The Luck of the Weissensteiners (The Three Nations Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF
Author: Christoph Fischer
anyone into something they did not want to do and so she let Maria quietly steal herself back to the fields, where the girl could be as isolated as she wanted to be and so suffer less from the social pressures on the farm. Gunter was also extremely pleased about the new developments on the farm, mainly because of the superior cooking. All three children were content with the new situation and Benedikt’s wife Johanna was relieved too that a competent woman had taken all these unwanted tasks of her hands. She did not form a strong bond with Elizabeth but was polite and thankful to her – much more than Benedikt would have expected from his otherwise cold and closed wife.
Oskar and his bo ys obeyed the laws of the ruling patriarch and accepted his role as teacher and leader without the slightest hint of questioning his authority, which pleased Benedikt no end. Everyone seemed happy.
A fter only a few times of her and Wilhelm meeting in the barn, Greta became pregnant and the young Prussian – despite his feelings towards her still being a little unsure - decided to do the right thing by her and proposed. Now that fate or bad luck had tied him to the bibliophile woman he became aware of the reasons behind his earlier hesitations.
Greta was more of a muse and a fantasy lover to him than a woman he would have chosen to marry. Too many practicalities were speaking against it and he did not even know if she could cook and be a good wife. It was his code o f honour that forbid him walking away from her now. They got married in a civil ceremony in 1934 with little Karl already showing through her wedding dress.
Wilhelm ’s family was not particularly pleased with this marriage either but felt it only right that no Winkelmeier child should ever be brought up a bastard. When Wilhelm told the family about her background, Oskar had raised the issue of having a Jewish wife in these difficult times but Elizabeth made him see that the damage was already done and that there was no other Christian way out of this situation. A Christian solution was not necessarily something that would have mattered to Benedikt, but he was fond of the idea of grandchildren and the continuation of the family. The sooner this process began, the more he would be able to personally pass on and mould the next generation; a thought that was dear to someone who was so self-loving and arrogant, and so he gave his blessing. Besides, the bride was not an official Jew and her presence would destroy any ideas his daughters might have about the handsome young book seller.
After the wedding , Greta and Wilhelm lived together in a small room on the farm and soon after the birth of their son, when she was not nursing little Karl, Greta was called upon to help on the farm. Having been brought up so liberally by her father, she initially found it difficult to adjust to the new harsh climate where Benedict dictated what would be done and where she had the lowest part in the female pecking order. Working in the fields would have taken her too far away from Karl, so for most of the day she was made to cook and clean. Greta hardly managed to read, so exhausted was she in the evenings. She had to take orders from both Johanna and Elizabeth and while the latter was gentle and caring, the former could not have given a damn about the ‘Jewish whore’ who had trapped ‘her’ beloved handsome Berlin boy into marriage.
Wilhelm got promoted to assistant buyer at his book shop, a favour to the family out of respect for his new role as young father. He came home even later every day and then still had to read or work till late at night. Jonah had offered for them to live with him in Bratislava at the workshop, but Johanna and Elizabeth both were heavily opposed to the young family living with Jews. For the sake of peace and with one eye on the political situation in Germany, the Weissensteiners agreed that the farm would be a much safer place for the little boy to grow up.
Greta
Oskar and his bo ys obeyed the laws of the ruling patriarch and accepted his role as teacher and leader without the slightest hint of questioning his authority, which pleased Benedikt no end. Everyone seemed happy.
A fter only a few times of her and Wilhelm meeting in the barn, Greta became pregnant and the young Prussian – despite his feelings towards her still being a little unsure - decided to do the right thing by her and proposed. Now that fate or bad luck had tied him to the bibliophile woman he became aware of the reasons behind his earlier hesitations.
Greta was more of a muse and a fantasy lover to him than a woman he would have chosen to marry. Too many practicalities were speaking against it and he did not even know if she could cook and be a good wife. It was his code o f honour that forbid him walking away from her now. They got married in a civil ceremony in 1934 with little Karl already showing through her wedding dress.
Wilhelm ’s family was not particularly pleased with this marriage either but felt it only right that no Winkelmeier child should ever be brought up a bastard. When Wilhelm told the family about her background, Oskar had raised the issue of having a Jewish wife in these difficult times but Elizabeth made him see that the damage was already done and that there was no other Christian way out of this situation. A Christian solution was not necessarily something that would have mattered to Benedikt, but he was fond of the idea of grandchildren and the continuation of the family. The sooner this process began, the more he would be able to personally pass on and mould the next generation; a thought that was dear to someone who was so self-loving and arrogant, and so he gave his blessing. Besides, the bride was not an official Jew and her presence would destroy any ideas his daughters might have about the handsome young book seller.
After the wedding , Greta and Wilhelm lived together in a small room on the farm and soon after the birth of their son, when she was not nursing little Karl, Greta was called upon to help on the farm. Having been brought up so liberally by her father, she initially found it difficult to adjust to the new harsh climate where Benedict dictated what would be done and where she had the lowest part in the female pecking order. Working in the fields would have taken her too far away from Karl, so for most of the day she was made to cook and clean. Greta hardly managed to read, so exhausted was she in the evenings. She had to take orders from both Johanna and Elizabeth and while the latter was gentle and caring, the former could not have given a damn about the ‘Jewish whore’ who had trapped ‘her’ beloved handsome Berlin boy into marriage.
Wilhelm got promoted to assistant buyer at his book shop, a favour to the family out of respect for his new role as young father. He came home even later every day and then still had to read or work till late at night. Jonah had offered for them to live with him in Bratislava at the workshop, but Johanna and Elizabeth both were heavily opposed to the young family living with Jews. For the sake of peace and with one eye on the political situation in Germany, the Weissensteiners agreed that the farm would be a much safer place for the little boy to grow up.
Greta