The Turtle Catcher

I read. I read a lot. You can tell by the list of books to the right of this blog that tells you how many I have read so far this year. So, I could write about every book that I read, but I normally don't. But, I did just finish reading The Turtle Catcher by Nicole Helget. I know Nicole. Okay, that's stretching it a bit. Actually, it's stretching it a lot. But, I have been to 5 weddings with her and drank some good 'ole German beer down in New Ulm, MN where she is from. See, my husband Russ, his mom's side are Schwab's and one of his aunts married a Helget and (if you followed all that) there you go! My husband's cousin cousin is how I "know" Nicole Helget!


I read Nicole's first book, her memoir The Summer of Ordinary Ways, mainly out of genuine curiosity. But, I ended up liking her story-telling. So when I heard that she had written a novel, I put my name on the waiting list (yes, there was a waiting list and I was #33 in line!!) to get The Turtle Catcher. I just finished reading it. I would recommend it. She weaves an interesting tale of a German family living in New Germany, Mn that spans from 1897 to 1920 and how the war and the repercusions of being an American with German ancestry came into play during that time and living in a small town. Nicole also delves into how her two main characters were (and unfortunately still today, though to somewhat of a lesser extend) perceived, acted, and treated for being abnormal.

I don't want to ruin any of the story, so I'm not going to go into any further specifics; you will just have to get the book and read it for yourself!