Sisters from Berlin

Berlin, 1952. In a divided Germany, post-war reconstruction is still under way and people are returning to a relatively normal life. The differences between the two parts of the city are deepening, but the Thalheim Fashion House is flourishing. Thanks to the eldest sister, Rike, the clothing creations they offer are in high demand, and through their family friend Markus, the Thalheims have also broken into the world of theatre and film.

 Silvie, the only sister who decided on a career outside the fashion house, also wants to enjoy life to the full. She is thriving at the radio station, and her new show, called Voices, features leading cultural figures, causing Silvie's popularity to grow instantly with each new broadcast. A charismatic actor enters her life, and it seems that everything is going her way.

 But the apparent idyll is just the calm before the storm. The male side of the family refuses to let the women run the business on their own. Their father has appointed Oskar to run the company, but he proves not to be disciplined enough for the position. When the Thalheims are threatened by a hated rival and the rebellious youngest sister, Florentine, causes the family trouble, Silvie is forced to decide what is truly important to her. Rike needs help running the fashion house and is pressuring her younger sister to get involved. And so Silvie must choose between her innate desire for freedom and the responsibilities that come with being a Thalheim.

 The second volume of the family saga is also full of surprises. Brigitte Riebe once again succeeds in weaving historical events into the fictional stories of her protagonists with a fresh style. And so their fates, too, are directly affected by, for example, the workers' uprising that breaks out in the eastern part of the country on 17 June 1953…

German writer Brigitte Riebe (1953) studied history and worked as a publishing house editor. At the age of thirty-seven, she quit her job to become a freelance author. She has written several dozen novels, either under her own name or hidden behind one of her pseudonyms. Her books have enjoyed enormous readership success and have been translated into many languages. Brigitte describes herself as curious and sceptical, but she believes in miracles. She is known for her thorough research and the psychological depth of her literary characters. She lives with her husband in Munich.