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Dangerous Spring
An autobiographical novel that describes the experiences of a German doctor's family in eastern Germany during the final days of the war. The heroine is sixteen-year-old Karin Lorenz who has fallen in love with an anti-Nazi pastor twelve years her senior. When the American army occupies the town, Karin serves as a translator and assists in the release of the prisoners in the nearby Buchenwald concentration camp."The historical events in this book are based on my own and my husband's diaries of this period. This is exactly how we lived through the last days of the war. So, as an historical document, it has the positive truth of personal experience, along with the possible bias of personal feelings. The story, however, and the characters are entirely fictional." - Benary-Isbert
252 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1961
58 people want to read
About the author
Margot Benary-Isbert
23 books38 followersGerman-born children’s author known for her "depictions of humane, realistic characters."
Benary-Isbert attended the College St. Carolus and the University of Frankfurt. She worked as a secretary at the Museum of Ethnology and Anthropology in Frankfurt, Germany from 1910-1917, when she married Wilhelm Benary. They settled in Erfurt, in East Germany.
When the Russians took over Germany, she fled to the apartment of a friend in West Germany. In 1948 she wrote Die Arche Noah (The Ark). In 1953 it received a first prize at the New York Herald Tribune's Spring Book Festival. Post-war Germany became a common theme in most of her works.
In 1952 she moved to the United States, where she was naturalized in 1957 and worked as a writer until her death. She received the Jane Addams Children's Book Award from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in 1957 for "Annegret und Cara".
Most of Benary-Isbert's books were originally written and published in German; some were later translated into English and published again.
Benary-Isbert attended the College St. Carolus and the University of Frankfurt. She worked as a secretary at the Museum of Ethnology and Anthropology in Frankfurt, Germany from 1910-1917, when she married Wilhelm Benary. They settled in Erfurt, in East Germany.
When the Russians took over Germany, she fled to the apartment of a friend in West Germany. In 1948 she wrote Die Arche Noah (The Ark). In 1953 it received a first prize at the New York Herald Tribune's Spring Book Festival. Post-war Germany became a common theme in most of her works.
In 1952 she moved to the United States, where she was naturalized in 1957 and worked as a writer until her death. She received the Jane Addams Children's Book Award from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in 1957 for "Annegret und Cara".
Most of Benary-Isbert's books were originally written and published in German; some were later translated into English and published again.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 5, 2021
A gem of a coming-of-age story. There are definitely a few things I'll be transcribing into my commonplace book.
February 11, 2023
Loved this story! A glimpse into life in Germany in the final days of WW2. Perfect for older teens and adults.
January 26, 2018
nice love story set in true to life setting
April 15, 2025
I've been loving the books by Benary-Isbert describing the effect of ww2 on Germany.
August 1, 2008
This book really opened my eyes about WWII Germany. There were lots of names and places that were a little difficult for me to keep track of (as they were mostly unfamiliar to me), but it didn't make the story too hard to follow. It was fascinating to read about civilians from a variety of political backgrounds coming to a realization of what the war really meant to each of them on a personal level.
Benary-Isbert's talent for describing nature and the simple details of a home-spun life make a striking contrast to the horrors surrounding the concentration camps and prisoners-of-war. However, those horrors - while not glossed over - are not related in a disturbing or graphic way. Instead, the perspective is one of deep humility and hope for survival and homecoming.
It is really a fantastic book. I only gave it four stars instead of five because it was a little too deep and melancholy for me to want to read it over and over again.
Benary-Isbert's talent for describing nature and the simple details of a home-spun life make a striking contrast to the horrors surrounding the concentration camps and prisoners-of-war. However, those horrors - while not glossed over - are not related in a disturbing or graphic way. Instead, the perspective is one of deep humility and hope for survival and homecoming.
It is really a fantastic book. I only gave it four stars instead of five because it was a little too deep and melancholy for me to want to read it over and over again.
July 19, 2014
I always enjoy Margot Benary-Isbert and her depictions of the sufferings of ordinary Germans who never liked Hitler (and you believe them). This one is about a young girl and an older pastor in the countryside who are drawn to each other but fear they are not meant to be life partners despite their mutual admiration and attraction. Their story unfolds against the last few months before Germany officially loses the war, when the girl, her mother, brother, and all of their livestock take in the rural parsonage from the threat of bombs in the cities. I didn't love it as much as the others (especially her Ark series) but I did enjoy it.
August 4, 2016
great job of capturing home life in the end of WW2 Germany
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews