And After the Fire

Lauren Belfer

ISBN 10: 1504718585 ISBN 13: 9781504718585

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc., 2016

Synopsis

The New York Times bestselling author of A Fierce Radiance and City of Light returns with a new powerful and passionate novel -- inspired by historical events -- about two women and the mysterious choral masterpiece by Johann Sebastian Bach that changes both their lives.

In the ruins of Germany in 1945, at the end of World War II, American soldier Henry Sachs takes an old music manuscript, from a seemingly deserted mansion. In America in 2010, Henry's niece, Susanna Kessler uncovers the long-hidden music manuscript after his passing. She becomes determined to discover what it is and to return it. In Berlin, Germany, in 1796, amid the city's glittering salons, Sara Itzig Levy, a renowned musician, conceals the manuscript of an anti-Jewish cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, an unsettling gift to her from Bach's son. Interweaving the stories of Susanna and Sara, And After the Fire traverses over two hundred years of history, seamlessly melding past and present.

About this title

From the Back Cover

From New York Times–bestselling author Lauren Belfer, a virtuoso novel that spans centuries and continents to reveal the secret history of a long-lost musical masterpiece by Johann Sebastian Bach—and the two women bound together by its troubled past

Sara Itzig Levy counts herself among the elite of late-eighteenth-century Berlin. An accomplished musician, she conceals a gift she received from her beloved teacher, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, the son of celebrated composer Johann. The gift: one of the elder Bach’s final cantatas—containing a disturbing message.

In present-day New York City, Susanna Kessler’s charmed life is ripped apart by a devastating act of violence. As she struggles to recover, she learns that her Uncle Henry has committed suicide. He leaves her a cryptic note and a mysterious musical score. Susanna becomes determined to discover the piece’s origin. As Susanna delves into Sara’s world, harrowing questions about her own family’s past start to surface.

Seamlessly slotting fictional characters into history, and studded with real-life musical figures from Beethoven to Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, Lauren Belfer’s deeply researched, evocative, and compelling narrative resonates with emotion and immediacy.

About the Author

Lauren Belfer was born in Rochester, New York, and attended Swarthmore College, where she majored in medieval studies. She also has an MFA from Columbia University. Lauren Belfer's most recent novel, A Fierce Radiance, was named a Washington Post Best Novel and an NPR Best Mystery. Her debut novel, City of Light, was a New York Times bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book. She lives in New York City.

About this edition

• Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1504718585
• ISBN 13: 9781504718585
• Binding: Audio CD
• Number of pages: 1