Synopses & Reviews
Nancy's father was not like other fathers in their northern English town. Elegantly dressed after the Eastern European fashion, an impeccable violin player, and never without a rose in his lapel, her father's entire essence alluded to a hidden and haunting past. Upon his death, Nancy, on a quest to rediscover her family's past, delves into the endless boxes of letters and diaries her father carried when he fled Czechoslovakia in 1939.
There were times of joy: a son's return from the trenches of Verdune; the birth of grandchildren; a growing family business. But there was also fear. As the first stormtroopers march into Podersam, Nancy witnesses the disintegration of the family through their increasingly desperate letters. My Father's Roses is a compelling and intimate testament to the persistence of family, memory, and the bonds of kinship in the face of humanity's darkest hour.
Review
"A poignant portrait of three generations...an evocative and moving book that captures the commonplace details of ordinary lives torn apart by the darkening cloud of world events. (Publishers Weekly)"
Review
"Poignant. . . . A deep look into the notion of family. I'm sorry that Nancy Kohner didn't live to read how grateful I am for her book. (The Spectator)"
Review
"Kohner's narrative moves elegantly between the past and her own investigations in the present. A moving valediction of paternal love. (Financial Times)"
Synopsis
From their heroic feats on the battlefields of World War I to the rise of Hitler and a tragic culmination at Treblinka, this is one family's extraordinary history.
Synopsis
There were times of joy: a son s return from the trenches of Verdune; the birth of grandchildren; a growing family business. But there was also fear. As the first stormtroopers march into Podersam, Nancy witnesses the disintegration of the family through their increasingly desperate letters.My Father s Roses is a compelling and intimate testament to the persistence of family, memory, and the bonds of kinship in the face of humanity s darkest hour. "
Synopsis
From their heroic feats on the battlefields of World War I to the rise of Hitler and a tragic culmination at Treblinka, this is one family"s extraordinary history.
About the Author
Nancy Kohner spent two decades piecing together her family's history from the suitcases of diaries, letters, and photographs her father brought out of Prague before her death in 2006.