- Hardcover: 336 pages
- Publisher: Delacorte Press; Signed edition (Nov 23 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0385338627
- ISBN-13: 978-0385338622
- Product Dimensions: 25.5 x 16.8 x 3.7 cm
- Shipping Weight: 907 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Europe in the throes of WWI and II serves as backdrop for this latest dose of melodrama from megabestseller Steel. Bookish, raven-haired beauty Beata Wittgenstein meets dashing French nobleman Antoine de Vallerand while on vacation in Switzerland and falls passionately in love. An affluent German Jew whose strict Orthodox parents forbid marriage outside the faith, Beata knows that a union with a Catholic from war-rival France is out of the question. But love trumps all, and shortly after returning to Germany, Beata defies her family, arranging to meet Antoine in Switzerland, where they marry. When WWI ends, the de Vallerands return to Germany and live happily with their young daughters, Amadea and Daphne. Antoine manages the stables at an old friend's castle, the perfect job for him, but just as all seems well, he's thrown from a headstrong horse. Meanwhile, Hitler's anti-Semitic sentiments spread across Europe, and Beata fears that even her half-Jewish daughters are no longer safe. Devout Catholic Amadea plans to become a Carmelite nun, but as the Third Reich's campaign of cruelty escalates, she finds a greater sense of purpose outside the convent walls. There's enough romance to keep readers going, but fans who prefer the glitz and glamour of Steel's contemporary settings may be nonplussed, and the abrupt disappearance of several major characters leaves giant holes in the narrative.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Steel presents a compelling tale of love and loss, set during World Wars I and II. At novel's beginning, it is 1915, and Beata Wittgenstein, daughter of a German banker, falls in love with Antoine de Vallerand, a French aristocrat. Because Antoine is Catholic, Beata's enraged father expels her from the family, proclaiming her dead. Beata moves to Switzerland, marries Antoine, converts to Catholicism, and has two daughters. The two live happily, despite missing their families (Antoine has been cast out of his family for marrying a Jew). When they move back to Germany, Beata establishes contact with her mother, who relates her fears for the increasing persecution of the Jews under the Nazi regime. Beata, who has lived as a Catholic for nearly 20 years, feels she is safe--in fact, her daughter, Amadea, has taken vows as a Carmelite nun-- but she watches in horror as her family members are shipped off to concentration camps. Readers will enjoy the multigenerational love stories and the historical plot. Librarians should stock up. Kathleen Hughes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!,
By
This review is from: Echoes (Mass Market Paperback)
I just LOVE this book! It was hard to get into it, but once you do, you won't be sorry!! It is really really really good! I highly recommend it! :)
5.0 out of 5 stars
A different kind of Danielle Steel,
By
This review is from: Echoes (Mass Market Paperback)
A different kind of Danielle Steel - A sad but triumphant story - I was almost wishing not to like it, thinking it would be like all her other stories...Same thing, different book; but I really enjoyed it right off from the start and couldn't put it down! I was actually finding myself getting out of bed at night just to read more, I didn't want it to end! What a very touching story with such unsuspectable turn arounds! I even cried, not because it's a romance story but quite the opposite, it's a thriller / suspense / and least of all a romance story of Beata Wittgenstein's life. Oh but what a life this child(woman)had during the war and I hurt for her! This poor woman went through hell and back and still stood tall. If I may say so, it may be a work of fiction but this girl lived what many women lived during the World Wars; it is so different from Danielle Steel's other stories. I highly recommend it!
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is worth 10 stars and not only 5!,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Echoes (Mass Market Paperback)
Unlike the first critic of this book, I didn't find it hard to get into it. On the contrary, I started reading and the next thing I knew, I had already read almost half the book! This is by far the best book I have ever read in all my life! It has action after action and it's so unpredictable! I couldn't believe it, there is always a change in the story beyond the reader's imagination. I was utterly impressed with it, there are no points at all where you can say that there was a boring part in the middle as we often here in comments. If you are looking for a book that will bring you into another world, this is the one to read! I just couldn't stop reading it, there are happy moments, sad moments, times that you say you hate some of the characters for what they have done and there are also times that I had to wipe my eyes cause I couldn't see the writing anymore. This is no no way a romance novel, more like an action book that never lets you down in any way. I really recommend this book for anyone who wants a good read!
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