Literary Odyssey: February Reading Group

This month we’re reading All for Nothing, the great German novel by Walter Kempowski, that gives a bleak but realistic portrayal of Germany at the end of World War Two. It is a rich novel of human endurance, power, honesty; and is a fitting pause for reflection in our current political climate. Kempowski looks beyond the futile divisions that people make between themselves, while offering a glimpse into a bygone era.

— Set in East Prussia in January 1945, the German Army is retreating from the Russian advance and refugees are fleeing the occupied territories in their thousands. But in a rural Prussian manor house the wealthy von Globig family seals itself off from the world. Protected from the deprivation and chaos around them, they make no preparations to leave until a decision to harbour a stranger for the night begins their undoing. —

If you’re a lover of good literary fiction please come along, we always welcome new faces and opinions!