Peter Hanse & Sons has been selling coffee in Hamburg, Germany for over thirty years, and the company is facing bankruptcy. With the sudden death of their father, brother’s George, Robert and Karl need work out a way of saving the business and the family’s villa they all grew up in. German's traditionally drink coffee, the brothers come up with an idea and it’s importing cocoa beans and promoting a delicious new hot drink

George stays in Hamburg, Karl moves to Vienna to talk with buyers to see what the demand is for cocoa beans, find a new warehouse and learn as much as he can about making and selling hot cocoa. Robert takes the biggest risk, he moves his family to Cameroon a German Colony in Africa and buys a cocoa plantation.

Roberts’s wife Elisabeth and eldest daughter Martha are not happy about moving to Africa, Luise the youngest daughter is fifteen, a bit of a tomboy and she’s really excited. Elisabeth's furious her brother-in-law George and sister-in-law Vera get to stay in Hamburg and continue reside in the family villa and she’s expected to live in a filthy country. Robert and Luise enjoy working alongside the estate workers and learning all they can about growing, harvesting and exporting cocoa beans. Luise meets Hamza, he works at the cocoa plantation and he’s a member of the Duala people. Elisabeth’s miserable, she hates Africa, and her husband for making her live in such a primitive place. The family have no idea what she’s capable of, it will betray the brothers trust in each other and it has terrible repercussions.

A Distant Hope, is the first book in The Hansen Family Saga by Ellin Carsta, it takes you on a journey from Hamburg, to Vienna and Africa. I enjoyed reading about the German Colony in Africa, growing cocoa beans, the way of life of the Duala people, their cultural beliefs and practices. Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series, and four stars from me.

There was absolutely nothing I liked about this book.
I'm no huge fan of family sagas, because not many manage to stay away from resembling a soap opera or give each character their due. "A Distant Hope" was no diferent. The narration had no focus, no moment was given real time to develop, so no real tension or emotion could be built up. The writing was average at best, the plot extremely boring, the "evil" character ridiculous in their exaggeration. And of course what is a family saga without the forbidden gay sex with the sibling of their spouse and the manipulating and scheming of the evil intriguer who is planning to gradually poison and take the place of her sister in law in her family and marraige bed. It's all so *eyeroll*.

The audiobook was even worse, because the narrator decided to give the german characters an accent that sounded like they were from India and also why would you do that just because the book is in english? It always feels like the protagonists can't speak their own language properly.

I only finished this book because I got an ARC to review from Netgalley and because I read it for a reading challenge.

I love to read historical sagas and really enjoyed 'A Distant Hope' and even more so when it pulls the heartstrings. A well written book with great characters. It is the second book that i have read by this author and hopefully it will not be too much longer before i read more. Recommended.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, freely given.

Awaiting Amazon to publish my review.

This is the first book in this family saga about the Hansen brothers. This first one is about Robert Hansen and his family. After his father died the sons must do what they can to save the family coffee import business. The book was enjoyable and the translation from German into English was quite good. Unfortunately as I read somewhere the second book will not be translated into English. What a pity!.

A Distant Hope is book one from Ellin Carsta's series, Die Hansen Saga. I liked it and give it three and a half stars. I look forward to the next installment of the saga.

The author did a brilliant job of capturing the time period in this novel. The characters and plot were also well written. This was a great piece of historical fiction!

Wonderful family saga! Robert Hansen, in hopes of so many things, buys a plantation in Cameroon and moves his family there. While his wife and one daughter simply can not bear it and return to Vienna, Luise loves it. This has terrific descriptions of the region as well as a fair amount of drama= romantic and otherwise- in a relatively slim volume for the genre. It is nicely translated and moves smoothly. Tanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very nice read with potential for follow on novels.

My rating:

Story: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Review:

This book is beautifully written and feels authentic. Therefore I feel the translation was done well. The scenes are depicted very vividly. At times it felt like you were actually there yourself. The characters were portrayed in great details, which made them very realistic and human. I loved the spirit of the main character Luise. This was the first book in the series, the only issue I had with the story was that the ending of the book. It is left open; the story does not have a conclusion of any sorts so you kind of have to read the next book to find out what happens next. I prefer it if a book that is part a series can also be read as a standalone.

I received an ARC through NetGalley at no cost to me.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book - the descriptions of the land are beyond breathtaking, the conniving of Robert's wife was rather creative , and Luise is simply wonder child. Because the family's fortune has been depleted, Robert as the older brother determines they should expand the company's horizons beyond coffee and start with chocolate,m which is becoming more popular. He purchases a plantation and takes his wife and two daughters to Africa.. Luise loves it, but not her mother or sister so they return to Germany. Luise, revels in her life on the plantation, and eventually finds love. A most interesting book, and a marvelous family to read about - such twists and turns. I can't wait for the rest of the story.

A Distant Hope is a great historical saga that pulls a at your heartstrings. If you love coffee and historical sagas then this is the book for you. Great characters and storyline.