Overview
This novel holds within its pages an unusual love story that spans three decades and three continents. When Max first meets Esther, she is a young Australian girl filled with passion for life and boundless enthusiasm. His love for her continues through all the changes that take place in her life - her move from London, where they meet, to Jerusalem where she explores the Judaism that until then was just on the fringe of her life; the literary prize she wins that brings her back into his orbit; her commitment to Israel that breaks their relationship; and then finally, a coincidental meeting in the middle of a war in Lebanon. Max never stops loving Esther, even as she matures from a naive girl to a woman of depth and wisdom. Love takes many forms, and readers will experience all the complexities of emotion as they discover the ties that bind a man to a woman.
Synopsis
This novel holds within its pages an unusual love story that spans three decades and three continents. When Max first meets Esther, she is a young Australian girl filled with passion for life and boundless enthusiasm. His love for her continues through all the changes that take place in her life - her move from London, where they meet, to Jerusalem where she explores the Judaism that until then was just on the fringe of her life; the literary prize she wins that brings her back into his orbit; her commitment to Israel that breaks their relationship; and then finally, a coincidental meeting in the middle of a war in Lebanon. Max never stops loving Esther, even as she matures from a naive girl to a woman of depth and wisdom. Love takes many forms, and readers will experience all the complexities of emotion as they discover the ties that bind a man to a woman.
Publishers Weekly
Max, a 25-year-old London-based reporter, is smitten with Esther after only 30 minutes in her presence. Essie is five years his junior and has come calling, through a mutual friend, to seek career advice: she wants to be a journalist, too. After several months of running around London together, Max realizes that she is too adventurous and free spirited to settle down. He also learns that she has strong feelings about religion; both Max and Essie are Jewish, but Essie has abandoned Judaism entirely, seeing it only as a set of meaningless restrictions with no spiritual value. When Essie and Max journey to Israel for a funeral, Essie finally falls in love--with the nation. She remains and joins a kibbutz, while Max returns to England. Both Max and Essie marry other people. Eventually, Essie divorces and writes a prize-winning novel. After 24 years of marriage, Max's wife, Ruth, begins to have an affair with a man she had been romantically involved with as a young woman. The wounded Max travels to Lebanon on an assignment; there he meets Essie again. They confess their love, but know they can never be together. Readers with a taste for tragic romance should clear their calendars for an evening, grab a box of tissues and enjoy this haunting story of a love that could not be. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|