The Twins
(Paperback)
Publishing Details
The Twins
By (Author) Tessa de Loo
Translated by Ruth Levitt
Quercus Publishing
Arcadia Books
21st February 2001
21st February 2001
United Kingdom
Classifications
General
Fiction
839.3137
Physical Properties
Paperback
392
Width 132mm, Height 198mm, Spine 26mm
320g
Description
"Gripping and touching" Independent"Memorable and moving" The TimesBound by blood, separated by love...Twin sisters, Lotte and Anna, share a bond that is far stronger than anyone except they alone can understand. But when war comes between them, the two discover that even the deepest bonds have their limits.Having been cruelly separated as children, Lotte and Anna are at last reunited. Neither lost hope to see each other again. However, with Europe on the verge of war, much has changed between them. While Lotte has enjoyed a privileged upbringing in liberal Holland, Anna has endured a life of poverty in a Germany under the spell of Hitler. With Lotte now engaged to a Jewish musician, and Anna brainwashed by Third Reich ideas, cracks in their relationship soon appear. With the war on, the twins decide to part again.Back in Germany, Anna marries Martin, an Austrian soldier, who hates the war but joins the SS for the sake of his wife only to be killed a few days later. Anna is devastated and longs for her sister. At the same time, Lotte's own life is in danger. The Nazis have invaded Holland and her lover has been taken to Auschwitz. Knowing she will never see him again, all she can do is keep his family safe from Hitler's troops. Now an old woman, Lotte remembers the pain as, before her, stands the sisters she disowned all those years ago. Can these two lives ever be reconciled The twins now face their final test . . .Translated from the Dutch by Ruth Levitt
Reviews
A fascinating way to understand the effects of war, the tangled, muddied absurdity of it, how it traces remain in the blood for generations * Los Angeles Times *
Completely original . . . Takes the reader's breath away -- Joan Smith * Sunday Times *
Gripping and touching . . . Tessa de Loo's powerful narrative filters Europe's grand events through a family story that tests the ties of blood against the pull of passion and the blast of war * Independent *
A huge success . . . a memorable and moving tale * Sunday Telegraph *
Has there ever been, one wonders, a more imaginative and moving dramatization of the human cost of the divisions and destruction wreaked by Hitler s madness Quite likely not. A flat-out masterpiece: exhilarating and unforgettable * Kirkus Review *
This excellent novel spans the entire twentieth century. De Loo interleaves the twins' story with that of two countries locked in bloody conflict. A moving read about humanity's darkest hour -- Sebastian Shakespeare * Evening Standard *
Details of time, place and atmosphere are acutely evoked, and the characters are presented with a generous sympathy that stops short of special pleading * The Times *
Author Bio
TESSA DE LOO was born in Bussum, a small town near Amsterdam. Her prize-winning novels include Meander, Isabelle, The Smoke Sacrifice and The Miracle of the Dog. A Pig in the Palace looks at Byron's Albanian travels, while The Twins is a 3-million-copy bestseller.
