Rennefarre

Imagine riding on the back of a blue heron across time and space. Imagine befriending crows, being kidnapped by magpies, and being given a lift on the back of a kindly stag. Imagine experiencing life as an outcast from human society, encountering spirits and mythical creatures from the world of legends, experiencing the plague in Dresden, and being chased through Berlin by Frederick the Great, with snuff spilling out of his pockets. Part coming-of-age story, part fantasy, part social-cultural portrait of Eastern Germany in the early part of the 20th century, and part history lesson, the book covers real ground. That is, one could follow Dott's travels on a map of the area. The book is written in an accessible style and presents a gripping and moving narrative. Often lyrical, it is at times humorous. Above all it is a very human story, filled with human failings and strengths.

The book offers a fascinating array of details of day-to-day life in rural and urban areas in eastern Germany in the 1920s and 1930s, combined in a seamless fashion with the stuff of folklore and myths as well as vivid accounts of different periods of history. It is written from a child's perspective on the diverse cultural and ethnic strains that have formed the basis for a rich and complex history of Germany and Eastern Europe. Written on the eve of World War II, the book offers a sobering perspective on the panorama of German and Eastern European history and human potential for causing devastation. At the same time it is filled with hope. In one scene the heroine is offered a glimpse of the future--an utterly destroyed cityscape; it inspires her to look to her own responsibilities and actions in life.