Gerta

A Novel

By: Kateřina Tučková, Véronique Firkusny - translator

Narrated by: Liza Seneca

The award-winning novel by Czech author Kateřina Tučková - her first to be translated into English - about the fate of one woman and the pursuit of forgiveness in a divided postwar world.

1945. Allied forces liberate Nazi-occupied Brno, Moravia. For Gerta Schnirch, daughter of a Czech mother and a German father aligned with Hitler, it’s not deliverance; it’s a sentence. She has been branded an enemy of the state. Caught in the changing tides of a war that shattered her family - and her innocence - Gerta must obey the official order: she, along with all ethnic Germans, is to be expelled from Czechoslovakia. With nothing but the clothes on her back and an infant daughter, she’s herded among thousands, driven from the only home she’s ever known. But the injustice only makes Gerta stronger, more empowered, and more resolved to seek justice. Her journey is a relentless quest for a seemingly impossible forgiveness. And one day, she will return.

Spanning decades and generations, Kateřina Tučková’s breathtaking novel illuminates a long-neglected episode in Czech history. One of exclusion and prejudice, of collective shame versus personal guilt, all through the eyes of a charismatic woman whose courage will affect all the lives she’s touched. Especially that of the daughter she loved, fought for, shielded, and would come to inspire.

©2009 by Kateřina Tučková. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Translation © 2021 by Véronique Firkusny.

Critic reviews

“The story is an unvarnished chronicle of a young woman doing what she must to protect herself and her daughter.”—Historical Novel Society

“I think [Gerta] is beautiful and relevant. One of its basic themes is the expulsion of the German population from Czechoslovakia after the Second World War, but as a whole the novel carries a much broader theme that seems crucial to me today—that the mutual problems between people and nations will not be solved simply by an acknowledgment, and not even by an apology. An apology is just the beginning. We can admit our own guilt, take it on ourselves, but an even more difficult and important step, which is not spoken of so much and for which there are no laws or entitlements, is forgiveness—whether toward others or toward ourselves. For me, Gerta is a book about forgiveness.”—Alice Nellis, director of the Czech TV adaptation of Gerta (English translation by Véronique Firkusny)

“A great book…Immediately after reading, [Gerta] is unforgettable…Although she certainly did not plan for it, Katerina Tucková wrote a novel that should be required reading.”—Jan Hübsch, Lidovky

gave it a chance

I'm not usually a quitter with books and I feel I gave this one enough time to grab me. But no. I'm not sure if it was the story or performance - most likely a combination. Neither had enough emotion to convey the awful happenings.

Great will touch your heart!

So little has been written about the Czech Germans and their plight after WWll. This was a terrifying and amazing journey.

Deeply Touched

I found the story moving and informative. The narrator contributed to my ability to comprehend more of the events of that era of history. She did an excellent job. It wasn't a book that left me feeling light hearted, but I came away knowing much more about people, good and bad and what we are capable of given the right set of circumstances. I read the written version some years ago and when the subject came up recently I recommended it to a friend then promptly downloaded the audio book and refreshed my memory. I'm very glad I did. I will read it again one day.

Too too long and convoluted

One of the most drawn out, and at times confusing to follow books I have listened to in a very long time. I was interested in the time and place of the story and learned a bit about some of the trials that the Czechs experienced following WW2. However it was at times hard to follow the thread from one chapter to another and I found it frustrating and distracting from the story. Also the reader was pretty awful. On the whole not a total waste of time but just barely.

Terrible, Boring, and Confusing

I hated this story. It was boring, confusing. and depressing. I never felt engaged. My husband and I had a difficult time following the story line.