The second part of the Carmen Kornová trilogy
We follow the fate of Henna, Käthe, Ida and Lina, friends born around 1900 in Hamburg. They are now on the threshold of 50. They have had a complex life, which included the onset of fascism and two world wars. After the monetary reform of 1948, Germany finally wakes up to life and the economic miracle comes.
Henny continues to work as a midwife, helping to bring into the world a post-war generation who will hopefully be given a new lease on life. Ida, surrounded by luxury since childhood, finally marries her great love, the Chinese Tian - after the birth of her daughter Florentina, happiness seems perfect. However, things are starting to go sour in the marriage. Lina, an adherent of Reform pedagogy, no longer works as a teacher, but together with her companion Louise she runs a bookstore named in memory of the Jewish doctor Kurt Landmann. Her friend still has no idea what happened to Käthe, who was arrested by the Gestapo in 1945. And if he's alive, why doesn't he call them?
Through her heroines, the author has managed to convincingly capture the turbulent post-war decades when the so-called. The building of the Berlin Wall, the trials of Nazi criminals, the Caribbean crisis and student unrest keep Bonn in suspense. Throughout, it pays homage to Hamburg, where most of the action takes place. Thanks to it, we get to know the shape of a city that no longer exists today. Her account of female friendship and the development of the emancipation of heroines captivated millions of readers and earned her the nickname "the German Ferrante".
