Mary Sharratt's new book , Summit Avenue , is a great novel about a German immigrant to the USA . Kathrin Albrecht, a German teenager when her mother dies, emigrates to the USA to start her American dream. The historical detail about Minneapolis is very fascinating, and the reader gets a better understanding of the living conditions of young female immigrants to the USA in the beginning of the 20th century. The details about Germans in the USA during WW1 are interesting. Also very fascinating is the use of fairy tales throughtout the book. The book is divided into 3 sections, and each section has a fairy tale that forms the backbone of this specific phase Kathrin goes through in life. The fairy tales are vry different from the fairy tales one reads a lot these days -- they are full of original images, and do not have a happy ending. They have nothing in common with the happy endings we know from Walt Disney. The real end of the book however is very beautiful, full of hope and love.

This is a poetic novel of longing, the timeless story of a young woman yearning to find herself and her place in an unfamiliar world. As an immigrant steeped in the fairy tales of her native Germany, Kathrin struggles to build a new life in the flour mills of Minneapolis during the World War I era. She perseveres in learning English, dreams of books and college and being loved. Unexpectedly swept into a different world by an elegant and cultured woman who hires her to translate German folk tales, Kathrin soon arrives at an emotional crossroads. The author does a lovely job of blending rich historical detail with the psychological and emotional resonances of ancient folk tales. Readers will be swept away by the story and yet think long afterward about its many layers. This is one of my favorite books of the year.

SUMMIT AVENUE is a great pick for book discussion groups, because different readers can find many different things in the book. It explores archetypal psychology, working class women in the early twentieth century, fairy tales and women's inner lives and dreams. It's also a love story and a spiritual quest. There's plenty there for both the mind and the heart and soul. Highly recommended.