A heartrending story about a young motherâs fight to keep her daughter, and the terrible injustice that tears them apart, by the USA Today bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things and The Last Year of the War.
California, 1938âWhen she loses her parents in an accident, sixteen-year-old Rosanne is taken in by the owners of the vineyard where she has lived her whole life as the vinedresserâs daughter. She moves into Celine and Truman Calvertâs spacious house with a secret, howeverâRosie sees colors when she hears sound. She promised her mother sheâd never reveal her little-understood ability to anyone, but the weight of her isolation and grief prove too much for her. Driven by her loneliness she not only breaks the vow to her mother, but in a desperate moment lets down her guard and ends up pregnant. Banished by the Calverts, Rosanne believes she is bound for a home for unwed mothers. But she soon finds out she is not going to a home of any kind, but to a place that seeks to forcibly take her baby â and the chance for any future babies â from her.
Austria, 1947âAfter witnessing firsthand Adolf Hitlerâs brutal pursuit of hereditary purityâespecially with regard to âdifferent childrenââHelen Calvert, Trumanâs sister, is ready to return to America for good. But when she arrives at her brotherâs peaceful vineyard after decades working abroad, she is shocked to learn what really happened nine years earlier to the vinedresserâs daughter, a girl whom Helen had long ago befriended. In her determination to find Rosanne, Helen discovers a shocking American eugenics programâand learns that that while the war had been won in Europe, there are still terrifying battles to be fought at home.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
April 18, 2023 -
Formats
-
Kindle Book
-
OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780593332856
-
EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780593332856
- File size: 1860 KB
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
Library Journal
Starred review from January 1, 2023
Meissner (The Last Year of the War) returns with another World War II--era story rich with historical detail. After 16-year-old Rosanne is orphaned by an accident, she must navigate a new life with the Calvert family, owners of a California vineyard where her parents previously lived and worked. Treated as a new member of the household staff instead of as an honorary family member, she hides her grief and her synesthesia, specifically an ability to see colors in words. When a pregnancy is revealed, she's sent to a home for the "unwanted," people with mental illness and disabilities. Rosanne's journey continues at a heartbreaking pace until the narration switches mid-novel to the voice of Helen Calvert, the vineyard owner's sister. Helen's career as a nanny in Europe evolves after she agrees to save children from the Nazis, despite risk to herself. As she concludes that chapter of her life, she returns to the family vineyard, where her and Rosanne's stories dovetail, allowing readers to compare and contrast the U.S. and European experiments in eugenics. VERDICT Meissner delivers a nuanced and heartbreaking tale; expect to read through tear-filled eyes as the story concludes.--Tina Panik
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-
Booklist
February 1, 2023
When Rosie Maras' parents die in 1938, she is taken in by Truman and Celine Calvert, the owners of the California vineyard where her family worked. That is, until one fateful and confusing night that leaves Rosie pregnant. Because she hasn't done enough to hid her synesthesia (she sees colors when she hears sounds), she ends up in a home for the mentally ill, where her baby, whom she names Amaryllis, is taken from her; then, she is sterilized. In 1947, Helen Calvert is returning to California after years in Europe, the last few spent in Switzerland during WWII. Her brother, Truman, is now dead; Celine is less than welcoming, and Helen finds out about Rosie's fate and the existence of Amaryllis. Her experiences nannying for a child with special needs in Nazi-occupied Vienna have scarred her, so she is even more determined to make her family whole. Meissner (The Nature of Fragile Things, 2021) explores eugenics at home and abroad in her thought-provoking latest. Richly drawn characters and heartbreaking, historically accurate situations combine to make a powerful reading experience.COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
-
Publisher's Weekly
Starred review from February 6, 2023
Meissner (The Last Year of the War) unfurls an emotionally rich narrative involving a young woman in 1930s California and a nanny in WWII Austria. Rosie Maras is orphaned at 16 when her parents and younger brother die in car accident. Her family had been living and working on a California vineyard owned by Truman and Celine Calvert, who become her temporary guardians. Celine is cold and distant, while Truman takes advantage of Rosieâs vulnerability, seducing her and getting her pregnant. Celine discovers the pregnancy and banishes her to a state infirmary, where she faces forced sterilization. Meanwhile, in Vienna, Trumanâs sister Helen, who met Rosie, cares for a disabled child named Brigitta Maier. When Brigitta is taken from her home by the German government for their T4 euthanasia program, the Maiers and Helen are devastated. After the war, Helen returns to California and a widowed Celine bitterly reveals Trumanâs infidelity, prompting Helen to set out to find Rosie and her niece, the only family she has left. Meissner seamlessly unites the two narratives, drawing striking parallels between Germanyâs forced euthanasia of disabled people and eugenics in the U.S. Readers will be riveted. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group.
-
Formats
- Kindle Book
- OverDrive Read
- EPUB ebook
subjects
Languages
- English
Loading
Why is availability limited?
ĂAvailability can change throughout the month based on the library's budget. You can still place a hold on the title, and your hold will be automatically filled as soon as the title is available again.
The Kindle Book format for this title is not supported on:
ĂRead-along ebook
ĂThe OverDrive Read format of this ebook has professional narration that plays while you read in your browser. Learn more here.