Ties of the Heart

The end of World War Two brought peace to many but not to all. For some people, in a world gripped by resentment, paranoia and epidemics, the fruits of victory seem forever out of reach. Three women, scarred by war, struggle to remake their lives in the war's long shadows. Rachael Klein gave her son David to save him from the Nazi death camps. Viviane Renaud took him in at terrible cost to herself and her family. Dorothy Pine risked her life to befriend the vulnerable family. Despite all odds, Rachael survived the death camps and returned to take David back. Yet she struggles to rebuild their relationship as David yearns for the family who cared for him. Viviane grieves not just for David but for her husband, lost in the final years of the war. And Dorothy returns to her home in America, without her friends and lover. Each faces new troubles. Rachael enters a loveless marriage but her husband rejects David and abuses her. Viviane's neighbours vilify her as a collaborator and even turn their spite on her daughter, Celeste. Dorothy returns to her career as a scriptwriter but dark forces loom as cold war warriors pick up their weapons to attack new foes. Has hope been entirely extinguished? Celeste and David became brother and sister during the dark days of war yet peace which has torn them apart. But, whatever the difficulties, they are determined to be reunited. Can their resolve stand any chance in a world where optimism seems foolish? Can their family and friends, sundered by war and peace, ever be reunited? In a world of pain, mistrust and hatred can they knot once again the ties of the heart? The sequel to Cry of the Heart