And After the Fire by  Lauren Belfer

Thanks to Heather N. Drucker of Harper Collins, I am giving away one print copy of And After the Fire by  Lauren Belfer.

Description of And After the Fire by  Lauren Belfer

The New York Times-bestselling author of A Fierce Radiance andCity of Light returns with a new powerful and passionate novel—inspired by historical events—about two women, one European and one American, and the mysterious choral masterpiece by Johann Sebastian Bach that changes both their lives.

In the ruins of Germany in 1945, at the end of World War II, American soldier Henry Sachs takes a souvenir, an old music manuscript, from a seemingly deserted mansion and mistakenly kills the girl who tries to stop him.

In America in 2010, Henry’s niece, Susanna Kessler, struggles to rebuild her life after she experiences a devastating act of violence on the streets of New York City. When Henry dies soon after, she uncovers the long-hidden music manuscript. She becomes determined to discover what it is and to return it to its rightful owner, a journey that will challenge her preconceptions about herself and her family’s history—and also offer her an opportunity to finally make peace with the past.

In Berlin, Germany, in 1783, amid the city’s glittering salons where aristocrats and commoners, Christians and Jews, mingle freely despite simmering anti-Semitism, Sara Itzig Levy, a renowned musician, conceals the manuscript of an anti-Jewish cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, an unsettling gift to her from Bach’s son, her teacher. This work and its disturbing message will haunt Sara and her family for generations to come.

Interweaving the stories of Susanna and Sara, and their families, And After the Fire traverses over two hundred years of history, from the eighteenth century through the Holocaust and into today, seamlessly melding past and present, real and imagined. Lauren Belfer’s deeply researched, evocative, and compelling narrative resonates with emotion and immediacy.

Praise for And After the Fire by  Lauren Belfer

“An invaluable piece of music poses ethical questions in this compelling blend of fact and fiction. ……Based on impressive research, this remarkable novel spans centuries and continents, touching finally on the Holocaust and serving as a paean to Bach’s music while acknowledging the composer’s expressed hatred of Jews. Absorbing historical fiction.”—Booklist, *Starred Review*

 “A story about art, prejudice, faith, and trauma … A remarkably suspenseful story, a literary thriller in the tradition of A.S. Byatt’s Possession… Engrossing.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Belfer’s book is well researched and well-paced.  . .. . Belfer proves herself to be that skilled weaver of tales in this intellectual thriller that links the lives of two admirable women who have been fortunate enough to have had extraordinary and consequential experiences.”—New York Journal of Books

 “A ‘what if’ novel that begins in the glittering salons of Enlightenment Berlin where, beneath the surface, are sentiments too sinister to be named and culminating in New York present day, And After the Fire is an intellectual thriller and a beautiful love story. Sure to establish Belfer as a fearless, provocative writer. Impossible to put down.”—Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of At the Water’s Edge and Water for Elephants

About Lauren Belfer

Lauren Belfer is the author of AND AFTER THE FIRE (Harper, May 2016).  Her novel, A Fierce Radiance, was named a Washington Post Best Novel, an NPR Best Mystery, and a New York Times Editors’ Choice.

Her debut novel, City of Light, was a New York Times bestseller, a number one Book Sense pick, a Barnes & Noble Discover Award nominee, a New York Times Notable Book, a Library Journal Best Book, and a Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, and was translated into six languages. She lives in New York City. www.laurenbelfer.com

Giveaway of  And After the Fire by  Lauren Belfer

This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on May 27, 2016 midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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