Bliss, Remembered
A Novel
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
An "entertaining and thought provoking" WWII-era novel of love, war, and sports, told with "a superb sense of character and period" (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, American swimmer Sydney Stringfellow finds herself falling in love with Horst Gerhardt, a dashing young German. When the rising tide of global conflict tears them apart, Sydney returns to America, where she finds love again—in the arms of Jimmy Branch, an American man who takes her hand in marriage before shipping off to fight in World War II. And that is when Horst reappears in Sydney's life, drawing her into a dilemma of passion, betrayal, and espionage.
With Bliss, Remembered, the celebrated Frank Deford has produced "a work of enthralling historical fiction" that ranks with the best of his novels, including Everybody's All American, which Sports Illustrated ranked as one of the twenty-five best sports books of all time (Library Journal, starred review).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When American swimmer Sydney Stringfellow arrives at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, she never expects to fall in love with a handsome young German, but she does. When politics separate them, she goes home to nurse her broken heart and meets Jimmy, a kind young American who restores her faith in love and marries her before being shipped off to the Pacific theater of WWII. When Horst shows up on her doorstep, though, Sydney is torn and must decide what she is willing to do for love. Told as a memoir, Deford's newest is entertaining and thought provoking. He has a superb sense of character and period, and readers will at once feel drawn into the turbulent times. The memoir device, while overused in many books, is put to excellent effect, allowing readers to easily identify with Sydney's son and interviewer, Teddy. The surprising twist will catch readers off guard but not leave them feeling cheated. This is a poignant story, utterly charming and enjoyable.
