Push Not The River - Softcover

Martin, James Conroyd

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0738831417 ISBN 13: 9780738831411

Publisher: Xlibris Corp, 2001

Synopsis

Based on the authentic eighteenth-century diary of seventeen-year-old Countess Anna Maria Berezowska this story is as much an account of her love for her family, country . . . and ond one man as it is a record of the proud and resilient Polish people at a tumultuous time in their history.

Losing her family, Anna sets out on a girl-to-woman odyssey that thrusts her into a world of love and hate, loyalty and deceit, patriotism and treason, life and death.

The saga is told through the points of view of four people: Anna, faithful and courageous, faces mythical objects as she follows a journey of the heart and soul; Zofia, her enigmatic and sensual cousin, forges an iconoclastic way of life; Aunt Stella, Anna's stalwart guardian, personifies Poland's strength and spirit; and Jan, brave compatriot of Tadeusz Kosciuszko, becomes the romantic interest of both Anna and Zofia.

PUSH NOT THE RIVER unfolds against a rich historical tapestry that chronicles the rise and fall of the Third of May Constitution. Poland becomes the target of its neighboring monarchs who fear the Constitution is sowing seeds of discontent, the kind of discontent that has triggered the French Revolution. Again and again, Poland is invaded and dismembered . . . transformed into a maelstrom from which Anna emerges an archetypal woman and heroine.

About this title

From the Author:

The cornerstone of this novel is the unpublished diary of Countess Anna Maria Berezowska, who began keeping it when her personal world began to disintegrate and her writing became for her, I suspect, a great therapy. She sometimes read and copied into her own diary colorful entries from her cousin Zofia's diary. It was Zofia's often risque narrative that most likely accounted for subsequent generations' witholding the document from the public. For some decades it was even sealed in wax and hidden away.

Amazingly,the years of the countess' personal crises coincided with some of the most important years in all of Polish history: the Third of May Constitution years. It is fortunate that such a remarkable private view--and a woman's view--of those perilous years has survived.

From the Inside Flap:

"Push Not the River contains all the sweep and romance of the classic romantic epics such as Gone with the Wind and Doctor Zhivago, with a heroine who remains strong in the face of both personal and political tragedy. An enthralling tale of courage, survival, and hope, Anna Maria's story is at once timeless and timely."
- India Edghill, author of Queenmaker

"Push Not the River is a wonderful epic historical saga in the grand romantic style. The plot never lets up; it gallops at break-neck speed through a vividly portrayed historical landscape, against which we see the triumphant transformation of Anna . . . into a strong and powerful woman."
- Jane Feather, bestselling author of Kissed by Shadows

"James Conroyd Martin's vivid historical novel captivates the reader with its sweeping depiction of a bygone society on the cusp of violent change. Combining politics with intrigue and romance, Push Not the River gives us a glimpse into the turbulent era of late eighteenth century Poland and its people. Aristocrats and peasants, patriots and traitors come alive in this story, and the Polish soul is beautifully illuminated through ancient myths, folkways, and wisdoms. With his juxtaposition of the personal and political, Martin weaves a compelling tale of transformation--both of a remarkable young woman and her remarkable nation."
- Jennifer Donnelly, author of The Tea Rose

"Martin's novel transports the reader two hundred years into Poland's glorious past, a world of castles and manor houses. One woman's life provides a metaphor for a country which--with the Third of May Constitution--was the first to attempt democratic reform in modern Europe. While the attempt failed, Push Not the River sings of a people's pride and indomitable hope."
- Jan Lorys, director of the Polish Museum of America

About this edition

• Publisher: Xlibris Corp
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0738831417
• ISBN 13: 9780738831411
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 608