The writing style just did not work in the execution of this story for me, and perhaps that is due to the translation and as it is to be expected that some aspects will be lost. I did not enjoy that the love interest is constantly just "you."

What happens when romance unfolds under the bright skies of Saint-Tropez, but the heart feels the gathering clouds of history? In "Background for Love", Helen Wolff tells a deeply personal story that’s equal parts sunlit escape and emotional reckoning. Paired with a powerful contextual essay by her great-niece Marion Detjen, this slim volume peels back the layers of desire, identity, and creative resistance in the face of rising fascism.

Set in the 1930s along the lemon-tree-laced coast of the French Riviera, Wolff’s novella is a whispered letter to a lover—told entirely in the second person. It’s a stylistic risk that divides opinion: some readers find the narrative immediacy gripping, while others see it as obsessive and occasionally claustrophobic. This literary "you" creates an intense emotional current, sweeping us into a relationship that feels as uneven as the cobbled streets of old Saint-Tropez.

The story itself reads like a snapshot—brief, vivid, and aching with what goes unsaid. Our unnamed narrator is young, adrift, and painfully aware that her lover's affection is unreliable. Yet amid this imbalance, she begins carving out space for herself—quite literally, by finding a cottage of her own. Independence, however modest, begins to bloom. Her emotional evolution, though subtle, is significant—though some readers may feel her final choices circle back rather than move forward.

What adds richness to the text is the second half: Marion Detjen’s essay, which reframes Wolff not just as a young woman navigating a lopsided romance, but as a resilient publisher who escaped Nazi Germany and helped bridge European and American literary worlds. Her legacy, it turns out, is just as gripping as the fiction she left behind.

Yes, "Background for Love" is a slow burn. The pacing can feel brisk in parts where you crave depth, and the second-person voice might not be to everyone’s taste. But for readers who lean into literature as both personal reflection and political history, there’s plenty here to unpack.

In the end, this book isn’t just a story of one woman’s summer heartbreak. It’s a portrait of the artist as a survivor, and a powerful reminder of how even the most intimate stories can carry the weight of a world in turmoil.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pushkinpress for the ARC

I am sad the author wrote so little during her lifetime because she was clearly talented. Her descriptions of France are vivid and bright, and the heroine's thoughts and feelings about her messy, complex and toxic relationships can be relatable to many.

The novella itself is only a brief episodic glimpse into her life. However, in the new edition, the second half of the book focuses on the biography of the author and some aspects of German history. And gosh, it was such a slog. I picked this book because I was particularly interested in the life of a woman from Nazi Germany, but I found this part to be dry and unengaging.

Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and the author for a review copy.

The blurb convinced me that what I'm holding in my hands is an autobiographical novella of someone who knew Italo Calvino, Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka and many others. I somehow expected to see these people across the pages. Add to it fascinating, yet terrible history of Nazi Germany and this must be a true gem. Well, it turned out to be a different kind of gem.
A young woman with her much older boyfriend travels by car from Germany to southern France for a holiday. They have with them bananas and hard-boiled eggs. This is a surprising detail. The book was first published in 1932, probably written in 1931 or 1932. At the time, bananas were considered a luxury product, available only in big cities, mostly in Berlin and Hamburg (a major port). Therefore, this detail tells us about the financial and social status of either him or her. Only a year later Nazi party NSDAP in order to nationalize Germany tried to discourage people from eating imported goods, such as bananas in a mass scale propaganda. "Eat German apples, not foreign bananas" was one of the slogans. Soon, they limited the imports by law.
They go through Switzerland and are stopped at the border and asked if they have any money with them, and how much, and whether they have tobacco and cigarettes. It's an intimidating experience, and they are surprised when there are no questions at all at the French border.
"We forget the thunderclouds brewing back home in Germany". "Hitler and Hindenburg seem far away". - It's interesting that Helen mentions Hitler, considering that he will become the chancellor next year (1933). She sensed that this man would not bring anything good. Not many people back then had the same feeling.
The couple travels from one place to another until a Blonde woman makes Helen furious with jealousy. That is a defining moment for her, liberating and emancipating. She stands up and walks away. She goes off to pursue her own independent life. Admirable, but... soon she finds another man. And then she lets the first one back in. Why?
To me, the story falls flat. I don't like the writing style, nor the characters. Helen herself didn't want it to be published ever, and I can see why. Why indeed, Goodreads says it was first published in 1932? Was it?
The most interesting things here are these few details and the essay at the very end.

A luminous fairy tale of young love
—
In the throes of new love, the unnamed young woman realises that her older lover isn’t going to bring her summer dream to life, a dream of domestic bliss in a cottage with a small cat, that what she wants and what he can offer are simply too far apart. And so she takes her leave of him and finds her own summer dream; and then the book begins. The south of France is softly rendered in Wolff’s autofiction as she experiences her own picaresque adventure, liberally sprinkled with characters both irascible and pitiable. Wolff’s protagonist is young and carefree but also impetuous and entirely too trusting, getting herself into situations of which she has no experience, until her worlds collide and she has to choose whether to fight or flee.

This novella is a luminous, visceral and charming narrative of a much more innocent time, when the world seemed available to everyone. The narrator’s youth is her curse and her blessing; Wolff’s careful first person prose, never mentioning the lover by name but referring to him as ‘you,’ as if she’s narrating to him as a storyteller to a rapt child, drew me in, as if I were the lover. The south of France is as romantic and unattainable as it is now, almost unmoored from time, although we know exactly what happens next to Wolff and her husband. The accompanying essay by Wolff’s great niece gives more context to the novella, and what might have been, if Wolff had tackled the novel form.

Four and half stars.

a beautiful piece of both fictional and non fictional writing, a beautiful and genuine story, even woven into the fictional

This book's main feature is a novella, once lost to time, from someone who grew to be a publisher in the US when she and her family were forced to flee Nazi Europe. It starts with a flight – a man and a woman, who addresses the whole piece to "you" (ie the man) – but from what? Work? Nazis? Spouses? Either way, they dash at a very early hour in his car from a German city to the south of France, and when there get immediately into the world of sexual, gambling and other shenanigans that are going on. But this soon changes – she abandons him, finds and falls in love with Saint Tropez, and determines to have her own idyll there for the summer.

Oh, and the piece ends with photos of the actual building, and the actual 'she' and 'he'. For this was pretty much inspired by real people and real places. What we learn from the essay that accompanies the piece – almost as long, and too academic to match the lightness of the fiction – is that the actual trip as seen on these pages probably never happened, or certainly not at the same time of year. But it feels real enough, and has a kind of emancipatory mood. She is not going to suffer at his hands, per se, she's not too naive to have ever featured on these pages, but she is going to switch from living as a recipient of a kind of "this, m'dear, is what we call bouillabaisse" relationship to something much more along her own terms. For he's older, a mansplainer, someone who spreads almost across a double bed even when lucky to be sharing it, and the drive of the piece is how she puts more of her own stamp on all things to do with her life.

The fact this spins off quite successfully from the author's experience with a man very much like the one featured, a man who couldn't do with just dandling one woman on his arm, only adds to things. Kurt Wolff started out as an admiring employer of this author, and by the time this was touted to publishers seems to have become her monogamous spouse and father to their son. But it was never published, and the author deemed all her output worth junking or burning unread upon her passing. After many years the estate allowed it to be seen in Germany, and this is the first English translation of anything major by her. All this can be ignored, mind, if the piece of fiction is what drew you to these pages – you don't need to read around the piece whatsoever to enjoy it; you get the feel of the place succinctly, you see the flip of the Fitzgerald kind of high-life, and in 120-odd pages you see a woman encounter quite the switch in character. The heaviness of the academe that follows aside, those make for a four-star read.

I love the rushed pacing of this book because the story needs to be on the faster side so make sense and not feel like an other book in a genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for thos eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. All words are my own.

A 1940s tale of toxic love and self-discovery.

Looking to escape wartime Germany, the main protagonist (the author herself - this is autobiographical apparently) and her lover, are on a road trip to France.

The lover is constantly referred to by the author as “you” - you said this, you said that, you looked at me like this, you enjoy this, you looked at the woman, etc etc.

It’s clear that the protagonist and the lover are not on the same page as each other. She wants more. She wants respect. She wants his attention and his time. He’s constantly seeking the company of others, and engaging in activities she’s not interested in. She continues to cling to him, she continues to want more, to hope that things will change… then the Blonde appears, “You’s” head is turned once more and finally our protagonist realises that she needs to live life for herself and not in the pursuit of her gentleman friend, You.

She sets off through France on her own and comes across a cottage available for rent and spends the Summer here where she finally finds her self-worth again, making some new friends along the way… only for You to magically appear back on the scene and give our Protagonist a decision to make - let him back in her life or heed the warnings of her past experiences with this man.

I don’t know how else to begin except by saying - I was disappointed. I picked up this book based on its description, expecting to be transported to France, to wander through its landscapes, savor its food, and immerse myself in its culture. I was ready for an unforgettable journey of self-discovery, adventure, and new beginnings. Instead, I found myself trapped in an emotional whirlwind that revolved almost entirely around a messy, complex relationship.

The book is about a young lady who travels through Europe to France with her lover, but as soon as they arrive, things get a bit complicated, and Wolff decides to continue on her own. However, the "you" man - an ever-present yet elusive figure - felt like a walking red flag. He drifted in and out of the protagonist's life at will, seemingly without consequences, and she let him. It was frustrating, to say the least. I kept hoping she would break free, that she would truly embrace her independence and grow from her experiences; but life, it seems, had other plans.

The writing style didn’t work for me either. The narration felt rushed, skipping over moments that could have added depth and atmosphere. Instead of fully immersing the reader in the beauty of travel and self-discovery, the focus remained fixated on a cottage-manor dream and an all-consuming relationship. While I do enjoy romance and memoirs from time to time, this particular storytelling approach didn’t resonate with me. The second-person narration (e.g., "you said," "you asked") felt overwhelming and, at times, almost obsessive.

Structurally, the book is divided: roughly 60-70% of it is Wolff’s account of her travels, while the remainder is Detjen’s exploration of Wolff’s life and history. Normally, I love learning about an author’s background, but since I struggled to stay engaged with the main narrative, I found it difficult to invest in the afterword. That said, I believe those who connect with the book will likely appreciate this additional context and find it enriching.

I may not have been the target audience for this one, but I’ll give credit where it’s due - the cover is absolutely stunning!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the opportunity to read this book!

‘The landscape, someone once said—a most charming woman— is best understood as a background for love.’: from the book.

It's semi autobiographical, kind of a travel memoir. Divided in two equal parts, it tells about a woman who is looking for a beautiful place, close to nature, to live, some solace, and love. And then it talks about the story behind this story.
I really like the writing; slow paced, soothing and beautiful. Beautiful descriptions. I loved how she starts afresh in a beautiful countryside. However, after a point, it gets a bit monotonous. I wasn't really interested in the second part.
Overall it was a nice experience reading it, not very entertaining but nice.

A tender love letter of a novella, written in the early 1930s, Background for Love is lyrical celebration of place. (And that place is not Germany with the rise of the nazi party). Rather our German narrator has escaped to France, specifically St.Tropez, a scented, sun-baked and sea sparkling Eden where ‘I bite into an apricot that smells like primroses , an apricot that tastes like it smells, full of sap and sweetness.’ I adored Wolf, a German painter and hoped the narrator would too. I enjoyed the descriptions of each local character and their clothing including beautiful details like the silver toe nails and artfully tied scarf halter necks (that don’t suit everyone)The writing is beautiful, often funny and perceptive but the gender politics are less than palatable making the narrator’s love for and ultimately acquiescence to her entitled, bullish,arrogant, selfish lover difficult to understand as a reader today. The biography essay that follows the novella is somewhat interesting. Written 90 years after this novella, they chronicle the author’s experiences that lead her to writing this autobiographical novella. They explain her anti feminist philosophy in the context of the time. Discuss her selfless love for a much older, divorced, once monied, and well-connected man. A man prone to love affairs and infidelity. And I suppose I found this frustrating and difficult to read: how young, impoverished women had to rely on the largesse of older, richer men to survive. This acceptance of their meagre lot, even when presented with much nicer alternatives upset me. But the authenticity of voice is satisfying and reminds me of Irene Nemirovsky’s Suite Francaise.

In the 1930s, a young woman and her older lover escape the rising fascism in Germany by driving to the south of France. As they travel from town to town the young woman finds herself steadily put off by her paramour’s roving eye and old fashioned masculinity. Her overwhelming desire to create a life on her own terms has her writing a Dear John letter, and leaving under the night sky.

She finds herself at St Tropez, and goes about renting a cottage, adopting a kitten — living out the very life she sought for herself. Enough time passes and she familiarises herself with the locals, even making new friends, and then her lover returns, tempting her once more with the life she left behind.

Is it too late for her to go back? Or is too late for them?

Background for Love is a giddy atmospheric, irresistible novel about love and self-discovery in the south of France. Enriched by wise reflections on what romance and love require, coming in at a crisp 122 pages, is unique for many reasons.

Firstly, it is based off the true story of Helen and Kurt Wolff, the founders of Pantheon House. Secondly, written and re-written intermittently during 1929-32, the novel is written in first person, and in the present tense, unusual for novels of that time.

The narration is compelling and the writing conveys a sense of contemporary fiction — the self reflections and self-discovery, the realisations of desires, wants, and needs. The clash of the impractical with the practical in terms of love, all seemingly still relevant when the original was written in the 1930s.

Perhaps, the author having chosen to only address her lover as “you” throughout the novel, and not giving a physical description but rather a personality to all her characters, including herself. We meet her when she is unsure of herself, and aware of how little power she has in her relationship with her lover. Her impulsiveness to leave him is seen less as a rebuke of her immaturity and more of a necessity by both the reader and her lover, when he meets her again in St Tropez. She is now a different woman, someone he can’t dismiss or mollycoddle, marking a change in their relationship.

As summer turns, and our lovers fall in love with the domesticity of St Tropez, real life beckons. The author ponders over whether ‘this love’ will survive the real life?

“We can love each other no matter where,” you say.
But your comfort comes too late; the landscape is there first.

A callback to the initial pages where the author comments “the landscape is best understood as a background for love.”

Helen and Kurt did continue to be together, the very long afterword written by her grand niece informs you, belatedly.

It is a rich look at the giddy state of love, the introspections that tints it, and the hubris belief in the landscape of love.

An interesting novella about love and single life with intriguing writing. A solid book that I would suggest to others.

✨ Background for Love is a beautiful story of a tranquil summer in the South of France and a young woman’s journey to independence. ✨

From the very first page, this book captivated me—I simply couldn’t put it down. Background for Love is a masterful blend of an autobiographical novella by Helen Wolff, followed by an insightful essay by Marion Detjen (Helen’s great-niece?) exploring the fascinating life of Helen and Kurt Wolff.

The novella draws inspiration from the summers the couple spent in and around St. Tropez, seeking refuge from their reality in Berlin. Helen wrote the story during those very summers, yet she never had the chance to publish it. It begins with a young woman arriving on the sun-drenched coast, accompanied by her lover—an older, wealthy man (Kurt) whom she is deeply in love with. But when circumstances take an unexpected turn, she makes the difficult decision to leave him and sets out in search of a cottage of her own. What follows is a summer of self-discovery, adventure, and quiet transformation.

Though Helen Wolff never published a book of her own, her career as a publisher was long and influential. And yet, it is evident from this work that she was an exceptional writer in her own right. Her work is saturated with delicate descriptions of the French Riviera, capturing not only the stunning landscapes but also the subtleties of human relationships. Her writing invites you to escape reality and soak the golden light of a single summer in St. Tropez. It lingers in your mind, prompting you to savour the present moment, to embrace life, and to seek serenity in simplicity.

This book left me longing for a peaceful retreat of my own. I’ve been eyeing a farm cabin on Airbnb for a while now, and Background for Love only deepened my desire for a quiet escape. We all deserve a summer of stillness and reflection.
Reading this novella has also inspired me to explore more books set in the same era. Up next on my TBR: Save Me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald, Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan.

This was a really great book. Didn't know what to expect but it took me by complete surprise. Really enjoyed it.

A woman leaves 1930s Berlin on a trip to France with her lover. When the slice of France he offers her isn’t what she dreamed of, she learns that he, too, is less than what she imagined. This sensuous story of a summer spent falling in and out of love is graced with playful dialogue, rich landscapes, and the subtle inner musings of a woman who sets off alone to discover her own paradise.

Background for Love is a semi-autobiographical novella by Helen Wolff, a prominent publisher, translator, and the founder of Pantheon Books. Following the dreamlike novella is an enriching companion essay by Marion Detjen, the author’s great niece, who discovered the manuscript in a box in the attic and decided to share it with the world. It’s a special read for anyone who finishes a book and starts to wonder what the characters are getting up to next. The addition of the essay is an opportunity to descend further into Wolff’s story, through details about her own life and the historical context surrounding her posthumously published novella.

Thanks NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the digital ARC!

'Background for Love' is an impactful and fast-paced novella that appears to be a drama between two lovers, one of whom aspires for individual freedom. But when seen in historical context, one can identify the undercurrent of the rising uncertainty due to the rise of Nazism in Germany. The protagonist's need to assert her identity could also be seen as an indication of the transition of gender roles during the 1930s.

A very interesting novella about love, single life, and what pleasures we can find in new places.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While I found the writing nice, the rest of this book fell a little flat for me. The narration style was a bit confusing, it jumped from dreamlike to harsh and I felt myself losing the story and the plot. I also wasn’t a massive fan of the main characters. The whole thing felt a little underdeveloped for me, it could have been a fantastic semi autobiographical story if there was more focus on the characters and what was happening.