Beyond the Chestnut Trees: A Memoir

Beyond the Chestnut Trees is a haunting and deeply personal memoir by Maria Bauer who escaped Hitlers invasion of Prague. After 40 years in exile Bauer makes an unforgettable journey back to her homeland searching for lost friends and lost loves and finds the spirit of her beloved city forever changed. Through flashbacks Bauer weaves the tale of her idyllic childhood where she spent her summers at her family castle with her harrowing flight through Europe on the last train leaving Nazi-occupied France. She paints a stirring picture of Prague wistfully recalling the magical and mystical city of her youth. I didnt want to write about Pragues sufferings under two occupations nor about its heroes and martyrs Bauer said. Many books and movies have recorded them for posterity. But there is more to the story of a city than historical upheavals. Each city has its inner life; and Prague in the era between the two world wars had its unique character and a mysterious atmosphere that deeply affected those who grew up amidst its old stones. This updated edition of Beyond the Chestnut Trees includes a foreword by critically-acclaimed author Gail Godwin as well as dozens of compelling photographs from Bauers family albums that powerfully reinvigorate her intimate memoir. With the release of this new digital edition Bauer hopes that perhaps the events that I have described might once again feel more immediate and intimate to my great grandchildren and their generation - and that our tragic and healing experiences will not be forgotten but will continue to live on in their memories.