Tapestry Of My Mother’s Life: Stories, Fragments, and Silences by Malve Von Hassell is a charming telling of a woman’s life. Far more than simply a description or another wartime memory, this story is the bits and pieces of a long, difficult but ultimately happy life that a woman can put together through old photographs and letters tucked away in her late mother’s possessions. Letters and pictures from times of war and trials that had survived the difficult years.
Each chapter of Tapestry Of My Mother’s Life is a carefully pieced-together tale of a certain portion of Christa’s life. While the author admits she has put some guesswork into many aspects of her mother’s younger years, given the woman was quiet, and silent on her life while she lived, however, the story and history that is formed for us are certainly believable given the time and place, particularly the major differences between pre and postwar Germany and the difficult effects it had on each family members from how they lived to who lived.
I strongly suggest picking up Tapestry Of My Mother’s Life if you are interested in history, or simply have a woman who has had an important impact on your life, as this story will remind many of relatives, and perhaps leave you wondering what secrets your own family had hidden in drawers.
Dear Tawny, thank you very much for this lovely review. I appreciate your taking the time to do this more than I can express. Malve