Official Review: Bertha by Lisa M Hutchison

[fmd1821]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Bertha" by Lisa M Hutchison.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Lisa M. Hutchison is the descendant of the “title role” of Bertha, a historical fiction novel set in Germany between the 19th and the 20th century. Bertha Hoffmann was a remarkable woman. Even though she was an orphan at an early age, and her uncle raped her when she was a young woman, she had a strong character. Married to a violent and drunk man to save appearances, she left him with her children when she came of age and moved in with her grandmother. Later, Bertha met a decent man, Leopold, and realized she was in love with him. However, her life was unconventional even after that.

Bertha tells a great story that well summarizes a woman’s condition in the society of around one century ago. Bertha Hoffmann went through every possible situation. She was an orphan, an innocent victim, a brutalized wife, and – finally – she met a man she could love. In all these cases, Hutchison describes the reactions of Bertha’s relatives and highlights the hypocrisy of the society. Appearances were all that mattered, and personal happiness was less important than fulfilling the expectations of the others. Luckily, Bertha did not surrender, and in the end, she was able to find her path in life.

I wrote before that Bertha had a strong character, but this is just one aspect of her personality. Hutchinson describes her as resilient and patient, and Bertha's capability of love and tenderness is also praiseworthy, considering the hardship she had to endure. Hutchinson’s portrayal of her great-grandmother is vibrant, and I have to confess that I was sad when the story was over.

On the whole, the characters’ representation is the best aspect of Bertha. They are all well carved, starting with Bertha’s mother, Emilia Holtzmann. Emilia is an interesting woman we meet in the first chapters of the book. She is a minor character, but Hutchison offers a memorable portrayal of her, explaining what her feelings and worries are while she is leaving for America. Another remarkable woman is Anna, Bertha’s grandmother, who Hutchison describes with the same finesse she uses with Bertha. Leopold, too, is an exceptional character, especially for his complicated family history – which is the reason why I did not trust him at the beginning.

My last remark is about typographical errors. Even though there are many of them, their quality is less significant than their quantity. I am confident another round of corrections will be enough to fix them and make the book perfect.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars, but without errors, my rating would be 4 stars. I did not find anything I did not like about this book. Therefore, I recommend Bertha to every reader of historical fiction, especially to those who like stories set between the 19th and the 20th century. It is rare to find a book where a woman's life is told with this delicacy.

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Bertha
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[kandscreeley]

Bertha sounds like a strong and tragic character. I'm not sure I'm strong enough to read this. Still, I'm sure it's accurate for the time period. Thanks for the review!

[Pearl Hijabi]

In a time period where everything you do is frowned upon, Bertha must be a atrong fighter to uphold. Looks like a great story. I dearly hope the book goes through another round of editing

[Meg98]

This sounds like a heavy and emotional read. I’m not sure if it’s for me, but thank you for this thorough, excellent review!

[Bigirimana Celestin]

I think this book is worthy to someone who needs to know and to compare woman's conditions in that time and today's. Thank you for revealing to us little about the character.