A bit dry. Overly detailed about the history of the time. You'll be reading an interesting passage about Erasmus or Daniel, for example, and *BOOM* the reader is taken into a three page history of the family tree or political party development . I found this distracting, as I wanted to get into the story at hand. On the good side, The story itself was interesting, especially taken into context of the time. I also enjoyed reading the translations of the love letters. Should appeal to German historians or those fascinated with 17th century customs.

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When I picked up this book to read I was not very sure as to what I was getting myself in for. The timing of my reading of this book is just incredible. The kinship that I feel for Anna (burgermeister's daughter) at this point in my life undoubtedly is due the similarity between her life and mine. While her alienation from her father can be partially blamed on her own actions if you believe the version that this book portrays her in, it is also her father's fault for the way he treated her once he kicked her out and tried sabotaging any type of help she was given by friends as well as relatives and then chaining her to a table leg for 6 months in the home she had been kicked out of! I am not sure that I would feel the same about this book if I was not now also experiencing the recent death of my father who alienated himself as well as 6 of my siblings from one other sibling and myself. Now we are as well going through the legal system to resolve his estate in which he left no Will. Luckily in my case the state of death has laws for just this type of case! In a time when men pretty much ruled and in the case of Anna her father was among those that ruled, she fought for her rights until her dying day at which time her second husband continued for at least 2 more years. I am not sure whether I would have had the stamina that she did to fight through the courts for decades against both her father and then her siblings! What a strong woman! If a strong female example is needed in your life Anna is certainly a good one for she never gave up once she believed she had been wronged!

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