"Freud's Mistress" by Karen Mack & Jennifer Kaufman

Freud's Mistress by Karen Mack; Jennifer Kaufman
Call Number: FICTION Mack
In the vibrant, extravagant world of turn-of-the-century Vienna, Minna Bernays is an overeducated lady's companion with a sharp, wry wit. Unwilling to settle and marry, she has spent years working for frivolous, difficult women, stuck in a social limbo, neither servant nor master. When Minna is abruptly fired, she finds herself out on the street and out of options. In 1895, the city is aswirl with avant-garde artists and writers and revolutionary ideas, but a single woman's only hope for security is still marriage. In desperation, she turns to her sister, Martha, for help. But Martha has her own problems - six young children and an overworked disinterested husband who happens to be the brilliant but imperious Sigmund Freud. At this time, Freud is a struggling professor, all but shunned by his peers and under attack for his theories, most of which center around sexual impulses. And while Martha is shocked and repulsed by her husband's 'pornographic' work, her sister is fascinated by his startling discoveries. Minna is everything Martha is not - intellectually curious, engaging, and passionate. Minna and Freud embark on what is, at first, simply a meeting of the minds, but something deeper is brewing beneath the surface, an inevitable catastrophe that she cannot escape. In this sweeping tale of love, loyalty, and betrayal, fact and fiction meld seamlessly together. After years of research, Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman have constructed a compelling portrait of an unforgettable woman and her struggle to reconcile her love for her sister with her obsessive desire for her sister's husband, the mythic father of psychoanalysis.

Historical Accuracy vs. Fiction:
- How does the novel balance historical accuracy with fictional storytelling? In what ways do the authors fill in the gaps of historical records to create a compelling narrative?
- Discuss the challenges and ethical considerations of writing a fictionalized account of real historical figures and events, particularly when dealing with sensitive topics like the personal lives of iconic figures such as Sigmund Freud.
Power Dynamics and Relationships:
- Analyze the power dynamics between Sigmund Freud and Minna Bernays in the novel. How do their respective roles as brother-in-law and sister-in-law influence their interactions and the trajectory of their relationship?
- Discuss the complexities of their relationship, including the blurred lines between friendship, intellectual partnership, and romantic involvement. How do their personal and professional lives intersect?
Gender and Society:
- Explore the portrayal of gender roles and expectations in the novel, particularly within the context of late 19th and early 20th-century Vienna. How do characters like Minna Bernays navigate societal expectations and limitations placed on women during this time period?
- Discuss the challenges faced by women like Minna who sought intellectual and professional fulfillment in a male-dominated society. How does Minna's relationship with Freud both empower and constrain her?
Ethics and Morality:
- Examine the ethical dilemmas faced by characters in the novel, particularly Minna Bernays, as she navigates her personal and professional relationships with Sigmund Freud. How do moral considerations influence her decisions and actions?
- Discuss the portrayal of Freud's ethical boundaries as a therapist and public figure. How do his personal relationships, including his relationship with Minna, intersect with his professional responsibilities?
Psychoanalysis and Identity:
- Explore the themes of psychoanalysis and identity in the novel. How do characters like Freud and Minna grapple with their own identities and psychological complexities? How does Freud's theories of psychoanalysis inform the portrayal of characters' inner lives?
- Discuss the novel's exploration of the subconscious mind, dreams, and repressed desires as they relate to the characters' personal journeys and relationships.
Legacy and Impact:
- Reflect on the legacy of Sigmund Freud and his contributions to the field of psychoanalysis. How does the novel depict Freud's influence on his contemporaries and on the development of modern psychology?
- Discuss the impact of Freud's theories on society and culture, both during his lifetime and in contemporary times. How do his ideas about human behavior, sexuality, and the unconscious continue to shape our understanding of the self?
The Ending:
- Reflect on the ending of the novel and the resolution of Minna Bernays's story. How does the novel imagine the later years of Minna's life, and what does this suggest about her legacy and impact?
- Discuss the novel's portrayal of Minna's agency and autonomy as she navigates her own path separate from Freud. How does the ending reflect her journey of self-discovery and independence?

Karen Mack

Karen Mack, a former attorney, is a Golden Globe Award–winning film and television producer.

Jennifer Kaufman

Jennifer Kaufman was a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times and is a two-time winner of the national Penney-Missouri Journalism Award. Their debut novel, Literacy and Longing in L.A., was a #1 Los Angeles Times bestseller and also won the 2006 Southern California Booksellers Association Award for Fiction.

Mrs. Freud by Nicolle Rosen
Call Number: Fic Rosen
A tale based on the experiences of Sigmund Freud's wife follows her late-in-life correspondence with an American journalist and traces her struggles in the shadows of her upstaging sister and daughter at a time in which the world is being shaken by wars and the birth of psychoanalysis.
Terrible Virtue by Ellen Feldman
Call Number: FICTION Feldman
A fictional portrait that follows the life of the founder of Planned Parenthood. The daughter of a hard-drinking, smooth-tongued free thinker and a mother worn down by thirteen children, Margaret Sanger vowed her life would be different. Trained as a nurse, she eventually channeled her energy to one singular cause: legalizing contraception.
The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
Call Number: FICTION Gramont
In 1925, Miss Nan O'Dea infiltrated the wealthy, rarefied world of author Agatha Christie and her husband, Archie. In every way, she became a part of their life--first, both Christies. Then, just Archie. Soon, Nan became Archie's mistress, luring him away from his devoted wife, desperate to marry him. Nan's plot didn't begin the day she met Archie and Agatha. It began decades before, in Ireland, when Nan was a young girl. She and the man she loved were a star-crossed couple who were destined to be together--until the Great War, a pandemic, and shameful secrets tore them apart. Then acts of unspeakable cruelty kept them separated. What drives someone to murder? What will someone do in the name of love? What kind of crime can someone never forgive? Nina de Gramont's brilliant, unforgettable novel explores these questions and more.
Dreaming for Freud by Sheila Kohler
Call Number: FICTION Kohler
An award-winning author reimagines one of Freud's most famous and controversial cases. Sheila Kohler's memoir Once We Were Sisters is now available. Acclaimed for her spare prose and exceptional psychological insights in her novels Becoming Jane Eyre and Love Child , Sheila Kohler's latest is inspired by Sigmund Freud's Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria . Dreaming for Freud paints a provocative and sensual portrait of one of history's most famous patients. In the fall of 1900, Dora's father forces her to begin treatment with the doctor. Visiting him daily, the seventeen-year-old girl lies on his ottoman and tells him frankly about her strange life, and above all about her father's desires as far as she is concerned. But Dora abruptly ends her treatment after only eleven weeks, just as Freud was convinced he was on the cusp of a major discovery. In Dreaming for Freud , Kohler explores what might have happened between the man who changed the face of psychotherapy and the beautiful young woman who gave him her dreams.
The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki
Call Number: FICTION Pataki
The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe's most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry. Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth, "Sisi," Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor. But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma: she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister's groom. Franz Joseph reneges on his earlier proposal and declares his intention to marry Sisi instead. Thrust onto the throne of Europe's most treacherous imperial court, Sisi upsets political and familial loyalties in her quest to win, and keep, the love of her emperor, her people, and of the world. With Pataki's rich period detail and cast of complex, bewitching characters, The Accidental Empress offers a captivating glimpse into one of history's most intriguing royal families, shedding new light on the glittering Hapsburg Empire and its most mesmerizing, most beloved "Fairy Queen."
Freud's Sister by Goce Smilevski; Christina E. Kramer (Translator)
Call Number: FICTION Smilevski
Vienna, 1938: With the Nazis closing in, Sigmund Freud is granted an exit visa and allowed to list the names of people to take with him. He lists his doctor and maids, his dog, and his wife's sister, but not any of his own sisters. The four Freud sisters are shuttled to the Terezín concentration camp, while their brother lives out his last days in London. Based on a true story, this searing novel gives haunting voice to Freud's sister Adolfina--"the sweetest and best of my sisters"--a gifted, sensitive woman who was spurned by her mother and never married. A witness to her brother's genius and to the cultural and artistic splendor of Vienna in the early twentieth century, she aspired to a life few women of her time could attain. From Adolfina's closeness with her brother in childhood, to her love for a fellow student, to her time with Gustav Klimt's sister in a Vienna psychiatric hospital, to her dream of one day living in Venice and having a family, Freud's Sister imagines with astonishing insight and deep feeling the life of a woman lost to the shadows of history.

Islington Branch Book Club - Past Titles: "Freud's Mistress" by Karen Mack & Jennifer Kaufman

"Freud's Mistress" by Karen Mack & Jennifer Kaufman

Karen Mack

Jennifer Kaufman

QUICK LINKS

CONNECT WITH US

Westwood Public Library

Main Library

Islington Branch