Clara: A Novel
War Could Not Destroy Her Spirit or Lessen Her Love
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
Inspired by a true story and based on a wealth of family documents, this elegant and compelling novel chronicles the lives of two families from the 1930s through the coming of the Nazis and World War II, and the long, difficult post-War period to the present. A must-read for fans of Irene Nemirovsky, Hans Fallada, and Bernhard Schlink's The Reader.
This vividly realized, masterfully executed novel is a window into a little-explored corner of history. Patient Number 7 is a story of love between an aristocratic young woman and the cavalry officer -- later Panzer officer in the German army -- she marries; between friends who help each other through the Nazi takeover of Austria, the war, and what was sometimes worse, the "liberation"; between a mother and her two very different daughters. But it is also the story of a nation's darkest days, and its slow recovery during one of the most convulsive, violent periods of human history. Beautifully written, haunting, and ultimately redemptive, it is a work of great skill and great compassion.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Palka's fifth novel (originally published as Patient Number 7 in 2012) begins in Vienna in the 1930s. Nazi Germany has not yet tightened its grip on Austria, but the air is rife with differing ideological debates and activities. Clara Herzog is a graduate philosophy student at the University of Vienna, fascinated by "isms", including Zionism, communism, National Socialism (Nazism), capitalism and existentialism. She loves her studies, professors, literature, best friends Mitzi and Erica, and most of all, Albert, a motorcycle-riding captain in the reserve cavalry. Despite objections from her family, Clara marries Albert. He is soon absorbed into the Nazi army machine, rises quickly through the ranks, is decorated, and serves beside the likes of General Rommel in Russia, Europe and Africa. Clara struggles to live life according to the ideals of self-determination, personal responsibility and accountability she has embraced since her youth, in spite of the fear, despair, alienation, loneliness and loss she experiences in the madness surrounding her. With great sensitivity, Palka tells Clara's story, building sympathy and admiration for the strength, courage, unwavering love and compassion she demonstrates in the face of unbelievable challenges. This deeply engrossing and unforgettable novel will leave readers shouting "bravo" for the resiliency of the human spirit.
