The Girl from Berlin

A Novel

By: Ronald H. Balson

Narrated by: Fred Berman

Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

In the newest audiobook from internationally best-selling author Ronald H. Balson, Liam and Catherine come to the aid of an old friend and are drawn into a property dispute in Tuscany that unearths long-buried secrets.

An old friend calls Catherine Lockhart and Liam Taggart to his famous Italian restaurant to enlist their help. His aunt is being evicted from her home in the Tuscan hills by a powerful corporation claiming they own the deeds, even though she can produce her own set of deeds to her land. Catherine and Liam’s only clue is a bound, handwritten manuscript, entirely in German, and hidden in its pages is a story long-forgotten....

Ada Baumgarten was born in Berlin in 1918, at the end of the war. The daughter of an accomplished first-chair violinist in the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic and herself a violin prodigy, Ada’s life was full of the rich culture of Berlin’s interwar society. She formed a deep attachment to her childhood friend Kurt, but they were torn apart by the growing unrest as her Jewish family came under suspicion. As the tides of history turned, it was her extraordinary talent that would carry her through an unraveling society turned to war and make her a target even as it saved her, allowing her to move to Bologna - though Italy was not the haven her family had hoped, and further heartache awaited.

What became of Ada? How is she connected to the conflicting land deeds of a small Italian villa? As they dig through the layers of lies, corruption, and human evil, Catherine and Liam uncover an unfinished story of heart, redemption, and hope - the ending of which is yet to be written.

©2018 Ronald H. Balson (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

A moving book

A beautiful story of a tragic period in history. It will keep you listening and leave you with a broken heart.

Love the narrator

Another great book by Balson. I love listening to Fred Berman read! Liam and Katherine are perfect ❤️

Nice twist of a story

I have read many books in this genre and I really like the way in which this is presented. Great then and now story which transfers very smoothly.
Also the narrator did an excellent job.

Great story

Great story, the only thing I would comment is that it is very odd that so many people from a small town in Italy would speak English. Other than this it was great.

very well written

I loved every minute ❤️. well researched and lots of twists and turns. a wonderful story.

The Girl from Berlin

I enjoyed the book. It was about WW11. It was different from the other WW11 books I’v read. It told about a Jewish family living in Berlin before as well as during WW11. I guess I liked this book because it gave a different perspective of life during WW11.

Remarkable ensemble cast

Memorable holocaust story incorporating both German and Italian locations with a lovely overlay of classical music.
I couldn't put it down.

That said, I find myself now avoiding books by this narrator.

Romance, Tragedy, Suspense and Music

I truly loved this book enough to immediately buy the first one in the series.
The narrators were very good, but I wasn't sure about the Italian accent.

The story shifts from the present problem: saving Gabi's farm in Tuscany to the story of Ada Baumgartner,. a renown violinist first in the Berlin Junior orchestra and then in the Bologne Opera Orchestra.
At first, saving the farm seems impossible, but enough questions arise that the judge extends the deadline.

I am not familiar enough with classical music and not familiar at all with Opera. Now I want to hear the pieces Ada plays over her career.

great read

this book transports you back in time and makes you feel for Aida and her family. also with Gaby in real time. it is magnificent.

Very listenable

This was a beautiful story about a time in our history that should never be forgotten. The narration was excellent