{"product_id":"9781529332087-the-lost-cafe-schindler","title":"The Lost Café Schindler","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne family, two wars and the search for truth\u003cbr\u003eMeriel Schindler tells the story of Café Schindler, blending memoir and family history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Rigorously researched, \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Café Schindler\u003c\/i\u003e successfully weaves together a compelling and at times deeply moving memoir and family history that also chronicles the wider story of the Jews of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It distinguishes itself through its combination of mystery and reconciliation.' -- \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eT2\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'In tilling the past Meriel has uncovered the most fascinating - and devastating - family history. \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Cafe Schindler\u003c\/i\u003e is not just a genealogical exploration, though; it sets out the wider experiences of the Jewish population of the Austro-Hungarian empire, weaving in the story of how antisemitism took root' -- \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'An impressively researched account of Jewish life in the Tyrol up to and during the Second World War' -- \u003ci\u003eEvening Standard\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eAn extraordinary story - so cadenced and so moving.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e-- Edmund de Waal, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Hare with Amber Eyes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eAn extraordinary and compelling book of reckonings - a journey across a long, complex and deeply painful arc of history, grippingly told - a wonderful melding of the personal and the political, the family and the historical.' -- Philippe Sands, author of \u003ci\u003eEast West Street\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A significant benefit for family historians is that her reading, sources and resources offer guidance that others might follow and use in their own research.' \u003ci\u003eWho Do You Think You Are?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A well-researched account.' -- \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The scale of the crimes committed during these years can never be fully comprehended, but through tales like these they become relatable and the sense of loss, shared.' -- \u003ci\u003ePress Association\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Compelling and beautifully written. a remarkable and inspiring story that attests to the strength and compassion of the human spirit in overcoming the tragedy of persecution. Fascinating family history.'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003cb\u003e-\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eDaily Express\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Schindler builds her story patiently, tracking her own journey in unravelling it'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e- \u003ci\u003ei\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e***\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKurt Schindler was an impossible man.  His daughter Meriel spent her adult life trying to keep him at bay.  Kurt had made extravagant claims about their family history. Were they really related to Franz Kafka and Oscar Schindler, of \u003ci\u003eSchindler's List\u003c\/i\u003e fame? Or Hitler's Jewish doctor - Dr Bloch? What really happened on Kristallnacht, the night that Nazis beat Kurt's father half to death and ransacked the family home? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Kurt died in 2017, Meriel felt compelled to resolve her mixed feelings about him, and to solve the mysteries he had left behind.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStarting with photos and papers found in Kurt's isolated cottage, Meriel embarked on a journey of discovery taking her to Austria, Italy and the USA.  She reconnected family members scattered by feuding and war. She pieced together an extraordinary story taking in two centuries, two world wars and a family business: the famous Café Schindler. Launched in 1922 as an antidote to the horrors of the First World War, this grand café became the whirling social centre of Innsbruck. And then the Nazis arrived. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThrough the story of the Café Schindler and the threads that spool out from it, this moving book weaves together memoir, family history and an untold  story of the Jews of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It explores the restorative power of writing, and offers readers a profound reflection on memory, truth, trauma and the importance of cake.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56450697331062,"sku":"9781529332087","price":11.72,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_40303428.jpg?v=1773290212","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781529332087-the-lost-cafe-schindler","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}