Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
I want to read the book!
All characters reduced
The Great Illusion - cover

The Great Illusion

Simone Malacrida

Publisher: BookRix

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

The love between Klaus and Uma, children of Slavic émigrés in Berlin, collides with the Twentieth Century and emerges defeated.
Crushed by a cumbersome past and the looming present, they cannot have a future together, but only two individual lives, separated by the Wall, erected in the middle of officially pacified Europe with no declared wars.
Their story will resume, with tragic implications, after reunification and the illusion of a world finally free of confrontation and violence.
The rush of events will overwhelm their generation and the next, particularly the lives of Franz and Olga, who are inextricably linked to a Destiny that has quietly worked in the shadows throughout the century, marking the events and decisions of grandparents, fathers, sons and grandchildren.
Available since: 04/18/2023.
Print length: 538 pages.

Other books that might interest you

  • Return to Cawston Manor - cover

    Return to Cawston Manor

    Alan Charles Harrison

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    Return to Cawston Manor is a captivating novel of love, romance, and manipulation set in times gone by. The story follows the Lord of the Manor as he uses his past guilty life to lift the shame of dishonour that plagues him. Through a web of scheming and intrigue, he employs cunning and provocation in a desperate attempt to bring peace to his disturbed past.

Filled with a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motivations and desires, the story unfolds with a steady pace, building to a dramatic and satisfying conclusion. The novel delves into the themes of love, terror, and manipulation, with a strong emphasis on the human condition, making it a must-read for fans of historical fiction and those who enjoy a good story of redemption and self-discovery.
    Show book
  • Young Aleister Crowley and the Magicians' Revolt - A Novel - cover

    Young Aleister Crowley and the...

    Lon Milo DuQuette, Jim Bratkowsky

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    Step into the occult underworld of Edwardian London with Aleister Crowley, a rebellious genius and aspiring magician, as he plunges into the secret society of the Golden Dawn.The year is 1900, and this isn't just a new club; it's a war zone. Crowley, a world-class mountaineer and acclaimed poet, unwittingly arrives amidst a power struggle as formidable magicians revolt against their leaders, MacGregor Mathers and his wife, Moina Mathers.Empowered by an ancient Arabic grimoire, the Mathers claimed contact with "Secret Masters," but now their influence is waning. As historical figures like William Butler Yeats and Bram Stoker populate the ranks, Crowley finds himself caught in a magical crossfire. His naive pursuit of enlightenment accidentally ignites an all-out wizard war with magical attacks recoiling upon his adversaries. Yet, aided by unseen forces, Crowley uncovers the interdimensional secrets of the ancient book, unleashing its power himself. This epic adventure culminates in a climactic magical showdown, where Crowley's self-realization becomes his ultimate weapon.Between the darkness and the light stands Aleister Crowley.
    Show book
  • The Temporal Relic - cover

    The Temporal Relic

    James Aire

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    About the book In the shadows of ordinary life, Jack, a dedicated construction site supervisor with a passion for caving, stumbles upon a time travel device that thrusts him into the whirlpool of history's mysteries. As he ventures through different eras, finding the hidden flaws in our past, Jack’s life transforms into an unending mission to safeguard the timeline. Yet, Jack is not alone in his quest. A formidable force, lurking in the dark corners of time, has discovered his secret. What began as an innocent adventure turns into a high-stakes battle between light and darkness. As the fabric of history hangs in the balance, Jack must navigate treacherous alliances and face his greatest fears. Will Jack protect the timeline or will the shadowy adversary alter history forever?
    Show book
  • The Strong - A tale from the French symbolist writer known mainly to be the primary influence on Jorge Luis Borges - cover

    The Strong - A tale from the...

    Marcel Schwob

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    Mayer André Marcel Schwob was born in Chaville, Hauts-de-Seine, France on 23rd August 1867 into a cultivated Jewish family.  
 
As a child he devoured the works of Poe and Stevenson in French and then again in English.  His attachment to the bizarre and dark was already forming. 
 
His education at the Lycée of Nantes earned him the 1st Prize for Excellence.  In 1881, he was in Paris with his maternal uncle to study at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand.  Schwob quickly developed his multilingual abilities and then studied philology and Sanscrit at the École pratique des hautes études before completing his military service in Vannes with the artillery. 
 
After completing a Bachelor of Arts in 1888 he became a professional journalist and worked for the Phare de la Loire, the Événement and L'Écho de Paris. 
 
The 1890’s marked his establishment as a brilliant writer with the publication of six short story collections.   
 
He fell ill in 1896 with a chronic, incurable intestinal disorder.  He also suffered recurring bouts of influenza and pneumonia.  Intestinal surgery was given several times, at first with success but, by 1900, after two more surgeries, he was told that nothing more could be done for him.  Schwob now existed on kefir and fermented milk. 
 
By the turn of the century, despite failing health, and often too ill to write, he embarked on several long travels, including to Vailima in the South Pacific where his literary hero Stevenson had died.  
 
Schwob was regarded as a symbolist writer and a ‘precursor of Surrealism’.  He wrote over a hundred short stories, journalistic articles, essays, biographies, literary reviews and analysis, translations and plays.  
 
Marcel Schwob died on 26th February 1905 of Pneumonia.  He was 37.
    Show book
  • Something About Ann - cover

    Something About Ann

    J. Everett Prewitt

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    Something About Ann is a historical fiction novella with eleven short stories. The novella and the short stories follow a group of soldiers who faced a traumatic experience in Vietnam but remained close after returning to the States. Violence and turmoil continue to haunt the soldiers as they try to normalize their lives. Sometimes relying on the help of each other, and sometimes relying on the skills they’ve gained in combat, most prevail.
    Show book
  • Eleonora: The Last Testament of Lady Somerset - The Woman Who Forged Her Own Empire and Learned the True Cost of Love - cover

    Eleonora: The Last Testament of...

    Julian Fortman

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    Eleonora of Somerset Hall: A Victorian Romance of Love, Betrayal, and Freedom 
In Victorian England, Lady Eleonora Somerset is trapped in a gilded cage where her beauty is a commodity and her future a transaction. But beneath her exquisite gowns beats a heart yearning for a fierce, untamed freedom. A loveless marriage teaches her that to survive, she must take control. Her rebellion begins with a stolen, forbidden book, awakening a desire that will change everything. 
Her quest for freedom leads her from a passionate affair with a charismatic officer to the ruthless salons of Paris. There, she must choose between the intellectual dominance offered by an enigmatic Marquis and the raw power of an American industrialist. 
Eleonora becomes a formidable queen of her own making, a master of money and influence. But as her power grows, she discovers her throne is the most gilded cage of all, forcing her to confront the heartbreaking cost of the love she abandoned. 
Perfect for fans of sweeping historical romances with strong female characters, complex moral dilemmas, and the intricate social worlds of Downton Abbey and Philippa Gregory. 
Will Eleonora find redemption, or is her empire of ashes the last testament of a heart that learned too late? 
 
    Show book