Forty Autumns
A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall
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Forty Autumns
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Narrated by:
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Cassandra Campbell
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By:
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Nina Willner
About this listen
In this illuminating and deeply moving memoir, a former American military intelligence officer goes beyond traditional Cold War espionage tales to tell the true story of her family - of five women separated by the Iron Curtain for more than 40 years and their miraculous reunion after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Forty Autumns makes visceral the pain and longing of one family forced to live apart in a world divided by two.
At 20 Hanna escaped from East to West Germany. But the price of freedom - leaving behind her parents, eight siblings, and family home - was heartbreaking. Uprooted, Hanna eventually moved to America, where she settled down with her husband and had children of her own.
Growing up near Washington, DC, Hanna's daughter, Nina Willner, became the first female army intelligence officer to lead sensitive intelligence operations in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War. Though only a few miles separated American Nina and her German relatives - grandmother Oma; aunt Heidi; and cousin Cordula, a member of the East German Olympic training team - a bitter political war kept them apart.
In Forty Autumns, Nina recounts her family's story - five ordinary lives buffeted by circumstances beyond their control. She takes us deep into the tumultuous and terrifying world of East Germany under Communist rule, revealing both the cruel reality her relatives endured and her own experiences as an intelligence officer running secret operations behind the Berlin Wall that put her life at risk.
A personal look at a tenuous era that divided a city and a nation and continues to haunt us, Forty Autumns is an intimate and beautifully written story of courage, resilience, and love - of five women whose spirits could not be broken and who fought to preserve what matters most: family.
©2016 Nina Willner (P)2016 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Forty Autumns
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- duckyber
- 10-01-23
poignant
loved this story and so instructive about the situation but narrator sounded like a dalek.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emily
- 24-06-22
Informative and emotional
I couldn't stop listening to this fascinating story. Touching and educational listening to the story of a family separated for so long.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- stuart
- 28-11-16
Great story - couldn't leave it alone
Any additional comments?
I have always been interested in the history of the GDR, but up till now, it was the political reality (e.g. taylor's The Berlin Wall), but this lovely story brings home the personal impact the Wall had. I loved exploring the human side of this part of history, and would recommend it thoroughly.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Londongayle
- 14-01-21
Highly recommend
I would like to thank the narrator for her excellent performance of a brilliant book.
The story of the family from East Germany was compelling, and the gentle explanations of historical events flowed so well into the timeline. What an amazing family! I felt that I was with them on their journeys.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ross McKean
- 23-02-19
The best and the worst of humanity
A study of the best and the worst of humanity and of human endurance. Essential reading in today’s world of populism, propaganda and resurgent totalitarianism. Ultimately a story of hope, light, truth and love.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alison
- 29-10-20
Throughly enjoyed this book.
I learned a lot from this book as well as enjoyed the story and the reading was clear and easy to follow.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jo Shap
- 31-07-18
Outstanding!
Touching on so many levels...
The courage and warmth of the writer and her family members.
The insight into the cruelty is the regime who kept so many families apart
The historical knowledge imparted in such a fascinating way.
A definite must read.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- PAUL C.
- 06-08-17
poor
What disappointed you about Forty Autumns?
tubthumping american propaganda from start to finish, if you want to learn anything about the DDR that you wont find on wikipedia, you will be very very dissapointed
What was most disappointing about Nina Willner’s story?
we learnt nothing of her being an intelligence operative in berlin other than she was allowed in and drove a car around a few times and took some sneeky pictures.The authour didnt get cold qwhen writing this, so wrapped up in the stars and stripes as she is, we did learn that the USSR sent Oswald to kill Kennedy,all athletes in east germany were drug cheats (except her relative of course) and basiaclly the east was overthrown by Nena,Elvis,the beatles , Michael Jackson and doubtless the scorpions.The only saving grace of the book was the epilogue, where at least she toucehd on the reality of the west german takeover in the early 90's , with mass redundancies and wholesale asset stripping.The DDR may have been a failed system but at leat people had a stake in it, The west Germans just took it all away for themselves,
Would you listen to another book narrated by Cassandra Campbell?
yes
What character would you cut from Forty Autumns?
the whole family
Any additional comments?
read a decent book on the DDR not this propaganda
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1 person found this helpful