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The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel
Unavailable
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel
Unavailable
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel
Audiobook8 hours

The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel

Written by Helen Grant

Narrated by Justine Eyre

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Not since The Elegance of the Hedgehog has a book arrived in America from Europe on such wings of critical praise and popularity. The Vanishing of Katharina Linden is an unforgettable debut-at once chilling and endearing, haunting and richly insightful-the story of one girl's big heart and even bigger imagination, and of a world full of mystery, good, and evil.

It isn't ten-year-old Pia's fault that her grandmother dies in a freak accident. But tell that to the citizens of Pia's little German hometown of Bad Münstereifel, or to the classmates who shun her. The only one who still wants to be her friend is StinkStefan, the most unpopular child in school.

But then something else captures the community's attention: the vanishing of Katharina Linden. Katharina was last seen on a float in a parade, dressed as Snow White. Then, like a character in a Grimm's fairy tale, she disappears. But, this being real life, she doesn't return.

Pia and Stefan suspect that Katharina has been spirited away by the supernatural. Their investigation is inspired by the instructive-and cautionary-local legends told to them by their elderly friend Herr Schiller, tales such as that of Unshockable Hans, visited by witches in the form of cats, or of the knight whose son is doomed to hunt forever.

Then another girl disappears, and Pia is plunged into a new and unnerving place, one far away from fairy tales-and perilously close to adulthood.

Marvelously morbid, stunningly suspenseful, and exceptionally winning, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden is a new coming-of-age classic, and the most accomplished fiction debut in years.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 10, 2010
ISBN9780307737403
Unavailable
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel
Author

Helen Grant

Helen Grant has a passion for the Gothic and for ghost stories. Joyce Carol Oates has described her as “a brilliant chronicler of the uncanny as only those who dwell in places of dripping, graylit beauty can be.” A lifelong fan of the ghost story writer M.R.James, she has spoken at two M.R.James conferences and appeared at the Dublin Ghost Story Festival. She lives in Perthshire with her family, and when not writing, she likes to explore abandoned country houses and swim in freezing lochs. Helen's previous novel Too Near the Dead was Winner of The Dracula Society Children of the Night Award 2021 for the most significant contribution to the Gothic genre published in 2021

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Reviews for The Vanishing of Katharina Linden

Rating: 3.6842105910931173 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A very enjoyable mystery story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Vanishing of Katharina Linden is part fairy-tale, part coming-of-age story, part mystery, and each component is captivating. I kicked the habit of biting my nails decades ago, but I found myself nibbling ever so slightly as the events unfolded to their conclusion. Though the story takes place in 1998, there is a timeless atmosphere that makes the disappearance of girls from a tiny German village all the more creepy. One could almost sense the gingerbread house witch lurking just outside the narrative. Pia, the daughter of a German man and his English wife, is eleven as the story begins, a social outcast because of her status as "the girl whose grandmother exploded," which is well-known through the village of Bad Munstereifel. Her best friend by default is StinkStefan, the only child who doesn't inch away from her as though spontaneous combustion were contagious, and the two spend time with the elderly Herr Schiller, who tells the most delightfully creepy tales and knows everything about the town's history. After Katharina Linden disappears during Karneval, the town is ready to lynch Herr Duster, Herr Schiller's brother, who had been suspected in disappearances of girls many years before. Pia and StinkStefan begin to investigate Herr Schiller and the disappearances (Katharina is only the first). The town busybody Frau Kessel is more than happy to fill them in on past scandals. Herr Schiller's fantastic tales wind together with the grim reality of a kidnapper on the loose in a tiny village. The reader is taken on a journey gradually deeper and darker and more tangled, like Hansel and Gretel walking into the woods.In the midst of the fables and unfolding mystery as the disappearances mount, Pia is undertaking far more pedestrian struggles. Her mother, long yearning for England, sees the disappearances as a good excuse to remove Pia from the only home she has ever known. A miserable visit with the cousins who mock her English interrupts her investigation with StinkStefan, of whom she becomes rather fond by necessity. This book is like nothing else I've ever read. It was one of those rare stories that doesn't leave your thoughts when you've set the book aside. The atmosphere, the storytelling, the rich characters came together into a meeting of realism and fable.Source disclosure: I received an advance proof of this book from the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A little predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Slow-ish for the first several disks in the audio version and I'm thinking that following the thinking patten of a 10 year old was most of the cause for the lack of speed. Pia was noticing every detail around her. It was a sweet story-- IF you can call a murder mystery sweet, tied in with the teasing/bullying Pia went through over her grandmother's death, followed by the unhappiness her parents were experiencing. Cleverly written with excellent descriptions.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Boring. Lost me in the first 25 pages.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    From Germany, home of Grimm's Fairy Tales and the creepy morality poems of Shockheaded Peter (Der Struwwelpeter), comes this eccentric novel that is equal parts Nancy Drew and Stephen King - with a little David Sedaris thrown in for good measure. While Pia and Stink Stefan, the protagonists of this mystery, are a plucky tween investigator and her trusty sidekick/schoolmate, it is by no means a YA book. As a matter of fact, despite its breezy, and often humorous, style, the story has some seriously sinister underpinnings and offers some truly terrifying moments. The opening scene sets the stage for the tone of the rest of the book as young Pia's grandmother accidentally incinerates herself at Advent dinner. Proving that matches, mohair and a liberal dose of Aqua Net shouldn't be mixed. Horrific, yet, as presented by Pia's dry narration, somehow hilarious. After the incident, Pia is ever after the town outcast and curiosity ("the girl whose grandmother exploded") and somehow ends up being implicated in the disappearances of several of her classmates. Pia and Stefan decide to solve the crimes on their own, listing only the help of Herr Schiller, a kindly old friend of the family, who arms them with local folklore and ghost stories. But despite their certitude, the monster responsible for kidnapping and killing the girls is no otherworldly hobgoblin or ogre. And the kids are in more danger than they know. I found this book to be uniquely entertaining on so many levels. With Pia, author Helen Grant has created a complex and interesting character, while still making her seem like an authentic teenager, as opposed to a miniature adult. She's funny, precocious and a bit cynical, but still maintains that spark of idealism and virtue that adulthood tends to crush. Plus, there is a genuinely frightening climax which ranks alongside anything you might find in the best suspense fiction. However, I must admit, I saw the solution coming a mile away. But that did not detract from this books many pleasures. This genre-busting novel is definitely worth a look. Recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Helen Grant's debut novel starts off dramatically enough. "My life might have been so different had I not been known as the girl whose grandmother exploded".but this dramatic tale doesn't remain the focus of the novel for long. It does force 10 year old Pia Kolvenbach to become isolated at school as the other children avoid her in case they too explode. It does mean her only friend is Stinky Stefan, Stefan Bruer, and they become constant companions.Meanwhile little girls vanish, beginning with Katharina Linden during one of the town's celebratory parades. Then Pia and Stefan learn that history is repeating itself: these aren't the first little girls to disappear from Bad Munstereifel.Helen Grant shows a delightful sense of humour as she weaves into the story the legends of the town of Bad Munstereifel through the stories that Herr Schiller tells Pia and Stefan in after school sessions.THE VANISHING OF KATHARINA LINDEN is told from ten-year-old Pia's point of view although at the time of the telling Pia is about 19 years old. I have seen reviews that criticise the authenticity of the narration, because in fact the narrative voice is not that of a ten year old. I wasn't particularly worried by that.I think two other aspects of the novel can be criticised.First of all, I don't think Helen Grant could make her mind about her audience, in particular what age level she was writing for. In the long run it is a novel for adults, but much of it has the feel of a Brothers Grimm fairytale.My second criticism is the roller coaster ride the reader is taken on in the final pages as the author attempts to tie all the ends together. Now the style changes and the story takes on aspects of a thriller complete with car chase.Nevertheless a good debut novel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Pia is an adolescent girl trying to solve the mystery of the disappearance of girls in her small German village. While Pia and her friend Stephen
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    First Line: "My life might have been so different, had I not been known as the girl whose grandmother exlpoded." This was such a fun book. There were so many little things about this book that made it really enjoyable. First off, it has a beautiful cover! The cover was the main reason I picked the book up in the first place. I also loved the setting of the book. Helen Grant's description of the small German town was so vivid and charming. I really want to visit it during one of its festivals. The German setting was made all the more prominent by the addition of German words thrown in every now and then (with a handy German glossary in the back of the book for reference). Pia was such a great character. All of the characters were very well-written. And the ending was truly a surprise. Sometimes the sentences would be awkward and the vocabulary wouldn't seem appropriate for a story revolving around a ten-year-old (even if the story is aparently told by the main character, Pia, when she is 17 or so). I'm not talking about the German cuss words either, but just some 10-dollar-words, many of which I don't even know the meaning of much less an elementary-school age girl. I can understand why the U.S. doesn't market this as a young adult book like other countries. High school students could enjoy it, sure, but not middle school age kids.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I thought this book to be charming and moderately entertaining. The voices of Pia, her family, and the other characters were authentic to me and the smattering of German was fun and easily understood in context. There was nothing I didn't like about the story or the writing, it just didn't capture me fully.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This novel's plucky, curious young narrator is what pilots this intriguing story over the top into a great novel. Pia, whose grandmother burst into flames at Christmas dinner at the beginning of the novel, uses her recent status as a schoolyard outsider to try and solve the mystery of why young girls suddenly disappear in her small German town. With the help of StinkStefan, a fellow outcast and another great character, she befriends a gregarious old storyteller and delves into the disappearances. When the reader thinks the mystery will be solved one way, the story takes surprising turns, leading the the final conclusion.Grant's writing is another thing that makes this book so solid. She seamlessly weaves in words and traditions from Pia's German town, making the somewhat exotic setting seem familiar. And her choice of subject matter, child disappearance, is a timely one that is sure to capture the interest of any reader.For fans of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and other Flavia de Luce mysteries, this is a must-read book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Clear, enjoyable and captivating first-person narrative and murder mystery set in modern day Germany somehow feels like a very old-time village tale. Whipped through this enchanting and well-told story in just a few hours and found the settings and characters vivid, complex and engaging. I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program here on LibraryThing and am grateful to be introduced to Helen Grant. Eagerly awaiting her next novel!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    First sentence: "My life might have been so different if I had not been known as the girl whose grandmother exploded!"While the first sentence is pithy and attention grabbing, the story itself quickly slows to a methodical (dare I say German) pace. Pia, our 10+ year old narrator, gives us her account of the mysterious kidnappings that occurred in 1998 as she remembers life in her small German town of Bad Munstereifel. While Katharina Linden and other girls are disappearing from the town, Pia, whose parents are beginning to drift apart, and her only friend Stink Stefan, whose parents are neglectful and abusive, find comfort in the stories of the town's patriarch - he tells them fairy tale-like stories of the history and people of their town. As they listen, they begin to uncover and become enraptured the town's dark history. They immerse themselves in this form of "play" and unravel, what they think is a supernatural slant to the disappearances. The book is filled with all the adventures, fears, and wishes that your 10 year old self would have reveled in. Pia's view point is blurred by the understandings and limitations of a 10 year old, absorbed in how the world affects her and how she affects the world. Rich with the retelling of German fairy tales (much darker than the disney-esque versions many of us grew up with), adults will, no likely piece the puzzle together fairly quickly.This light read, while not a mind bender, is easily appropriate for ages 14 and up.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Once her grandmother blew up at Christmas, Pia was doomed to become a social pariah. However, her new friend StinkStephan (the most unpopular boy in school) and she are befriended by Herr Schiller, a venerable gentleman and excellent story teller. Can he help them solve the cases of the girls who keep going missing in their otherwise quiet village? Scary and compelling story. Would be great for an older teen.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One of the most suspenseful books I've read in ages, this book keeps you guessing until the very end.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Set in Germany, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden has all the hallmarks of a fairy tale. In fact, Pia and Stefan remind me of Hansel and Gretel, trying to solve an adult's problem at the age of ten. The German setting adds a certain charm to the entire novel. Ms. Grant does a tremendous job of describing life in Germany in the 1990s. In fact, I felt like I had stepped back in time and was living in my little German apartment again. The use of German words is quite liberal and also sets the tone, but for those not familiar with any German, Ms. Grant provides a complete list of the words used and their definition. The overall effect is a novel that could rival any Grimm Brothers' story in its setting and yet dark undercurrent.The best term to describe this novel is as a fairy tale. Everything about it screams morality tale. Yet, this is not a traditional one. The bad person in this novel is far too human and far too dark, making him or her scarier than any evil witch or stepmother the Grimm Brothers created. The mysterious evil is too realistic and raw to have any element of fantasy attached to it. It is a compelling combination.The Vanishing of Katharina Linden is one of those novels that I thoroughly enjoyed while I was reading it yet could easily pick apart once I finished. The story itself is fairly predictable yet still provides enough shock and awe to make it enjoyable. Pia is likeable but extremely naive. She is a lot more innocent and yet daring than most ten-year-olds I know, including my son. Combine that with an extreme lack of street smarts, and it makes for an interesting heroine who survives on luck, her friendship with the more street-savvy Stefan, and a bit on that naitivity. While I liked the novel, I am left wanting to like it more than I did. There were too many crises in Pia's life with too many competing story lines that the main mystery seemed overshadowed at times. Even worse, there are many unanswered questions. There were several comments made by minor characters and statements hinting at future revelations that never occur. The end result is a hodge-podge of stories that the reader must delve through to get to the overarching point of the story. It works, but the end result is not as satisfactory as it might be.I wish I could say I loved The Vanishing of Katharina Linden. On the surface, there is so much to love. Yet, once a reader delves deeper into the story, the little flaws start to add up and detract from the main story. At times the novel does read like a YA or middle grade novel, and I can definitely see someone younger really enjoying the novel, as he or she may be more likely to overlook those flaws or not even notice them. In the end, I'll remember The Vanishing of Katharina Linden more for allowing me to remember what it was like to live in a small village in Germany and for its fairy tale-esque qualities. A trip down memory lane is never a bad thing!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not being a reader of fantasy or fairytales, I took a chance on this book, and was pleasantly surprised. This book is a rather dark coming-of-age story, replete with child abduction and parental hysteria. Young girls begin disappearing from a small German town, and eleven-year-old Pia Kolvenbach desperately hopes to solve the mystery. Pia is something of a misfit: her only friends are the similarly unpopular "StinkStefan," and her late grandmother's sometimes boyfriend. The elderly gentleman delights Pia and Stefan with regional folktales, which add to the ambiance for two youngsters in a town gripped with hysteria. As the town grows more fearful Pia faces her own problems, as her parents marriage is falling apart. These tales ultimately weave together into a dramatic conclusion. That conclusion will likely not surprise most readers, and as a whodunit, this book falls flat. As a more general work of fiction the book is stronger. Grant does a particularly good job of setting the scene, bringing the reader into the town of Bad Munstereifel. The holidays, the festivals, the landscape with all of its interesting corners for children to explore: all of these are vividly detailed. That said, I never did get a good sense of why Pia was so intent on solving the mystery. There's a small subplot about Pia's grandmother "exploding" (i.e. burning to death) at Christmastime. Theoretically this is what thrusts Pia into the depths of unpopularity. This was probably the weakest thread in the larger work. This is a book to read for the environment it creates.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Pia is a 10 year old girl in a small village in Germany whose life turns upside down when her grandmother "explodes" and girls start to go missing. The disappearances are a shock in the community, in which everyone seems to know everyone and which has been, until now, untouched by such crime.Grant is a very good writer and she particularly excels at giving a vivid picture of life in small-town Germany. She paints a setting that is at one moment cozy and inviting, and the next ominous and threatening. Pia's character is well-developed and gutsy; she's a fun narrator. There are some supernatural elements injected in the story as fairy tales and legends, told to Pia by a neighbor, come to life in her imagination. The story builds to an almost unbearable level of suspense as Pia and her friend try to solve the mystery, at times suspecting people in their town and at other times, suspecting that forces from another realm might be at work.The ending was a bit of a let-down. I can't really explain why without giving away spoilers, so I'll just say that some of the shocking twists weren't quite shocking to me, and some of the behavior of the characters toward the end was so illogical as to become frustrating and distracting.That is really my only quibble with what overall was a fantastic, creepy and atmospheric novel. Pia's astute perspective was at times funny which was a welcome relief from the fright induced by some parts of the novel. A very enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a coming of age story. Pia finds herself set apart from her school mates as a result of her grandmother's dramatic death by fire at the family Christmas celebration. Soon, her only friend is StinkStefan, another school outcast. As young girls begin to disappear in their small town, Pia and Stefan find themselves compelled to investigate. Set in a small German town in the late 1990s, with eccentric neighbors, old world customs and the memory of World War II still compelling, this is a quick read. Pia's life and worldview change completely, as her parents' marriage falls apart, her town becomes an unsafe place and someone she trusted is revealed to be not at all what she believes. I truly enjoyed this book, and would recommend it especially to young adults.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This novel started out with a great premise and a lively narrator, a young girl who is ostracized for having the bad luck to have had her Grandmother blown up. Long story, and it was told with sympathy and wit. I really was enjoying the story, especially the naive and spunky voice of the protaganist. The mystery begins with the disappearance of a young girl, Katherina, and then the story loses steam. It's almost as if too much is going on, and none of it terribly significant.That said, my understanding is now that it's a young adult title, rather than an adult one, which makes sense as the story was simplistic. One slightly petty note was that "until another child disappeared" was said so many times that it became anticlimactic when one actually did. She builds up drama but doesn't back it up with dramatic action.However, I think much needs to take into account the younger audience that is intended, to whom it may be just a perfect little mystery.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In a small town in Germany little girls begin to vanish. The main character, an eleven year old girl with a past that ostracizing her from her peers, begins searching for these missing girls. The history and folk stories of the town are weaved in and provides clues for the current mystery at hand. Searching for where the girls have gone and who is responsible brings old suspicions to the surface and divides that town. The story is a fun read. It has an almost supernatural mystery feel to it while maintaining a real world aspect. At times I wanted to slap the main character for being so difficult in situations, but overall it was an enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a charming book! Katharina becomes a social pariah in her elementary school after her grandmother spontaneously combusts during a family Chiristmas celebration. When children begin to disappear from the small German town where she lives, Katharina begins to investigate. The mystery is sound and Katharina's life is both hilarious and tragic. The only reason I didn't give this book a 5 is that the German terms slow the story from time to time.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I received an ARC copy of The Vanishing of Katharina Linden as part of the First Reads program. I was excited to receive this book because it seemed like it had a great plot. Missing girls that seem to magically disappear. A town giving in to stifling paranoia. A ten year old girl determined to figure out what's going on. Amazing premise! However, the book seemed to fall a bit short and I was very underwhelmed while reading it. The Vanishing of Katharina Linden doesn't really start off with a bang. But I can appreciate that. The author seemed to be going for more of a creepy build-up and it worked after about fifty pages in. But those initial fifty pages had me wondering whether or not I should put this down. I didn't because I really wanted to know what was going to happen, which brings me to my next point. The Vanishing of Katharina Linden got going around page 50, yet on page 60, I already guessed who the killer was (and ended up guessing right). It was completely predictable, especially since I guessed this. I'm not the type of reader who will try to guess who the killer is in any mystery. Sure, I suspect, but half of the fun of a mystery is going through the whole ride and then being completely shocked at who committed all the events. I'm fine with this premise as long as it makes sense and isn't throwing a curveball just to throw a curveball. But if you guess who the killer is at the beginning, it kind of sucks the fun out of the mystery. Another thing that bothered me was Pia's character. She just seemed to be all over the place. I didn't find her endearing, mostly just irritating and her friend Stefan, even moreso. They acted very irrational for ten year olds. Yes, I know that ten year olds aren't the most rational of human beings. But I don't think any ten year old would go through the lengths those kids did in trying to find out who was kidnapping little girls considering it would be life-threatening. I know I would've never done that at ten years old. Sure, I would've been curious, but I would never go out and single-handedly try to stop it. I would be thinking that my life would be at stake. So, while, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden did end up to be a page-turner and literally kept me at the edge of my seat (particularly in the last 50 pages), I still thought it was just okay. It could've been great, but it was just too predictable. Plus, it left me with unanswered questions regarding how the kidnapper didn't kidnap one who was so close in the midst. It was just a "suspend belief" moment. It was just "meh".
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love Pia, she reminds me a little of Flavia de Luce. I found this story to be poignant, amusing, suspenseful. I can't remember the last time I read a book taking place in Germany that didn't have to do with the Holocaust. This setting was a nice change of pace. The writing was perfect, I can't believe this is the author first book. I highly recommend this novel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Vanishing of Katharina Linden is an entertaining, well written thriller with young-adult crossover appeal. The heroine, plucky Pia, spends as much time worrying about her summer vacation as about the fate of several girls gone missing in her cozy German suburb. Pia and her friend, fellow misfit Stefan, try to find out what happened, and the answer is something none of them expect. A light and quick read, fans of MATHILDA SAVITCH will enjoy this suspenseful, fast-paced novel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Drenched in hair-spray, Kristel Kolvenbach struck a match to light the Advent Wreath on December 20, 1998. In her haste, she dropped the match onto her lacquer-drenched mohair sweater and burst into flame. For the next year, ten-year old Pia Kolvenbach would be shunned and looked upon with suspicion in the small German town of Bad Munstereifel as the girl whose grandmother exploded. According to Frau Kessel, it was this event that harbinged the onset of The Evil. Abandoned by all her previous friends, Pia pals around with another unpopular child, Stefan Breuer, known as StinkStefan.Shortly after the New Year, young girls, girls the age of Pia, began to disappear from the village, seemingly into thin air -- the first was Katharina Linden. Caught up in the town's fear and paranoia, Pia and Stefan find solace in scary folk tales about the town's history told by the ancient Herr Schilling, who treats the children as intelligent beings. Pia and Stefan begin to uncover clues about the town's old secrets and sleuth for the mystery of the girls' disappearance.I found the mystery entertaining, suspenseful and a quick read, but it struck me as more as a young-adult book than a layered adult mystery. It is as much a rite-of-passage story as a thriller. The folklore is cleverly interwoven into the tale, and adds to a satisfying read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Young girls are mysteriously vanishing in a small German town. Pia and her friend Stephan try to solve the mystery and they find out that similar disappearances have occurred before. While the police look only to physical evidence . . . Pia goes to an elderly storyteller to see if the answers might be more of a supernatural nature.The book was well written and I liked the present day German setting and the smattering of German language and culture, however, this book was only a so-so read for me. I didn't really find the main character very interesting--rather passive really, and the solution to the mystery seemed a little overly explained at the end . . . I was like: if they knew all that, why didn't they get the killer 40 years ago.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked that this book was a fun quick read. There were parts in the middle where it started really slowing down and at the end I feel like everything happened all at once. I wish there had been a little more action throughout the book and not just all at the end where everything and everyone seemed to go crazy. I really liked the feeling I got about the German town they lived in, the author really made that come alive for me. I was also hoping for a happier ending, but felt a little let down when finishing it. It seemed with lighter book like this the ending was very heavy and depressing. The good outweigh the bads for this one and I felt like I enjoyed the book the whole time I was reading it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Although the book is titled The Vanishing of Katharina Linden, she only plays a brief part in this novel. The heroine is Pia Kolvenbach, almost eleven ,who has an awful problem. Her grandmother, Oma Kristel was horribly burned and died after a terrible accident. Her fellow classmates think she exploded and that Pia might do the same, so she is ostracized by them and has only one friend known as StinkStefan. She is also friendly with an elderly resident Herr Schiller who tells her and Stefan story tales reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm. Living in a small German village, Bad Munstereifel, she is allowed freedom to explore the area until Katharina disappears without trace. Then another girl disappears.She then decides that with the help of Stefan, she will solve the crime and the two of them proceed to do so, not realizing the danger they will put themselves in.Readers who enjoy reading stories about young sleuths will find this novel to their liking.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When I went into reading The Vanishing of Katharina Linden I wasn't sure what to expet. I got a little bit into it and ended up putting it away for a couple weeks. I picked it up a couple weeks later because I feel obligated to do it. It's an honor to receive a ER copy. I was pleased that I gave it a second shot. Maybe my mood was different and maybe that played a large part but this isn't a thriller by any stretch. But you can really savor the history and feel like your a part of this German village with it's rich culture and traditions. Pia was a fantastic, wise beyond her years, sweet ten year old girl. The pacing was a little off I felt but the strong writing really kept me going. I'm not sure if I would recommend this to many people but I am glad I took the time to finish it.