The Butterfly and the Violin
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4.5 • 127 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher 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 fictionFull-length novel, approximately 115,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubsAlso available from Kristy Cambron: The Italian Ballerina, The Paris Dressmaker, The Lost Castle, The Ringmaster’s Wife, and The Illusionist’s Apprentice
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Vienna in 1940, Adele von Bron is a gifted young violinist, coddled by her Viennese parents, as the Third Reich exerts its power over Austria shortly after the Anschluss. They disapprove of the young musician who calls her "Butterfly" because he is of the merchant class and worse sympathizes with Jews. By 1943, both young people are conscripts at Auschwitz-Birkenau, forced to play in camp orchestras for the daily death march. Seventy years later, New York gallery owner Sera James buries herself in work to avoid the memory of her wedding-day betrayal. She is obsessed with finding a painting that she saw as a child of a beautiful Auschwitz prisoner holding a violin. Learning that a copy of the artwork hangs in a California business magnate's home, Sera is unwillingly drawn out of her reserve by William Hanover. Prickly at first for his own reasons, Hanover hires Sera to find the painting. They combine forces to discover their respective connections to the haunting image. In chapters alternating between past and present, debut novelist Cambron vividly recounts interwoven sagas of heartache and recovery through courage, love, art, and faith.
Customer Reviews
Good read
I enjoyed the book. The only negative was that it was a bit too preachy
Read this!
What a wonderful story...horrifying, full of history, beautiful.
Had to finish this in one sitting.
Outstanding read!
This book is an outstanding read ~ especially if you enjoy historical or Christian fiction. Many quotes stayed with me past the last page. I'm not typically a night owl, but couldn't put the book down till the end (at 3 am) and then quickly purchased Ms. Cambron's next novel. It inspired me to read more about the art of Auschwitz. Excellent book!
"Life is fragile. It's meant to be lived in service, with an abundance of love, in the gracious guidance of a Savior who leads each step we tread in this journey of life."