{"product_id":"9780857424310","title":"The Last Country","description":"\u003cbr\u003eWinner of the 2015 Arno Reinfrank Literaturpreis\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e“\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eRuven\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003ePreuk\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003estands apart from the village, on an August day in 1911, and listens.”\u003c\/i\u003e Thus begins an epic \u003ci\u003ebildungsroman\u003c\/i\u003e about the life of Ruven Preuk, son of the wainwright, child of a sleepy village in Germany’s north, where life is both simple and harsh.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRuven, though, is neither. He has the ability to see sounds, leading him to discover an uncanny gift for the violin. When he meets a talented teacher in the Jewish quarter, Ruven falls under the spell of a prodigious future. But as the twentieth century looms, Ruven’s pursuit of his craft takes a turn. In \u003ci\u003eThe Last Country\u003c\/i\u003e, Svenja Leiber spins a tale that moves from the mansions of a disappearing aristocracy to a communist rebellion, from a joyous village wedding to a Nazi official’s threats, from the First World War to the Second. As the world Ruven knows disappears, the gifted musician must grapple with an important question: to what end has he devoted himself to his art?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Seagull Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47027264717040,"sku":"9780857424310","price":24.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780857424310_p0.jpg?v=1763825570","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780857424310","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}