Why a Booktrail?
1800s: A fictional tale with the real life background of the Seed trade in Germany
The Seed Woman
What you need to know before your trail
Hannah travels far in order to find a charming village nestled in the foothills of the Swabian Mountains,where she hopes to rekindle her relationship with Helmut Kerner, a traveling seed merchant.
She’s carrying his child and is desperate to be with him again. The land attracts and welcomes her and she feels immediately at him. But then she meets Seraphine, an ethereally beautiful dreamer engaged to be married to “her’ Helmut.
Desperate to win back Helmut’s affections, Hannah gets to work and quickly discovers a passion for the seed trade.
Can Hannah and Seraphine put aside their differences to find a way to work together, or will Hannah and her child be forced to leave this place she has come to love?
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
Some travel tips of note in the book:
Swabian Mountains
The Swabian Jura, sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending 220 km from southwest to northeast and 40 to 70 km in width. It is named after the region of Swabia
Gönningen
Friedhelm lives in a “dirty corner” of Switzerland and trying to sell the packets of his vegetable seeds.
He wants to go home there, a village at the foot of the Swabian mountain, hundreds of miles from this dismal spot on the map”
The village is famous for its seed trading. The men and sometimes women travel all over Europe to sell vegetable and flower seeds to farmers and estates.
The landscape for seed farmers is difficult and rugged. it’s not safe to go out alone as travellers would often come out of nowhere to rob them.
But if there is success, he plans to go to Bregenz to buy this wife the finest silk.
The seed trade and The Seed Museum
The usual practice for selling dried fruit etc was to sell it in the surrounding areas of Gönningen says the author and this was known as the Jakobi trade.
Much has changed in the town but visitors today can still see the evidence of the seed trade:
Rossberg – You can see the unique tulip displays in the cemetery below and of course, the Samenhandelsmuseum – the Seed museum is a must
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
The background of this was fascinating and I really think the author should put this at the start of the book to show readers just how based on true facts it is! The seed trade in a German village might sound like a nice gentle read, but this was a tough industry to be in and an impossible life to get out of. It was cut throat to say the least, but what a fascinating account of a real life community and trade!
The love story was also nicely fraught with tension but Helmut and his family did seem to make some odd decisions about staying in Gönningen,and how to live with these two women fighting it out. They do go through some tough times however and it was very interesting the twists and turns of a fictional story based in a real life background and setting.
There’s plenty scope for real life booktrails here in both Gönningen, and the Dutch bulb growing area in the Netherlands. Really unique and I’m really pleased I spent time in these places I’d never been to before!
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The Seed Woman
Destination: Gönningen Author/Guide: Petra Durst-Benning Departure Time:1800s
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