2022
Reviews:
Since my book launch, I have had some feedback, and am thrilled to say, positive so far. It has been an amazing and rewarding journey and I have not reached the end yet...
29/9
R.
A most engaging read of the heart and history of intertwining families across two continents. The story spans almost a century through the conflict of war and the serendipity of peace. The author captures the soul of her title.
Thank you, I enjoyed your book.
29/9
T.
I got your book from Amazon, and read it over three sessions. You did really well I thought, in capturing the atmosphere of those days in the different sessions. A marvellous book. What's the next one!!
27/9
B.
Sepia explores history and human relationships over a 70-year period. The focus on Germans relocating to Australia after World War II is fascinating and feels quite original. The author provides a rich historical backdrop for the events that unfold.
20/9
C.
I really enjoyed your novel. So much so that I am going to read it again. Well done. Keep going I am looking forward to your next book.
19/9 C.
I feel bowled over
having finished your book. What a terrible revelation at the end, but there is
forgiveness at the end and that is really important.
You have covered a
huge span of time and skilfully followed all the players to Australia, where
many of these characters reconnected. It's absolutely amazing and I know that
this is a true story written from the heart. Your personal burden was heavy
from what you went through, and I can imagine how hard it must have been to put
pen to paper. I hope that its completion has brought you some relief.
Congratulations on a job so successfully completed.
Anyway, I have to
thank you for an intriguing read and one which has provided me with a lot of
information on how people survived those years.
28/8 M.
I am really enjoying your book.
9/8 K.
The reader is drawn in from the first glance of the artwork on the cover as well as by the title 'sepia' and the phrases 'if only he hadn't' and 'if only she had'. Your curiosity is aroused and continues to be throughout the story as you follow those characters who leave their home country of Germany and emigrate to their adopted country of Australia. The grim reality of the time in history affects the reader powerfully as the story is conveyed not as a cold hard factual narrative but rather through the moving story telling of the impact on the characters' families and friends.
22/7 H.
I just finished your book. It really touched me on so many levels. Thank you, it was amazing and I will recommend it to others.
26/8 M.
Werner and Heinz are
adolescents living separately with their families in Germany during World War
II. They train for military service at youth camps and become friends. Cayzer’s
novel is narrated in 2013 by Sigrid. Her brother Heinz died at the end of the
war during mysterious and tragic circumstances involving his friend Werner.
Sigrid now lives in Australia and reflects on what could have happened,
differently 70 years previously. Could her brother have survived?
Werner was 10 in 1942, active
and interested in music and sport. Heinz was about the same age, and they were
drafted into the Hitler Youth organisation where they were indoctrinated in
National socialistic propaganda. The nation at that time is held in the grip of
leaders who demand discipline and punish independent thinking.
The author alternates chapters
with sombre wartime events, with aesthetic interest in artworks. The story
jumps forward to Australia, where Sigrid has lived since 1966. Her
granddaughter Isabella visits from her home in Gladstone. The two have
travelled together previously and they enjoy cultural experiences and
recollections.
At the end of the war, Heinz is
shot dead by a liberating British soldier. Sigrid gradually understands the
complex circumstances, involving Werner. He is badly affected by what happened
to Heinz and tries to escape his past by emigrating to Australia, where he is
employed as a carpenter on the Snowy Mountains hydroelectric development.
Werner is an ambitious man, studies hard, goes to university and becomes a
medical doctor.
In post-war Germany, Sigrid
recounts privations and the feeling of collective guilt among her countrymen.
She finishes school and becomes an office worker in Frankfurt. Friendly with
several men and women, she leads an active social life, going to jazz clubs,
where she meets Wolfgang, a boyfriend and art aficionado. They emigrate to
Australia in 1966.
In Australia, living at the
Wacol immigration centre with Wolfgang, Sigrid has a curious eye for the
people’s idiosyncrasies and language use in this strange land. She studies at
the Kangaroo Point Technical College and becomes a secretary to an accountant.
She works hard, suffering personal hardship, but perseveres, goes to university
and gains a BA. Then after five years of research, she is awarded a PhD degree
and works as a teacher at the university.
Sigrid is positive in her
regard for Australia, her adopted country. She is treated fairly and is able to
take advantage of many opportunities.
Her relationship with Wolfgang
disintegrates and she finds herself alone and survives by hard work and the
help of friends. Sigrid eventually meets Werner, who is by now in his 80s. Will
she forgive him for the death of her brother when the boys were 13? Did Werner
betray Heinz, or was the betrayal as in all wars, when innocents are betrayed
by individuals who have been weaponized by unscrupulous leaders?
Herlinde Cayzer’s story is the
reconstruction of a tragedy which was held over from wartime, for consideration
and closure when key characters meet up, far away and under more favourable
circumstances, in Australia. Her writing exposes their emotions and ambitions.
It is informative and insightful about the situation of ordinary families in
Germany, who at the time are too fearful of ruthless leaders to oppose their
excesses. The story has closure and ends with optimism for the future.
Reviewed by Martin Knox, author. August 25th, 2022
Cayzer’s ambitious historical novel spans seven decades, from the 1940s in Germany to 2013 in Australia, addressing themes of resilience and forgiveness. The three main characters are children in Germany as the Nazis consolidate their power. Young Sigrid and her mother, who does not support the regime, escape to a marginal existence in the German countryside; after the war they relocate to Australia for a fresh start. Forced into the Hitler Youth program, Sigrid’s older brother, Heinz, never internalizes the Nazi indoctrination, but his friend Werner willingly accepts the propaganda. Horrors that Werner witnesses change his life, trailing him into old age and haunting the novel, as does the mystery of what happened to Heinz, as Cayzer connects the three’s stories, known and unknown, through a sepia photograph displayed in Sigrid’s home.
Sigrid, Heinz, and Werner are complex characters caught up in the events of history, and their stories—told in alternating chapters of past and present—resonate and intrigue as the novel builds to its satisfying final revelations. Readers expecting a page-turner, however, should know that Cayzer’s interest is often more in the sweep of time and history than swift commercial storytelling, with Sepia offering passages of historical facts and detailed summaries of the characters’ lives and cultural interests. Unexpected leaps into the heads of minor characters and a tendency toward grand musings on the part of an omniscient narrator (“…the primeval nature of the species took its natural, ecstatic and climactic course”) also diminish the narrative urgency.
Cayzer proves attentive to the horrors of the Nazi regime but also to the pleasures and pain of life afterwards, as her characters face the past and each other. Dialogue scenes are intimate, revealing, and often witty as the novel immerses readers in these lives and takes the measure of time, trauma, loss, and all that’s worth holding on to. Sprinkled throughout the pages are pencil sketches of characters and settings that add charm.
Takeaway: This historical novel charts three extraordinary lives from 1940s Germany to 21st century Australia.
Great for fans of: Kelly Rimmer, Alexander Starritt.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B
15/7 J.
I settled with a good story! I anticipated that the two families' threads would come together by the end, and wanted to know how they would do so, how Sigrid and Werner would meet each other. Although it's novel, I take it the youth camps were a thing - that's a facet of that time I hadn't known about, and you painted evocative pictures of time and place, and the descriptions of different countries and landscapes were effective. Congratulations on your creative work, Herlinde!
12/7 S.
...great read, have yet to read the end...
7/7 S.
What a wonderful launch, as a ship to an ocean of readers, and so may sepia navigate the globe and see you master literary utopia.
7/7 K.
Congratulations on your book launch. I
watched the YouTube clips and you had a great turn out of support, which is
wonderful. It’s a very captivating read and I look forward to the next book!
6/7 D.
It was a joy working with you on sepia, and I know you'll keep enjoying your author status. It's a great accomplishment. Well done.
Wednesday, 13 July
Since receiving the
delivery of my first three boxes of my new baby, I have had a book launch which
left me very pleased and happy. I was overwhelmed by the number of supporters, writing buddies, friends and family. I can happily report that it was a great and successful night.
Monday, 13 June
 |
| my first 3 boxes |
Saturday, 4 June
 |
| my first copy |
Friday, 3 June
Received the actual book today. Yay. And the promo poster yesterday. Watch for the date with details of the launch :)
Tuesday, 31 May
Looks like the release date will be 30 June 2022. I am waiting to receive one printed copy before ordering en masse - well, not quite. Am looking at venues for a launch. I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, 19 May
Donna is uploading the book onto Ingram Sparks. A very exciting prospect.
Sunday 1 May
I am working on the final final final edits with Donna. Getting very close to publishing. Yay - this year, I hope :)
Wednesday 23 March
Received constructive and encouraging suggestions on my first three chapters from Queensland Writers Centre's Chris Grace.
Wednesday 8 March
Received another of Donna's awesome edits. I feel it is all coming together nicely. What a fantastic and exciting journey. I'll keep you posted...
Sunday 2 January
Going through Linda's edits I am in awe of her editing skills. My reprinted version is now ready for another edit. I am happy with a new drawing of two protagonists, aided by the fabulous Geoff Ginn. I have had uplifting feedback about the calendar depicting the drawings from the manuscript I gave as a pressie.
2021
Sunday 19 December
I have received Linda's edit and am so grateful. Again I am so lucky to have such a wonderfully supportive group of diverse editors. Started on the first two chapters and look forward to the final final finished result :)
Thursday 9 December
Due to surgery on my right leg, I have been resting with my leg elevated on doctor's orders - a writer's delight. I re-read my manuscript and found some typos, improvements, additions, explanations, and generally spent my time productively enhancing my manuscript. Thanks, Doc.
I have also worked on a few more sketches, ably assisted by Geoff.
Sunday 13 November
Still editing, and feeling good about it. Got great input from Deborah Eddy
Thursday 21 October
After receiving invaluable feedback from Gary Crew, I am working my way through, adding more storyline and deleting some paras and repeats.
Wednesday 15 September
Donna sent the book cover through. I am very happy.
Tuesday 14 September
Got Donna's edit back with very helpful suggestions and great feedback.
Also had a fun session having my photos taken by Hannah's Photography. Very happy with the result.
Monday 6 September
Have been busy working on the black and white illustrations and am very happy with the outcome. Thanks, Geoff...
Tuesday 31 August
I am excited to be working on the cover design of my first novel sepia with author and graphic designer Donna Munro.
Monday 30 August
I met with Katalin Gaal, my first editor who returned my proofread manuscript. We had a great session going through her suggestions.
Praise for sepia:
'The share price for Kleenex tissues will rise.'
-LINDA STEWART, Writer
'It's a well-thought-out story with everything coming full circle with a surprise ending. I like how you portrayed the two boys as unwilling participants and the different stance each took in a time both unfair and cruel.'
'Sepia is a beautifully told story of redemption and renewal spanning continents and decades. It is a reminder of the dangers and horrors of political extremism in the past, and a cautionary tale for today. This book lifts the spirit and touches the heart. Keep the tissues handy.'
-LINDA STEWART, Writer
'I thoroughly enjoyed reading your novel sepia. I believe its message to be honest and uplifting, while reminding us of the nightmare of the Nazi era which should never be forgotten. The novel is also a reminder of the power of the human spirit to overcome trauma of the past, hence moving on to a positive future. This is a good story that needs to be told.'
-GARY CREW, Emeritus Professor, Creative Writing
'A beautifully written and moving story, intertwining memories and dreams, loss and happiness and revealing the strength of human courage and survival. Shifting perspective between the past and present, the author creates a world filled with surprise, humour, heartache and ultimately redemption. A thoroughly enjoyable story.'
'What a great read. I loved how I heard your voice while reading. I was teary at the end. Well done.'
