THE BLUE FLOWER

Fitzgerald never repeats herself, and her latest novel, named Book of the Year by 19 British newspapers in 1995, is her most origina l book yet. Here she reconstructs the life of 18th-century German romantic poet Novalis, focusing on his boisterous family, his stru ggle to articulate his longings, and, most tellingly, his passion for 12-year-old Sophie, a simple child he intends to marry despite the furious reservations of family and friends. Fitzgerald doesn't make it entirely clear what draws Friedrich von Hardenberg (Nova lis's re...[Read more]