Signs of the times

More about the book

Saxony around the year 1830: In the cities, the chimneys of the first factories are already smoking, the bourgeoisie is the driving force of progress, art and literature are flourishing, and people hope that science will heal the world. However, in the countryside, the deep Middle Ages still prevail. The corvée leaves peasants with barely enough to survive, guild laws oppress craftsmanship, and in the mountains, day laborers eat chestnuts and bake bread from ground wood. A child counts for less than a goat in the barn. The desperation is so great that people leave their homeland in droves to secure a place on a ship bound for America. Against this backdrop, Christoph Scheuring narrates the biographies of three boys, each blessed with a special talent and destined for greatness. Yet none seem strong enough to thrive in this world. "Signs of the Times" is a novel set in one of the most exciting phases of German history, addressing profound questions: Is there justice? What is beauty? How can one be at peace with oneself and creation? The answers remain relevant even 200 years later.