Christine

Christine, a glorious novel by the incomparable Elizabeth von Arnim, is well worth purchasing as a great read; or as part of any serious collector's literary collection. Consistent with all of Elizabeth Von Arnim's books, Christine's vision of the human heart and its struggle to survive on higher ground in a paradoxical world of beauty and pain soars here. Written at the entree of World War I from the point of view of a young English woman living in Germany and poised to take the world by storm as a classical musician, Christine poignantly presents the dilemma of 'the young' and 'innocent,' who become tragically caught in the cross-hairs of war as few books can. Very few works present such a powerful protest against war itself. As seen through the eyes of "Christine," her suffering is not collateral damage, but an indictment of humanity itself. The story of Christine was no doubt particularly painful for Elizabeth von Arnim for, though she herself was able to escape to England at the outset of World War I, her daughter, Felicitas, was not as fortunate.