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Now Available!
The Badenweiler Waltz 
The Badenweiler
Waltz grew out of a very long short story, over 12,000 words, "Crane Chekhov and Elizabeth Pugh," published
Bellowing Ark in 1995, which Editor Robert Ward described as "one of the most beauitful and haunting stories I have ever
read." The novel, however, is not simply an elongation of the short story, for many changes have been made, particularly
structural and motivational, as the central character confronts the reality of her own possible death. The novel's setting
and circumstances also enable the author to present to American readers a Germany unfamiliar to most and from a perspective
more balanced than that normally found in contemporary American fiction.
Elizabeth Kurz, fortyish, timid and frightened
of life, is an American teacher and failed writer who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. In a romantic gesture she
travels to a small spa town in Germany's southern Black Forest where both Stephen Crane and Anton Chekhov had died, believing
that even though her talent had not enabled her to live as a writer, she could at least die in a place where true writers
had. Almost upon arrival, though, she feels so out of place and alien that she thinks of returning home in dejection, but
before she can, she begins to meet a series of characters who will open her mind to new ways of seeing her illness, new ways
of seeing life and death: a kindly inn keeper; a caring doctor; an older woman facing her own death; and the dashing but dangerous
conductor of the spa orchestra. Near the end, though, the unearthing of a mother's betrayal some twenty years before sends
her reeling and nearly obliterates her new-found vision. Through these experiences and her re-reading an old collections of
her own early short stories, five of which are actually woven through the novel, Elizabeth discovers that she has actually
betrayed herself, and that there are certainly worse thing in life than dying.
The major story line of the novel
is rather straightforward. What makes The Badenweiler Waltz unique, though, is its structure and narrative technique,
something that does not make itself readily evident in a simple synopsis of the novel. The five short stories woven through
the basic plot line are from Elizabeth's MFA creative thesis published almost twenty years before. As she reads each story
once again, the reader sees her character unfold in various ways. First, the stories themselves, in their thematic motifs,
character dynamics and motivations suggest much about their author. Second, Elizabeth's reflections upon reading them explore
her character by comparing "then" and "now" thoughts, feeling and emotions. Third, the stories and her
reflections upon them trigger flashbacks that give deeper insight into her own character development and motivation. Fouth,
the stories foreground many things in the main story line, parallel situations and events, motifs and motivations, dialogues
and directions that play back and forth between the stories and the main plot. Finally, at the end of the novel another surprise
of sorts awaits the reader, a surprise that explains much and ties everything together.
The Badenweiler Waltz
is now available at book stores everywhere and at on-line book sellers such as Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and from BookSurge.com.
REVIEWS
This is an intriguing book by an excellent
writer. The front and back covers are photographs of the location in Germany where much of the story takes place. The narrator
is a woman who has gone there to die. In some ways entering a foreign country seems an apt metaphor for death. However, once
there, from the open window of her second story room in the Schwarzwälder Hof, Elizabeth hears some music. This also
too takes on meaning. Does it represent the chance to have her first romantic fling with a smarmy young, orchestra conductor, or some hopefulness
about her life she may have overlooked in her short story writing (she was a high school English teacher despite an MFA in
creative writing) or is it something else. Badenweiler is a small spa town where Stephen Crane and Chekhov spent their last days. There are allusions
to them and to other writers and poets that add richness to the story, but that is secondary. The real focus is on Elizabeth’s
emotional journey. The author’s own wife died before this book
was published and it is dedicated to her memory. I am amazed that a man can so effectively write from a woman’s perspective,
some of this he must have learned from her. But in the book when Elizabeth first started re-reading early short stories she had written as a young woman,
I did have some reservations. Was this material that, by contrast, revealed something we couldn’t see directly in the
older woman or was it just a way for the writer to recycle some of his own earlier efforts? In an oblique reference to one
of Henry James’s
famous stories the novel states, “She had known almost from the very beginning that for her, the jungle was silent,
eerily empty. But if there was nothing out there, nothing truly wonderful or horrible, why had she been so frightened all
her life of the unknown.” Right there I think G. W. Kroeker hooks every English major in the country. Ultimately isn’t
that the question behind each book we read: What is it we lack that we hope it will provide answers to? “It’s
not just about words and sentences, Miss Kurz,” her former writing professor states, “but you have to say something
with them, something of substance.” That message comes down
to: Are we “fools who dance or fools who watch the dance.” The “Badenweiler Waltz” does the latter
so that Elizabeth (and the reader) can do the former. There are revelations along the way (one surprising one involves her
mother) but this novel is as filling as a farmer’s omelet and ultimately as satisfying as a good bottle of German wine. And, on a personal
note from someone who spent four years in Germany (though a bit to the north), let me say that the exquisite detail, which
captures the charm of the people and the countryside, make this the next best thing to an actual journey there. "Prepare
to dance!"
Reviewed by,
John
Lehman
BookReview.com
"The novel tells a moving story, but I think you
will find it much more than that. It is an important exploration of how to live with passion and purpose. I recommend it highly."
Psychologist
Gay Hendricks, Ph.D.
"Fabulous! Really enjoyed the characterisation, evocative
writing and the message. Makes me want to pack up and go for a holiday in the Black Forest."
Editor of Today's
Parents magazine,
Sunuja Naidu
READER REVIEWS
"Impossible to put down! As one who has followed
G.W. Kroeker's poetry for many years and enjoyed his acclaimed novel of several years ago, The Magi at Christmas, I read with
anticipation and interest his newest work, The Badenweiler Waltz.
I found myself immersed in his best novel yet.
The Badenweiler Waltz takes us away and lets us spend some time in the idyllic German countryside. Kroeker, and American who
lives and has traveled widely in Germany, opens a picture window to the superb food, world-class wine, and charming customs
of the region. He introduces us to the wise and kind people of the Black Forest who help Elizabeth discover how to live, leaving
me, the reader, uplifted and hopeful and free to make my own discoveries."
M. Higgins
Burbank, Ca.
"G.W. Kroeker's Best Work. I, too, have followed G. W. Kroeker's writing career
and eagerly awaited publication of THE BADENWEILER WALTZ. This wonderful novel was worth the wait. It is the best of his work--richly
layered, wonderfully complex and so finely written. I cared about all the characters but especially Elizabeth--with her few
joys, plentiful regrets, and yet a hopeful heart. The author has an equisite gift for creating a sense of place, food and
wine that made me nearly be able to see, smell and taste what he was describing.
I enthusiastically recommend
THE BADENWEILER WALTZ. You will not be disappointed."
D.R. Bone
New Jersey
Read more reader reviews
The Magi At Christmas
PUBLISHER COMMENTS
Emotionally exhausted from
a divorce and years of hard work, middle-aged Californian Erik Leiden arrives in his beloved Bavaria, Southern Germany, to
spend a relaxing Christmas. A blinding snow storm surprises him on his way from the airport to the hotel, just when he seeks
to help a distressed and penniless young woman. Expecting her first child, Jenny Heilman is single and, at 24, a generation
apart. The two end up finding refuge in the Drei Könige inn where, at Christmas Eve, events take a dramatic
turn, radically changing the course of three lives.
Masterfully written, The Magi at Christmas is a classic love story, about turning desperation into hope,
stumbling blocks into stepping stones, inexperience into maturity, and darkness into light.
REVIEWS
When a purple-haired, pregnant woman with body piercings takes the airline seat beside him, Erik Leiden is both intrigued
and repulsed by this creature that seems so different than himself; nothing could be further from the truth. Both have come
to Bavaria during the Christmas season on their own individual quests for salvation in this poignantly written winter's tale.
Weathering a fierce snow storm en route to a German inn, they discover
inner strength that enables them to eventually overcome the pain of their shattered lives. Jenny Heilman never remembers having
ever celebrated a joyous Christmas, whereas he clings to the memory of the enchantment the familiar Drei Könige (The Three Kings) Inn brings. As a divorced man witha daughter about her
age, Erik empathizes with Jenny's plight as she clings to the address of the military base where she hopes to find the father
of her baby. Similarly, having left his immediate family behind, Erik seems certain that he nevertheless will find the joy
that filled him on prior visits to this remarkable place. Kroeker, who has served as poet-in-residence for the Southland Council of Teachers of English and the Conference
of the Living Tree in Ojai, California, weaves a magical story that demonstrates our redemption may come at the most unexpected
times through the most unlikely of circumstances. His background and experiences bring realism and wonder during the climatic
birth scene, in which Erik becomes both surrogate doctor and father to the child miraculously brought into the world. As his German name "Leiden" (to suffer), Erik seems to have led a rather unremarkable conventional life,
more attentive to maintaining the status quo than finding inner happiness after his divorce. As a result of the unexpected
intimacy they share arising from their chance encounter, Erik and Jenny reveal their heartfelt honesty and tenderness toward
each other, with "Heilman" (Suggesting salvation) bringing the fulfillment they so desperately seek. (From Sunspots, the official publication
of The Southland Council
of Teachers of English.)
READER REVIEWS
I had the privilege of working with GW Kroeker for a
few years and knew him that time as an accomplished poet and writer of short stories. When he handed me his manuscript for
Magi at Christmas I planned to read the first few pages (to get a sense of the work) before getting back to my busy
day. I didn't put it down, however, until I finished.
While a literary work charged with meaning, it is also a gentle story of two wounded individuals who find
redemption in each other. I'll leave the specifics to the other reviewers on this page who have eloquently related the story,
simply saying that I feel better off for having experienced this very human story. Christian
M. Gulliksen, Customer
Reviews, Amazon.com
The Magi at Christmas
is a delight. On one level it is a poignant love story and on another level a profound chronicle of a journey from loneliness
and desperation to hope and rebirth. I found myself deeply involved with the ever-changing dynamics of the protagonists' relationship
because the characters are believable and human. I must say also that I was drawn into the novel on a very personal level,
since the main character Jenny, is pregnant for most of the story. Having been pregnant at the time I read Magi, I found that
Kroeker's discussion of pregnancy and the birth process lend a marvelous authenticity to the novel as a whole. Throughout
the novel Kroeker invites the reader to experience the the people and places of Germany with the authority of one who is well-versed
in the German language and culture. As in all great stories, Magi transports the reader from the here and now to a timeless
place where there are invaluable lessons to be learned. I recommend this book without reservation and look forward to Kroeker's
next project.
Customer
Reviews,
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