Image: HarperCollins Publishers
Teen Tuesday features The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson. The year is 1932 in this historical verse novel. Eighteen-year-old Hilde has just aged out of the orphanage she has lived in since her mother died. She's now trudging the streets of Berlin in search of a job with few prospects. After living rough and sleeping in parks, Hilde stumbles upon the Café Lila, a cabaret where gay and lesbian patrons safely gather and find community. Hilde catches the eye of Rosa, one of the café's waitresses and singers, who makes Hilde feel welcomed. She pitches in to help since they are short staffed and, has a job by the end of the evening, but not a place to stay, until Rosa invites her to stay in the apartment she shares with her aunt.
Friendship and, ultimately, romance bloom, but there are dark times on the horizon in Germany. Hitler is rising to power and unleashing raging anti-semitism and homophobia. Readers of this spare, evocative verse novel become fully immersed in 1932 Berlin and its thriving lgbtq community while knowing the devastation that is looming. Back matter includes an author's note and resources for further reading.
The narrator's performance was well-paced and German words and phrases seemingly fluent. Ms. Wilson's debut, White Rose, is a stunning work of historical fiction that was extensively researched. The same can be said for her sophomore novel. Mature teen fans of White Rose will be spellbound by The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin.
No comments:
Post a Comment