From Publishers Weekly
Ranging from World War I-era Europe to contemporary New York, Norman's ( In Love and Friendship ) intense, highly dramatic novel focuses on two indomitable women who stoically face misfortunes. Raised in Hungary by Catholic adoptive parents who hide her Jewish origins, Krisztina Florian falls in love with German Jew David Kaufmann. Her anti-Semitic father forbids them to meet, and a determined suitor, Baron Laurent de Trouvere, schemes to have David sent to a concentration camp. Disconsolately marrying the baron, Krisztina settles in at his exquisite chateau in Alsace, where she discovers his pro-Nazi sentiments and fierce temper. Soon widowed, she raises her son, Olivier, remodels the chateau into a deluxe hotel, and remarries. But her son becomes a monster of selfishness, greed, and anti-Semitism. Only his loyal half-sister, Ella, wins Olivier's love, yet his affiliation with a dangerous neo-Nazi organization almost costs her life. Norman manages her characters well, skillfully conveying the pains of loss and betrayal. The novel concludes with a memorably chilling, suspense-filled confrontation.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Adopted as an infant by Catholic Hungarian parents, Krisztina Florian grows up unaware of her true Jewish heritage. After getting entangled in the pre-World War II tensions in Europe, Krisztina enters into a loveless marriage with a French aristocrat in order to save her beloved David from death. A widow after the war, Krisztina resourcefully transforms her husband's ancestral home in Alsace into a successful Grand Hotel. Her legacy is carried on by her children, Olivier and Ella, as the complex and sometimes bizarre story unfolds in France and New York. Spanning nearly 70 years, this is a well-told, absorbing tale of one family's struggle for survival, love, acceptance, and peace. Recommended for most public libraries. Maria A. Perez-Stable, Western Michigan Univ. Libs., Kalamazoo
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
