Giveaway: The Secret of the Nightingale Palace by Dana Sachs
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I've got a treat for those readers who adore fiction set in the 1940s and deal with family secrets. The Secret of the Nightingale Palace by Dana Sachs is earning early praise from the Romantic Times Book Review, which said:
Sachs’ latest is so beautiful in every aspect that readers will have difficulty pinpointing the best parts. Rich in San Francisco history with brilliant characters you’ll warm up to, the two different story lines will enrapture you as well. Both women’s romances will have readers blushing and rooting for love to prosper. Elegant and tasteful, this novel is not to be missed.
What intrigues me about this book is that it is told in flashbacks, which can be tricky for writers. And Dana Sachs' novel is based on some true events from her own history as a Jewish American, and the inspiration for Goldie comes from her own centenarian grandmother.
Here's a bit about the book:
Anna, a 35-year-old woman struggling to cope with the recent loss of her husband and desperately trying to get out of an emotional rut, receives an odd call one day from her estranged and feisty 85-year-old grandmother, Goldie Rosenthal. When Goldie invites Anna to accompany her on a trip across the country to return a collection of Japanese artwork to its original owner, a mysterious friend in San Francisco, Anna decides to put their differences aside and join the adventure. Goldie, however, is not upfront with Anna about the reason for the trip or the background of the artwork, and keeps these secrets to herself.
Through flashbacks to Goldie’s young adulthood as a Jewish American in San Francisco during the 1940s, readers are introduced to the Nakamura family. Goldie and Mayumi Nakamura work together at Feld's, a luxury department store, and quickly become close friends. It’s not long before Goldie meets Mayumi’s sophisticated and outspoken brother, Henry, that the siblings introduce Goldie to a world of art, fashion, and culture that she had never imagined existed. Those joys evaporate, however, when Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. The attack puts the Nakamuras on the other side of an unbridgeable chasm of racism and paranoia that leads to their expulsion from San Francisco and subsequent internment in remote camps far from the coast. Just as her granddaughter Anna will have to find a way to leave heartbreak behind sixty years later, Goldie must learn to move on. Booklist has said: "As with most well-crafted literary journeys, it’s not really about the destination, but this one does feature a sweetly surprising, cinematically styled twist at the end of the road. An ideal recommendation for the book-club set."
Also, feel free to check out some of the reviews from the TLC Book Tours.
If these early responses and the book description have piqued your interest, please leave a comment below before Feb. 23, 2013, at 11:59 PM EST. Must be a U.S. resident with a U.S. address to enter for 1 copy.