Bernhard Schlink

"Abandoned by her parents, Olga is raised by her grandmother in a Prussian village around the turn of the 20th century. Smart and precocious, endearing but uncompromising, she fights against the prejudices of the time to find her place in a world that sees women as second-best. When Olga falls in love with Herbert, a local aristocrat obsessed with gaining all the power, glory and greatness the modern age can provide, her life is irremediably changed....

Bernhard Schlink burst onto the literary scene with the internationally best-selling Oprah's Book Club selection The Reader. Through his unique brand of gripping narrative, Schlink scores again with The Weekend, the tale of old friends who come together for a remarkable reunion. One of the group is a convicted murderer and terrorist, fresh out of prison and joined by his devoted sister. But another guest has remained true to the cause that might spell...

"A missing painting. A mysterious woman. Her husband and her lover. Here, the internationally acclaimed author delivers what his fans have been waiting for since The Reader--a powerful new novel about obsession, creativity, and love. A brilliant and naïve young lawyer's life is changed forever when a painter and his subject--a breathtakingly beautiful woman--appear at his office in Frankfurt. The woman's husband is deliberately marring the painting...

Set in post-World War II Germany, teenager Michael Berg and Hanna, a woman twice his age, have a secret affair, but she abruptly disappears; eight years later while observing the Nazi war crime trials, Michael is stunned to see Hanna as a defendant.

Post-WWII, Germany; Michael Berg is a teenager who becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her. The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair. Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their physical relationship deepens. Hanna is enthralled as Michael reads to her from different works of literature. Despite their intense bond,...