Through the Clouds to the Stars

For the reader of the book at hand there awaits a poignnat literary reconstruction of
the personal and social situation of people before, during and after the Second World
War. As the reference point and central character stands Elisabeth, the mother of the
author.
The work is based on a multifaceted experience of the realities of life and a rich
knowledge of documentary material from Elisabeth’s home city Frankfurt am Main.
The horrors of war strike the young family, which enjoys just a few happy years.
The father “goes missing” in both meanings of that term – a fate which is by no
means an individual case. Privation, distress, sorrow, destruction and death are
present.
And there is a mother, committed and strong although often unwell, who had
developed herself professionally with outstanding achievements and in spite of all
adversities cares for her two small daughters with optimism, dilligence and a sense
of responsibility, but also imparts the meaning of the good, the true and the beautiful
and tries to open for them educational opportunities.
But also the bright side of life is never overlooked, for Elisabeth is a “Carnival
child”, loves fun and playing tricks, dancing, music, poetry, socialising and nature,
and in spite of everything she always understands one thing very well: how to enjoy
also her hours of good fortune, to find her way through the clouds to the stars.
With this work, convincing and beautiful in its content and style, a very animated
and authentic eyewitness account of the years 1910 to 1980, Elisabeth is provided
with a well-earned acknowledgement.