Could not get into it. ( )

I just gave you continue reading this book because it's very youthful for my taste. ( )

I just gave you continue reading this book because it's very youthful for my taste. ( )

I just gave you continue reading this book because it's very youthful for my taste. ( )

I just gave you continue reading this book because it's very youthful for my taste. ( )

A long novel that brings the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in focus during the time of both World War I and World War II. The fight between fascists, socialists, communists, and democracy is shown through the story of a particular Viennese family and their associates. I loved the way the effect of the political situation on the lives of individuals was shown in grave detail. Amalia is pursued by three young men, but she really only loves one deeply at the beginning. Her struggle to survive, grow and help others, along with her learning to understand the battle between darkness and light fill the book with strength of character and plot. Thriving in hard times is depicted along with grief, and the characters are real, though certainly and often not wise. A great learning experience in history for a place and people not often written about. The only thing that didn't ring really true was Amalia making decisions based on emotion, not logical fact. My experiences with the Germanic peoples are primarily that they are very logical, and they do not rely on emotion to make major decisions.

A romantic novel (but decidedly not a "romance") about a Viennese woman searching for love during the time of the world wars. It begins in 1913 as she deplores her German fiance's enthusiasm for the building martial spirit in his home country, even as she hates the thought of breaking their engagement. It ends in 1938 as she attempts a harrowing escape from Austria during the Nazi takeover. In between, she faces heart-wrenching decisions as three very different men, each attractive in his own way, vie for her affections. Readers who don't care for explicit sex but do appreciate a solid historical novel that offers a grown-up love story will enjoy this.

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