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Echoes (Danielle Steel)
 
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Echoes (Danielle Steel) [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Danielle Steel (Author), Simon Prebble (Reader)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)


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Book Description

Danielle Steel October 26, 2004
Against a vivid backdrop of history, Danielle Steel tells a compelling story of love and war, acts of faith and acts of betrayal…and of three generations of women as they journey though years of loss and survival, linked by an indomitable devotion that echoes across time.

For the Wittgenstein family, the summer of 1915 was a time of both prosperity and unease, as the guns of war sound in the distance. But for eldest daughter Beata, it was also a summer of awakening. By the glimmering waters of Lake Geneva, the quiet Jewish beauty met a young French officer and fell in love. Knowing that her parents would never accept her marriage to a Catholic, Beata followed her heart anyway. And as the two built a new life together, Beata’s past would stay with her in ways she could never have predicted. For as the years pass, and Europe is once again engulfed in war, Beata must watch in horror as Hitler’s terror threatens her life and family—even her eighteen-year-old daughter Amadea, who has taken on the vows of a Carmelite nun.

For Amadea, the convent is no refuge. As family and friends are swept away without a trace, Amadea is forced into hiding. Thus begins a harrowing journey of survival, as she escapes into the heart of the French Resistance. Here Amadea will find a renewed sense of purpose, taking on the most daring missions behind enemy lines. And it is here, in the darkest moments of fear, that Amadea will feel her mother’s loving strength—and that of her mother’s mother before her–as the voices of lost loved ones echo powerfully in her heart. And here, amid the fires of war, Amadea will meet an extraordinary man, British secret agent Rupert Montgomery. In Colonel Montgomery, Amadea finds a man who will help her discover her place in an unbreakable chain between generations…and between her lost family and her dreams for the future—a future she is only just beginning to imagine: a future of hope rooted in the rich soil of the past.

With the grace of a master storyteller, Danielle Steel breathes life into history, creating a bold, sweeping tale filled with unforgettable characters and breathtaking images—from the elegant rituals of Europe’s prewar aristocracy to the brutal desperation of Germany’s death camps. Drawing us into a vanished world, Echoes weaves an intricate tapestry of a mother’s love, a daughter’s courage…and the unwavering faith that sustained them—even in history’s darkest hour.


From the Hardcover edition.

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Editorial Reviews

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 the 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 the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Audio Cassette
  • Publisher: Random House Audio; Unabridged edition (October 26, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0553757148
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553757149
  • Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 3.6 x 2.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,268,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's most popular authors, with over 590 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include 44 Charles Street, Legacy, Family Ties, Big Girl, Southern Lights, Matters of the Heart, One Day at a Time, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death.

 

Customer Reviews

61 Reviews
5 star:
 (20)
4 star:
 (12)
3 star:
 (12)
2 star:
 (10)
1 star:
 (7)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (61 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerfully Moving Story, March 31, 2006
This review is from: Echoes (Mass Market Paperback)
"Echoes" by Danielle Steel, is a wonderfully moving and emotional story of a family of strong and caring women, who for generations seem destined to 'echo' the trials and triumphs of their predecessors. It is a saga so filled with characters that attracted me to their inner strength, their courage and magnetic charms, and had me living the danger and hardships of their times. There were times I actually found myself with a lump in my throat or my heart beating faster, as they devoted themselves, sometimes putting their lives on the line for what they loved and believed in.

In 1915, as War began to loom, and her brothers were off fighting, Beata Wittgenstein, a young, beautiful, intelligent German Jewish woman, fell in love with a handsome and caring French officer. Both loved their families and their countries, but the love they had for each other had no equal. Defying their parents,their traditions, and being cut out of the families, never to be allowed contact again, they sought comfort in each other's arms and married. Not an easy life, they managed to make a home and life for themselves and their two beautiful daughters. Beata converting to Catholicism for her husband, but never forgetting her own deep roots.

It was years later, when a second World War loomed that she anguished as her family disappeared into the horrible fate awaiting them by the Nazis. As her oldest daughter, Amadea grew into a beautiful woman and had become a nun, it was only then she learned of her ancestry. She too had to suffer in silence as her mother and sister were taken away, and she herself is forced to live in a concentration camp . Amadea would then go on to become a respected member of the French Resistance, doing what was in her power to fight for freedom and to save other lives from being destroyed. She also finds love and must decide between her devotion to God and the man she loves.

It's a story filled with love. But it is much more than a romance novel. It has adventure, danger, and the all too real horrors of war. It is one that will touch you on many levels, and one that will stay with you for quite a while after the read.

This book is also available in a magnifecent audio edition read by Simon Prebble, that also comes with a bonus audio book of "Fine Things", a lovely romantic story, also by Steel(Read by Richard Thomas):Echoes (Danielle Steel)

Here is a LArge Print Edition:Echoes - Large Print Edition

Enjoy the read....Laurie
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Lack of Research, October 19, 2006
By 
Juls (Baltimore, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
When a reader selects Daniel Steel's book he/she is pretty much aware of what to expect. This is an excellent book, and you know that by wanting to know what happens next in the plot. One major draw back of this book is lack of research by author. She selects a topic and does very little to understand the intricacies of the subject matter.

As few other reviewers noted there are a number of things that would most likely never happened in real life. Example: in the beginning of the book while vacationing in Geneva mother is dining in a restaurant with her daughters. If they were an orthodox family they would follow kashrus and not dine in the hotel's restaurant which was obviously not kosher. And, only few pages after that Beata eats her first "non-kosher" meal when she leaves for Switzerland.

Also, number was never tattooed on her arm. Germans were well known for strict adherence to order and them "missing" her is highly unlikely. No Jewish holidays are celebrated except "High Holiday" Yom Kippur. While, Bearta's family was "orthodox" they all had non-Jewish first names, even though it is possible however but it is highly improbable. There were numerous reference to knowledge of languages, however when referring to Wittgenstein their first language was German, then French and English. This is a major flaw in Steel's research. Wittgenstein' first language would have been Yiddish.
Beata converted and her daughter was Catholic, but according to Jewish law Amadea was Jewish and that was simply ignored in the book and only at the very end Rabbi was present at the wedding ceremony, for what purpose? You do not bring in your rabbi for heritage purposes.

Many more instances could be found throughout the text. Good book but very little research.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars ECHOES, January 6, 2006
This review is from: Echoes (Mass Market Paperback)
This book was hard to put down. It holds you from the first page. You fall in love with all the characters and feel your heart ache with their sorrows. And am now trying to find one that can compare.
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