The Plum Tree Lib/E

"Bloom where you're planted," is the advice Christine Bolz receives from her beloved Oma. But seventeen-year-old domestic Christine knows there is a whole world waiting beyond her small German village. It's a world she's begun to glimpse through music, books--and through Isaac Bauerman, the cultured son of the wealthy Jewish family she works for. Yet the future she and Isaac dream of sharing faces greater challenges than their difference in stations. In the fall of 1938, Germany is changing rapidly under Hitler's regime. Anti-Jewish posters are everywhere, dissenting talk is silenced, and a new law forbids Christine from returning to her job--and from having any relationship with Isaac. In the months and years that follow, Christine will confront the Gestapo's wrath and the horrors of Dachau, desperate to be with the man she loves, to survive--and finally, to speak out. Set against the backdrop of the German homefront, this is an unforgettable novel of courage and resolve, of the inhumanity of war, and the heartbreak and hope left in its wake.

About the Author :
Ellen Marie Wiseman is the author of the novels The Plum Tree and What She Left Behind. Born and raised in Three Mile Bay, a tiny hamlet in northern New York, Ellen now lives on the shores of Lake Ontario with her husband, two spoiled shih-tzus, and a rescued yellow Lab. She loves to cook, travel, garden, watch movies, and spend time with her children and grandchildren. Madeleine Lambert received her MFA in acting from Brown University/Trinity Rep. Her performances at Trinity Repertory Company include Shelby in Steel Magnolias and Belle in A Christmas Carol. Madeleine graduated with honors from Duke University with majors in theater studies and English and a minor in French. She also attended the School at Steppenwolf. Madeleine played Anne Boleyn in the U.S. premiere of Anne Boleyn at the Gamm Theatre. At Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Madeleine played Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Madeleine received an AudioFile Earphones Award for Murder Below Montparnasse. Madeleine Lambert received her MFA in acting from Brown University/Trinity Rep. Her performances at Trinity Repertory Company include Shelby in Steel Magnolias and Belle in A Christmas Carol. Madeleine graduated with honors from Duke University with majors in theater studies and English and a minor in French. She also attended the School at Steppenwolf. Madeleine played Anne Boleyn in the U.S. premiere of Anne Boleyn at the Gamm Theatre. At Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Madeleine played Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Madeleine received an AudioFile Earphones Award for Murder Below Montparnasse.

Review :
The Holocaust was a horrendous time in world history, and Wiseman has added a personal touch on this era.-- "VOYA" "An extraordinary debut novel in which the author's childhood trips visiting family in Germany impart a heartbreaking realism...Ultimately a story of human survival and enduring love despite insurmountable odds, it's an original and important addition to the World War II canon." -- "RT Book Reviews (41/2 stars, Top Pick!)" "Lambert deftly delivers Wiseman's nuanced descriptions of everyday life in the countryside. The listeners' senses will come alive through Lambert's remarkable use of pitch, tone, and cadence." -- "AudioFile" "Readers who like slower-paced sentimental novels set during WWII will enjoy this novel." -- "Booklist" "Wiseman eschews the genre's usual military conflicts in favor of the slow, inexorable pressure of daily life during wartime, lending an intimate and compelling poignancy to this intriguing debut." -- "Publishers Weekly"