33 Place Brugmann
The international bestseller
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- USD 15.99
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- USD 15.99
Descripción editorial
**The international bestseller**
An unforgettable historical debut set in Second World War Brussels: exploring love, resistance and courage in all their forms
'I adored it … It finds courage and love amidst the ruins, and I read with my heart in my mouth' Rachel Joyce
'Intimate and ambitious, lyrical and moving' Observer
'A beautiful and deeply engaging novel' Ann Patchett
'A richly textured, finely written, deeply thoughtful novel' William Boyd
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Charlotte Sauvin has always seen the world differently. At home on 33 Place Brugmann, in the heart of Brussels, her father and her closest friends and neighbours – the Raphaëls from the fourth floor, and Masha from the fifth – have ensured her secret is safe. But when the Nazis invade Belgium, and Masha and the Raphaëls disappear, Charlotte must navigate her new world alone.
Over the border and across the sea, in occupied Paris and battered Blitz London, Masha and the Raphaels are reinventing themselves – as refugees, nurses, soldiers, heroes. Though scattered far and wide, they dream of only one place, one home: 33 Place Brugmann.
But back at Place Brugmann, Charlotte feels impending danger closing in. Who can she trust in this world - where everyone is watching, and everyone is harbouring their own secrets? As the months pass, and the shadow of war darkens, Charlotte and her neighbours must face what – and who – truly matters to them most – and summon the courage to fight for more than just survival.
With soaring imagination and profound intimacy, 33 Place Brugmann is a captivating and devastating celebration of the power of love, courage and art in times of great threat.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Playwright Austen debuts with a kaleidoscopic portrait of the early days of WWII from the perspectives of a Brussels apartment building's 16 residents. At first, the residents seem more interested in each other than the threat of occupation that hangs over them. Foremost in this regard is Charlotte Sauvin, an art student who lives with her architect father, Francois, and is juggling two potential suitors. She has known Cambridge student Julian Raphaël since childhood but feels a growing attraction to fellow art student Philippe. As the war heats up, Julian becomes a pilot. His family, including his art dealer father and his wife and daughter, are passionately anti-Hitler and eventually flee to London, where they join the Allied war effort. A saltier perspective is provided by maid Masha Balyayeva, whose story line turns tragic after she takes up with the much older, rakish Harry. Other residents include the widowed Belgian colonel Herman Warlemont, the blunt and no-nonsense proto-feminist Agathe Hobert, and the insightful, sardonic Martin DeBaerre. Austen's experience as a playwright serves her well in providing texture via multiple distinct narrative voices. Spanning nearly four years, the novel is both epic in scope and intimate. It's a noteworthy portrait of life during wartime.
