Echoes
Written by Danielle Steel
Narrated by Simon Prebble
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
For the Wittgenstein family, the summer of 1915 was a time of both prosperity and unease, as the guns of war sound in the distance. But for eldest daughter Beata, it was also a summer of awakening. By the glimmering waters of Lake Geneva, the quiet Jewish beauty met a young French officer and fell in love. Knowing that her parents would never accept her marriage to a Catholic, Beata followed her heart anyway. And as the two built a new life together, Beata's past would stay with her in ways she could never have predicted. For as the years pass, and Europe is once again engulfed in war, Beata must watch in horror as Hitler's terror threatens her life and family-even her eighteen-year-old daughter Amadea, who has taken on the vows of a Carmelite nun.
For Amadea, the convent is no refuge. As family and friends are swept away without a trace, Amadea is forced into hiding. Thus begins a harrowing journey of survival, as she escapes into the heart of the French Resistance. Here Amadea will find a renewed sense of purpose, taking on the most daring missions behind enemy lines. And it is here, in the darkest moments of fear, that Amadea will feel her mother's loving strength-and that of her mother's mother before her-as the voices of lost loved ones echo powerfully in her heart. And here, amid the fires of war, Amadea will meet an extraordinary man, British secret agent Rupert Montgomery. In Colonel Montgomery, Amadea finds a man who will help her discover her place in an unbreakable chain between generations…and between her lost family and her dreams for the future-a future she is only just beginning to imagine: a future of hope rooted in the rich soil of the past.
With the grace of a master storyteller, Danielle Steel breathes life into history, creating a bold, sweeping tale filled with unforgettable characters and breathtaking images-from the elegant rituals of Europe's prewar aristocracy to the brutal desperation of Germany's death camps. Drawing us into a vanished world, Echoes weaves an intricate tapestry of a mother's love, a daughter's courage…and the unwavering faith that sustained them-even in history's darkest hour.
From the Hardcover edition.
Danielle Steel
Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's most popular authors, with over 650 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include Property of a Noblewoman, Blue, Precious Gifts, Undercover, Country, Prodigal Son, Pegasus, A Perfect Life, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; and the children's books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.
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Reviews for Echoes
264 ratings13 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book takes place in the Irish village of Castlebay in the 1950's. The main characters are Clare O'Brien, David Power, Gerry Doyle, Angela O'Hara and Caroline Nolan. Clare and David--divided as children by a rigid social code that branded her as shanty Irish and him as gentry are brought together as adults by a desire that knew no class. Angela O'Hara, Clare's teacher, helps Clare win a scholarship to attend school in Dublin where David is attending med school. David and Clare's relationship begins to crumble when Gerry Doyle, the town charmer and Caroline Nolan, the beautiful, rich girl prey on the couple. Maeve Binchey's storytelling experience make this book a delightful read. I recommend this book to those who love to read about Ireland in the 50's.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A good Maeve Bincy book. I had read it before. Parts were vaguely familiar. I was a little disappointed by the ending.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I love all the characters, the drama, the history of war and the ending.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5excellent story: Happy, sad, action, romance and everything in between.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A saga style of novel set in an Irish coastal town, featuring a group of people as they grow up and discover life and love.
Pleasant, and well-written, but nothing special. I enjoyed re-reading it, but didn't feel close to any of the characters. I'd have given three-and-a-half stars if I could... - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Clare and David - divided as children by a rigid social code that branded her as shanty Irish and he as gentry class...brought together as adults by a passion that couldn't be denied. It was a desire that knew no class, no barriers, only the urgent hunger of two people destined to love and ready to defy any convention used by a world determined to keep them apart.Even at fifteen, David Power knew eleven-year-old Clare O'Brien's dearest wish, to win a school prize. But it was years before Dr. Power's cherished only son recognized in the huckster's daughter his own heart's desire. Here in Castlebay, perched precariously on the seaside cliffs, the lines between them were clearly drawn. Clare's only hope is to leave the town where time stopped, propelled by scholarships to Dublin, fueled by her own drive and brilliance, far from the insular, gossipy world of Castlebay and those held in its thrall...Angela O'Hara - beautiful, insolated, a teacher trapped in the convent school, who risks everything to help Clare escape...Gerry Doyle, the town charmer who finds in Clare the woman he vows to have at any price...Caroline Nolan, the beautiful, rich outsider who comes to plunder.For Clare, that was before the wild freedom of Dublin, and love. And David. Before fate drove them back to Castlebay, and the past. I truly enjoyed this book, as I usually do with any book by Maeve Binchy that I read. Reading Maeve Binchy's books, even rereading some of them, as this particular book Echoes was for me, is almost like returning to familiar places and visiting old but very familiar friends. I read Echoes for the first time maybe a decade to fifteen years ago and enjoyed this book then as well. I give this book an A+! and have placed it on my keeper bookshelf to enjoy again at some point in the very near future!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This Binchy book didn't grab my attention like most of her others, and I didn't really get all that interested in either the plot or the characters until about halfway through. The novel tells the story of young, ambitious Clare O'Brien, who works extraordinarily hard to escape her home-town, only to return several years later under different circumstances.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Not one of my favourite Maeve Binchy novels. The story was quite easy to follow, and it had the usual gossipy Irish/Catholic content. I was gutted by the things that happen to Claire in the first half of the book, but somehow my sympathy dissipated as the plot meandered through the second half and seemed to get a bit lost. Maeve Binchy's later novels are a lot more polished.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I can't believe there was a Maeve Binchy book I missed. And since this was one of her older novels, it was much better than her recent books, with the deep character development so inherent in her earlier works. Now, I want to reread some of her other earlier works that have been hiding on my shelf.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I picked up this book because I enjoyed reading The Copper Beech. Unfortunately, I just cannot seem to get into Echoes. I tried three times to read this book and failed to be engaged each time, so it is time to give up on it and pass it along to someone who will enjoy it more.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In Echoes, Maeve Binchy presents realistic characters who show both their loveable and their hateful sides, making them extremely human. This is actually a full novel that has many characters interacting in one plot, which is better than Ms. Binchy's use of many characters in separate plots. Echoes is a light, easy, enjoyable read suitable for a summer evening.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I do not remember the first time I read this book or one of the other's written by Ms. Binchy and dealing with people in Ireland. I was engrossed by the stories, but more by the picture of the culture. I was very disappointed in the first of her books to take place elsewhere, as I think the cultural aspects of the novels are what drive the stories. Still I have read them time and again and always look at her new works to see the subjects. I almost always give them a try and am rarely disappointed by the books where she talks about what she knows.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Every once in a while, I need a story where I know that things will turn out all right in the end. Maeve Binchy always delivers, although with this story, things came a bit close to not turning out ok. As endings go, this is probably the least happy I’ve read from her. It surprised me and I liked that.This one does not deviate from the normal Binchy pattern –Small Irish town – checkHeadstrong female protagonist – checkOppressive Irish tradition – checkGoing against the grain, but accepted in the end – checkMultiple romances – checkRejection of the big city (Dublin) - checkA small town becoming suddenly prosperous and popular – checkPeople finding their places in life & being happy in them - checkSome minor tragedies, nothing earthshattering – checkA happy ending – checkThese books are comfort books for me in some sense. When I don’t want excitement and danger of too high a degree, I look for one of these warm tales of people overcoming odds and sharing their lives with remarkable patience and open communication. Makes me sort of long for that kind of world, but then I remember how stifling the closeness of those Irish villages are and how I would hate it, even if I had my own happy ending.