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War and distance stand between a woman in flight and the people she loves.
In The Flight of Beate Hoyermann, Thea von Harbou places a woman far from home at the center of an urgent adventure. Beate faces an escape across continents, with war and separation pressing upon her. The road tests her courage, her wits and her loyalties, while the pull of home gives her journey its emotional weight.
This is a story of movement, suspense and strong feeling. Distance is more than ground to cross: it keeps Beate apart from those she loves. As she travels, the wish to return home stands against the dangers of flight. Von Harbou brings that tension into a story for readers who want both outward adventure and personal stakes.
What you’ll discover
- A woman under pressure Follow Beate as the demands of flight put her courage and judgment to the test.
- An escape across continents Travel through an adventure where distance separates a heroine from the people she loves.
- War and separation Explore the strain of being far from loved ones under the pressure of war.
- The pull of home Discover how longing for home gives this journey a deeply personal sense of purpose.
- Suspense with strong feeling Find a story whose quick movement keeps emotional stakes close to the action.
Who will love it
Readers who like wartime adventure, daring escapes and disguises, and journeys across continents. It also suits anyone drawn to a strong heroine and a love story told with feeling.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A holiday becomes a trap
- Disaster exposes a hidden danger
- Love must let Gerhard leave
- Beate takes a borrowed identity
- Recognition must remain a secret
- Trust gives Beate an ally
- Courage breaks through the disguise
- Kindness can cross national borders
- Love takes the form of courage
Who’s who
- Beate HoyermannA brave, clear-minded German woman who follows her husband across the world and will cross any border to find him.
- Gerhard HoyermannA former German officer, big, laughing and loyal, who must leave his wife behind to answer the call of his country.
- Christian TystendalA watchful Swedish friend and newspaper correspondent who helps Beate with a plan and a borrowed identity.
- Kyrill PetulikowA gentle, sad Russian who builds flying machines and gives Beate his trust, his friendship and his daring.
- Lisa PetulikowaKyrill's mother, a grieving widow who worships her dead elder son and leans on the nurse who cares for her.
- Nathan LöbA Jewish dealer in old things whom Beate befriends, and who remembers her kindness in a time of danger.
- DmitriThe old servant of the Petulikow estate, who fears for his master and quietly places himself in Beate's service.
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The Flight of Beate Hoyermann
As war breaks out, Beate Hoyermann leaves Japan disguised as a stewardess and races home to find her husband.
Medium level5–10 hours to read20 languages
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“Not without me, my husband”
In short
Would you let your husband leave for a war, then cross half the world to follow him? In the summer of 1914, Beate Hoyermann lives on a small island in Japan with her husband Gerhard, a former German officer.
The Flight of Beate Hoyermann at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h 10 min4 h 5 min fast, 6 h 10 min slow
- Length
- 73,500 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A holiday in Japan under watching eyes
The story opens in the summer of 1914 on a small island called the Garden of the Friend. Beate rides through a crowded town in a jinrikisha pulled by a runner named Akira. He and his rival Mosaku fight every day to carry her and her husband. Their jealousy is comic, and it sets a light tone before the dark turn.
Beate feels a wall without a gate between herself and the people around her. Their politeness is perfect, but she cannot read the soul behind it. When her servant Umè announces her own mother's death with the same smile she wears when serving tea, Beate finds it more painful than tears.
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Details
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Cite this edition
Harbou, Thea von. The Flight of Beate Hoyermann. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-flight-of-beate-hoyermann.
Harbou, T. von. (2026). The flight of Beate Hoyermann. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-flight-of-beate-hoyermann
Harbou, Thea von. The Flight of Beate Hoyermann. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-flight-of-beate-hoyermann.
@book{harbou2026flight,
author = {Harbou, Thea von},
title = {The Flight of Beate Hoyermann},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-flight-of-beate-hoyermann}
}
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What is The Flight of Beate Hoyermann about?
It follows a German woman in Japan in 1914 who is parted from her husband when war breaks out. She sets out under a false name to reach Germany and find him, crossing the sea, Egypt and Russia.
Who is Beate Hoyermann?
She is the heroine, a clear-headed, loyal and brave young German woman. She has lived in East Africa and travelled the world with her husband Gerhard, and she is determined to return to Germany at any cost.
Who are Tystendal and Kyrill Petulikow?
Christian Tystendal is a Swedish friend and correspondent who helps Beate leave Japan. Kyrill Petulikow is a gentle Russian who builds flying machines and becomes her trusted companion on the road home.
The author
Thea von Harbou
1888–1954 · German screenwriter and novelist
Thea von Harbou (1888–1954) was a German novelist and screenwriter. She was born in Tauperlitz, Bavaria, and died in Berlin. She wrote the novel Metropolis and worked on the screenplay for Fritz Lang’s film of the same name, released in 1927. She also wrote screenplays for other films directed by Lang.
“Not without me, my husband”
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