The Children of the World

Behind a shoemaker's shop in Berlin's Latin Quarter, a cramped courtyard brings together working life, artistic memories and private longing. Paul Heyse's novel opens with Gottfried Feyertag's modest house, whose tenants include a retired singer and actress. On a stifling summer night, a young doctor pauses beneath bean vines before finding Fräulein Christiane absorbed in a book he owns. The careful description of rooms, trades and small habits gives this English translation of German fiction a closely observed urban setting.

Elsewhere, Leah tends a withdrawn woman who fills her days with sewing after an accident. Her suffering prompts a discussion about faith, practical help and the care of the mind as well as the body. Mohr argues that human effort must accompany hopes of divine assistance. Readers interested in the ways neighbors respond to distress will find personal troubles set alongside larger questions about belief, responsibility and fellow feeling.