In the Shadow of the Mill

"In the Shadow of the Mill" is a girl's vision of turmoil in World War II and its aftermath, with an intimate portrayal of a village life that is no more. "Travel back to another place and time in author Rosemarie Schulga's moving family memoir, "In the Shadow of the Mill." In richly atmospheric prose, Schulga describes the life-and-death drama of her remote German village and here own evocative coming of age. Schulga's world is one where girls are married off at the age of fourteen and where education of females is deemed unnecessary. It's also a tumultuous time, when old superstitions clash with encroaching modernization and threaten to cut off the new ways of life. As a writer, Schulga has a rare gift in that she deftly brings to life both the monumental, as epitomized in the tragic day when her village is bombed during WWII, and the small pleasures of life, such as her love for her pet goat and the seasonal joys of farming and its accompanying celebrations. She also manages to create a cast of colorful characters that are so vivid one expects them to talk right off the page. Best of all, we see how her yearning for education carries her through her myriad hardships before eventually leading to heartwarming triumph. Poignant, powerful and rich with feeling and humor, this isn't just the moving story of the rise and demise of a small peasant village. It's the story of one incredible girl and her determined journey to find and secure a place for herself in a rapidly changing world. "In the Shadow of the Mill" is an extraordinary memoir that ultimately proves as unforgettable as its heroine." Ellen Tanner Marsh