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Tears of Amber

Written by: Sofía Segovia, Simon Bruni - translator
Narrated by: Will Damron, Angela Dawe
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Publisher's Summary

One of Audible's Best of 2021

From the bestselling author of The Murmur of Bees comes a transportive novel of two families uprooted by war and united by the bonds of love and courage.

With war looming dangerously close, Ilse’s school days soon turn to lessons of survival. In the harshness of winter, her family must join the largest exodus in human history to survive. As battle lines are drawn and East Prussia’s borders vanish beneath them, they leave their farm and all they know behind for an uncertain future.

But Ilse also has Janusz, her family’s young Polish laborer, by her side. As they flee from the Soviet army, his enchanting folktales keep her mind off the cold, the hunger, and the horrors unfolding around them. He tells her of a besieged kingdom in the Baltic Sea from which spill the amber tears of a heartbroken queen.

Neither of them realizes his stories will prove crucial and prophetic.

Not far away, trying and failing to flee from a vengeful army, Arno and his mother hide in the ruins of a Königsberg mansion, hoping that once the war ends they can reunite their dispersed family. But their stay in the walled city proves untenable when they find themselves dodging bombs and scavenging in the rubble. Soon they’ll become pawns caught between two powerful enemies, on a journey with an unknown destination.

Hope carries these children caught in the crosshairs of war on an extraordinary pilgrimage in which the gift of an amber teardrop is at once a valuable form of currency and a symbol of resilience, one that draws them together against insurmountable odds.

©2018 Sofía Segovia. Translation © 2021 by Simon Bruni. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
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What listeners say about Tears of Amber

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Love me some Lady Segovia!

Her passion bleeds into her work.
The fact that this is based off a true story surprised me a bit.
Most times when a true story is written by a third party the emotions get lost.
Sofia Segovia does not have that problem.

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Interesting perspective

This is an interesting perspective on World War II, from the viewpoint of German people living in East Prussia. I think the author successfully treads the fine line between showing the terrifying power structure and persecution of German society at the time and showing the lives of ordinary people, some of whom have integrity and courageously protect others. At the same time, the author shows Vonda, who believes she is humane, aligning herself with intolerant values at the end with devastating consequences. The plot at the end seemed a bit contrived as the two main characters meet, although this seems a bit unlikely. But finding out in the author's note that this is based on a true story confirms the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction. Very good vocal performance.

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Loved it

Such a captivating story. I got so attached to the characters and what they were feeling when going through the hardships of war. This story tells of a perspective that I wasn't aware of, and I'm happy to have learned through the eyes of the characters in this book.

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