Arthur Schnitzler 
Bertha Garlan 

Written almost as an interior monologue, ‘Bertha Garlan’ follows the eponymous Bertha on her quest for love. A widow in her thirties, Bertha previously married out of convention. However, after a trip to Vienna with her friend, she is determined to experience what she never has and gets in touch with her childhood sweetheart, Emil Lindbach. Will Bertha find what she’s been lacking, or is there a greater lesson to be learned? A fast-paced story that effectively dissects the social constructs of the time and looks at the life of women against this backdrop, ‘Bertha Garlan’ is an ideal read for anyone familiar with Schnitzler’s body of work. —