From the author of Susquehanna and The Skylark's Song comes an epic saga of an unforgettable American woman who is caught in the maelstrom of World War II. The Expatriate is a tale of international intrigue and danger, espionage and heroism... and undying love. Set in war torn Europe, its main characters are involved in the OSS (precursor to the CIA) and the Austrian Resistance.
When Alexa Summerfield sails from Boston to England in 1934 to study Art History at Oxford University, she has no idea that ten years will pass before she sees her homeland again. Orphaned at age two, Alex was brought up by her Boston Brahmin grandparents. It is not until she is twenty, on the day of her grandmother's funeral, that Alex discovers a startling fact: her mother was Jewish. Shocked, she confronts her uncle, who is her guardian. Why was she never told? He assures her that it makes no difference, but Alex can't help feeling that something so fundamental will have a profound effect on her life.
While doing research for her graduate thesis, Alex travels to Nazi Germany. In the ugly anti-Semitic atmosphere, she feels vulnerable with the new knowledge of her Jewish heritage. Determined to pursue an elusive work of art, Alex spends several months in Austria, where she falls in love with Franz von Telzing, scion of a heraldic family and heir to his unmarried uncle, a Baron. Despite the objections of his domineering mother, they marry in 1937. Their idyllic life is shattered when Germany marches on Austria. As a reign of terror begins, Alex and Franz become involved in helping victims of the Nazis. The events that follow reveal the depths of depravity in human nature, as well as selfless acts of valor. Despite having led a sheltered existence, Alex emerges with "the strength to withstand the starkness of terror, the ring of jackboots on cobblestones, the waiting in the night for a knock on the door."
The story is narrated by Alex's daughter, Lisa, whose quest in the 1990s, leads her to one of the most remote regions of the earth. Sweeping from the hallowed halls of Oxford, to the gilded drawing rooms of Austrian aristocracy, to the snow-covered peaks of the Swiss Alps, this compelling tale explores complicated emotions when love and loyalty are in conflict. Written with her sure understanding of the frailties of the heart, Harriet Segal has once again woven a wondrous tale filled with memorable characters, startling plot twists, and passionate love.
As a former journalist and the acclaimed author of four previous novels, Harriet Segal has long been associated with the field of international affairs. She has lived the expatriate life in India, where she worked as a writer for the U.S. Information Agency. Research for The Expatriate took Segal to England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and the Eastern Republics of the former Soviet Union.
Genre: Historical
When Alexa Summerfield sails from Boston to England in 1934 to study Art History at Oxford University, she has no idea that ten years will pass before she sees her homeland again. Orphaned at age two, Alex was brought up by her Boston Brahmin grandparents. It is not until she is twenty, on the day of her grandmother's funeral, that Alex discovers a startling fact: her mother was Jewish. Shocked, she confronts her uncle, who is her guardian. Why was she never told? He assures her that it makes no difference, but Alex can't help feeling that something so fundamental will have a profound effect on her life.
While doing research for her graduate thesis, Alex travels to Nazi Germany. In the ugly anti-Semitic atmosphere, she feels vulnerable with the new knowledge of her Jewish heritage. Determined to pursue an elusive work of art, Alex spends several months in Austria, where she falls in love with Franz von Telzing, scion of a heraldic family and heir to his unmarried uncle, a Baron. Despite the objections of his domineering mother, they marry in 1937. Their idyllic life is shattered when Germany marches on Austria. As a reign of terror begins, Alex and Franz become involved in helping victims of the Nazis. The events that follow reveal the depths of depravity in human nature, as well as selfless acts of valor. Despite having led a sheltered existence, Alex emerges with "the strength to withstand the starkness of terror, the ring of jackboots on cobblestones, the waiting in the night for a knock on the door."
The story is narrated by Alex's daughter, Lisa, whose quest in the 1990s, leads her to one of the most remote regions of the earth. Sweeping from the hallowed halls of Oxford, to the gilded drawing rooms of Austrian aristocracy, to the snow-covered peaks of the Swiss Alps, this compelling tale explores complicated emotions when love and loyalty are in conflict. Written with her sure understanding of the frailties of the heart, Harriet Segal has once again woven a wondrous tale filled with memorable characters, startling plot twists, and passionate love.
As a former journalist and the acclaimed author of four previous novels, Harriet Segal has long been associated with the field of international affairs. She has lived the expatriate life in India, where she worked as a writer for the U.S. Information Agency. Research for The Expatriate took Segal to England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and the Eastern Republics of the former Soviet Union.
Genre: Historical
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