter will always remain a child, and Tilli, a child herself who gives birth to her own baby amidst the tragedy. Hegi brilliantly weaves the lives of these three women together as they all fight their own demons and attempt to overcome their struggles and find peace. From marriage to motherhood, Hegi illuminates the struggles that humans face as they live the lives that fate has handed them. There is a also a mystical aspect to this story as the Old Women weave lore and legend into the lives of these women. I enjoyed the novel greatly, even though i had a bit of difficulty keeping track of all the characters, and how they related to the main storyline.
November 11, 2019
*I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
The premise of this book intrigued me, but unfortunately it wasn't what I expected it to be. I feel bad having the first 1 star review, but I have to be honest about my experience. This one just wasn't for me.
When I first started, I thought the story was a little strange, but the writing was beautiful, so I was willing to see where it would go. But eventually, the writing became the biggest obstacle for me. It's lyrical and rich, but it's heavy handed. I couldn't follow the plot because it was hidden behind the prose, metaphors, and the strange shifting perspectives between first person and third person. I just finished the book minutes ago, and I couldn't tell you what happened. There were also several things that were described in such a weird way that it just made me uncomfortable to read.
There were also far too many characters and plot points going on at once. There was the drama with the wave, the circus, the sisters, the pregnant girls, the beekeeper, and so much more I don't even remember. I know the author was trying to weave all the threads of plot together, but it just got messy and made it even more confusing to understand. I feel like either half of the characters and plot points needed to be cut out, or this should have been more of an anthology following each of the characters in this world.
I understand this is an early copy, and I'm sure there's time for the author to edit and improve this story to make it palatable. But for me, I don't think there could be a dramatic enough change to shift my rating.
The premise of this book intrigued me, but unfortunately it wasn't what I expected it to be. I feel bad having the first 1 star review, but I have to be honest about my experience. This one just wasn't for me.
When I first started, I thought the story was a little strange, but the writing was beautiful, so I was willing to see where it would go. But eventually, the writing became the biggest obstacle for me. It's lyrical and rich, but it's heavy handed. I couldn't follow the plot because it was hidden behind the prose, metaphors, and the strange shifting perspectives between first person and third person. I just finished the book minutes ago, and I couldn't tell you what happened. There were also several things that were described in such a weird way that it just made me uncomfortable to read.
There were also far too many characters and plot points going on at once. There was the drama with the wave, the circus, the sisters, the pregnant girls, the beekeeper, and so much more I don't even remember. I know the author was trying to weave all the threads of plot together, but it just got messy and made it even more confusing to understand. I feel like either half of the characters and plot points needed to be cut out, or this should have been more of an anthology following each of the characters in this world.
I understand this is an early copy, and I'm sure there's time for the author to edit and improve this story to make it palatable. But for me, I don't think there could be a dramatic enough change to shift my rating.
May 26, 2020
Ursula Hegi built us a beautiful circus and then elegantly said, “Now that I have your attention, female sexuality is not shameful, and birth control is healthcare. Teach people those things,” and I love her for it.
Definitely pre-order a copy of this book from your local indie bookstore before it comes out in August. Thanks, Flatiron Books, for the review copy!
Definitely pre-order a copy of this book from your local indie bookstore before it comes out in August. Thanks, Flatiron Books, for the review copy!
November 22, 2020
Whimsical and charming as a fairy tale but pain and loss are also felt. Set in the late 1800s on the small island of Nordstrand Germany, three women, Sabine, Tillie and Lotte, become the center of the story, all experiencing love and loss. Each woman brings their own perspective to the story. An orphanage run by nums exists for pregnant girls who were cast out by their families. Old women lend wisdom throughout. Despite its beautiful phrasing, the story is a little disjointed but definitely depicts all parts of the human experience.
January 18, 2020
This poetic novel opens with a tragedy. Lotte stands on the Nordsee shore with her four healthy children. Suddenly three of them are taken by a wave as she clings to her youngest child. Abandoned by Kalle, her husband, who escapes the horror by joining the Zirkus, Lotte, overwhelmed with grief and guilt, turns to the kind nuns for healing. The nuns’ mission is to shelter abandoned, unwed pregnant girls, many barely past childhood. One of these, Tilli, a witness to Lotte’s tragedy, is forced to give up her baby and turns to others to fill the void. Sabine, another witness, also abandoned, has spent her life searching for someone who will protect her damaged daughter from herself. Ursula Hegi’s imagery allows the reader to join in the myths, legends and dreams of each of her characters. Heartbreak and disappointment seem to prevail, but hope and happiness hover nearby.
November 16, 2019
I loved Stones from the River years ago, and was excited to delve into this new one. While I wasn't left disappointed, it definitely wasn't what I expected and I was left feeling a little "meh" at the end. I liked the premise of the pregnant girls and their home, the traveling circus, and how things wove together. However, at times it did seem a little scattered and hard to follow. Narration point of view would switch, not solid transitions between settings too.
Good solid ending. I enjoyed this read, and am thankful for the ARC from Netgalley!
Good solid ending. I enjoyed this read, and am thankful for the ARC from Netgalley!
August 29, 2020
Oh boy-this book was a disappointment. I even splurged on the hardcover since I like this author but I found this book to be too rambling and confusing with the POVs at times. There wasn’t much in the realm of character development and I felt I was reluctantly going back to read it each night.
April 28, 2021
Ursula Hegi’s Stones from the River was one of my favorite books thirty years ago. The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls has the same beautiful prose. It’s a creative story full of complex characters and some lovely descriptions. Hegi has a wonderful imagination and there’s nothing simplistic or predictable in her characters or plot. But I wished she’d structured the stories in a more straightforward way. I came very close to ditching the book a couple of times because I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Some of the stories unspooled over more than a decade or two, while others took place over the span of less than two years, and I sure could have used some clues to put me in the correct POV and time frame. I guess it was the intensity and creativity in several of the individual stories I managed to follow that kept me going. I’ll admit I had to turn to other reviews to piece it all together even after I finished. I kept thinking that I couldn’t possibly give it more than 2 stars. And yet, some of the scenes will stick with me for a long time. In retrospect, it was a beautiful story. I’m giving it four stars. If I were smarter and had understood it the first time around, I’d probably give it five. Maybe I’ll read it again....
March 10, 2021
Wat. Een. Boek.
De schrijfstijl van Ursula Hegi is betoverend mooi en zeer overtuigend in deze moeilijke thema's. Het boek gaat over het verliezen van geliefden en kinderen, rouwen, het willen beschermen van je kinderen... Geen gemakkelijke thema's, wat maakt dat dit ook geen gemakkelijk boek is.
De schrijfstijl is ook niet eenvoudig om te lezen. Er zijn verschillende personages aan het woord, soms door elkaar, er worden sprongen in de tijd gemaakt en niet alles wordt verteld. Het boek is een puzzel die je als lezer beetje bij beetje in elkaar kan steken.
De setting is uniek. Het boek speelt zich af in 1878, en een klooster en een circus spelen een rol. Daarnaast krijg je ook een inkijk in het leven van een klein dorpje. Het was allemaal zeer interessant om te lezen!
De schrijfstijl van Ursula Hegi is betoverend mooi en zeer overtuigend in deze moeilijke thema's. Het boek gaat over het verliezen van geliefden en kinderen, rouwen, het willen beschermen van je kinderen... Geen gemakkelijke thema's, wat maakt dat dit ook geen gemakkelijk boek is.
De schrijfstijl is ook niet eenvoudig om te lezen. Er zijn verschillende personages aan het woord, soms door elkaar, er worden sprongen in de tijd gemaakt en niet alles wordt verteld. Het boek is een puzzel die je als lezer beetje bij beetje in elkaar kan steken.
De setting is uniek. Het boek speelt zich af in 1878, en een klooster en een circus spelen een rol. Daarnaast krijg je ook een inkijk in het leven van een klein dorpje. Het was allemaal zeer interessant om te lezen!
September 3, 2020
There's both much to enjoy and dislike in this novel that begins in 1878 when the girls from St. Margaret's Home for Pregnant girls gather to see the parade on their island in Germany. After the parade, readers watch a mother lose three children to a tidal wave in the beginning of the novel, and she tosses out her alive child, hoping it will bring back the three she lost, and her husband rescues the child, and their marriage dissolves when he eventually leaves to join the circus. From there we meet 11 year old Tillie who becomes pregnant by a relative, and joins the home for pregnant girls. Even though the novel takes place over a one year span, as we become engrossed with one thread of this fantastical store, we then shift to different characters in different situations, leaving behind the characters that we were following. I know. Patience is a virtue, and maybe under more normal circumstances when there was a sense of normalcy before this pandemic, my attention span and patience were greater, but I will admit, that by the time the ending was approaching, the novel does make a full circle, completing this tidal wave of loss and grief, bravery and humor, and all makes sense once again.
April 22, 2023
Reason Read: American Author challenge
First time to read anything by this author. I found it to engage with any of the characters. The biggest theme being grief and shared delusions, disadvantaged people. It maybe was too many themes. I won’t feel drawn to read any other books by the author. While this was read for AAC, the author is German-American. Born in Germany and lived there until 18.
First time to read anything by this author. I found it to engage with any of the characters. The biggest theme being grief and shared delusions, disadvantaged people. It maybe was too many themes. I won’t feel drawn to read any other books by the author. While this was read for AAC, the author is German-American. Born in Germany and lived there until 18.
September 27, 2020
Enjoyed the structure of this novel but found it challenging to emotionally connect with many of the characters. The writing is beautiful and I look forward to reading more of Hegi’s books.
August 17, 2020
This is an interesting study of relationships: between women; between husbands and wives; between mothers and children; between the old and young. It also looks at loss: of a lover, of a child(ren), of one's youth, even one's dreams. The characters were many and the POVs were a bit confusing at times but the writing was flawless and her characters memorable.
Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC to read and review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC to read and review.
August 17, 2020
I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. The writing seems disconnected, but I was compelled to keep reading. The ending? I'm not really sure if I understand how it ended.
March 31, 2020
I did find this book a little in the unusual side, all at once whimsical and charming while also deeply fraught with some very heavy emotions. Set in the late 1800’s on the small island of Nordstrand in Germany, three vastly different women confront different aspects of love and loss. All share a special connection through a unique school/ orphanage/ church where pregnant girls who are cast out by their families for their sin can find a safe haven. Many of the babies are adopted out, those that are not are raised by the industrious sisters. Many of the girls return to their families after having their babies, while others that have nowhere else to go stick around to assist as needed. It is here that Sabine, Tilli, and Lotte find themselves. Sabine has spent much of her life protecting her developmentally challenged daughter, Tilli who fell pregnant at age 11, and Lotte who lost three of her four children in a freak 100 year wave. While their backgrounds are very different, each girl comes to serve a valuable place in the each of the other girls lives. While I did get slightly lost here and there, especially in the flash backs, generally the story held together well and is at times both hopeful, and melancholic. A worthwhile speed read notable for its ability to impart the unique perspectives of three extraordinary women on the reader while weaving an intricate period tale that is almost 150 years old. Thank you to Netgalley for early copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 15, 2021
Ursula Hegi has done it again, written a book with characters that I cared about and universal themes that kept me engaged. The ending made me rehash the story in my mind and the more I think about it, the more I find to like about it. She covers a lot of ground in this novel: the mother-child bond, abandonment, the human desire to belong to a family or group, stages of grief and how individuals cope with it, love vs lust, individuality within the group, the need for self-expression... and I feel like this just scratches the surface.
If like me, Hegi's "Stones in the River" had a lasting impression, I think you'll like this new work too.
If like me, Hegi's "Stones in the River" had a lasting impression, I think you'll like this new work too.
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