...And the Clouds Took it Along... (Paperback)

by Taman Itza (Author) "The first stars began to shine with darting gleams in the indigo sky - there were no clouds in the vicinity; not a sound was..." (more)
Key Phrases: Aunt Nora, Los Angeles, Frau Gruber (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Rudi Vernoff is a young refugee, fleeing Poland with his mother as the Second World War ends and the Russian Army sweeps across Eastern Europe. They find temporary refuge in Austria, where Rudi's beautiful and narcissistic mother finds lonely officers, and a means of survival. Her legacy to Rudi, her classically handsome son, is loneliness and longing, and a desperate need for love, and stability. At seventeen, he finds both in a deeply loving and sensual affair with a young American captain -- and learns that much of the world conspires against such a love. Intrigue forces them apart. Rudi is once more abandoned. But he is wiser now, and aware of the power of his physical beauty. He knows that seduction can bring what he desires most in life: love, beauty, and wealth. But Rudi is also tormented by visions and by voices. Perhaps of lives he has lived. Perhaps of lives of others who must speak to him. The message of his visions, of a life with purpose and true love, vie with his desperate need for any love, any stability-and the life of deceit that need forces upon him. Fate brings to Rudi both poverty and riches, loneliness and love, and the understanding that his beautiful body is only a shell that will one day be empty of dreams and of longing; his soul, and a deep and final love, will outlive worlds.

About the Author
Taman Itza was born in Austria, ten years before the beginning of the Second World War. He developed a love of beauty during a childhood of love and privilege, surrounded by art and antiques. He is a world traveler: a student of beauty in architecture and art in Europe, in Africa, and in North America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (July 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552123545
• ISBN-13: 978-1552123546
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,078,154 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "And The Clouds Took It Along", June 3, 2005

A Kid's Review

An intriguing, humanly sensitive true to life epic written by Tarman Itza. The author chronicles the life struggle, commencing during the final stages of World War Two, in Europe to present day times. Young Rudi Vernoff has to find his way just barely surviving in a hostile environment, the loss of his mother and abandonment, only serves to strenghten his will to keep going despite the odds. It is difficult not to identify with his character. His visions, yearning for love, affection, education in works of arts; the finer true essences of life, make this narrative a haunting soul searching saga, beautifully written and expressed. A must read for book lovers and art enthusiasts. A film would make a wonderful viewing for a world wide audience.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ...And the Clouds Took it Along..., June 9, 2004

By	Z Fitzgerald (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews

As a beautiful tapestry, the book unfolds the story of Rudi Vernoff - both of his life and of his thoughts. Through his remembrances of the past and striving for a better future, we learn a story a young man from a privileged but love-less home who although dispossessed and misplaced by the great war with determination pursues life and the opportunities that life creates in order to regain a position in life he believes is rightfully his.

We relive with Rudi his childhood in the security of his home, then the war - the loss of all he possessed - his home, his father and then mother, and also the country of his birth. We see him struggle alone in life. We witness the many helping hands and not so friendly experiences that accompany his maturing. We see how gradually he lost his innocence and learned to recognize that life presents many great opportunities.

Rudi is a man of striking physical beauty and of inborn intelligence. He feels and analyses the world that surrounds him. With sensitivity and honesty, he tells the story of his life and the loves he encounters. Through the glimpses of past, present and future, we see Rudi as many in one or one of many - a persona with many facets just like the loves, joys and hardships he endures along the way.

What is love? Rudi re-examines the concept anew. Love of a country, love of a man or a woman, or one's children. Regardless of the shade of love, it is love that makes things happen.

The book is beautifully written from the beginning to the end and so captivating from one chapter to another that I could not leave it alone. Set in the span of two continents - it vividly describes both the European and the North American surroundings with such clarity that one can almost smell the fresh air of the West Coast and taste the snow in the deepest of European winters.

It is a visual treat as well s a great book to read and to provoke ones thoughts.

Z. Fitzgerald

5.0 out of 5 stars And the clouds took it Along ..., September 18, 2001

By	Jerrold Dennis Mutter (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

Taman Itza has portrayed the dynamics of life and love through the many possibilities that the intamacy of love can bring. The main character Rudi evolves and matures throughout the story. He lives during the second world war in the darkest age of modern Europe. He dwells on the beauty of life and love rather then war. As he travels through life his one love never diminishes. The love he shares with Richard is the love we all yearn for in life. The love for one person can continue through others. The understanding character of Aunt Nora who is seen as a pillar of strength and her unquestioning acceptance of Rudi and Richard depicts them as a family unit. The intimacy between them far extends life here. Love goes on forever through the continuum of time. The setting in the book so well describes a bygone era we all yearn. This book describes the intimate love we have inside us for each other. The story leaves you wondering about your definition of love. This story is a must for those who respect deep and true love. Taman Itza truly has put a new twist on everlasting love.