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Under the Same Blue Sky

by Pamela Schoenewaldt
Under the Same Blue Sky

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  • Synopses & Reviews

ISBN13: 9780062326638
ISBN10: 0062326635



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$15.95
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

From the USA Today bestselling author of When We Were Strangers and Swimming in the Moon comes a lush, exquisitely drawn novel set against the turmoil of the Great War, as a young German-American woman explores the secrets of her past.

A shopkeepers daughter, Hazel Renner lives in the shadows of the Pittsburgh steel mills. She dreams of adventure, even as her immigrant parents push her toward a staid career. But in 1914, war seizes Europe and all their ambitions crumble. German-Americans are suddenly the enemy, “the Huns.” Hazel herself is an outsider in her own home when she learns the truth of her birth.

Desperate for escape, Hazel takes a teaching job in a seemingly tranquil farming community. But the idyll is cracked when she acquires a mysterious healing power—a gift that becomes a curse as the locals relentless demand for “miracles” leads to tragedy.

Hazel, determined to find answers, traces her own history back to a modern-day castle that could hold the truth about her past. There Hazel befriends the exiled, enigmatic German baron and forges a bond with the young gardener, Tom. But as America is shattered by war and Tom returns battered by shell-shock, Hazels healing talents alone will not be enough to protect those close to her, or to safeguard her dreams of love and belonging. She must reach inside to discover that sometimes the truth is not so far away, that the simplest of things can lead to the extraordinary.  

Filled with rich historical details and intriguing, fully realized characters, Under the Same Blue Sky is the captivating story of one womans emergence into adulthood amid the tumult of war. 

Review

“Absorbing and layered with rich historical details, Schoenewaldt weaves a tender and at times, heartbreaking story about German-Americans during World War I. With remarkable compassion, the author skillfully portrays conflicted loyalties, the search for belonging, the cruelty of war, and the resilience of the human spirit.” Ann Weisgarber, author of The Personal History of Rachel Dupree and The Promise

Review

“From the smoke-filled streets of Pittsburgh to the war-ravaged landscape of Europe, UNDER THE SAME BLUE SKY is the story of one womans wonderfully determined journey through a world at the edge of war to seek her familys past and her own future.” Jessica Brockmole, author of Letters from Skye

Review

“Schoenewaldt has done it again - crafted a rich and refreshing tale that not only sweeps us back to the American landscape of 1914 but keeps us bound to the page as young German-American Hazel Renner fights for her dreams while war rages on abroad.” Susan Gregg Gilmore, author of The Funeral Dress and Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen

Review

“The strength of the novel is its portrayal of the power of human connection, as reflected in one womans search for making herself whole in a world divided by war.” Booklist

Synopsis

1914. In the coal-dusted shadows of Pittsburgh's steel mills, shopkeeper's daughter Hazel Renner dreams of adventure under blue skies and escape from her German-American parents' ambitions for a respectable career. But war in Europe shatters her plans and community, pitting neighbors and friends against each other and shaking free a family secret. Seeking peace in the countryside, Hazel is visited by a mysterious healing power—a gift that swiftly leads to tragedy.

Resolved to discover who she is and where she belongs, Hazel follows her past to an exiled German baron fighting private demons in an American castle. There she meets Tom, a gardener who shares the freedom of flight, but their powerful bonds will be tested by the chaos and voids of war. Betrayed by her healing powers, struggling to protect those close to her while keeping her own heart safe, Hazel must reconcile youthful dreams with the devastating realities around her. She discovers that escape is closer than we think, and true healing can take unimaginable forms in a world after war.


About the Author

Pamela Schoenewaldt is the USA Today bestselling author of When We Were Strangers and Swimming in the Moon. Her short stories have appeared in literary magazines in England, France, Italy, and the United States. She taught writing for the University of Maryland, European Division, and the University of Tennessee.

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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 3.5 (2 comments)

`
Silvers Reviews , May 26, 2015 (view all comments by Silvers Reviews)
Where did Hazel belong? Did she belong in Dogwood, Pittsburgh, or somewhere else. Hazel Renner's mother left her and left Dogwood, and Hazel's aunt and uncle lovingly raised her in Pittsburgh. The smog of Pittsburgh and the effects of war upon the citizens also had an effect on Hazel. Like her mother, Hazel wanted to leave and find where she really belonged. She first tried teaching in Galway, but things happened there that necessitated her leaving and coming back home. Hazel then tried Dogwood where her she was born to see if that would help her find her roots. UNDER THE SAME BLUE SKY will pull you in because of the beautiful descriptions and wonderful characters. ​You will love Hazel and her parents and feel sorry for her and all the problems she encounters. ​Hazel's father was quite intense about his heritage and the war. You could vividly feel his every concern and the emotions of every character because Ms. Schoenewaldt has ​a marvelous ​knack for words and for descriptions of characters and situations.​ UNDER THE SAME BLUE SKY was set during the first world war when German-Americans were under attack just as they were in Europe. History and a beautiful story make up UNDER THE SAME BLUE SKY. You will enjoy UNDER THE SAME BLUE SKY because of the nicely flowing storyline. The only ​complaint I have is that I was really confused at the beginning. The healing power of Hazel was a bit confusing too and not sure why it was in the story. UNDER THE SAME BLUE SKY is worth reading because of the wonderful writing style of Ms. Schoenewaldt and her marvelous research of WWI. She has a very descriptive and in-depth writing style.​ ​Sadness and heaviness do prevail in UNDER THE SAME BLUE SKY as we read of worries about war, the Influenza Pandemic of 1918, and the aftermath of the effects the war had on its returning soldiers. UNDER THE SAME BLUE SKY is a book you will want to read but a book that will pull at your heart strings.​ 4/5 This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher and TLC book tours in return for an honest review.

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Melinda Ott , May 26, 2015 (view all comments by Melinda Ott)
Folks, I'm scratching my head over this one. There are definitely some wonderful things about this book, and I enjoyed the experience of reading it, but there were issues that I just can't overlook. I'll start with the positive. This is my second book by Pamela Schoenewaldt (Swimming in the Moon was the first) and, once again, I was drawn in by the language in this book. It is not overly verbose, but the prose is still lovely and completely readable. I was immediately attracted to Hazel as a character. She is a young woman very much at a crossroads in her life. As is typical among young people of that age, she is restless and then she discovers a family secret that leads her to question her life as she knows it. I liked that while Hazel was a proactive character, Shoenewaldt still gave her time to process these things that go on in her life. The real draw for me with this book is how well Schoenewaldt draws America during World War I. I've read a fair amount of WWI fiction, but I think it was all from a European viewpoint. The United States had a unique experience with the war--while we didn't join in until late in the game, the war was fought by citizens on the streets of America. Schoenewaldt captures this expertly and, for that alone, I would recommend this book. But, as I said, there were things that just didn't work. My biggest problem is that it seemed like Schoenewaldt took 3 passes at this before settling on a plot, but the first 2 possible plots are still included, but never finished. The first of these is Hazel's family secret, which is introduced, ignored for a bit, and then brought up briefly before being dropped for the rest of the book. The second story line involves some magic realism. It is not that I don't like magic realism--I actually quite like it when done well--but I do believe that it is something that an author needs to commit to and carry through the entire work. Schoenewaldt does not do this. It happens in only one part of the book and then is dropped again. Throughout the rest of this book, I kept hoping I'd see a return, or at least an explanation, of the magic realism, but it never happened. Because of this, I felt like I was reading 3 distinct stories (or 2 beginnings of stories and one complete story) instead of one cohesive novel. I really think that a but more editing and the removal of "story stumps" would have greatly improved this novel. But, I cannot discount the beautiful language and Schoenewaldt's description of WWI-era America. Even with its flaws, I would still recommend this book.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780062326638
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
05/05/2015
Publisher:
WILLIAM MORROW & COMPANY
Pages:
352
Height:
.85IN
Width:
5.22IN
Thickness:
.75
UPC Code:
9780062326638
Author:
Pamela Schoenewaldt
Author:
Pamela Schoenewaldt
Subject:
Literature-A to Z

Ships free on qualified orders.
Add to Cart
$15.95
New Trade Paperback
Available at a Remote Warehouse. Ships separately from other items. Additional shipping charges may apply. Not available for In Store Pickup. More Info
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