(Goodreads description)
1900s Austrian Tyrol. Fritz Hanny, confident and optimistic, enjoys the prestige of belonging to one of the most respected families in the Reschen Valley. When he falls in love with Cecilia, a young girl in a neighboring village, he is certain he has found his purpose in life. Already on his way to making his own fortune, Fritz pursues Cecilia only to be cut down by one external force after another. Disappointment, violence, and conflict turn Fritz into a desperate man. When the Great War ends, Fritz is trapped between two borders: on one side, the family he has. On the other, the family he wants.
This is a stand-alone novella and a prequel to No Man’s Land, the first book in the Reschen Valley series.
I have to say, very honestly, that this was not an easy story to read (and, I’m sure, it wasn’t easy to write either). Fritz, the protagonist, isn’t a very nice man. He is very egocentric, prone to obsessions, doesn’t mind using questionable means to reach his goals, and he certainly doesn’t shy away from violence. So yeah, it’s hard to root for him, especially as a woman.
Yet I had to admire the author’s ability to create – and to maintain – such a difficult character. I especially admire the author’s psychological study of Fritz’s personality: he always thinks he’s right, he only trusts very few people, but what I found particularly interesting – and realistic – is his obsession with Cecilia, the woman he idealises, and his parallel loathing for his own wife, Jutta, especially considering the terrible things he did to her. Fritz hates Jutta and his son, while on the other hand, he hates Cecilia’s husband for treating her the very same way Fritz treats Jutta and their son. I found this one of the most interesting aspects of the story.
The story is set at the very beginning of the 1900s in a valley in the Alps, a unique setting, not the sort you often see in stories set in the 1910s and 1920s. The author’s familiarity with the place and its culture emerges from the story’s details and the prose. I especially liked the episode of the festival for its vivid descriptions.
The story seems to end with no real closing, but it is indeed a sort of prequel for this character, that is part of Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger’s larger stories about the Reschen Valley. It is perfectly readable on its own, yet I’m sure that knowing the rest of the story, Fritz’s story arc will make a lot more sense.
As I said, not an easy read, though this was only for the subject matter. The writing style is instead very smooth and accompanies you through the story effortlessly. Well worth a read.
Read the interview with Chrystyna
Hi, I’m Sarah. I write historical fantasy set in the 1920s, and I read a lot, a lot of books set in the same era. On this blog, I regularly share book reviews of novels set in the 1920s (and sometimes 1910s and 1930s). If you love this kind of setting too ➡️ Subscribe to my newsletter
The Smuggler of Reschen Pass by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger (#BookReview) Fritz gets what he wants. By force.A dark, unsettling #Historical Fiction story set in Austria during the Great War. Share on XThe Smugglers of Reschen Pass
Book Excerpt
This was a girl I would have done anything for. I was in the presence of one of the gentlest, sweetest, more tender lasses I’d ever seen. Her golden hair fell about her shoulders. Blue eyes, the color of corn flowers, were framed by white-blond eyelashes. I was trying not to drown in that field of cornflowers. She had fair skin and a delicate nose with gracefully sculpted nostrils. I didn’t ask again whether I could help her. I would have moved mountains for her. I gestured for the shovel, and she handed it to me as if she had stolen it and was giving it up. I paused long enough to see a blush of shyness bloom over her cheeks, and my heart turned to putty.
I shoveled to the stable door. It did not take me but a few minutes, but in that time, I made the decision to come back for her.
When I leaned the shovel against the wall, I could barely look at her, so much it hurt.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
Her eyes skittered about.
I made a coxing sound, and her gaze landed on me, held steady. It took my breath away.
“Cecilia,” she whispered.
“Fritz. Fritz Hanny. From Reschen.” I left it at that. I was nervous, and Marcus was shouting for me to come.
I hiked back up and turned to see her one more time but she was gone. Had I imagined her?
“Who is she?” I asked Marius.
The Thursday Quotables was originally a weekly post created by Lisa Wolf for her book blog **Bookshelf Fantasy** . It isn’t a weekly post anymore, not even for Lisa, but just like her, I still love to share my favourite reads on Thursdays and I still use the original template which included an excerpt.
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