The "Caviar" book is at least 40 years old and outdated.

Jan de Hartog's The Little Ark - a wonderful novel about 2 children literally adrift during the huge flood in the Netherlands in the early 50s. It is not a children's book even though the main characters are kids.

I usually avoid Oprah's picks like the Plague, but "Stones from the River" by Ursula Hegi was a phenomenal read. Set in Nazi Germany, it narrates the changes and drama in the lifes of some people living in a small German city while WWII was unfolding, all as seen by the protagonist, a dwarf.

I just finished "Stones from the River" as well and really enjoyed it. As Maira said, the perspective given is like no other book, very different. <BR><BR> I've been to Dusseldorf and she mentions it frequently. Little things like that mean a lot to me when I'm reading. (Like coming back from Venice and seeing a travel show on it shortly after) It gives me a place in the world.

Hallo Kay,<BR><BR>I can recommend a number of German books but I have no idea if they have been translated into English, and if so whether that translation captured the original.<BR><BR>One book that I can unreservedly recommend for a picture of Berlin life from around 1930 until shortly before the war is Wolfdietrich Schnurre's "When Father's Beard was Red". This is a novel in the form of a number of loosely connected stories, told through the eyes of a young boy who is about ten at the beginning of the book.<BR><BR>Some other German writers to look out for are:<BR>Erich Kastner; Ingeborg Bachmann; Franz F&uuml;hmann (East German); Siegfried Lenz; Konrad Lorenz (Austrian Nobel Prize winner in the field of animal behaviour - his biogrpahy of his father, an eminent surgeon, is most entertaining); Ludwig Spoerl; Hans Fallada.<BR><BR>I guess the very fact that a work has ben translated is guarantee enough of its wider appeal.<BR><BR>Harzer

I realize this is an old post, but just for the record:<BR><BR>I second the suggestion for the Netherlands of Corrie ten Boom's "The Hiding Place". It is a true account of how she hid Jews during WWII. You can also visit her home in Haarlem and see the actual hiding place.<BR><BR>For Germany, try reading Christopher Isherwood's "Berlin Stories". These stories were part of what made up the musical "Cabaret".

"The Discovery of Heaven" by Harry Mulisch (movie by the same name). Thick enough to keep you busy for a while!

I would definitely recommend "Stones from the River" by Ursula Hegi. Excellent book.

Try the tulip chapter form The Botany of Desire (by Michael(?) Pollen for Holland and tulip-mania; in fact, while you are at it, read the whole book. Its a marvel.<BR>Also, I second the motion for Nicolas Freeling's Van der Valk esp. Because of the Cats, and if you are planning to visit France check out the Castang stories by the same author.

I just finished "The Good German" by Joseph Kanon which takes place in Berlin immediately following the war. I found it extremely interesting as it was part historical, part mystery and part human nature/love story. It was written by the same person who wrote Los Alamos- about the German scientists.

<BR>For a glimpse into East German Literature and History, I'd recommend:<BR><BR>"The Tango Player" by Christoph Hein (enchanting and accessible book that prognosticates the collapse of the GDR government, through the story of a fallen lecturer, just out of East German prison)<BR><BR><BR>

I enjoyed "The Girl with the Pearl Earring." It's a good book and helps you understand about life in Delft. But I would recommend reading it AFTER your trip. The fictional account of the subject of Vermeer's portrait kinda ruined the painting for me. The same way that a music video sometimes ruins a song - it was more enjoyable when you relied on your own imagination rather than someone else's interpretation.

I plan on reading 'Tulipomania' before I go to the Netherlands in April and I'm reading The Undutchables right now, and that is pretty entertaining as well as interesting!

It's been a while since I've read them, but Herman Hesse and Gunther Grass are quite interesting German authors (the first obviously being much earlier).

The Flounder by Grass is one of my all time favorite novels. Maybe something to do with the concept of three breasts.

If you visit Berlin Herr Lehmann or Neue Vahr S&uuml;d (english title?) are more recent books. Funny and easy to read.

Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister by Gregory McGuire is set in the Netherlands in the 17th century, and is the story of Cinderella told from the point of view of one of her sisters. I found it riveting---lots of detail (similar to the Girl with the Pearl Earring, but I believe Confessions was written first) and a whopping good story. If you've read Wicked, one of his other novels, and liked it, you will enjoy Confessions. (Although Wicked is much more philosophical than Confessions.)

&quot;Through the Gates of the Netherlands&quot; by Mary E. Waller, 1906. It is a great book. This is the account of a New England couple who packed up and moved to the Netherlands 100 years ago.

I've lived in Haarlem and I can assure you that many of the things you read in this book are right up to date, even a century after publication.

How about &quot;The Burgermeister's daughter : scandal in a 16th century German town&quot; by Steven Ozment? It takes place in Schwabish Hall, and deals with customs and morals of the time.
I read it after eating a meal in the restaurant which had been the setting for the book. Too bad I did not read it first.

one of my secret pleasures is the string of light romances by betty neel, nearly all set in the netherlands. i learned a great deal about dutch life and geography from them. you might be able to find used copies at amazon and alibris.