Maryanna Diduska is the spoilt only daughter of a wealthy Polish landowner. Piotro Bandura is the son of a poverty-stricken Ukrainian peasant. Their paths should never cross.
But fate has other ideas.
Set in 19th century Eastern Europe, within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, from Poland to Vienna, The Amber Heart is a passionate (and at times explicit) love story of two people whose lives will be inextricably and hopelessly entwined.
‘Stefan took a pouch from his jacket and scattered coins as though scattering grain, watching them spread out and dive, hunting among grasses, squabbling volubly, fighting for what they could find, like so many starlings. But one of them didn’t move. He was the tallest and the oldest, a boy of perhaps eleven, his hair black and matted, his face sallow under the grime, his eyes an unexpectedly bright cornflower blue. He stood still, hands hanging by his sides, fists clenched, and he stared up at Maryanna, unsmiling, unmoving. She shifted uneasily. For perhaps the first time in her life, she saw a gaze of pure resentment directed straight at herself. She turned her head into her father’s jacket.
‘Daddy, tell the boy not to look at me,’ she whispered.
The Amber Heart is a big, compelling family saga, the story of the beautiful pancake yellow house of Lisko, Maryanna’s beloved childhood home, and the way in which the lives of a fascinating array of characters are disrupted by the political turmoil of the times. If you love the movie versions of Dr Zhivago and, more recently, Anna Karenina, tales of passion, betrayal and tragedy in an extraordinarily romantic setting, this is the historical novel for you.
Writing in the Indie E-Book Review, Cally Phillips says, ‘Passionate obsession is honestly dealt with in this novel. Czerkawska skilfully negotiates the love scenes, which are erotic but never pure erotica - they serve the purpose of the novel rather than being placed for titillation.’
Catherine Czerkawska is an award winning writer of historical and contemporary novels, short stories and many plays for the stage and for BBC Radio 4. You’ll find many of her books now on Kindle. When not writing, she also finds time to collect and deal in antique and vintage textiles and costume, at least some of which seem to find their way into her fiction as well.
But fate has other ideas.
Set in 19th century Eastern Europe, within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, from Poland to Vienna, The Amber Heart is a passionate (and at times explicit) love story of two people whose lives will be inextricably and hopelessly entwined.
‘Stefan took a pouch from his jacket and scattered coins as though scattering grain, watching them spread out and dive, hunting among grasses, squabbling volubly, fighting for what they could find, like so many starlings. But one of them didn’t move. He was the tallest and the oldest, a boy of perhaps eleven, his hair black and matted, his face sallow under the grime, his eyes an unexpectedly bright cornflower blue. He stood still, hands hanging by his sides, fists clenched, and he stared up at Maryanna, unsmiling, unmoving. She shifted uneasily. For perhaps the first time in her life, she saw a gaze of pure resentment directed straight at herself. She turned her head into her father’s jacket.
‘Daddy, tell the boy not to look at me,’ she whispered.
The Amber Heart is a big, compelling family saga, the story of the beautiful pancake yellow house of Lisko, Maryanna’s beloved childhood home, and the way in which the lives of a fascinating array of characters are disrupted by the political turmoil of the times. If you love the movie versions of Dr Zhivago and, more recently, Anna Karenina, tales of passion, betrayal and tragedy in an extraordinarily romantic setting, this is the historical novel for you.
Writing in the Indie E-Book Review, Cally Phillips says, ‘Passionate obsession is honestly dealt with in this novel. Czerkawska skilfully negotiates the love scenes, which are erotic but never pure erotica - they serve the purpose of the novel rather than being placed for titillation.’
Catherine Czerkawska is an award winning writer of historical and contemporary novels, short stories and many plays for the stage and for BBC Radio 4. You’ll find many of her books now on Kindle. When not writing, she also finds time to collect and deal in antique and vintage textiles and costume, at least some of which seem to find their way into her fiction as well.
