On the Heights: A Novel

By Berthold Auerbach

(3.5 stars) • 10 reviews

Amidst royal duties and societal expectations, a peasant woman must confront an impossible sacrifice when she's chosen to nurse the royal child, changing her life and testing the boundaries between worlds.

Genres

Literature Fiction

Released

2010-07-30

Formats

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Summary

"On the Heights: A Novel" by Berthold Auerbach is a story set in a 19th-century royal summer palace focused on the lives of the queen, Dr. Gunther, the royal physician, and Walpurga, a young peasant woman selected to be the royal child's nurse. The novel explores themes of duty, love, and the differences between the lives of nobles and commoners. The book starts on a pretty morning at the palace, during an early mass. Key characters are introduced like Dr. Gunther and the queen. The story then centers on Walpurga, who is awaiting the birth of the child. The story shows her emotions about becoming the royal child's nurse and reveals her worries and dreams, all while having to leave her family behind. The interactions between the characters show the different jobs and wants that connect them to their own worlds.