Helga Ruebsamen's extraordinary achievement in this, her first novel to be translated into English, is in finding a voice for a sensitive and highly imaginative child who must endure the painful transition from life in the paradise of the Dutch East Indies to the savage realities of wartime Holland. Lulu lives on the lush island of Java with her father, a doctor, her narcissistic mother and her Aunt Margot. By day, she plays quietly in the humid heat and tries not to trouble her mother. At night she roams the jungle, ...
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Helga Ruebsamen's extraordinary achievement in this, her first novel to be translated into English, is in finding a voice for a sensitive and highly imaginative child who must endure the painful transition from life in the paradise of the Dutch East Indies to the savage realities of wartime Holland. Lulu lives on the lush island of Java with her father, a doctor, her narcissistic mother and her Aunt Margot. By day, she plays quietly in the humid heat and tries not to trouble her mother. At night she roams the jungle, creating a magical place of her own in which reality and fantasy merge, where people and animals are transformed by the moonlight into gods and devils. When Lulu's uncle arrives, filling the day with adventures - bringing even her mother to life- Lulu discovers that the adults have begun visiting her nocturnal world. When she describes to Aunt Margot what she has seen in the night, she triggers a chain of events that lead to her family leaving their sensual tropical paradise and sailing for her father's homeland, Holland. But it is 1939 and Lulu is Jewish. Soon the German invasion is upon them. Her mother flees to England, her aunt returns to Java, and Lulu and her father are forced into hiding. This is a new, cold and hostile world, and Lulu must abandon her childhood, sustained only by her vivid imagination and her fierce, increasingly tested courage.
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Seller's Description:
Good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. In protective mylar cover. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine in Near Fine jacket. Fiction. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Clean and tight and square. Sharp corners. Appears unread. Translated from the Dutch by Paul Vincent. A little wear at the bottom edge of the spine. The dust jacket has very little shelfwear and is in new mylar.
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Fine in Fine jacket. Size: 8vo-over 7; Type: Hardback First US Printing of First US Edition. Translated from the Dutch by Paul Vincent. Hardcover and Dust Jacket in Fine Condition--Pristine. Dark green half cloth binding, gilt titled, with green boards. A sensitive and moving story of a young girl living in Java right before WW II with her family; the family moves back to Holland in 1939 where her Jewish family is soon forced into hiding by the German invasion. The five year old girl is sustained only by her father's love-her narcissistic mother has decamped to London-and her own courage. 356 pages. 8.75 x 6 inches. 2000, Alfred A Knopf Inc, New York, New York, USA.
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Seller's Description:
Fair in fair dust jacket. Slightly creased dust jacket. -Disclaimer: May have a different cover image than stock photos shows, as well as being a different edition/printing, unless otherwise stated. Please contact us if you're looking for one of these specifically. Your order will ship with FREE Delivery Confirmation (Tracking). We are a family business, and your satisfaction is our goal!