Ursula
Werner
Ursula Werner is a writer and attorney currently living in Washington, DC, with her family. She has published two books of poetry and one novel, The Good at Heart (2017). Her second novel, Magda, is forthcoming in Spring 2025.
Latest Book
Magda
(coming Spring 2025)
For two thousand years, history hijacked her story, silenced her, called her a whore.
You think you know all about the man she spent her life with – Yeshua of Nazareth – but you don’t. Magda knew Him, Magda loved Him, Magda understood better than anyone else what He was trying to tell the world.
She wants to set the record straight. And she’s ready to tell her story, her truth about what happened in Judea all those years ago.
Previous Novel: The Good at Heart
The Good at Heart is now
available in paperback!
The Good at Heart
Based on the author’s discoveries about her great-grandfather, this extraordinary debut, full of love, tragedy, and suspense, is a sensitive portrait of a family torn between doing their duty for their country and doing what’s right for their country, and especially for those they love.
Order the book here:
Click here to watch a video of Ursula discussing the book:
To hear an excerpt from the audio version, click here:
And you can purchase the audio version here:
The Good at Heart is also available in both French and Spanish. Click on the images below to order your copy in translation:
Events and Readings
Ursula Appeared on King 5, Seattle's Local NBC News Station, on Thursday,
April 6, 2017
Photo by Jo Black Sullivan
Ursula speaking at Kramerbooks & Afterwords in Washington, D.C., on February 21, 2017
Ursula reading at The Bookstore in the Grove in Miami, Florida, on March 12, 2017
Photo by Emily Klineberg
Ursula signing at the Barnes & Noble in Bethesda, MD, on
March 18, 2017
Photo by Geoffrey Klineberg
Ursula reading at Mrs. Dalloway's in Berkeley, CA, on March 30, 2017
Photo by Julia Klineberg
Ursula Speaking at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, WA, on April 6, 2017
Photo by Geoffrey Klineberg
Ursula Speaking at The Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, WA, on April 8, 2017
Photo by Geoffrey Klineberg
Ursula Speaking at the Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 20, 2017
Ursula Speaking at the inaugural Books in Bloom Festival in Columbia, MD, on June 11, 2017
News and Reviews
Click below to read an article in D.C.'s Northwest Current (March 1, 2017):
“With The Good at Heart, Ursula Werner has written a book that lionizes the human experience. Hopeful and tragic, poignant and inspiring, it's a story made all the more compelling because it springs from the truth. A thrilling tale of ordinary people facing epic choices in a world gone mad.”
David R. Gilham, author of City of Women
"Its title recalling the poignant diary entry Anne Frank left behind as her family was lead to the death camps, The Good at Heart is a brutal and beautiful story that answers ancient questions about what “good Germans” were thinking as their country descended into madness. Poet Ursula Werner packs her debut novel with jaw-clenching suspense and unexpected tenderness, and an ending that would break the heart of a stone."
Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean and Two if By Sea
“In this delightfully written debut, the Eberhardt women, Edith and Marina, work tirelessly to protect their children from war in the bucolic German countryside. But nothing can protect them from the fact that they are Nazis. With Grandpa Oskar about to bring the Fuhrer to visit, tension rises and there will be a price to pay for the denial, the guilt and the sometimes impossible choice between family and morality.”
Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and The Summer Before the War
"With skillful eloquence, Ursula Werner weaves a compelling tale of ordinary people living in extraordinarily complex and character-defining times. Poignant and moving, this World War II story paints a fresh perspective on what we are willing to surrender for the greater good."
Susan Meissner, author of Secrets of a Charmed Life
"With a title based on an Anne Frank quote, this lyrical and moving novel tells the story of a family living in a small town in Germany in 1944, and answers the questions, "What did they know? What could they do?" Drawn from the author's discoveries about her great grandfather, this book is both poetic and thrilling. The picturesque setting and the innocence of the children contrast powerfully with the encroaching evil of the Third Reich. Highly recommended."
Tim Benz, Staff Pick at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Background and History
Hans Ernst Posse: The Inspiration for Oskar Eberhardt
Articles, Blog Posts, and Commentaries
Jewish Book Council (Mar. 6, 2017).
Jewish Book Council (Mar. 9, 2017).