The House by the Lake: A Story of Germany (One House, Five Families, and a Hundred Years of German History)

âe~A passionate memoir.âe(tm) Neil MacGregor âe~A superb portrait of twentieth century Germany seen through the prism of a house which was lived in, and lost, by five different families. A remarkable book.âe(tm) Tom Holland âe~Personal and panoramic, heart-wrenching yet uplifting, this is history at its most alive.âe(tm) A.D. Miller In the spring of 1993, Thomas Harding travelled to Berlin with his grandmother to visit a small house by a lake. It was her 'soul place', she said âe" a sanctuary she had been forced to leave when the Nazis swept to power. The trip was a chance to see the house one last time, to remember it as it was. But the house had changed. Twenty years later Thomas returned to Berlin. The house now stood empty, derelict, soon to be demolished. A concrete footpath cut through the garden, marking where the Berlin Wall had stood for nearly three decades. Elsewhere were signs of what the house had once been âe" blue tiles showing behind wallpaper, photographs fallen between floorboards, flagstones covered in dirt. Evidence of five families who had made the house their home over a tumultuous century. The House by the Lake is a groundbreaking work of history, revealing the story of Germany through the inhabitants of one small wooden building: a nobleman farmer, a prosperous Jewish family, a renowned Nazi composer, a widow and her children, a Stasi informant. Moving from the late nineteenth century to the present day, from the devastation of two world wars to the dividing and reuniting of a nation, it is a story of domestic joy and contentment, of terrible grief and tragedy, and of a hatred handed down through the generations. It is the long-awaited new work from the bestselling author of Hanns and Rudolf. In The Summer Of 1993, Thomas Harding Travelled To Germany With His Grandmother To Visit A Small House By A Lake On The Outskirts Of Berlin. It Had Been Her 'soul Place' As A Child, She Said - A Holiday Home For Her And Her Family, But Much More - A Sanctuary, A Refuge. In The 1930s, She Had Been Forced To Leave The House, Fleeing To England As The Nazis Swept To Power. The Trip, She Said, Was A Chance To See It One Last Time, To Remember It As It Was. But The House Had Changed. Nearly Twenty Years Later Thomas Returned To The House. It Was Government Property Now, Derelict, And Soon To Be Demolished. It Was His Legacy, One That Had Been Loved, Abandoned, Fought Over - A House His Grandmother Had Desired Until Her Death. Could It Be Saved? And Should It Be Saved? He Began To Make Tentative Enquiries - Speaking To Neighbours And Villagers, Visiting Archives, Unearthing Secrets That Had Lain Hidden For Decades.^ Slowly He Began To Piece Together The Lives Of The Five Families Who Had Lived There - A Wealthy Landowner, A Prosperous Jewish Family, A Renowned Composer, A Widower And Her Children, A Stasi Informant. All Had Made The House Their Home, And All - Bar One - Had Been Forced Out. The House Had Been The Site Of Domestic Bliss And Of Contentment, But Also Of Terrible Grief And Tragedy. It Had Weathered Storms, Fires And Abandonment, Witnessed Violence, Betrayals And Murders, Had Withstood The Trauma Of A World War, And The Dividing Of A Nation. As The Story Of The House Began To Take Shape, Thomas Realized That There Was A Chance To Save It - But In Doing So, He Would Have To Resolve His Own Family's Feelings Towards Their Former Homeland - And A Hatred Handed Down Through The Generations. The House By The Lake Is A Groundbreaking And Revelatory New History Of Germany Over A Tumultuous Century, Told Through The Story Of A Small Wooden House.^ Breathtaking In Scope, Intimate In Its Detail, It Is The Long-awaited New History From The Author Of The Best-selling Hanns And Rudolf. Thomas Harding. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 411-414) Index. "In the summer of 1993, Thomas Harding traveled to Germany with his grandmother to visit a small house by a lake on the outskirts of Berlin. It had been a holiday home for her and her family, but in the 1930s, she had been forced to flee to England as the Nazis swept to power. Nearly twenty years later, the house was government property and soon to be demolished. It was Harding's legacy, one that had been loved, abandoned, fought over--a house his grandmother had desired until her death. Could it be saved? And should it? As Harding began to make inquiries, he unearthed secrets that had lain hidden for decades about the lives of the five families who had lived there: a wealthy landowner, a prosperous Jewish family, a renowned composer, a widow and her children, and a Stasi informant. All had made the house their home, and all--bar one--had been forced out. The house had been the site of domestic bliss and of contentment, but also of terrible grief and tragedy. It had weathered storms, fires and abandonment; witnessed murders, had withstood the trauma of a world war, and the dividing of a nation. As the story of the house began to take shape, Harding realized that there was a chance to save it, but in doing so, he would have to resolve his own family's feelings towards their former homeland--and a hatred handed down through the generations." -- Provided by publisher SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD 2015 LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2016 A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 'A superb portrait of twentieth century Germany seen through the prism of a house which was lived in, and lost, by five different families. A remarkable book .' Tom Holland 'Personal and panoramic, heart-wrenching yet uplifting, this is history at its most alive.' A.D. Miller 'A passionate memoir.' Neil MacGregor _______________________________________ In 2013, Thomas Harding returned to his grandmother's house on the outskirts of Berlin which she had been forced to leave when the Nazis swept to power. What was once her 'soul place' now stood empty and derelict. A concrete footpath cut through the garden, marking where the Berlin Wall had stood for nearly three decades. In a bid to save the house from demolition, Thomas began to unearth the history of the five families who had lived there: a nobleman farmer, a prosperous Jewish family, a renowned Nazi composer, a widow and her children and a Stasi informant. Discovering stories of domestic joy and contentment, of terrible grief and tragedy, and of a hatred handed down through the generations, a history of twentieth century Germany and the story of a nation emerged. SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD 2015 A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 'A passionate memoir.' Neil MacGregor 'A superb portrait of twentieth century Germany seen through the prism of a house which was lived in, and lost, by five different families. A remarkable book .' Tom Holland 'Personal and panoramic, heart-wrenching yet uplifting, this is history at its most alive.' A.D. Miller In the spring of 1993, Thomas Harding travelled to Berlin with his grandmother to visit a small house by a lake. It was her 'soul place', she said – a sanctuary she had been forced to leave when the Nazis swept to power. The trip was a chance to see the house one last time, to remember it as it was. But the house had changed. Twenty years later Thomas returned to Berlin. The house now stood empty, derelict, soon to be demolished. A concrete footpath cut through the garden, marking where the Berlin Wall had stood... SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD 2015LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2016 A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK`A passionate memoir.' Neil MacGregor`A superb portrait of twentieth century Germany seen through the prism of a house which was lived in, and lost, by five different families.