The Good at Heart: A Novel

ISBN: 1501147587

Author: Werner, Ursula

Condition: Used

Based on the authors discoveries about her great-grandfather, this stunning debut novel that powerfully portrays the inner struggles of ordinary people moved to do extraordinary things (Booklist) takes place over three days during World War II when members of a German family must make the sometimes impossible choice between family and morality (Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrews Last Stand).When World War II breaks out, Edith and Oskar Eberhardt move their family-their daughter, Marina; son-in-law, Franz; and their granddaughters-out of Berlin to the quiet town of Blumental, near Switzerland. A member of the Fuhrers cabinet, Oskar is gone most of the time, and Franz begins fighting in the war, so the women of the house are left to their quiet lives in the village.But life in Blumental isnt as idyllic as it appears. An egotistical Nazi captain terrorizes the citizens hes assigned to protect. Neighbors spy on each other. Some mysteriously disappear. Marina has a lover who also has close ties to her family and the government. Thinking none of them share her hatred of the Reich, she joins a Protestant priest smuggling Jewish refugees over the nearby Swiss border. The latest package is two Polish girls, and against her better judgment, Marina finds she must hide them in the Eberhardts cellar. Everything is set to go smoothly until Oskar comes home with the news that the Fhrer will be visiting the area for a concert, and he will be making a house call on the Eberhardts.With jaw-clenching suspense and unexpected tenderness (Jacquelyn Mitchard), The Good at Heart is an engagingrichevocative (Library Journal) portrait of a family torn between doing their duty for their country and doing whats right, especially for those they love.