Synopsis/blurb…..
In the surreal and paranoid underworld of wartime
Prague, fugitive lovers Felix Andel and Magdalena Ruza make some dubious
alliances – with a mysterious Roman Catholic cardinal, a reckless sculptor
intent on making a big political statement, and a gypsy with a risky sex life.
As one by one their chances for fleeing the country collapse, the two join a
plot to assassinate Hitler’s nefarious Minister of Public Enlightenment and
Propaganda, Josef Goebbels.
But the assassination attempt goes wildly wrong, propelling the lovers in separate directions.
Felix’s destiny is sealed at the Bone Church, a mystical pilgrimage site on the outskirts of Prague, while Magdalena is thrust even deeper into the bowels of a city that betrayed her and a homeland soon to be swallowed by the Soviets. As they emerge from the shadowy fog of World War II, and stagger into the foul haze of the Cold War, Felix and Magdalena must confront the past, and a dangerous, uncertain future.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if the manner
in which I read it hadn’t have been so stop-start-stop-start. However that’s
the way things turned out for whatever reason.
Fantastic setting with Prague both in the war and
the mid-50’s. Decent main characters that you hope escape the city intact to
enjoy a brighter future. Great tension created by the author, with this reader
never really sure who Felix and Magdalena could trust, or whether they were
being manipulated.
I did get slightly confused in places, as the
narrative switched between the two time frames, but overall a decent read. I blame
myself for the reader confusion, as there were outside events running parallel
that made me take my eye off the ball at times.
I was subsequently driven to look up the Bone Church and the Infant Jesus of Prague to see if they were figments of the author’s imagination or
actually existed. She makes great use of these in the narrative, though as a lapsed
Catholic myself, I am somewhat bemused at the importance the church attaches to
these religious relics, seeming to place a higher value on them than the
well-being of some of their congregation. Apparently the infant figure was
recently granted a Canonical Coronation
by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 –
perhaps it was a quiet year and there weren’t too many abuse scandals or third
world issues that merited his attention.
Definitely going to read more from this author in
the future. This is her debut novel. Her website is here.
4 from 5
Acquired on Kindle from Amazon.
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I'm away for a few days so will catch up with any comments on my return.
I like the sound of this one: I love Prague, and I know all about the Infant of Prague - it was a popular statue in Catholic households when I was young. It's now a great tourist attraction, and there are replicas of every popular size on sale in every giftshop in the city. When I first visited, back in the Cold War days, they didn't make much of it!
ReplyDeleteI hope you are going away somewhere nice, having a holiday?
Prague is on the bucket list for places to visit in the future. I can't really recall any religious statues in our home (or the homes of family TBH), which isn't to say they weren't there. We did have a holy water "font" - I think it was the Mother Mary, but I could have false memory here.
DeleteI think you'd like this one as there is a lot of subterfuge going on.
Weekend away with the family - our annual Lowestoft pilgrimage for our wedding anniversary, all 5 of us which was lovely>
Col - This does sounds like a good read, and I do love a sense of place in a novel. And the two timelines can work well if they're done effectively. I've heard of the Infant of Prague, but never seen it; interesting that it figures in the story.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I agree. I do like the alternate timeline narrative and it was done well here.
DeleteThis sounds interesting but also confusing. I imagine I will pick it up if I ever get the chance. I do like the cover. Hope you are having fun wherever you are.
ReplyDeleteTracy, I think you would enjoy it if you picked it up. Back to reality this morning - work! But had a lovely weekend with the family on the East Coast.
DeleteInteresting sounding book, thanks for the review. Will add to my Goodreads list
ReplyDeleteSteph (can I call you that?), thanks. I hope you get the chance to give it a go.
DeleteDoes sound interesting, someday I might read it. The Bone Church is very intriguing!
ReplyDeletePeggy, it's definitely an interesting read and not too long, so hopefully you can cross paths with it at some point.
DeleteCol, I'm with everyone above. I like the sound of this novel too — set in WWII Prague and a plot to kill Goebbels not to mention the intriguing title of the book.
ReplyDeletePrashant, I think it's well worth a look. There's a lot going on. I'm a bit disappointed with myself for the amount of time I took over reading it as it kind of disrupted the flow, but hey that's how it sometimes goes.
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