Katia

by Bruce Judisch

A spirited American exchange student. A sixty-year-old invalid. An enigmatic Berlin gentleman. A riveting Cold War secret. 'Seek the truth, embrace the pain, cherish the freedom.' Spunky Maddy McAllister, a twenty-one-year-old exchange student in Berlin, Germany, has a journalism career to launch. Stalwart Katia Mahler, a sixty-year-old invalid from the former East Berlin, has a story to tell. Enigmatic Oskar Schultmann brings together the journalist and the storyteller. Maddy's to document Katia's story. Cultures and generations clash as the young American and the German matron strive to understand each other's present and past. Maddy learns more than a personal history; Katia receives more than a memoir. And always in the background is Oskar, who is drawn into the story in ways he never intended. Peek over the Berlin Wall as Katia's story comes to life through the scribbled notes of a girl struggling to grasp the significance of what she has written for her own life as well as for future generations. By the author of the beloved A Prophet's Tale The Journey Begun, Book One, and The Word Fulfilled, Two Book.

Genres: Historical Fiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2010

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katia was a surprise--a good one! I guess when I see that a story deals with an older German woman dictating her memoirs, my mind automatically goes to World War II, Nazis, etc. And, yes, that era played a role in the story, but when the focus then shifted to post-war Germany, the East/West Berlin wall, I was hooked. It's a setting of time and place not often visited in fiction, and Judisch does a great job of maintaining the suspense, measuring out the story in layers. As the narrative voice shifts from the young American college student to that of the elderly woman she's been assigned to interview, we shift right along with it, seamless and smooth. We share a sense of urgency with the characters--Katia's need to tell her story, Maddy's need to hear it--before it's lost.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I am not one that typically likes historical fiction, however, because the story was told through Katia's interview I found it very interesting.

I really liked the contrast of the main characters. The casualness of Maddy mixing with the formal Katia made the interview more believable.

Using Maddy's letters and phone calls home for the transitions made the story real.

This was a goodreads win for me and I'm glad I won! Bruce Judisch was even kind enough to autograph the book. Nice touch!

[Kasey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charaters get so real to you. Very touching story!!!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surviving a Dictatorship: A Review of Katia

I chose to read Bruce Judisch’s novel Katia because much of it takes place in a time period that fascinates me: the period after World War II through the collapse of Soviet Communism in Eastern Europe in 1989.

A contemporary young woman whose life has shrunk to boy friend, sorority, and cell phone learns from the memories of an older woman about the weightier issues of sacrifice and courage.

Maddy McAllister, an American journalism student studying in Germany, is hired to write the memoirs of Katia Mahler. Katia paints the picture of life during the Soviet-sponsored communist regime in East Germany after World War II. Katia’s friend, Oskar Schultmann, hovers in the background. Maddy comes to understand that both are hiding secrets from each other.

Through Katia’s telling, we see the Communist regime tighten its grip on East Germany following World War II. The Cold War drifts into place and the Iron Curtain falls. Freedoms on the eastern side of the Curtain are curtailed. Fair elections in which citizens choose their own government, are unknown. However, the regime is unable to prevent people from voting with their feet and escaping to the democratically ruled West Germany. To prevent their escape, the regime constructs the infamous Berlin Wall.

Oskar describes life under the Communists to Maddy. “Life in the East during what you Americans call the Cold War was something you cannot understand without experience,” he says. “You trusted no one. The son spied on his father, the pastor on his church, the postman on his neighbors.”

Katia’s brother and a friend attempt an escape. Did either of them make it? Katia doesn’t know. She doesn’t even know if her brother should have trusted his friend.

I always assumed that escapees from East Germany happily found a new life in the West. From the book we learn that spies from East Germany infiltrated the West, and, Oskar explains, escapees never knew who might be watching to assassinate them. Once the Wall fell and freedom came to East Germany, those who had betrayed or tortured did not know if their victims were alive and free and perhaps stalking them.

Eventually we learn Katia’s complete story. It includes secrets hidden for years. Maddy learns as well about devotion to the truth even if the truth is not always “fair.”

Bruce Judisch has written a compelling story of a time that ended in great jubilation but contains hints of the complex world that we inhabit today. Those who don’t know history, it is said, are doomed to repeat it.

[Sandi A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Katia" is about the transformational journey of a young, spirited,exchange student in Germany as she discovers what was veiled for years behind the Berlin Wall.

Maddy McAllister has been given the opportunity to interview an aging invalid who has endured what those growing up in a self absorbed free society can't begin to imagine. Katia Mahler has lost much but lives a life of quiet dignity with both her deep faith in God and her quick wit intact. Maddy is about to embark on a journey of maturation and understanding with Katia as her guide that will change both of their lives forever.

When Maddy first meets Katia, there is an immediate clash of age, culture, and faith. Their differences nearly end the interview before it begins, but Katia must tell her story and Maddy needs to hear it. The ever present Oskar carefully guards his own painful story that could put his life in danger if revealed. Will he manage to keep it secret not only from the probing questions of the young journalist but especially from the astute invalid he protectively cares for?

The author deftly navigates the literary minefield of unfolding a story through flashbacks and changing points of view. An accomplishment the talented Mr. Judisch seamlessly masters. His impeccable research coupled with his personal experience of witnessing the historic moment when the German people themselves brought down the barrier; give the reader a front row seat to the period bookended by the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall.

Katia is so much more than an entertaining historical fiction. Those who have read the author's Biblical fiction series about Jonah ("The Journey Begun" and "The Word Fulfilled") know that Bruce Judisch is also a wise teacher of spiritual truth. His prose is laced with clever wit making a seat in his literary classroom an enjoyable experience. "Seek the truth, embrace the pain, cherish the freedom" is just one of the lessons you will ponder long after turning the last page.

As a book club coordinator, I read through many books before locating gems to place on the club's schedule. It was an easy decision to place this incredible story on our club's schedule. I highly recommend that you not miss this treasure either. Bruce Judisch... well done...you have made my list of favorite authors. I look forward to your future work.

[Tessa Stockton · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a woman of German and Jewish descent, this novel threatened to strike a tender, pulsating chord within my own spirit. I opened the front cover of Katia with hesitant hands, yet mounting interest. At first, when the protagonist, Maddy McAllister, the college journalism student studying abroad in Berlin, came into the scene with her Irish-American spiritedness, I wasn’t sure what I was in for. But, oh, what developed after the first few chapters gripped me. A compelling story unfolded while Maddy honed her journalistic skills, gaining maturity and understanding through the process, by interviewing a staunch East German woman, Katia, who also just happens to be crippled. I found myself chuckling and shaking my head at Katia’s underlying wit, enjoying the experience of becoming familiar with her nature, as well as gripped by her wounded and torn life story as she reveals it to Maddy.

The author, Bruce Judisch, creates wonderful scenes with his attention to detail and facts. He is a master of description. I experienced the profound meaning of life and humanity within beautiful, heart-wrenching secrets revolving around the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, the Stasi, and all of those whose lives were irrevocably altered by such times and events.

My favorite character was Oskar. Good old, Oskar, whose engaging nature seeped a pained past, an enduring guilt. The warmth he exuded mingled with his mysterious, unshakeable devotion to protect and care for Katia.

With satisfaction this story disclosed what I yearned to discover, unfolding one breath-holding revelation at a time. I can’t wait to read Katia’s sequel.

[Alison Pickrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katia, by Bruce Judisch, is a very well-written historical novel with a touching romance and many mysterious elements. There is something for everyone as the plot moves forward quickly, forcing you to turn pages to see what happens next. There are many twists and turns all the way to the end. The basic plot involves a journalism student, Maddy McAllister, in Germany who is interviewing a feisty, prim and proper German lady named Katia Mahler about her life during and after World War II. We come to know Maddy's family through letters and phone calls and Katia's family through her memories. Many questions in Katia's past are unanwered and as Maddy comes to love this woman who has endured so much, she hopes her memoir and research will help bring closure to Katia. As it happens, the memoir brings so much more to both women. A third character, Oskar, a gentle, protective man plays a big part in the story. Bruce Judisch obviously has a lot of knowledge about Germany, its history and landmarks. He is an accomplished writer using descriptive phrases aptly and developing his characters with empathy and realism. I recommend this book to any reader who enjoys a good story and a chance to learn about a neglected time in history: the Cold War and the Berlin Wall, from a German point of view. Enjoy!

[Amy Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I typically do not write reviews of books because I’m never really sure what to say. I don’t necessarily know that I would have picked this book up independently, because the subject matter seems so sad and poignant. However, at my mother’s urging, I agreed to read it. I couldn’t put it down.
The book centers primarily around the relationship between a young, naïve American girl who has continued her journalism studies in Berlin and an older German woman who grew up and witnessed the construction (and impact) of the Berlin Wall. Not only are you pulled into the heart-touching story of Katia, who is sharing her life story with a stranger, but you are also witness to Maddy’s blossoming into an adult. The connection that develops between these two very different women is amazing and Mr. Judisch does an excellent job in keeping you engrossed and wondering what will happen next – both with Katia’s story and with other developing relationships.
I cannot recommend this book enough to others. I recommend it not for its historical impact (which is strong), but for the humanity that is central to it and the characters, who are so endearing.

[Lynnette Bonner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katia Mahler was just a girl when the Berlin wall first went up. The reverberations of that time continue to pulse through her life to this day. Maddy is a young journalist studying abroad in Germany and when the elderly Katia requests that she write her memoirs, Maddy agrees. Thus a journey begins that neither woman could ever imagine would change their lives in such a way.

The book switches back and forth in time from the present day, to the historical account. Maddy also writes letters and calls home to her family. So there is a lot going on in this story, but the author handled all the various threads like a master weaver.

Mr. Judisch has a sense of humor that will catch you off guard - the book is serious and thought provoking, yet at one point I actually laughed out loud and there was light humor in several scenes.

Throw in an enigmatic elderly gentleman, and a boyfriend who's quit writing (the rat!), a couple of unexpected twists near the end, and you are left with a powerful story that will keep you thinking of the characters long after you've turned the last page.

[Candace Calvert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Put simply: this is an amazing read by a very talented author. Bruce Judisch captures the reader from the opening pages, giving us a young, untested—too distracted by a “duh” contemporary world—student journalist entrusted to write the richly layered and painful memoir of a polio victim from former East Berlin. Each is frustrated by,-and drawn to, the other as the remarkable story-within-a-story unfolds. Like our young journalist, I had to admit my knowledge of the Cold War (though I lived through those times) was textbook limited. Katia brings it alive. The writing is richly textured and compelling. Mr. Judisch transitions between a present-day Germany setting and the poignant memoir storytelling seamlessly, moving the reader from timeframe to timeframe via dialogue, phone calls, letters and even e-mails—contrasting the two worlds like a text message against a fountain pen letter. It is a story of family, love, loss, faith, surprising secrets . . . and hope. If you liked Sarah’s Key, I think you’ll love Katia. I highly recommend it.

[Graham Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

History really comes alive when we’re able to empathize with its participants. Maddy McAllister, an American journalism student studying in Germany, experiences this in Katia. Before she met Katia Mahler, the Cold War was just something she read in history books, or saw artifacts or visited museum exhibits while studying overseas. But when she is tasked with writing Katia’s story, she discovers the fear and pain of living under Soviet rule, and a family’s struggle to survive.
It forces her to examine her own life, which up to that point had been filled with nothing but self-absorbed pursuits. Listening to someone else’s story can do that. Here we get an opportunity to see two generations clash and then connect. Bruce does a nice job weaving some surprises into the story, both for Katia and Maddy.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the intertwining stories of the elderly, German Katia Mahler and young, American Maddy McAllister in Katia. The intriguing story line, touches of historical insight and hints of a by-gone era made this book a page turner for me!

I found myself wrapped up in these characters, laughing and even crying, as they discovered more about each other, and in turn, themselves! Finishing the book brought a mixture of emotions - bitter-sweet as I said good bye (for now?) to much-loved characters, a sense of satisfaction at their personal growth, and joy in an ending that's really only the beginning. I do hope a promise to see each other again leads to a sequel for this sweet story of love and respect between two unlikely friends! A story well-worth reading.

[Peggy Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storyline depth, the historical time period, and the "connections," which I suspected from the chapter formats, gave this book 4 stars. (trying not to give too much away here) But the writing style drove me nuts. Tell the story! Don't try to add suspense by postponing information. "I'll answer that tomorrow." or "But first we should have some tea." Grrrr. The dialogue was stilted and stiff, even for Maddy, who spoke English. Throw some contractions in there. The "how do you say" phrase got old after the 20th time. But I overlooked all that as best I could and read for story content, which I very much enjoyed. I'm willing to give Judisch another chance. His other titles sound very interesting.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story. It has a wonderful plot with many surprises. It is fun to see Maddy grow from a typical, self-centered college student to a bit wiser, new adult. Fräulein Mahler is a woman of great depth—so interesting and the type of person we all would be privileged to know. She is a very special character--one I won't easily forget. The romantic elements in the story add profound richness. This novel shines light upon life and people trapped behind the Berlin Wall. It is definitely a one-of-a-kind story, and one you will long remember.

I wish I had read Katia before I read For Maria. If you are going to read them both, which I recommend, read Katia first. For Maria continues the story, picking up a few years later.

[Tima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madeline is a young American journalist just finishing up school in Berlin. She gets a phone call that opens up the perfect opportunity to stay and work in Germany. She will be interviewing and writing the memoirs of a WWII survivor. But what Madeline finds when she meets Katia is more than she bargained for.

The book had a slow start and took a bit to grab my attention. But once it got started, I couldn't put it down. The author was able to bring the reader into the emotions and hardships surrounding the residents of Germany during the war and after the wall went up.

[Vicki Valenta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chatted with Mr. Judisch at the German Christmas Festival in Tomball, Texas and his story of witnessing the fall of the Berlin wall piqued my interest. Katia's story did not disappoint me. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Katia, Maddy, and Oskar. Parts of the story related to Maddy's own story were a little too contrived, but it was a good read.

[Connie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting. I enjoyed the look into WWII and Communist Germany. The characters were very likable and held your attention.

[Julie Christianson · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good