Depicting a young womans life in Nazi Germany, a masterpiece from the author of Child of All NationsI cannot think of anything else that conjures up so powerfully the atmosphere of a nation turned insane Sunday TelegraphNineteen-year-old Sanna just wants to drink her beer in peace, but thats difficult when Hitler has come to town and his motorcade is blocking the streets of Frankfurt. Whats more, her best friend Gerti is in love with a Jewish boy, her brother writes books that have been blacklisted and her own aunt may denounce her to the authorities at any moment, as Germany teeters on the edge of the abyss. Written after she had fled the Nazi regime, Irmgard Keuns masterly novel captures the feverish hysteria and horror of the era with devastating perceptiveness and humour.