The Butterfly and the Violin

Author: Kristy Cambron
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1401690602
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Book Description
Based on the real orchestra composed of prisoners at Auschwitz, The Butterfly and the Violin shows how beauty and hope can penetrate even the darkest corners. Present day: Manhattan art dealer Sera James watched her world crumble at the altar two years ago, and her heart is still fragile. Her desire for distraction reignites a passion for a mysterious portrait she first saw as a young girl—a painting of a young violinist with piercing blue eyes. In her search for the painting, Sera crosses paths with William Hanover—the grandson of a wealthy California real estate mogul—who may be the key to uncovering the hidden masterpiece. Together Sera and William slowly unravel the story behind the painting’s subject: Austrian violinist Adele Von Bron. 1942: A darling of the Austrian aristocracy, talented violinist, and daughter to a high-ranking member of the Third Reich, Adele Von Bron risks everything when she begins smuggling Jews out of Vienna. In a heartbeat, her life of prosperity and privilege dissolves into a world of starvation and barbed wire. As Sera untangles the secrets behind the painting, she finds beauty in the most unlikely places: the grim concentration camps of Auschwitz and the inner recesses of her own troubled heart. “Cambron expertly weaves together multiple plotlines, timelines, and perspectives to produce a poignant tale of the power of love and faith in difficult circumstances. Those interested in stories of survival and the Holocaust, such as Eli Wiesel’s Night, will want to read.” —Library Journal, starred review Stand-alone World War II historical fiction Full-length novel, approximately 115,000 words Includes discussion questions for book clubs Also available from Kristy Cambron: The Italian Ballerina, The Paris Dressmaker, The Lost Castle, The Ringmaster’s Wife, and The Illusionist’s Apprentice

A Sparrow in Terezin

Author: Kristy Cambron
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1401690629
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Book Description
The Nazi regime claimed Terezin was a model camp, but when one London reporter lands behind its walls, she uncovers the horrors of this concentration camp that often served as a stop on the road to Auschwitz. In 1939 Kája Makovsky narrowly escaped Nazi-occupied Prague and was forced to leave behind her half-Jewish family. Three years later and now a reporter for The Daily Telegraph in England, Kája discovers the terror has followed her across the Channel in the shadowy form of the London Blitz. When she learns Jews are being exterminated by the thousands on the continent, she has no choice but to return to her mother city, risking her life to smuggle her family to freedom and peace. In the present day, with the grand opening of her new art gallery and a fairy–tale wedding just around the corner, Sera James feels like she’s stumbled into a charmed life—until a brutal legal battle against fiancé William Hanover threatens to destroy their future before it even begins. Connecting across a century through one little girl, these two women will discover a kinship that springs in even the darkest of times. In this tale of hope and survival, Sera and Kája must cling to the faith that sustains them and fight to protect all they hold dear–even if it means placing their own futures on the line. Praise for A Sparrow in Terezin “Gorgeous and heartrending, a WWII story packed with romance, bravery and sacrifice, interwoven with a modern-day thread.” —Melissa Tagg “Cambron’s detail to history shines as readers are transported seamlessly from the warm, sandy beaches of San Francisco’s coast to the frightening ambience of WWII Europe.” —Kate Breslin “A testament to the past . . . to a time of both unfathomable loss and courageous sacrifice that we should honor in our hearts and minds.” —Beth K. Vogt A follow-up to The Butterfly and the Violin Full-length novel (97,000 words) with two storylines: one set in World War II and the other in the present-day Sweet romance Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Violin Dreams

Author: Arnold Steinhardt
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780547086002
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 276

Book Description
"A rapturous, witty, and passionate memoir ... Violin Dreams is not only the story of a man becoming an artist, it’s a history of twentieth-century music.” -- John Guare, Tony Award-winning playwright Arnold Steinhardt, for more than forty years an international soloist and the first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet, brings warmth, wit, and fascinating insider details to the story of his lifelong obsession with the violin, that most seductive and stunningly beautiful instrument. His story is rich with vivid scenes: the terror inflicted by his early violin teachers, the sensual pleasure involved in the pursuit of the perfect violin, the charged atmosphere of high-level competitions. Steinhardt describes Bach’s Chaconne as the holy grail for the solo violin, and he illuminates, from the perspective of an ardent owner of a great Storioni violin, the history and mysteries of the renowned Italian violinmakers. Violin Dreams includes a remarkable CD recording of Steinhardt performing Bach’s Partita in D Minor as a young violinist forty years ago and playing the same piece especially for this book. A conversation between the author and Alan Alda on the differences between the two performances is included in the liner notes.

The Man with the Violin

Author: Kathy Stinson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781554515646
Category : Braille books
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"With a postscript by Joshua Bell."--Cover.

The Butterfly Effect

Author: Edward D. Melillo
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 1524733229
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 281

Book Description
A fascinating, entertaining dive into the long-standing relationship between humans and insects, revealing the surprising ways we depend on these tiny, six-legged creatures. Insects might make us shudder in disgust, but they are also responsible for many of the things we take for granted in our daily lives. When we bite into a shiny apple, listen to the resonant notes of a violin, get dressed, receive a dental implant, or get a manicure, we are the beneficiaries of a vast army of insects. Try as we might to replicate their raw material (silk, shellac, and cochineal, for instance), our artificial substitutes have proven subpar at best, and at worst toxic, ensuring our interdependence with the insect world for the foreseeable future. Drawing on research in laboratory science, agriculture, fashion, and international cuisine, Edward D. Melillo weaves a vibrant world history that illustrates the inextricable and fascinating bonds between humans and insects. Across time, we have not only coexisted with these creatures but have relied on them for, among other things, the key discoveries of modern medical science and the future of the world's food supply. Without insects, entire sectors of global industry would grind to a halt and essential features of modern life would disappear. Here is a beguiling appreciation of the ways in which these creatures have altered--and continue to shape--the very framework of our existence.

The Paris Dressmaker

Author: Kristy Cambron
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 0785232176
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 398

Book Description
Based on true accounts of how Parisiennes resisted the Nazi occupation in World War II—from fashion houses to the city streets—comes a story of two courageous women who risked everything to fight an evil they could not abide. Paris, 1939. Maison Chanel has closed, thrusting haute couture dressmaker Lila de Laurent out of the world of high fashion as Nazi soldiers invade the streets and the City of Light slips into darkness. Lila’s life is now a series of rations, brutal restrictions, and carefully controlled propaganda while Paris is cut off from the rest of the world. Yet in hidden corners of the city, the faithful pledge to resist. Lila is drawn to La Resistance and is soon using her skills as a dressmaker to infiltrate the Nazi elite. She takes their measurements and designs masterpieces, all while collecting secrets in the glamorous Hotel Ritz—the heart of the Nazis’ Parisian headquarters.?But when dashing René Touliard suddenly reenters her world, Lila finds her heart tangled between determination to help save his Jewish family and to bolster the fight for liberation. Paris, 1943. Sandrine Paquet’s job is to catalog the priceless works of art bound for the Führer’s Berlin, masterpieces stolen from prominent Jewish families. But behind closed doors, she secretly forages for information from the underground resistance. Beneath her compliant facade lies a woman bent on uncovering the fate of her missing husband . . . but at what cost? As Hitler’s regime crumbles, Sandrine is drawn in deeper when she uncrates an exquisite blush Chanel gown concealing a cryptic message that may reveal the fate of a dressmaker who vanished from within the fashion elite. Told across the span of the Nazi occupation, The Paris Dressmaker highlights the brave women who used everything in their power to resist darkness and restore light to their world. Stand-alone World War II historical fiction Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Violins of Hope

Author: James A. Grymes
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062246844
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 185

Book Description
A stirring testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of music, Violins of Hope tells the remarkable stories of violins played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust, and the Israeli violin maker dedicated to bringing these inspirational instruments back to life. The violin has formed an important aspect of Jewish culture for centuries, both as a popular instrument with classical Jewish musicians—Jascha Heifetz, Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman—and also a central factor of social life as part of the enduring Klezmer tradition. But during the Holocaust, the violin assumed extraordinary new roles within the Jewish community. For some musicians, the instrument was a liberator; for others, it was a savior that spared their lives. For many, the violin provided comfort in mankind’s darkest hour, and, in at least one case, helped avenge murdered family members. Above all, the violins of the Holocaust represented strength and optimism for the future. In Violins of Hope, music historian James A. Grymes tells the amazing, horrifying, and inspiring story of the violins of the Holocaust, and of Amnon Weinstein, the renowned Israeli violinmaker who has devoted the past twenty years to restoring these instruments in tribute to those who were lost, including 400 members of his own family. Juxtaposing tales of individual violins with one man’s harrowing struggle to reconcile his own family’s history and the history of his people, it is a poignant, affecting, and ultimately uplifting look at the Holocaust and its enduring impact.

The Butterfly Code

Author: Sue Wyshynski
Publisher: Whitman Books
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 388

Book Description

The Lost Castle

Author: Kristy Cambron
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 0718095472
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 385

Book Description
Bridging the past and present in three time periods—the French Revolution, World War II, and present day—The Lost Castle is an enchanting, interwoven story of three resilient women connected by a storybook castle that stands witness to their lives. 1789: Aveline Saint-Moreau is a wealthy and beautiful young aristocrat preparing for her betrothal to the Duc et Vivay’s heir Philippe, but the French Revolution looms as the Bastille is stormed in Paris. 1944: Viola Hart is a Resistance fighter in France during World War II, desperately trying to root out the evil taking hold in her country as the Nazis occupy France. Present day: Ellie Carver is in a race against time to deliver a decades-overdue message as her grandmother fades into the shadows of Alzheimer’s. Embarking on a journey to France’s Loire Valley, Ellie can only hope to unearth the secrets of the mysterious castle before time silences them forever. As Ellie’s journey unfolds, so too do the journeys of the two other women, each of their stories woven together through their connection with the forgotten French castle—a castle that plays a part in saving each one of them. With tales of loves won and lost, battles waged in the hearts of men, and a legacy of faith spanning generations, The Lost Castle is a sweeping story of three strong women making history. Praise for The Lost Castle: “Spanning the French Revolution, World War II and today, Cambron masterfully carries us into each period with all the romance and danger of the best fairy tale.” —Katherine Reay “It’s been a long time since I’ve been so thoroughly engrossed in a novel . . . The Lost Castle kept me spellbound!” —Tamera Alexander Full-length split-time historical fiction Includes discussion questions for book clubs Part of The Lost Castle Series Book 1: The Lost Castle Book 2: Castle on the Rise Book 3: The Painted Castle

The Painted Castle

Author: Kristy Cambron
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 0718095537
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 400

Book Description
Set in three time periods—the rapid change of Victorian England, the peak of England’s home-front tensions at the end of WWII, and modern day—The Painted Castle unlocks secrets lost for generations just waiting to be found. A lost painting of Queen Victoria. A library bricked off from the world. And three women, separated by time, whose lives are irrevocably changed. In Victorian England, talented sketch artist Elizabeth Meade is engaged to Viscount Huxley, owner of Parham Hill. However, Elizabeth’s real motive for being at Parham Hill has nothing to do with art or marriage. She’s determined to avenge her father’s brutal murder—even if it means a betrothal to the very man she believes committed the crime. A century later, Amelia Woods—a World War II widow who has turned Parham Hill and its beloved library into a boarding school for refugee children—receives military orders to house a troop of American pilots. She is determined the children in her care will remain untouched by the war, but the task is proving difficult with officers taking up every square inch of their world . . . and one in particular vying for a space in Amelia’s long-shut up heart. When art historian Keira Foley is hired to authenticate a painting, she hopes this is just the thing to get her career and life back on track. But from the time she arrives at Parham Hill Estate and begins working alongside rumored art thief Emory Scott, she’s left with far more questions than answers. Could this lost painting of Queen Victoria be a duplicate of the original Winterhalter masterpiece, and if so, who is the artist? Praise for The Painted Castle: “A gripping tale of secrets hidden behind the walls of an ancient English castle.” —KATE BRESLIN, bestselling author of Far Side of the Sea A Sweet Historical Split-time Romance The third and final book in the Lost Castle series Books do not have to be read in order Full-length novel with three woman each finding her own happily ever after