I really enjoyed Fur Elise. I’ve read a lot of historical fiction, but this one is different in a couple of ways. First, it tells the story of WWII from the perspective of German characters, rather than the typical Allied “good guys.” Second, it tells the story of a German POW who was held in Russia for 13 years. I had no idea that that happened, and always appreciate learning things I didn’t know through fiction. I also discovered more about what life was like in Communist East Germany after the war; again, something you don’t typically run into in popular historical fiction books.

The first part of the story captures the feeling of young love in a beautiful way, against the backdrop of Hitler and the beginnings of WW II. The second, darker, section of the book focuses on what happens when our hero, Hans, returns from his incarceration. In both instances, Dresden takes center stage, with great descriptions of the city. Through flashbacks, there are glimpses as to what life was like in Dresden during and after the bombing, as well as what it was like in the Russian POW camp. We get to know the flawed and traumatized yet ultimately human characters in a way that has stuck with me long after I finished reading.

Fur Elise is a book that is well-researched and has some of everything – it’s a love story, a war story, a tragedy, and a thriller, with some unexpected twists as well as moments of subtle humor. Ultimately, it’s a story of hope. It’s a quick read, and I found it hard to put down. Highly recommend.

I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It's premised on the historical fact (which we learn in the first chapter) that the Soviet Union held on to some of their German POWs until the mid-1950s. It's sort of a take on Rip Van Winkle (which is referred to in the text), with Hans, the main character, being released from a POW camp in 1956 and effectively waking up in a world he no longer recognizes. I thought this was a clever idea for a novel.

The first section of the book takes place at the beginning of World War II. We meet Hans and Elise, a young Dresden couple attempting to begin and maintain a romance as Germany descends into genocide and total war. As this section moves along, there's a sense of impending doom, since the reader knows what's going to happen to Hans, Dresden, and Germany. This section ends when Hans leaves Dresden to fight in the war.

The second, longer section of the book takes place when Hans returns to a world he barely recognizes. Neither Hans nor Elise (nor the reader) knows what happened to the other while they were apart, and the underlying tension in this section is the result of these secrets gradually being revealed and their relationship slowly being rekindled. The book concludes with an emotional chapter set in 2005, where we learn the fate of all the characters.

I liked learning about life in East Germany during the Cold War, especially since novels with this setting are usually about spies rather than ordinary people. I also thought the descriptions of Dresden before and after its destruction were compelling. There have obviously been other novels set in Dresden during the war, but I never thought about what the city was like ten years later. A really enjoyable read.