This is the quirkiest novel I have ever read, with some of the strangest characters. Yet I still found it interesting. Very amusing in parts and sad in others. I feel I am not giving the book a fare review, but I don't know what else to say. Read it for yourself and you will see what I mean.
I thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Absolutely loved this novel.Warm emotional characters that come alive. a story that drew me in from the first pages and I was so sorry to read the last page.Highly recommend,#netgalley#fsg

This is not your ordinary novel. Translated from German, this heart-tugging story is not for those seeking action or thrills. It meandered along at its own delightful pace and captured my heart completely.

Revolving around Luise (a young girl of 10) and spanning 20 years, it touches on so much...love of small community vs. wanting to let the world in, secret love, lost love, first love, love late in life, handling life and death with grace, etc. I could honestly read this over and over seeing hidden gems and different perspectives every time. So many beautiful, almost poetic passages with a flawed cast of colorful characters that I could envision from my own hometown.

Highly recommend.

Much thanks to #NetGalley and #FarrarStrausandGiroux for providing me the early ARC for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

This is an inventive story about love and loss in a small German village. There's magical realism and recurring motifs. But it also features one-sided characters and drags on. I skimmed after a certain point.

Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was...bizarre. Like, I didn't like it, but I also needed to keep reading it. I didn't like any of the characters, yet needed to know what happened to them. The whole story was very disjointed and hard to follow, and yet I finished it, so it gets 2 stars for that.

I was so lucky to receive an advance copy of this book prior to it's release from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. WOW! This book is so good that I'm not even sure how to write a review. Please just do yourself a favor and read it ASAP! You will not be the least bit disappointed. In fact, you may want to read it over and over as it will stay with you for a long time. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Farrar, Strauss and Giroux for the eARC.
This is a novel that takes place in a small isolated village in Germany and has received numerous 5-star reviews from all over the world. It has the feel of an adult fairy tale.
It starts with the dream of an Opkapi by Selma, the grandmother of the main character, Luisa. This supposedly portends the death of one of the villagers within the next 24 hours. Normally not superstitious, the villagers are nervous. Who will it be?
Unfortunately, I had a really hard time getting into the story. I didn't like or dislike it and was bored most of the time. Sorry!

What an interesting and thought provoking novel this was. The focus was on 5 (maybe more) people who lived (or visited) a small, remote German village beginning in 1983. It was very telling to look at the world through their disparate eyes and conversely to look at them through the eyes of the other characters.

In many ways the story could have been set in 1953 as the telephone was the only electronic in the book and it didn’t work very well, being beset by bad transmission. Of course, there were answering machines in the story so I guess it had to be set in the 80s to use those.

I appreciate this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It's sad, it's sweet, it's hopeful... If you want a good cathartic cry, try this book. :)

It was not at all what I expected - I thought this while book would be about the village and superstitions, etc. For some reason I almost expected a horror type book. Instead it is a coming of age book, a book about family , about love.

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

I received a free e-arc through Netgalley.
This story takes place in a small village in Germany. There is quite a range of characters in this small village. Luisa is the main character who undergoes a traumatic event at age 10. Then her father pretty much deserts the family to wander the world while her mother begins an affair. Thankfully she is left with her grandmother and the optician (who is madly in love with grandmother) to raise her. Alaska, a strange and magical dog is also an important part of this makeshift family. The writing is gentle and poetic even when covering hard topics like suicide. It almost could be a fairy tale at times with how the characters speak and live. I enjoyed this book.

This was a sweet book. I was very confused at first, then I settled into the story and found myself really liking the characters! By the time it ended, they all felt like old friends and I felt like I was a part of their everyday lives. It was sweet and sad, funny and curious. I enjoyed this story and am very happy that I read it! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

Selma sees an okapi in her dream. It foretells death. The whole village waits to see who it will be. It sets off a chain that affects the lives of many including 10 year old Luisa. Set over three decades we see how lives change and move on. Secrets are exposed and some remain buried. Love is central to story.
I found the story hard to put in the present. It starts in the 1980s, but has an older feel to it. Luke's is surrounded by older people and doesn't seem to have friends until the monk. The optician, who holds a key role, does not get a name until the end. He holds a part in each life, but appears to be taken for granted. Letting go of the past is hard for the characters.
I liked the book because it has so many interesting people in it. Selma house is almost a character full of faults. Thank you, Netgalley for the opportunity to discover this book.

Great stuff. With thousands of high ratings and reviews, I needn't say much more. It has incredible cast and will stick with readers for a long time.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

🦓 The whole village comes to a standstill when Selma dreams of an Okapi, thinking that their time to die has come. This fantastic book, with elements of magical realism, is set in a West German village at the turn of the 20th century. It is full of eccentric characters, such as Elsbeth, who believes that ivy is an enchanted person, who is released from their spell when they reach the top of the tree; or Marlies, who lives alone in her house, and her only attire is a Norwegian sweater over her underwear.

🦓 This novel became an instant favorite of mine. Although it is full of painful elements, the characters are so magical, that you don't suffer while reading it, but instead, you want to know how they will solve their problems.

🦓 Recommended to: lovers of García Márquez, of "The Elegance of the Hedgehog", and to those who want to read a book, without suffering.

✔️ It passes the Bechdel test.

I enjoyed reading this book even though it's not my usual genre. The author did a great job bringing the characters to life as well as the German village where they lived. Occasionally I found the translations a little awkward, but generally it was done well. I'm not a big fan of magical occurrences, and there was some of that in the book, but I was able to set aside my preference for realism since the story was unique and charming.

What a perfect novel to finish on the day after my second Covid vaccine. The characters in Levy's novel are a true joy. Our main character, ten-year-old Luisa, lives in a small village in Germany, and and watch her life take twists and turns as she never leaves her hometown in about two decades. Her father is always traveling. Over time, she meets a monk from Japan, and they write weekly letters for ten years. Her grandmother, Selma, keeps the family together right up until she falls apart. There are so many great lines in this novel, so many hilarious encounters, so much humanity, that I rather dreaded when I reached the end.

I got bored with this story and couldn't finish the book! About a grandmother with dreams of a creature...within 24 hours she thought someone would die after her dream. Wild family stories...just boring!

A charming book about the lives of people in a German village. The plot is simple revolving around Luisa and is told from her pov. Starting from her childhood, the story is about her family, the special bond with her grandmother Selma ,her friends and her loves. In today's world of superficiality and shallowness , it was refreshing to read about deep love, childlike grownups and close knitted relationships. Though I was expecting a more impactful ending especially between Luisa and Fredrick, the book keeps you engrossed and has many heart touching moments. Must read!

This is a beautiful story about love and has been translated from German. Luisa, at age 10, loses Martin, her best friend and companion, in a horrible accident after Selma, her grandmother, sees an okapki in a dream. The story covers three decades in the lives of this small group of villagers from the little German town in which, with one exception, they all live. It is a simple story told complexly and written amazingly well. The characters take on lives of their own and make you care for them. Thanks to Net Galley and Farrah, Straus and Giroux for an ARC for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, it was different from my normal genre. Endearing and heart warming. I would give this book to a friend to read, take on vacation. Dig in and enjoy!