The Black Eagle Inn (The Three Nations Trilogy) Book 3 by Christoph Fischer

In this last book of the trilogy, we are given a micro view of what it means to live in a nation decimated by a war waged and lost against the rest of the world. The Hinterberger's are a proud family living in Heimkirchen, Germany, farming land that has been in the family for a while and running the local inn, The Black Eagle. All the problems that can beset a country in turmoil are seen in this family.

Desperate to own the family properties, Anna drives her brother off. When her father dies, Anna inherits everything and becomes the family matriarch. With her husband off at war, Anna runs everything to suit herself. Unable to have children of her own, she takes in young family members and raises them. She has taken in the propaganda and is a strict xenophobic. She refuses to hire anyone not from her own part of Germany. Religious differences cause strife within the extended family. Relative is pitted against relative in the belief that one or the other will inherit this or that portion of the Hinterberger properties.

Underhanded dealings provide luxury items for the restaurant at a time when they could not otherwise be afforded, and the family prospers. Much like the country at large, the various members of the family are doing what they must to survive and ensure they receive what they believe they are due for their efforts. Underhanded dealings, trickery, poison, creating false documents are all part and parcel of trying to rebuild and survive in the aftermath of a war that leaves many Germans ashamed.

The struggles of trying to survive in a country attempting to rebuild itself and regain respectability as the horrors of its leaders is made public is both heartrending and poignant. Families are torn apart and brought back together. Once again, Fischer has brought to life a world that most of us today weren't alive to witness, and done so eloquently. His characters come to life in a way that draws you into the story. You have to feel for them; he leaves you no choice. Whether those feelings are sadness, disgust, compassion, you must feel.

From a quiet farm to a family and country rising from the ashes back into respectability, Fischer handles everything with a deftness I've come to expect from his writing. Having read all of the books in the Three Nations Trilogy, it is obvious Fischer is passionate and extremely knowledgeable about the subjects of which he writes. His characters are well developed as they are in the other books.

Although the narrative moves slow and is detailed, I believe this is necessary for the reader to fully understand what the family, and in a broader view, Germany itself, is going through. Luck of the Weissensteiners, Sebastian, and The Black Eagle Inn show us a better view of Germany during this time period than any history book I ever read in school. No history can be complete that ignores the citizens of the country being studied. Fischer has done an excellent job filling in important blanks in my own education, for which I give him thanks. This book, and in fact the entire trilogy are thought-provoking, requiring you to question what you thought you knew and understood. You have to feel something. Can any book be ignored that does that?

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is available from Amazon.

Sebastian (The Three Nations Trilogy) by Christoph Fischer

Sebastian is more than a story of a teenage boy who loses most of a leg because of an untreated infection. In this story we are given a look into life as it was in Vienna, Austria just before and during World War I. The Schreiber's are a non-practicing Jewish family that includes Sebastian's parents Franz and Vera, and his grandparents Oscar and Rebecca. The family lives upstairs from the store they own and operate. Franz has run the store ever since his father had to quit working due to health problems. The business is successful due to two main factors, the family are not openly Jewish and the store is located outside the of Jewish neighborhood. Their location allows the family to serve a broader customer base than would otherwise be possible in a time when prejudice against the Jewish population is beginning to stir.

Vera is lovable in her innocent ignorance as she deals with first one doctor and then another. However, she finds strength in her anger when a new friend gives her a way to get rid of the young housekeeper leading Franz astray. Rebecca is eminently believable as the cranky old woman, bed-bound with pain and unable to contribute to the support of the family in any way. Oscar is a dear. Throughout Sebastian's convalescence, he tutor's his grandson to help him keep up with his studies. Franz is the over-worked husband trying to support a family of mostly invalids. Vera helps in the store as her health allows.

The supporting cast of characters that surround the various family members speak to a time when communities banded together to help each other. Nurse Liesl, who gave so much love and support to a frightened young man, and later his mother when the doctor wouldn't commit to anything after the second surgery. Philip Federer, the classmate that brought classwork home so Sebastian could keep up with his assignments. The teacher that helped insure Sebastian had no trouble at school.

Sebastian's lack of self-confidence is a constant theme throughout the story. He must begin to face that demon when his father is drafted to serve in the army. Feeling his handicap will mean he never finds love, he nevertheless does. This is a beautiful story that was a pleasure to read. The very human foibles the characters have, their fears and how they overcome the trials they face makes this book unforgettable.

I have already read one book by this author. This book is definably Fischer with his attention to detail, his depth of character development and way of writing. Lacking the tension of Luck of the Weissensteiners, most likely due to being set thirty years prior to that book, Sebastian is a comfortable read. This book sings to me of a love of history, the time period and the characters.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The Amazon link will redirect you to the Amazon site that serves your country of residence.

Luck of the Weissensteiners: The Three Nations Trilogy, Book 1 by Christoph Fischer

This story begins in the decade prior to World War II, in a small town in Czechoslovakia called Bratislava, and follows two families through the war. I've read several books over the years written both by survivors and first hand accounts of witnesses to the tragedies and atrocities committed during the Holocaust. It was obvious to me from the attention to detail in the story that the author was meticulous in his research. The minutiae of everyday life somehow made the events portrayed much more real to me. Sometimes I feel disconnected when I read, that wasn't the case here. I was grateful for the slow pace at which the story moved in the beginning; it gave me time to absorb what was happening and develop a connection to the characters.

Fischer accurately portrays the cares and concerns of life in this time period for people living both in the city and the country. That attention to detail is reflected in the daily lives of the Weissensteiners and Winkelmeiers. Greedy men gobbled up land and possession that had been taken from Jews without regard for the hardships their former owners had to endure because of that loss.

Fischer captures the tension Jews felt as Hitler's armies pressed closer to Bratislava. Wilma's fear after being attacked on the bridge is palpable. The fear of being discovered as Jewish was very real and the penalties were stiff. I couldn't agree with the Winkelmeiers sending Greta and Ernst back to her family. After all, they were his grandparents. But they too had a very real fear of being discovered in the act of harboring and protecting their Jewish daughter-in-law and grandson.

What Fischer accomplished for me that no other author to date has, was present how rational, thinking people could possibly accept the lies they were being fed about the Jewish people in a way that I could almost understand. That has always confused me. Yet, as I watched how Wilhelm responded to the allegations, and gradually began accepting them, I developed an understanding of how thorough the Hitler propaganda machine really was.

This was not a comfortable nor easy book to read. Given the subject matter, I don't think it should be. I was at times tense, nervous, scared, relieved and hopeful. Although I wasn't able to read the book through without putting it down and getting some distance from the story, I am still giving it five stars. The story affected me deeply and helped me to understand a little better a very dark time in human history.

For me, this is a must read book. We should never forget what was done to so many millions of people. Fischer has given a voice to a sector I'd not yet heard from in this era. Well researched, well written, well edited. An excellent story. I would definitely read the other books in this series. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is available from Amazon and Smashwords.