The last time I read this, back in the eighties, the GDR was still alive and kicking (sort of ...) and nobody even dreamed of German reunification. So much has happened since then! Set in Leipzig in the early fifties, we get to know everyday life in the East with its shortages and pitfalls through the eyes of our young hero Thomas. The story is just what it promises, an endearing family chronicle set in rather unpleasant times.