The Girl with the Golden Scissors

by Julia Drosten, Deborah Rachel Langton (Translator)

From the bestselling author of The Lioness of Morocco and The Elephant Keeper’s Daughter, the story of an ambitious young woman discovering friendship, love, and her own identity on the eve of World War I.

Christmas 1889. A baby is born in the early hours at Vienna General Hospital, only to be abandoned by her unwed mother and entrusted to a foundling home and its loving caretaker.

Fanny Schindler grows from a precocious girl into a strong-willed young woman. Undeterred by the rules of her station, she’s determined to rise above her humble origins and pursue her dreams at all costs, becoming an apprentice to one of the most glamorous fashion houses in Austria-Hungary. All the while, as Fanny searches for a sense of belonging, her path crosses with those of three people who will change her future. To one, she is a cherished friend. To another, a confidant. And to a handsome career soldier, something more.

When hostilities in Europe burst into flame as a brutal world war, the future of the dual monarchy is at stake, friendships are strained, loyalties are tested, and everything is at risk. And when long-buried secrets about Fanny’s past come to light, she must decide what truly matters—and what is worth fighting for in a new world of infinite possibilities.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance, World War I, Audiobook, War

326 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 21, 2020

About the author

Horst and Julia Drosten write together using the pseudonym
Julia Drosten. They live in the picturesque Münsterland region, Germany.
of Germany and have always wanted to write books. They find
the research to be almost as much fun. For Das Revuemädchen
they have flown in a historic biplane and for Die Seidenrose they
have been pampered by an aesthetician. Before writing Die
Honigprinzessin, they became beekeepers; for The Girl with the
Golden Scissors, they traced the streets of 19th century Vienna,
and for The Elephant Keeper’s Daughter, they visited Sri Lanka to
spend time with wild elephants.
Many books were bestsellers on Amazon.

House of the Stolen Children won the Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award 2021 in Germany.

Books authored by Julia Drosten:
The Lioness of Morocco
The Girl with the Golden Scissors
The Elephant Keeper’s Daughter
Land Beyond the Horizon
House of the Stolen Children

Denn die Hoffnung endet nie
Meine Seele schreit so laut
Der Duft von Zimtblüten
Das Mädchen mit der goldenen Schere
Die Elefantenhüterin
Die schwarze Taube von Siwa
Die Honigprinzessin
Die Löwin von Mogador
Die Seidenrose
Das Revuemädchen

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the Vienna General Hospital in the 1880’s, to reduce the number of abandoned babies a woman could give birth and not have to reveal her identity. Josepha Pfeiffer works at the Vienna foundling home, she names the new baby girl born in the early hours of Christmas day in 1889; Fanny, and she takes a personal interest in her well being. Josepha’s old enough to be Fanny’s grandmother, she makes sure she finishes school and helps her find employment when she leaves the foundling home.

Due to her humble origins, Fanny can only find work as a maid, Josepha lets her sleep on her couch when she get fired for numerous reasons and usually it's due to her not concentrating. Fanny has a talent for sewing, she wants to design and create her own clothes and her mind is full of ideas. Fanny’s determined to work for Madame Moreau at her fashion house, she manages to convince her to give her a chance and an apprenticeship. For three years she works for Madame Moreau, studies at the technical college and gains her qualifications as a craftswoman in tailoring. Fanny always wonders who her real mother is, and Josepha explains her mother wouldn’t even take the certificate of admission from the hospital and gave birth wearing a veil. Fanny meets three people who are important to her and they all have a major impact in her life, Izabella and Maxim Kalman and Helene Bathory.

When France declares war on the Austria-Hungarian Empire in 1914, life in Vienna changes quickly and all the men are called up to fight. It causes huge shortages of labor, food, supplies and the city is full of hungry refugees. Fanny, Helene and Izabella all do what they can to help, the war is long and a brutal. At the end of the war, long kept secrets are uncovered about Fanny’s birth mother, it solves the mystery and no one will ever take Josepha’s place in Fanny’s heart.

The Girl with the Golden Scissors is a story about the life of Franny Schindler, from the mystery of her birth, her growing up in a foundling home and having the determination to follow her dreams, and never giving up. Based around the true facts regarding the Vienna foundling home, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and it’s reputation of crafting tailored suits. Julia Drosten has written a remarkable historical fiction book, I highly recommend reading it and five stars from me.

[Tahera · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Christmas of 1889, in Vienna, a girl child is born to an unwed mother at the Vienna General Hospital who abandons her. The child is subsequently taken in by the matron of the foundling home attached to the hospital who also presided over the birth. The girl child is christened Fanny Schindler and under the care of her loving matron, grows up to be a strong willed and beautiful girl who has ambitions far ahead for a woman of her time. Determined to rise above her humble station in life, Fanny eventually gets a coveted apprenticeship position in one of the leading fashion houses of Austria-Hungary and finally begins to live out her dream of becoming a successful seamstress/designer. Through all this, Fanny has a constant desire to know about her birth mother and family and why she was given away to a foundling home. Her foster mother/matron who has received secret monetary payments through the years for Fanny's upbringing suspects that Fanny might belong to a very important family.

When World War I breaks out, Fanny's life takes a new turn where loyalties of her friends, people she knows and the future of the dual monarchy is tested. More so, this war finally affords her the opportunity to find out about her parentage.

The Girl With The Golden Scissors is a beautifully written historical fiction. The original book is written in German by the husband/wife duo who write as Julia Drosten and it has been translated to English by Deborah Rachel Langton. I haven't read the original book (since German is not a language I know) but from reading this English translation I feel that Deborah has done a wonderful job of capturing the descriptions and feelings of the people, places, events of the original novel. A good book to consider making into a movie.

My thanks to Netgally, the publisher Amazon Crossing and the authors for the e-Arc of the book. I definitely look forward to reading more from this author duo. I also apologise for putting up the review late.

[Mackey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love historical fiction especially when it is written as eloquently as The Girl With the Golden Scissors.

Franny was born in 1889 in Vienna only to be abandoned by her unwed mother. She is cared for, lovingly, at a foundling home where she grows into a precocious child and a talented young woman. Ultimately, she finds herself as an apprentice in one of the most prestigious fashion houses in Austria-Hungary. Isn't it interesting how many of these young women end up in fashion houses? I can't sew on a button so I'm always amazed at this. Just as her life appears to be stable, war breaks out across Europe testing the loyalties of her friendships, people she trusted and, worse, the monarchy itself. It does, however, afford her the opportunity to search for the truth about her parentage.

The Girl With the Golden Scissors is a beautifully written saga that sweeps across Europe during a time that few people alive today fully understand. Which country was loyal to whom, families stretched across the globe, divided by their current nationalities. It is within this scene-scape that we discover the truth about Franny and how that truth will alter her life forever. Wonderfully written by the duo known as Julia Drosten and perfectly translated from German to English, this is an historical novel from a very different perspective and one that will leave you breathless and wanting more. I'm not sure how I've missed this writing duo before now but I definitely am a fan now.

[Cookie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is getting quite a bit of promotion on Amazon right now. I was lucky enough to have gotten an ARC, or I might have skipped it. That would have been a shame.
"The Girl With the Golden Scissors" is an historical fiction novel which takes place in Vienna and Hungary in the periods just before and during The First World War.
It concerns a young woman, born in an orphanage to an anonymous well bred unwed mother, who is lucky enough to be raised by a loving foster mother. She grows into a strong, determined woman who controls her own destiny and influences the lives of many others.
A book that is a pleasure to read.

I, of course received my copy free in exchange for an honest review.

[Meagan Beard · Rating 2 out of 5]

How did this receive such good reviews? I stuck with it, but it continuously disappointed me! The main characters were shallow and I was never emotionally drawn in to the story. On top of that, infidelity just doesn't ever fly in my book, so the "resolution" of the story was a huge letdown. Would not recommend.

[C.A. Gray]

I was really into this for the first few hours. I enjoy historical narratives as an escape, because they break the stereotypical plotlines of modern stories, and also because I can generally expect to be spared some of the modern sex, violence, language, and political agendas. I stopped this one when it became clear that the author was setting up an anachronistic, modern political agenda in a book set in 1909! So irritating.

[Cindy Woods · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very good.

This story of a Viennese girl born in a foundling home at the turn of the 20th century is very dry and shallow.

The main character, Fanny, is shallow and unlikeable. She is raised by an administrator of the foundling home and as she becomes old enough to go out into the world on her own she causes her own problems many times over.

The story is tedious and the plot is all over the map as Fanny works in various homes as a personal maid to wealthy girls. None of the characters have any true depth. The rambling plot was almost boring. The romance was boring.

The only thing I found halfway of interest was the last quarter of the book where WWI is raging and descriptions of military and civilian life are laid out.

This is one I wished I'd passed on. Waste of reading time for me.

[Ariana · Rating 1 out of 5]

This started off as a pretty interesting read and then it went down hill for me when they introduced a character that was a lesbian in the early 1900s and it was accepted by others. I don't think so. Not back then. Then all the other nonsense leading up to this was just dumb in my opinion. I DNF so maybe I shouldn't rate this book but I want to make sure if it crosses my path that I will know why I didn't bother finishing it and to not give it another attempt.

[Eesha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure why this book is so highly rated.

The synopsis really drew me in and as I have been wanting to read something with the setting of World War I, I thought this would be it!
I absolutely loved the description of Vienna and Budapest and the life of people back then; but that's it.
The characters were lacking depth and the most awaited reveal - the parentage of the protagonist, Fanny, came too late and the surprise ended as soon as it began.

Overall, I would not recommend. Quite disappointed :/

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there would have been no romance, I would have given this 4 stars. And I love romance novels, but not the one in this story.

I did like the book and the narrator and had an easy time listening.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

After sleeping on it, I've changed my rating to two stars.

The writing was very engaging even though it was translated from the original German. I enjoyed the multiple povs since I'm pretty sure I would've been completely bored by a singular narrative by the heroine. However, beyond the storytelling style and the nice historical details, the characters were just not that likable. Except for Izabella and Max's parents and Helene, I didn't like anybody else. And since none of them was a MC, I couldn't really get behind this story. The plot also dragged on and on, with the heroine getting jobs and losing jobs, simply because she couldn't act like a servant. She'd try on her mistress's clothes, take naps on their furniture, and talk back. I'm not saying that her life would've been easy, but it was also too easy to chalk her behaviour up to that of a spoiled brat. This taking and losing jobs fills over half of the pages of this book, and I guess I just wasn't in the mood for a coming of age story.

Safety Max was actively pursuing Helene, getting ready to propose to her, when he had a dalliance with the "heroine". She broke it off before things got too too serious and before he is officially engaged, but he still actively sought her out for an encore performance. Max and the h have an affair years later, after Max's wife became distant, but he knew that he could never get a divorce and that the h would always just be his mistress. The h claims to be ok with this. Not really the romance that I was going for.

[Jessi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really my cup of tea. I was mostly just bored with it.

[Nandini · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Fast-paced. A compelling story. A story so compelling that I could not but read it all within a day. Maybe a good cure for insomnia.

The historical tidbits, the regional words, portrayal of the society, its men and women were a little engaging. There were bouts of boring, skippable paragraphs in between with details not adding much to the storyline. I almost skipped a lot of details in between and still missed nothing. The overly political chime-ins before and during World War 1 felt too heavy for fiction.

Considering it to be the early 1900s, the heroine's ambitions are admirable but her justifications after being fired for valid reasons multiple times were a little annoying. Over then, the casual acceptance of Homosexuality considering the period gives it a little unrealistic view. Most importantly, the justification of adultery through 'accepting by desires', Max's almost forced advances towards Fanny in the later part made me uncomfortable.

This story had more potential but considering it is a translation, it is a decent read.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a decent book - ambient reading. I liked where the story took place and the time period. The plot felt like it jumped all over the place. It seemed like the author had a lot of ideas and didn’t fully develop them. I also wasn’t able to fully connect with the characters.

[Summer · Rating 1 out of 5]

A shocking lack of scissor references, given the title. It either wasn't well written or it was poorly translated. I only read it because of a bout of insomnia. Overall not worth it.

[Nadjab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erste Sätze
„Ich habe Angst“, flüsterte die junge Frau.
Ihre Begleiterin erwiderte nichts, sondern verzog nur geringschätzig den Mund.


Klappentext
Am Weihnachtsmorgen 1889 wird Fanny im Allgemeinen Wiener Krankenhaus geboren. Ihre Mutter besteht auf einer anonymen Geburt und verlässt das Krankenhaus kurz danach ohne ihr Kind. Fanny wächst im Findelhaus auf, wo sie von der Oberpflegerin Josepha mit liebevoller Strenge erzogen wird.
Sie muss früh lernen, sich durchzusetzen und wird eine erfolgreiche Maßschneiderin, deren Entwürfe in der Modewelt Trends setzen. Das ungelöste Rätsel ihrer Herkunft lässt sie nie los, aber alle Spuren zu ihren Wurzeln führen ins Nichts.
Beruflich äußerst erfolgreich, bleibt ihr in der Liebe das große Glück verwehrt.
Als der Erste Weltkrieg endet, der ihre Karriere jäh unterbrach, tun sich neue Chancen auf: Nicht nur das gemeinsame Leben mit ihrer großen Liebe rückt plötzlich in greifbare Nähe, auch das Geheimnis ihrer Herkunft scheint Fanny endlich lüften zu können.


Meine Meinung
Das Buch ist aus der Sicht eines auktorialen Erzählers geschrieben und berichtet hauptsächlich aus der Sicht von Fanny Schindler, auch wenn ab und an andere Personen zu Wort kommen.
Fanny kommt als Findelkind 6572 in Wien zur Welt. Ihre Mutter hat darauf bestanden, anonym zu gebären und ihren Vater und ihren Namen nicht erwähnt. Daher weiß sie nicht, woher sie kommt und wer ihre Eltern ist. Nur Josepha, die Leiterin des Findelhauses, ist ihr die einzige Familie, die sie ihr Leben lang hat. Sie erzieht sie zu einer selbständigen, selbstbewussten, klugen jungen Frau, die aber sehr eigensinnig und stur ist. Fanny fällt es schwer, den Mund zu halten, wenn sie der Meinung ist ungerecht behandelt zu werden, und hat ein gutes Gespür für Mode und Schnitte. Alles, was sie kann, hat sie sich selbst beigebracht, doch ihre Ziehmutter besteht darauf, dass sie ihr Glück auf einer Hauswirtschaftsschule versucht.
Fanny gerät während der Geschichte an ihre Grenzen, wird erwachsen, entwickelt sich weiter und wächst über sich hinaus. Sie lernt ihren Weg zu gehen. Ich konnte mich wirklich gut in sie hineinversetzen und fand ihre Gedanken und Handlungen nachvollziehbar.

Die Geschichte spielt Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts und Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts in Österreich-Ungarn. Das Buch ist historisch gut recherchiert und sprachlich der Zeit angepasst, ohne aber zu schwer zu sein. Das Buch lässt sich trotz der ungewohnten Wörter angenehm und flüssig zu lesen. Auch wenn historische Ereignisse nicht immer eine prägende Rolle in der Geschichte einnehmen, waren sie dennoch präsent und man hat sich mit Fanny als Teil der Zeit gefühlt, auch wenn Fanny ihrer Zeit vielleicht ein wenig voraus war. Es ist eine Geschichte über die Suche nach der eigenen Identität, gesellschaftlichen Ständen, Wünsche und Träume. Das Buch konnte mich fesseln und mitreißen. Es bietet mehr oder weniger überraschende Wendungen und Entwicklungen. Mit hat zeitweise ein roter Faden gefehlt, denn man begleitet zwar Fanny, aber man hofft auf etwas, was einen noch zusätzlich durch die Handlung treibt. Zwar spielt die Suche nach Fannys leiblichen Eltern immer mal wieder eine Rolle, aber für mich war das nicht ausreichend. Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist angenehm und flüssig zu lesen.


Bewertung
Eine gelungene Geschichte mit einen gut recherchierten historischen Setting und einer interessanten Protagonistin, die mich gut unterhalten konnte, aber für mich fast zu wenig roten Faden hatte, daher gibt es von mir

4 von 5 Würmchen

[Jessica Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly loved this book. I found the characters rich and wound together in beautiful ways. I wanted to root for Fanny, and most importantly for me as a reader, I couldn't wait to see where her life took her. While I'm still processing the book, I will put a full review on my blog (dionneabouelela.com) shortly. At this time, kudos to the author and thank you for a beautiful story full of rich textiles, rich emotions, and unexpected developments.

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا]

How have I never heard of this author before!? I love that I still discover new authors! Her titles and covers are amazing!

[Avigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Netgalley.com, for giving me a chance to read a free copy of The Girl With the Golden Scissors in exchange for a fair review.
Historical fiction is a genre I like to read during the winter months. The Girl With the Golden Scissors is the story of an illegitimate child of the Austro-Hungarian empire, became an independent woman, and an essential person in the fashion industry before and during WWI.
It is the first time that I am reading a book that the perspective is from the losing party of the war.
It has a book that has an LGBTQ+ character, and through this character, you can learn the customs of acceptance or not acceptance of them. Also, you see that those years the thought of treating beeing homo-sexual with psychoanalysis.
Fanny is a strong character; she is fierce, and during her life, has to overcome a lot of struggles. Fanny knows what her social-economic status is, but at the same time, she is a true friend and knows to hold back even if it means to live with heartbreak.
The husband and wife, writing as Julia Drosten and the translator Deborah Rachel Langton had me devouring me the book. I could feel the cold entering into my bones while reading the passage where Max, the main character, posted in the military position close to the Russian border, before his commander, the remaining soldiers' surrender.
I had a little trouble with the pacing at the beginning, but about 10% of the book, I got used to it and enjoyed it.
Yes, this book a translation, and as I am familiar with translated works, it is a good translation. What is a sure thing is I will be on the lookout for the other books that have been written by Julia Drosten.
#TheGirlwiththeGoldenScissors #NetGalley

[Phronsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read that this was sort of a historical romance and at first I was like, “Meh. Romance isn’t my thing.” Then I actually read it and went, “This is more like historical fiction with a little bit of romance thrown in!”

Time period: just before and during WWI
Setting: Europe, specifically Austria-Hungary

Oh, the things money can buy. Like anonymity during childbirth. The main character was born during Christmas to parents who wished to remain anonymous. Through a series of unfortunate events, she grows up in the foundling home wishing she knew who her parents were. Fast forward to her early adulthood. She struggles to find her niche (who doesn’t?), and meets a number of interesting people. These people become her family despite one slightly frustrating obstacle. When she finally figures out what to do with her life war breaks out and turns life upside down. It does, however, give her connections to find out who her parents are. Plot twist for sure!

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The Girl with the Golden Scissors was originally written in German by the author team that goes by the name Julia Drosten. The translation itself was stellar. I know in translating it’s sometimes hard to maintain the feel of the text. Took me a few days to get through simply because I couldn’t read more than a few chapters at a time. It’s not hard to read at all. It’s just a lot of story building and sometimes that can be a little bland. I would for sure read it again, so that’s a positive!

[Shoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bad:
* Any story of WWI that ignores the Spanish Flu has missed half the story right off the bat.

* Leaving Jewish characters in Austria, the home of the future fuhrer, at the end of WWI without any hint of the coming holocaust was again leaving an important story untold.

* The very idea that one kiss would make an umarried woman ready to lose her virginity during a time of no birth control and few women's rights is just not realistic and provided no foundation for the great love story of the book.

The good:
* Interesting history of the ability for anonymous births and foundling homes in Austria at the end of the 19th century.

* Info on what it took to earn a masters craftsperson certificate to be allowed to open a business and the years of apprenticeship required.

* A glimpse into the pyches of the people in Austria at the beginning of WWI. Ready to revenge the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the presumptive heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, young men heeded the call to arms with gusto, expecting only a short fight. The complicated allegiances of the major European countries wasn't at first understood or fully appreciated that a World War had just begun.

[Neeraja Sankaran · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not a work of high literary fiction, there is a lot I liked about this book and some things that jarred. It is not a typical romance (or even an atypical one) because the main character does not [Spoiler Alert] ride off into the sunset with her true love. Rather she settles into an open arrangement with him which I think is a feature of the book that many readers looking for more traditional romances will dislike. I rather liked this departure from the norm, for it felt truer to character. What I did not like was the unrealistic portrayal of attitudes (very tolerant) toward lesbians at the time--the characters were altogether too accepting...

[Irina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes I like to read “mush”, especially after a very thought provoking and meaningful, or otherwise “meaty” book. So, I figured, nice and easy, hopefully funny - should be good enough for the beach. I was mistaken. It was not good enough. The writing is unimaginative and stilted (could be due to the translation, but I do not know German well enough to judge the original). The characters were boring and unlikeable - every single one. The story line - predictable. The book possessed one redeeming characteristic: it was a quick read.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this. I appreciate Gathleen Gati because she made the narration good enough that I kept listen.

This story meanders. It all comes together at the end abruptly, neatly and predictably. I was initially interested in the Austro-Hungarian perspective of WWI, and there isnsome information provided i hadn't know, but that was minimal.

[Fran Burdsall · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love historical romance/fiction, I'd recommend this novel. Set in Vienna and Hungary in the years of WWI, it tells the story of a foundling (illigitimate child) and her life and loves. I found the characters interesting and the time period perfect to weave a nearly believeable tale. I hate the title because it's a poor fit, but that's a minor frustration.

[Kristina Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this book down! This would make a great movie.

[Cheryl S (book_boss_12) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was originally published in German and translated into English. I listened to this book on audio.

I'm going with 3 stars on this translated novel. It started off so promising I was convinced it was going to be a high rating. Then it became slightly boring to me. Then an utter snoozefest until the last few chapters. In short this had some real good bread filled with processed meat.

In the late 1800s a baby girl is born to a mother that chooses to stay anonymous. She never holds her baby and gives it straight up off for adoption. That baby is called Fanny.

The midwife falls in instant love with Fanny and after a botched adoption ends up raising Fanny as her own. Course Fanny grows up and both women wonder who that uppity rich lady was who gave up Fanny on that Christmas night years ago.

Fanny ends up working in fashion and wants to be the best. She also loves her best friend's husband. This is Fanny's life told through the early years until around 40. Great story here but wasn't a huge fan of its delivery.

[Lizan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fine book, very slow and has no any excitement for me. No any twists as well

[Vicki (sun.sand.and.books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
Liked the writing and the time period that this was set in, but the pacing felt off towards the end, and things felt a bit rushed.

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars