A White Wind Blew: A Novel

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Description

In the tradition of Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, A WHITE WIND BLEW is an enthralling story set in the era of Prohibition and the aftermath of World War I. Wolfgang Pike, a doctor and almost-priest at the Waverly Hills tuberculosis sanatorium during a time when medicine and faith are failing the patients, thinks that music might offer some unlikely help. But his boss's disapproval, racial tensions ratcheting ever higher, and the memory of his wife tear at Wolfgang daily, until an enigmatic new patient opens up. Together with Wolf, the two help the most unlikely of orchestras emerge to change everything.

Reviews

.".. a fantastic historical fiction book that really left an impression on me." - Rainy Day Ramblings
" Excerpt: The book is at its best when Pike, McVain and their eclectic band of musicians are beating the odds, whether against tuberculosis or against stifling institutional mores." - Lexington Herald
"Beautiful, beautiful book. James Markert masterfully painted a time and a place that most people would like to forget and made it a place we almost wished we could be." - Romantic Historical Lovers
"Excerpt: Like rich dark chocolate tempered with sea salt, A "White Wind Blew" is bittersweet and addictive. I kept coming back to the story, reluctant to leave it even when I knew I should be sleeping." - A Bookish Libraria The Bookish Dame Reviews
"Excerpt: Markert develops Waverly Hills and its residents in ways that are realistic and touching the couple who meets and marries only to fall ill weeks later; the man devastated by war and unable to play the music he once loved; a black man whose entire family was taken by disease but who serves in defiance of it and who acts as go between for the two hospitals. Markert lends them a dignity no one else at the time does..." - The Picky Girl
"Excerpt: Markert has written a book with real heart and which also benefits from such an interesting setting as a tuberculosis sanitarium. A "White Wind Blew" is lovely and a very diverting way to spend an afternoon. " - Devourer of Books
"Excerpt: What is striking about Markert's portrayal of musical medicine is how he touches on the diverse ways music can have an effect on us... I recommend reading A "White Wind Blew" so that you, too, can be carried away by a story of how music changed people and a community through the words of an entertaining storyteller." - Music Therapy Maven
"The book is at its best when Pike, McVain and their eclectic band of musicians are beating the odds, whether against tuberculosis or against stifling institutional mores." - Lit Chat
"The historical detail in this book is fascinating... There are so many intertwining details in this book and Markert does a really amazing job of weaving everything together into a really moving book!" - A Bookish Affair

Author Bio

James Markert lives in Louisville with his wife and two children. He has a history degree from the University of Louisville, and is a USPTA tennis professional. His comedy screenplay, 2nd Serve, was produced by Sundance Award Winner Gil Holland and recently premiered in Fall 2012.