Coffee Talks guest is author of award-winning post-WWII novels
Novelist C.F. Yetmen will present a Coffee Talks author series program January 9 at the Herman Brown Free Library in Burnet. Yetmen has written two historical novels, 'The Roses Underneath' and 'What is Forgiven,' which are set in Germany after World War II. Courtesy photo
When author C.F. Yetmen was in the sixth grade, she penned a story about a group of crimefighting cats. It sounds like she was off and running as a writer, but it would be several years before the novelist in her truly came out.
And when it did, Yetmen grabbed on for the ride.
The author will share her story and talk about her two award-winning historical novels during a Herman Brown Free Library Coffee Talks program Thursday, January 9. The free event begins at 1:30 p.m.
Her two current novels, “The Roses Underneath” and “What is Forgiven,” tell the story of translator Anna Klein. It’s set in Germany after World War II has ended and an American unit, called the Monuments Men, spreads out across Germany and other Axis countries in search of artwork stolen by the Nazis.
Yetmen is two books into a trilogy that follows Klein as she navigates the post-World War II landscape and the search for the stolen art.
“The Roses Underneath” takes place at the close of the war after Klein and an American captain for whom she translates discover a stash of art in a villa outside of Wiesbaden, Germany. In the second novel of the trilogy, “What is Forgiven,” Klein must solve the mystery of who tampered with paintings she was charged with safeguarding. Among it all, the heroine also must ford the aftermath of the war and a myriad of personal struggles.
Yetmen drew from her own family’s situation during World War II as inspiration for her novels. At the end of the war, her German grandmother and mother, who was 5 years old at the time, were displaced with only a suitcase to their name. Her grandmother’s grasp of the English language allowed her to work for the American forces after the war, which helped them survive.
As Yetmen learned more of her family’s background, she researched World War II and its aftermath. She was drawn to the Monuments Men story. This group, made up of 345 men and women, was tasked with finding and protecting art stolen by the Nazis, including works by Michelangelo, Rembrandt, and DaVinci.
Coffee Talks is made possible by support from The Friends of the Library and the Coffee Talks hostesses and volunteers. Coffee is provided by Michelle Devaney of Hey Diddle Diddle Catering.
The library is located at 100 E. Washington St. in Burnet. For more information, call the library at 512-715-5228.