This Terrible Beauty

by Katrin Schumann

From the bestselling author of The Forgotten Hours comes an unforgettable story of one woman’s journey to reclaim what she lost in a country torn apart by the devastating legacy of WWII.

On the windswept shores of an East German island, Bettina Heilstrom struggles to build a life from the ashes. World War II has ended, and her country is torn apart. Longing for a family, she marries Werner, an older bureaucrat who adores her. But after joining the fledgling secret police, he is drawn deep into its dark mission and becomes a dangerous man.

When Bettina falls in love with an idealistic young renegade, Werner discovers her infidelity and forces her to make a terrible choice: spend her life in prison or leave her home forever. Either way she loses both her lover and child.

Ten years later, Bettina has reinvented herself as a celebrated photographer in Chicago, but she’s never stopped yearning for the baby she left behind. Surprised by an unexpected visitor from her past, she resolves to return to her ravaged homeland to reclaim her daughter and uncover her beloved’s fate, whatever the cost.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Historical, Germany, War, Audiobook

382 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2020

About the author

Katrin is the Washington Post and Amazon Charts Bestselling author of "The Forgotten Hours." Her new novel, "This Terrible Beauty" is forthcoming on March 1, 2020. She studied languages at Oxford and journalism at Stanford, and is also the author of several nonfiction books. Katrin has been awarded fiction residencies from the Norman Mailer Writer’s Colony, The Vermont Studio Center, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Currently the Program Coordinator of the Key West Literary Seminar, she teaches writing at GrubStreet and was an instructor in PEN's Prison Writing program. She lives in Boston and Key West. For more information go to www.katrinschumann.com

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

What a unique story about post World War II. Bettina Heilstrom lives on an East German island. She marries Werner who later joins the secret police. This makes things unsafe for Bettina.

Bettina then falls in love with a man with opposing ideals from Werner. He’s a rebel. Ultimately, Werner finds out about Bettina’s relationship, and she must choose between going to prison or leaving her love and her child.

Bettina finds her way to the United States working as photographer, and after several years, she resolves to return to Germany to find her daughter.

There were two timelines, and I loved them both. I’m not sure if I’ll ever forget this story. It’s beautifully-told and so heartfelt. I felt implanted in post WWII German alongside these characters. Overall, this is exactly how I like my historical fiction- beautiful storytelling, emotional, and with formidable characters.

I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Kate Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, lyrically-written book. Technically, yes, it's a love triangle: an East German housewife coming of age at the end of WWII, her bureaucrat husband who is mesmerized into the secret police of USSR-controlled Berlin, and the firebrand soldier-turned-writer who comes between them...but it's so much more. It's about how personal decisions become desperate and rash when your emotions are the only things you can control in a Soviet state. It's about how guilt resonates--as a nation, with the German people struggling to come to atone for their terrible war-time legacy; and as human beings, when one act of cruelty between husband and wife ripples profoundly through the next decade. It's about forgiveness, as three people who have all made mistakes struggle to do what is right in the end for the innocent. This book will stay with me a long time.

[Sharon Stein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it slow moving

[Carla Suto · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS TERRIBLE BEAUTY by Katrin Schumann is a beautifully-written and compelling work of historical fiction that will stay on my mind for a long time. Inspired by actual historical events, the story has a past and present timeline that follows the heartbreaking journey of main character, Bettina Heilstrom as she seeks to rebuild her life after a devastating loss. The past timeline is set on an island in East Germany after World War II has ended and Germany has been divided. East Germany is under the control of the German Democratic Republic which is becoming increasingly repressive to its own citizens. Bettina’s husband, Werner is quietly rising in the ranks of the new secret police, a dangerous role which keeps them under constant scrutiny. When Werner discovers that Bettina has been unfaithful to him, he punishes her by forcing her to give up her young daughter, Annaliese and leave the country forever in return for sparing her lover, Peter’s life. Broken-hearted and alone, Bettina ends up in Chicago where ten years later she is a reknowned photographer. However, she has never given up hope of someday being reunited with her daughter. A surprise visit from someone in her past sets Bettina on a path back to her homeland to search for her daughter and learn the fate of her former lover. The descriptions of the characters, their relationships and the political climate in both timeframes are vivid and haunting. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen in the end. THIS TERRIBLE BEAUTY is a touching and emotional story of love, loss and the tragedies of war and I recommend it most highly. Thank you to the author for providing me an early copy of this outstanding book.

[Guylou (Two Dogs and a Book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a total wreck, yet I am elated by this beautiful story of love, loss, and endurance. This novel takes place in two timelines and is mostly located in East Germany after WWII. On the day she is recognised for her contribution to the world of photography, Bittina finds out that her ex-husband is very sick. Nine years earlier, she was forced to leave East Germany and leave behind her baby daughter after her husband found out that she was having an affair with a local teacher and threaten all their lives. She returns to Germany in hope that she will be able to get her daughter back, but Herbert is not done with her and danger is all around.

This novel is beautiful and so touching. It gives a glimpse of what happened to the German people once Germany was separated into East and West. The ending is unexpected and yet makes total sense.

🙋🏼‍♀️ Thank you, Thomas Allen & Son for sending me an ARC of this page-turner. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘆 by Katrin Schumann will be available at your favourite bookstore on March 1st, 2020.


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[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had the potential of being five stars, but something about it fell a little flat for me. The story follows Bettina Heilstrom who marries young in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of East Germany and falls into an unhappy marriage with her husband Werner who is rising in the ranks of the Russian secret police. But then Bettina falls in love with Peter, a local teacher and dreamer who sweeps her off her feet. After giving birth to her daughter, Bettina is caught redhanded by her husband in adultery and he forces her to leave her daughter and homeland behind. Bettina goes to America and her passion for photography becomes a talent and livelihood, but when she receives word that Werner is ill, she sneaks back into East Germany in an attempt to find her child.

The good:

I loved the glimpse that this novel gave into life in East Germany. It's not something I've read a lot about it so I found it fascinating. The style of writing as well was lyrical and complex and I really enjoyed it. The story is complex and nuanced and I appreciated the lack of black-and-white morality.

The bad:

I just didn't like the characters. I didn't feel bad for Bettina when she was forced to leave, and I didn't feel the deep pain of her separation from her daughter. It was a good book that fell flat for me.

[Linda Zagon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "This  Terrible Beauty" by Katrin Schumann, Lake Union Publishing, March 1, 2020.

Katrin Schumann, author of "This Terrible Beauty has written a captivating, intriguing, intense and thought-provoking novel. The Genres for this novel are Historical Fiction and Fiction. The timeline for this story is set after World War Two in the 1950s and 1960's when Germany is divided and goes to the past and future when it pertains to the characters or events. The story takes place in East Germany, Rugen, which is taken over by the Russians. It also takes place in Chicago and America. The author describes the characters as complex and complicated.

History has shown how devasting World War Two has been, and how evil the Nazis were. After the war, there were many problems, but people had hope at first. When the Russians took over East Germany, many of the people living there had no idea how evil can take different forms. One has to wonder what the devastation of war has taught us.

Bettina marries Werner, an older man that had come to her father's store.  He assures Bettina if they marry he will take care of her. With the changes after the war and the devastation that exists in the country, Bettina does marry Werner. Werner gets involved with the Russian government and is quite busy and becomes a powerful man. Bettina and Werner have a baby girl. Bettina is lonely and falls in love with a  young writer. 

When Werner learns of Bettina's betrayal, he makes her leave without her daughter. She will be arrested on sight if she ever returns to her country. Is there any way that Bettina will ever see her daughter or lover again? Bettina has a special talent in taking pictures and showing reality.

I appreciate that the author discusses the tragedy of war and the aftermath can be just as devastating. In many ways, this reminds me of the song sung by Peter, Paul and Mary, and others, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" 

This is so well written and vividly describes the characters, country, and landscape. I would highly recommend this poignant and thought-provoking story.

[Barbara Hutsell]

Having lived through the time period of this book I had an interesting response. I am still somewhat baffled by why it was so strong. Somewhere in the first 25 pages, the author refers to the “media “ in the voice of one of the characters. It was like fingernails on a chalkboard. We had newspapers and magazines and radio, eventually t.v., but not “media”. I am amazed that her editors didn’t catch that anachronism. The persistent use of the word and a few others, ending with “physicality “ a word invented by sportscasters in this 21st century hooked something in me that this baby boomer, Cold War, English major found hard to set aside. Maybe they did exist somewhere, but I can tell you, they were not in common use.
Otherwise I found the book original, well written and full of insight into a part of history that is not often seen. I found her characters believable. Werner certainly fit the idea I had of what the officious Communist bureaucrat would be. I thought the first three quarters of the book was the best. The climax felt somewhat strained, pushing to make all the lines of the story come together, trading tension for full development. Overall, I enjoyed it. If not for those 21st century words that were 70 years out of place, I could have enjoyed it a lot more.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating, pensive, and absorbing!

This Terrible Beauty is an intriguing, compelling tale that sweeps you away to East Germany following WWII when the country is still reeling with the aftermaths of war, and the new Soviet rule is causing repression, economic instability, political upheaval, social injustice, and lack of freedom.

The prose is evocative and vivid. The characters are lonely, complex, and vulnerable. And the plot using a past/present, back-and-forth style is a moving tale about war, loss, familial relationships, heartbreak, guilt, desperation, betrayal, resilience, courage, hope, forbidden love, and the importance of creative expression.

Overall, This Terrible Beauty is a beautifully written, poignant, nostalgic tale that is a lovely blend of historical facts, thought-provoking fiction, and intense emotion that reminds us of the enduring power of love and the self-sacrificing, unbreakable bonds between a mother and her child.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Great Thoughts Great Readers (FB Page) and Lake Union for this ARC.

I always enjoy historical novels. This one is no exception. It goes from the present in Chicago in 1965 to 1935 in Germany with Bettina as it's main character. She lived a lonely life with a husband she didn't love but found a teacher who she did love. She ends up having an affair with him and has a daughter. Who's daughter? We never find out. When her husband finds out, it's either her leaving Germany w/out her daughter or maybe get arrested if she comes back. What choice would you make?

Fast forward when she goes back to Germany 11 years later. She sees her daughter and has the option of either meeting her and telling her the truth or let it go since she seems to have a happy life living with her father and her new family. It broke my heart at the end but yet it ended up happy in another way.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishing house for providing a review copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you are looking for a historical fiction novel that you can really sink your teeth into, this is the one! 

Set on the shores of an East German Island, Bettina is struggling to figure out her new life, now that World War II has ended.

She ends up marrying an older bureaucrat, Werner, who seems to adore her.

Shortly after their marriage though, he joins the secret police, a role he never expected to receive.

This task force is on a dark mission though and the power and notoriety quickly go to Werner's head. 

He begins to see Battina as a belonging and is increasingly disappointed that she can't be like other wives. Battina's passion for photography and flightiness are things that anger Werner and he becomes more unhappy and controlling through the years.

This is when Battina finds love, with a pastor's son, and discovers what being truly happy looks like. 

This affair is dangerous though because Werner holds the power in town and isn't afraid to use it.

As the two fall more and more in love, they know that they have to do everything they can to escape Werner.

Not only do we get to see what Battina's life is like then, we also see her as celebrated photographer now living in Chicago. 

Despite her success, she can' stop thinking about what (and who) she wants to reclaim back in Germany.

This was such a beautiful read with all the right elements mixed in.

Usually my historical fiction reading is centered around World War II books so it was incredibly fascinating to read about the time following the war and the realities of what it was like in Germany.

Since this one is just $4.99, it is a no brainer to pick it up for your stack.  I hope you love it as much as me!
5 out of 5 Stars
If you liked This Terrible Beauty,  you might like these titles:
Those Who Save Us

The Things We Cannot Say

All the Lights We Cannot See

[Aisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the immediate decade after WW2 ended, this book speaks of the trials faced by the innocent Germans who had no part to play in the war, to the point of ignorance about the dire state of affairs. Set in a small town that is eventually affected by the iron curtain, the book explores the stories lost, those rewritten and others yet uncertainly suspended in time.

The last third of the book was a little more dramatic than I like. It could have explored interpersonal relationships in a more realistic manner. But dramatic showdowns are also a part of human nature, so this criticism may not stand for you.

[menna hafez · Rating 2 out of 5]

#ThisTerribleBeauty #NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for providing me with ARC.
I love Historical Fiction so much but this novel is very slow and boring. I tried so hard to continue this novel but I am feeling sorry, I don't love the characters as I expected.
I am so sorry Katrin , I wished that I loved it.
The cover is amazing and I loved.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the uniqueness of a literary/women’s novel playing out in East Germany, without any of the tired Cold War spy themes associated with that setting. The author did an excellent job of conveying a sense of place and highlighting the cultural confusion Germans on the “other side” of the wall experienced in the early 1950s, as they struggled with their responsibility for Nazi atrocities, while wondering if communism would be an improvement, only to realize they’d helped create (under Soviet pressure) yet another dictatorship. The chief protagonist Bettina was not my favorite character, struck me as shallow, for reasons that probably have more to do with own prejudices than any failing on the author’s part. If she failed to stimulate empathy, she triggered intellectual interest in how her story would evolve, and I found her ultimate decisions satisfying. For me, the most intriguing character was her husband Werner, an up-and-coming Stasi functionary. It would have been easy to make him a complete heavy: brutal secret policeman, oblivious to the rights of the countrymen that cross his path, and an abusive husband. He certainly is guilty of such brutality and spousal abuse, on occasion. But he’s much, much more complicated. We know and can sympathize with his vulnerabilities, thanks in part to the author’s wise decision to get inside his mind. (Werner and Bettina are the only characters afforded their own POV.) But this ambitious, ruthless, pompous apparatchik can also be a loving father, a man of his word and someone capable of showing mercy. In a way, Werner -- not Bettina -- serves as representative of Germans as a whole. An interesting tale.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The seeds of this story are planted at the end of WWII in East Germany, as the populace is forced to adapt to soviet rule after enduring the Nazis. Two young people facing tribulations together drives an artificial romantic attachment that shouldn't have been, resulting in a stifling marriage. The young woman finds actual love, bears the man's child, and then is forced out of the country by her bureaucrat husband before the child is even a year old. Flash forward 10 years: the young woman is an award-winning photographer in Chicago and she uses her winnings to return to Germany and try to find her daughter and former lover. She finds both, and at least in the case of the daughter, realizes that if you really love someone, you have to be willing to let them go. Her former lover is in prison for having written a "subversive" novel. My favorite from the book: "... as the hero faced down his tragedies and lost the woman he loved, she came to see that Peter was in fact celebrating man’s agency, revealing not that the individual was powerless but that he was powerful. That no matter what befell him, his spirit could not be crushed if he refused to let it be. It was magical, astounding; the narrator stands at the edge of a cliff, staring down into the roiling waters, and his heart soars with joy: like a gull gliding on the currents of the wind. Joy at having loved and having been loved. At having lost. Joy at the very fact of his existence."

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book did a great job with historical facts and painting the picture very well. It was lacking for me with the characters - I wanted to like them more but for me they were a little flat.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel that takes on a life of it's own in today's political environment

The writing of this novel was a worthwhile activity as it is a reflection of what can happen to any country or to anyone who truly gives up freedom. Be it giving up freedoms to a more pervasive government in our lives or to a more dominant person, we see in this novel the devastation it causes to the soul of the country and/or the soul of a person. This is an absolutely beautiful love story. But for me it is more a love story for the freedom only capitalism provides. Freedom to think, to love, to govern w/o too much government intervention in people's lives, to rise to the greatest heights or even to fall to the lowest depths. Bettina, Peter & even Werner of this novel were denied these freedoms by their government and when they dared to reach for such, they suffered a consequence beyond that which is humanly unbearable, the loss of self. I find it mentally degenerate when governments plant the seeds of hate within their own people & use this technique as a means of controlling them. You will see how Werner is used to do this to the people of his country and in turn he uses it in his own relationship with Bettina. Why does Werner have to come to the brink of death's door before he can change...why does man change at deaths door when perhaps it may be too late for him. What is it about man that can make him so consumed by love and yet hate so intensely... Is it this hate in mankind that will be our eventual destruction?

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and fascinating account of the characters lives at the end of WWII, on the island of Rugen in East Germany. It also takes place in two time frames, in 1961 Chicago, where Bettina, the main character is a photographer, and the back story 1943 in East Germany, where we read about a lot of the harsh politics that went on in Germany after the war, The Cold War divided Germany between the Western Allies in the West and Soviets in the East. Germans had little voice in government until 1949 when two states emerged.
Its a story of characters who have the feelings of, inadequacies, resilience, power, strength, hopelessness and hopefulness, loving and loosing things important to them. Each of the characters have their own complicated backgrounds, which make it an interesting read.
Bettina the main character has married an older Werner after the war , but it is not a happy reunion and she turns to Peter a teacher and writer who becomes her true love. A child is born to Bettina, but the paternity is unclear, thus we go into the part of the story where Bettina moves to America.
The synopsis of the book is readily available, so I will just let you read the story, and the fine details of these characters lives and thoughts, and let you form your own opinions of them.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the copy of this book.

[Cindy Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romance and politics done well

This story of a woman in Germany after WWII is told from, mostly, the standpoint of her life after the Russians take over. She is newly married at the time just after the war and her life is changed from a Nazi regime rapidly to that of Soviet Russian dominance.

The plot reverts from the late 1960's Chicago where Bettina ultimately immigrates and the 1940's as she flashes back to what brought her there. The man she married in Germany near the end of the war and her husband has a career in the soviet secret police.

Bettina's only outlet from her stifled existence in East Germany is her amateur photography until she meets a teacher at the middle school who opens her up to a broader outlook on life and art and literature. The oppression under Sovie rule is told from a day to day existence and the norms of a suppressed society.

The writing is good and we see an average woman who has no real political thought other than what she sees and heard daily. The romance that develop between her and the teacher is understood as she grasps the awakening to love and life outside the grey existence. I truly felt her need for a "life."

Her husband's work clashes with her social life be it at her work at a fish factory, at home with him, her neighbors and her own sister.

I've never read a story told in this fashion and found it very real and difficult to accept all the constraints imposed on her as she deals with her marriage, the guilt and true love of the extra-marital affair and the child she ultimately bears. Add all this to her ending up in Chicago and it's a story of so many politics that invade one life to such an extent it strikes a powerful undertone.

A definite recommendation to readers of historical fiction and romance. Subdued and powerful all in one very good book.

[Cathrine "Capi" · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found myself profoundly moved by this book. It takes place partially in post-WWII Germany and partially in 1960s America. Being a Boomer myself, and having read a lot of WWI and WWII historical fiction, I felt so torn between a sadness for Bettina and all she lost, and anger at her husband, Werner, who went from being a Nazi to a Russian Communist after the war. Bettina marries a much-older man following the war and loss of her family, looking for love and security, though she never really loved him. Then she meets Peter and starts seeing life a little differently. When Bettina is forced to leave her baby and the man she loves in an attempt to protect him from her husband sending him to prison (or worse...), my heart broke for her need to just pick up and leave everything behind in now-Communist Germany, fleeing to America. I shed more than a few tears reading this book.

[Julie Volstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely. I have read a lot of books set during the WWII time period but not one describing life in Germany after the war. And the progression of how East Germany developed. This book gave great insight into the hard choices that Bettina had to make and how her life in the GDR shaped those choices. I felt like it was a realistic ending and even more so after reading the epilogue.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Brilliant.

[Emily Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the storyline but the book was really slow to get going. Had trouble holding my attention.

[Shoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up to 4 stars

[isidora · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I made it about 1/3 of the way before the dreary tone did me in. I love WW2 settings, but this had a very slow pace and a kind of sustained misery that wore me down.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give it 2.5 stars. It was OK, not my favorite. At times I found the story to be slow. I didn't love any of the characters. Bettina had to know she was putting herself in danger. I'm not really sure what Bettina expected to happen once Werner learned the truth. She was living in East Germany under Soviet rule, everything was documented. I hate that Bettina lost all contact with her daughter. Deep down Werner loved Bettina, unfortunately Bettina didn't love him back. I enjoyed reading about East Germany and getting a different perspective. Rügen sounds like a beautiful place to visit. The ending of the book was not expected. Bettina fought harder for that outcome. At times it felt like Bettina missed Paul more than Annaliese.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, give the book a try. This just wasn't the right book for me. I didn't hate it or love it. I do love the cover of the book. I would definitely give the author's next book a try.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Rachel O · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic. As a photographer and someone who loves historical fiction this was just the book I needed after slogging through a book I did not enjoy very much.

[G Maliszewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love historical fiction. Having lived in W. Germany at the time of reunification, this book was relevant to me. Her characters were very real to me.

[Christina J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-1/2 stars

I liked this book. I haven't read anything post WWII that took place in East Germany. I wasn't very knowledgeable on the subject. I did learn about the oppression and harsh communist regime in this story. It is certainly not a place I would want to have lived. This was a good story, and the characters each stood out on their own in good and bad ways. It was a compelling story of a woman bogged down in a loveless marriage to a man who was bent on absolute propriety and self importance. Having been crippled by polio, he felt the need for control in his personal life and professional life. He wasn't that good at either I don't believe.

Bettina Nietz was a courageous woman who unfortunately was repressed in east Germany. She did not love her husband, Werner, and found her comfort in Peter Brenner, a local school teacher. Their affair brought her happiness and a baby she longed for her whole life. Their relationship was deep and meaningful.

Living in a country under communist rule meant nothing you did was safe. You were followed, and your life was recorded with the government. With Werner having his position in the government, he had the advantage to surveil Peter and Bettina. That didn't turn out so well. I won't comment so the story won't be ruined.

Bettina immigrated to the US to be near her sister and brother-in-law who escaped there years before. There she developed a sort of life that sustained her, but did not give her full happiness. Even though her photogeaphy, which she was very gifted at, won her a prestigious award and allowed her a trip back to her homeland, it was circumstances back in east Germany that held her interest and fascination for a decade.

I did like this story, but at times it got hung up and a tad boring. I would find my mind wandering. However, it is one I could recommend without hesitation. Sometimes I think there might've been too much narrative rather than dialogue. It also jumps from war time to post war and up to 1965. There are some parts that can be quite confusing, but it will be explained later. I don't generally like books that jump time periods, but at least this one didn't do that for each chapter.