Flights of Love
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Summary
The first story tells of a man who, since childhood, has been drawn to a mysterious painting in his father's collection; as an adult he finally learns that the painting's secret is his father's contested wartime identity. The second tells of an awkward friendship between a man from West Berlin and a couple from East Berlin. In the third, a man discovers after his wife's death that beneath years of harmonious marriage lay her love affair with another man, and he begins to track that man down. The fourth tells of a successful architect who juggles three women, then decides to extricate himself, only to meet with strange developments. The fifth tells of a German student whose father's generation lived through the war; he falls in love with a Jewish American girl and is repeatedly beset by differences of faith and the shadow of history. The sixth tells of a ceasefire observer setting out once more on a dangerous mission; he begins to doubt his role as a peace envoy, feels guilty about failing as a father, and has a cold relationship with his son. The seventh tells of a German man past fifty whose marriage has grown increasingly distant; he decides to take his wife to America as a silver-anniversary trip to draw them closer, but throughout the journey he hesitates, and scenes along the way merge with dreams that have recurred for years. He gets off the train midway and leaves his wife.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who enjoy contemporary German short stories and want multiple narrative facets in one book
- Readers interested in how war memory and historical responsibility enter private life
- Readers used to short stories who can finish one in fragmented time and pause to reflect
- Literary readers who appreciate restrained narration that does not rely on sentimentality to advance the plot
Not a good fit for
- Readers expecting light, sweet romance or a clear happy ending
- Readers who prefer strongly plotted, continuously advancing narratives and dislike switching between stories
- Readers seeking direct emotional comfort or psychological healing from a book
Reading tips
- Read one story at a time in order, leaving ten minutes of blank space after each rather than rushing to the next
- When reading stories involving war and the father's generation, jot down what the characters are avoiding
- Read the third and seventh stories side by side to observe two different distances in Schlink's writing of the dark side of marriage
- If your time is fragmented, read only one story per session and spread the seven across a week
About the publisher
Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 女孩与蜥蜴
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 九
- 十
- 十一
- 十二
- 十三
- 十四
- 外遇
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 九
- 十
- 十一
- 十二
- 十三
- 另一个人
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 九
- 十
- 十一
- 十二
- 十三
- 十四
- 甜豌豆
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 九
- 十
- 十一
- 十二
- 十三
- 切割
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 九
- 十
- 十一
- 十二
- 十三
- 儿子
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 加油站的女人
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 九
- 十
FAQ
Is this book a novel or a short-story collection?
Can I read this directly without having read Schlink's novels?
Will the historical background in the book affect my understanding?
Is it suitable for a book club?
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About the author
Bernhard Schlink is one of the foreign-literature authors included in our collection, with five works currently listed, including Love's Flight, Summer Lies, Sigrun's Choice, and The Weekend, with Summer Lies appearing twice. Since the collection does not provide his nationality, birth and death dates, or English name, public information is limited, so this profile avoids speculation about his life and focuses instead on the character of his works. Judging from the titles and the common categories, Schlink's writing tends to center on emotional relationships, everyday ethics, and personal choices, and he is skilled at revealing distance, misunderstanding, and hidden tension between people within ordinary settings. His narrative is restrained and understated, leaving room for reflection. His works are classified under foreign literature and classic works, suggesting that readers and editors see them as both readable and literarily substantial. These four works already reflect his thematic interests and stylistic tone; if fuller author information becomes available, his life and creative development could be added later.
Yao Zhongzhen is an author about whom little public information is available; the only confirmed details in our records are the name and one work, Escape from Love. The book is classified under foreign literature, which suggests that the writing is either translated or set against an unfamiliar cultural background. Since no biographical details, nationality, or period of activity can be verified, no further context about the author can be provided. Judging from the title alone, the tension between "love" and "escape" hints at themes of estrangement, avoidance, and flight within emotional relationships, and at a concern with the difficulties of intimacy. Such subjects are common in foreign literature and are often treated with nuanced psychological portrayal and restrained narration. Readers seeking a fuller understanding of Yao Zhongzhen's style and oeuvre will need to consult the text itself and its publication information; in the absence of further sources, this entry can offer only the objective statement above.
Gong Yushu is an author about whom limited public information is available. The only confirmed detail is that one work appears under this name, Escape from Love, which is usually classified as foreign literature. Since no reliable records of birth and death dates, nationality, or educational background have been found, this note avoids speculating about personal history and focuses on the work itself. Judging from its title, Escape from Love carries connotations of emotion and flight, and as a work of foreign literature it likely involves character relationships, psychological portrayal, and narrative progression, allowing readers to appreciate the author's care in plotting and language. A single work is not enough to assess the overall direction of the author's style or influence in literary circles, but it marks Gong as a writer worth noting. A fuller author profile must await more public information.
