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Nocturne

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About this listen

It is Warsaw, 1939, and Elzunia is an indulged teenager who longs for a heroic life filled with romance. But the outbreak of war shatters all her dreams. As bombs fall, she meets Adam, a taciturn airman whose fate becomes entwined with hers. In despair over the occupation, Adam joins the Polish resistance, then flies bombers for the RAF.

Forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, Elzunia learns that even children must create their own rules to survive. When the Ghetto defies the invaders, and later the entire city of Warsaw rises up, Elzunia finds strength in ways she never imagined. Nocturne is a powerful and inspiring testament to resilience and courage in the face of cruelty and betrayal.

©2008 Diane Armstrong (P)2009 Bolinda Publishing Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction War Survival Holocaust

Editor reviews

Nocturne, narrated with refined British class by Deidre Rubenstein, is the poignant war-torn romance, set in Warsaw in 1939, that follows the passionate relationship of Elzunia, a starry-eyed teenager who dreams of an idealized life, and Adam, a brooding young pilot who makes the heroic decision to join the Polish resistance at the onset of war - but at what great personal cost?

This gripping story, whose plot perhaps gives a nod or two to Hemingway’s For Whom The Bell Tolls, is about the delicate balance between love and passion with duty and honor.

Critic reviews

"A gallant and gut-wrenching story." (Australian Book Review)
"An inspirational account of how ordinary people are forced to find strength and courage within themselves when the world around them falls apart." (Vibewire)
All stars
Most relevant
this book is fantastic and at the same time frightening. It gives an account of not only the Jewish horrors in Warsaw but Polands terrible time during the war. It is so real that at times I felt I was there in the ghetto and in the hospital. The only problem I had was the narrator who (I think) over did it - at times shouting the story at you - the author writes so well and sets the atmoshpere so realistically that you do not need the extra decibels to carry you into the horrors that are happening.

fantastic

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Moving and stunning story with plenty of heart stopping moments all made believable because of the excellent narrator - highly recommend

Brilliant

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