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The Silence of Trees [Hardcover]

Valya Dudycz Lupescu
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (224 customer reviews)

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Book Description

October 1, 2010
Too often the women of history have been silenced, but their stories have power- to reveal, to teach, and to transform. This is one such story. In Chicago's Ukrainian Village, Nadya Lysenko has built her life on a foundation of secrets. When Nadya was sixteen, she snuck out of her house in Western Ukraine to meet a fortuneteller in the woods. Ignoring the threat of Nazis and Russians, Nadya was driven by love and a desire to learn the unknown. She never expected it to be the last time she would see her family. Years later, Nadya continues to be haunted by the death of her parents and sisters. She clings to her traditions and stories from Ukraine, the only parts of her past that she can share with her family. The myths and magic of Nadya's childhood are still a part of her reality: house spirits misplace keys and glasses, dreams unite friends across time and space, and a fortuneteller's cards predict the future. Her beloved dead also insist on being heard, through dreams and whispers in the night. They want the truth to come out. Nadya needs to face her past and confront the secrets she buried within-THE SILENCE OF TREES.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Valya Dudycz Lupescu is a writer and the founding editor of CONCLAVE: A Journal of Character. Born and raised in Chicago, she received her degree in English at DePaul University and earned her MFA in Writing as part of the inaugural class at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (where she began working on The Silence of Trees). Her novel, The Silence of Trees, was selected as a Semifinalist in the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. She occasionally teaches workshops around Chicago and online, and helps to facilitate a monthly gathering of writers and artists. For the last seven years, she and her husband, along with their three children, have been dividing their time between the United States and Germany. They currently reside in Chicago. Visit her website at: www.vdlupescu.com --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 314 pages
  • Publisher: Wolfsword Press (October 1, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0982126123
  • ISBN-13: 978-0982126127
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (224 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,155,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Valya Dudycz Lupescu is a writer and the founding editor of the literary magazine, CONCLAVE: A Journal of Character. Her novel, THE SILENCE OF TREES, was published by Wolfsword Press in October 2010.

Born and raised in Chicago, Valya received her degree in English at DePaul University. She then earned her MFA in Writing as part of the inaugural class at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since receiving her MFA, Valya has worked as a college professor, obituary writer, content manager, internal communications specialist, goth cocktail waitress, and co-producer of the independent feature film, The Secret. She occasionally teaches workshops around the city and online, and she helps to facilitate a monthly gathering of writers and artists in Chicago.

Valya's novel, The Silence of Trees, was selected as a Semifinalist in the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. She has won several awards for her writing and has appeared in numerous journals.

For the last seven years, Valya, her husband, and their three children have been dividing their time between the United States and Germany. They currently reside in Chicago.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
277 of 283 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Nearly three years ago, I read the first 5000 words of this story for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. Ms. Lupescu left me in a Ukranian forest full of German soldiers bent on rape with sixteen year old Nadya seeking her fortune from a clan of gypsies.

I've wondered what happened ever since. I bought "The Silence of Trees" as soon as the book was available via Amazon and even paid extra for second day delivery. I sat down with the book and a cup of tea expecting to finish in one sitting.

Normally, I'm a serial devourer of books, but "The Silence of Trees" was entirely too rich for that. I paused at 75 pages and dreamed that night of the gypsy camp. Music, counterpointed by the jangle of tambourines rang in my ears. I even saw the raven-haired dancer clad in red and gold.

I followed Nadya through fifty years of her life, learning what it was like to lose family during World War II, to live in a German work camp, and to finally immigrate to a new land where you do not speak the language and begin anew. Each step is full of the same vivid detail as the initial scenes. Nadya and her family grow and become as real as next-door neighbors.

Ms. Lupescu's prose truly is the stuff that dreams are made of. The narrative voice of her protagonist Nadya remains strong throughout nearly fifty years of her life. You can almost taste the kolachi and feel the willow switches on your backside on Palm Sunday. The best of literature transports you to places you have never been. While some of the locales of "Silence" are places you may not have wished to be, there's heart and hope in every page.

Rebecca Kyle, October 2010
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103 of 106 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having not known much about the history of the Ukrainian people during the second World War, reading this story was like taking a walk in the shoes of the narrator, 70 year-old Nadya Lysenko, and reliving her heart-wrenching experiences during this turbulent and hellish time. We feel her intense and conflicting feelings towards her first love Stephan, her deep guilt and confusion over a simple decision to leave the house one night to visit a fortune-telling gypsy, and her survivor's guilt when so many around her perish, and she manages not only to survive, but thrive. Decisions she makes in an attempt to survive her ordeal come back to haunt her later during her relatively normal life in the U.S. after the war. Lupescue successfully weaves the tale from the past to the present, and the reader slowly becomes aware of all Nadya is holding inside and keeping from her children, grandchildren and even her husband. The reader feels the pressure and pain of bearing so many secrets and begins to understand why the generation who lived through this travesty may not care to discuss their past.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants to learn about another culture and experience history in an up-close and personal manner. The poetic nature of the novel, the use of trees and nature as symbols, the folkloric and superstitious manner the narrator uses to describe her memories all blend together to make this a rich novel worthy of a second reading or discussion by a reading group or history class. I think the book would be a great accompaniment to a college international studies course, especially one that focuses on eastern Europe. Like the pysanky egg, the book has layers and details that all come together beautifully in the end. Some may say the ending is a little too neat, but I like the hopeful note the author concludes on.

Can you tell I really loved this book?

P.S. Having recently traveled to Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, I noticed the elderly in those countries very reserved and reticent to talk with "foreigners," unlike the youth who were very friendly and carefree. This book gave me a good understanding of why that might be as many, I am sure, had lived through communist regimes and German occupation.
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57 of 61 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting Novel October 2, 2010
By sandy
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I loved the book "The Silence of the Trees". I am a Ukrainian American and in reading this book I alternated in relating to Nadya's life & her daughter Katya. I could not put the book down & I was disappointed when the story ended.... I wanted more. I spent a whole day reading only stopping to have lunch & dinner. I can't wait to have more of my friends read it so I can discuss the book with them.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Rich and evocative story telling
This story was written in true literary fiction style. I loved the writing and the story. I really enjoyed the imact the writer gave each character in Nadya's life. Read more
Published 15 hours ago by Sheila L. Bowen
4.0 out of 5 stars Don't hesitate, read it!
When I first came across this title on Amazon I wondered whether I should buy it as I hadn't heard of the author or book before but all the positive reviews made me want to give it... Read more
Published 10 days ago by Roshni
5.0 out of 5 stars The Silence of trees - A WONDERFUL STORY
Being an older woman looking back on my life and choices, I was captured by the similarity of Nayda's feelings to my own. Read more
Published 1 month ago by H. Baker
2.0 out of 5 stars It's a slog
I couldn't get through it. I was continually confused as to whether the main character was flash-backing or in real time.
Published 1 month ago by Ms. N
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!
I loved this book! Maybe I was especially interested because I'm in the process of researching my own ancestry right now and my Great Grandmother came from the Ukraine.
Published 1 month ago by McShorty
5.0 out of 5 stars Memories.
I was taken back to my childhood when my baba told me stories of her childhood. Thank you It was wonderful reading and remembering. I could almost smell my Bucky kitchen.
Published 1 month ago by RT-me
4.0 out of 5 stars Dealing with past traumas
This book was a story of a woman who didn't want to deal with her past. So many people fled to America and Australia afer World War 2. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Janice A Paton
4.0 out of 5 stars Magical weaving of history with cultural folklore and romance.
I would recommend this for anyone wanting to learn about World War II from a very different perspective. Very rich with memories and stories and how they unite us all.
Published 1 month ago by Pam
3.0 out of 5 stars A nice story
It was a nice story but a bit slow for my liking. The torment of a soul is a sad take.
Published 1 month ago by Terri Lennon
4.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Romance
I've only two comments to make about Silence of Trees because I feel that most of what can be said has already been said by other reviewers. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Bear with a sore head
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