Der Winter, der ein Sommer war

by Sandra Paretti

Der Winter, der ein Sommer war heißt ihr wohl erfolgreichstes Buch. Es erschien 1972 und wurde 1976 in mehreren Teilen für das ARD-Fernsehen verfilmt. Es handelt sich um einen Gesellschaftsroman mit historischem Hintergrund und einer sozialkritischen Note, der auf Tatsachen beruht. Denn 1776 schloss der hessisch-kasselsche Landgraf Friedrich II. mit dem britischen König einen Vertrag. Darin mietete der Brite für 30 Taler Kopfgeld etwa 12.000 Soldaten aus der deutschen Landgrafschaft, um sie im amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskrieg einzusetzen. Rücksichtslos wurden Menschen wie Schlachtvieh ihrer Freiheit beraubt, während sie dem Landgrafen Gelder in die Kasse spülten. In Der Winter, der ein Sommer war wird einer seiner hartnäckigen Werbeoffiziere umgebracht. Dadurch kommt Robert von Haynau unter Mordverdacht. Der mit ihm verfeindete Stiefbruder Claus von Haynau liefert ihn seinen Verfolgern aus, und Robert soll hingerichtet werden. Doch stattdessen landet er bei den Söldnern, die für Amerika bestimmt sind. Oberst Rall beordert ihn ausgerechnet in das Bataillon, das Claus von Haynau unterstellt ist. Claus von Haynau schikaniert seinen Stiefbruder Robert. Deshalb will der zusammen mit Soerman und seiner Mutter zu dem unweit gelegenen Besitz seines leiblichen Vaters fliehen. Claus versucht das zu verhindern und als 1776 die Amerikaner unter General Washington die Hessen-Söldner zu Weihnachten am Delaware überraschend angreifen, spitzen sich die Auseinandersetzungen zwischen Claus und Robert zu.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Novels

538 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

Reviews

[Kerstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure why the description of this book appears in a slavic language, even for the English translation. The original is German.

It is one of my favorite historic novels. It plays during the Revolutionary War and is divided in two parts. The first part plays in Hesse, Germany. Hessian men young enough to fight in war are recruited by force and sold to the English Crown to then be shipped to the Americas to fight the rebels. The second part plays in Pennsylvania and the Battle of Trenton.
At the center of the story are two brothers, Robert and Claus von Haynau. They have the same mother but different fathers. No love is lost between them. Robert's father left for the Americas while his mother was pregnant with him with the intent of sending for them once he is established. But she never hears from her husband again. She remarries and has another son, Claus. The story is set twenty years later. The ever escalating animosity between the brothers will eventually bring about a final confrontation at the Battle of Trenton. As all these events unfold, the mother finds out that her first husband, the love of her life, and Robert's father, may still be alive.

[Becky Colosimo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book on a clearance pile at Half Price Books because the cover blurb compared it to Gone with the Wind and because I am always looking for a good novel about the American Revolution. Sadly, after reading this, I am still looking. The first half of the book took place in Hessia (modern day Germany) and involved drama between two half-brothers which, after way too much convoluted and unexciting plot, sends them both to America to fight for the British. The best I can say for this is that I learned a bit about how the British came to hire Hessian soldiers to fight the war for them. The second half of the book picks up the story of the elder brother's father, who fled to America twenty years ago and is now a substantial landowner near Trenton. The back cover of the book suggested that the mother of the feuding brothers was the heroine of the novel, but she is actually a side character whose story never really gets resolved. The American Revolution is barely addressed and is nothing more than a setting. I believe the novel was originally written in German, so maybe something got lost in translation. Disappointing.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish I could remember where I picked up this book - book sale of some sort. Love that it was translated from German & 52 years old. Always enjoy historical fiction mixed with a family saga & this didn't disappoint including Europe starting in Hesse, Germany & ending with the battle of Trenton in the earlier days of the Revolutionary war. Two brothers, Robert and Claus have the same mother but different fathers. This follows 20+ years as Robert's father (presumed dead) is really in America & Anna's life without her husband as she remarries and has son Claus. The story really picks up here as the sons have never gotten along & escalates with the Battle at Trenton - the final confrontation.