The Bells Ring No More
The Bells Ring No More

Author: John Tschinkel

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2012-11-12

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781478274742

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Most serious historians would estimate that at least 40 million people perished in the death camps and on the killing fields of World War Two. In the face of such a figure, it should cause no surprise that they received more attention than the millions who 'merely' lost their homes, were uprooted or ethnically cleansed. John Tschinkel's autobiographical history deals with a small and relatively unknown group of such persons, the Gottschee Germans. For six hundred years this former enclave in Slovenia survived and even prospered under the generally benign sovereignty of Habsburg Austria. Tschinkel's focus is on his experiences up to the end of WW II and his major contribution to our knowledge is the series of vividly recalled historical events, incidents, anecdotes and memories, recounted with a powerful narrative skill and an authorial voice that is at times wry, ironic, angry and frustrated, but always deeply humane and striving for a balanced vision. The bells that 'no longer ring' are those of the church of Grcarice (Masern) in Slovenia, the village where the author spent the first ten years of his life. They become powerful and recurrent symbols marking the phases and cycles of a vibrant culture, with its births and deaths, dangers and ecstasies, past and future. Dr. Peter Foulkes, Former Professor of German Studies, Dean of Humanities Stanford University, California. Emeritus Professor, University of Wales. ------------------- The author grew up in a self sufficient village in Slovenia until its entire population surrendered to the pressure to resettle in 1941. Not 'Home to the Reich' as promised, but to another part of annexed and ethnically cleansed Slovenia from where they were expelled in 1945 to become homeless refugees. The book is a merging of at least four aspects of a story running in parallel: history, politics, cultural awareness and personal narrative. Because of this intertwining, the tale never gets boring. The expressive power of the book has several peaks. The last is the description of how the family is trying to outrun the Communist Partisans. Prof., Dr. Marjan Kordas, Slovene Academy of Sciences and Arts.

The Bells
The Bells

Author: Richard Harvell

Publisher: Crown

Published: 2010-09-14

Total Pages: 394

ISBN-13: 0307590542

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Written as a confessional letter to his son, an 18th century opera singer recounts how his gift for sound led him on an astonishing journey to Europe’s celebrated opera houses and reveals how he came to raise a son who by all rights he never could have sired. The celebrated opera singer Lo Svizzero was born in a belfry high in the Swiss Alps where his mother served as the keeper of the loudest and most beautiful bells in the land. Shaped by the bells’ glorious music, he possessed an extraordinary gift for sound. But when his preternatural hearing was discovered—along with its power to expose the sins of the church—young Moses Froben was cast out of his village with only his ears to guide him in a world fraught with danger. Rescued from certain death by two traveling monks, he finds refuge at the vast and powerful Abbey of St. Gall. There, he becomes the protégé of the Abbey’s brilliant yet repulsive choirmaster, Ulrich. But it is this gift that will cause Moses’ greatest misfortune: determined to preserve his brilliant pupil’s voice, Ulrich has Moses castrated. Now, he will forever sing with the exquisite voice of an angel—a musico—yet castration is an abomination in the Swiss Confederation, and so he must hide his shameful condition from his friends and even from the girl he has come to love. When his saviors are exiled and his beloved leaves St. Gall for an arranged marriage in Vienna, he decides he can deny the truth no longer and he follows her—to sumptuous Vienna, to the former monks who saved his life, to an apprenticeship at one of Europe’s greatest theaters, and to the premiere of one of history’s most beloved operas. Like the voice of Lo Svizzero, The Bells is a sublime debut novel that rings with passion, courage, and beauty.

Sleigh Bells Ring
Sleigh Bells Ring

Author: RaeAnne Thayne

Publisher: HQN Books

Published: 2021-10-26

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 1488077983

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"[Thayne's] books are wonderfully romantic, feel-good reads that end with me sighing over the last pages." —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author Celebrate the season with this sparkling and heartwarming holiday romance that proves sometimes all you need is a little Christmas magic… Employed as the live-in caretaker of Angel’s View Ranch, Annelise McCade is just trying to make it through the holidays with both her sanity and her niece's and nephew’s faith in the magic of Christmas intact. The six-year-old twins recently lost their mother, so Annie tells herself it won’t be a problem to bring them to her workplace. The Sheridans haven’t visited Angel's View in years, not since the patriarch, Wallace, died. They would never know the twins were there…until Tate Sheridan shows up out of the blue two weeks before Christmas. But Tate surprises Annie by asking them to stay and help him get the house ready for one last family Christmas before the ranch is put on the market. Annie and Tate have three days to work their magic before the Sheridan clan arrives—and to work through the growing attraction between them. But Annie simply can’t fall for the man who's about to put her out of a job and a home. Still, the sparkle of the season is impossible to deny…and this Christmas has surprises in store for everyone. Return to Hope’s Crossing this Christmas in New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne’s latest heartwarming story of matchmaking at the holidays, All is Bright!

And It Was Full of Light!
And It Was Full of Light!

Author: Robert W. Littlefield

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2010-11-07

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13: 1452054940

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Bobby Fowler is the first and only out gay kid at Dunston High School. Unathletic and small for his age, Bobby was orphaned soon after moving from New England to Dunston, a ranching town in central Texas, just before freshman year. Deeply scarred from a near-fatal beating during sophomore year, Bobby finds solace in his drums, composing music, and his two closest friends. Only two types of students go to Dunston High School, according to his soul mate, Chloe: football players, and those who adore them. And Bobby, along with every girl in school and every woman in town, for that matter, adores one football player in particular. Kyle Faulkner, the star quarterback, has it all, and not just because his heroics brought home a state championship to his football-crazed town. With stunning good looks, a muscular physique, a dazzling Hollywood smile and a winning personality, it's no surprise that Kyle is a god in school. Kyle, along with everyone else, thinks of himself as the ultimate straight boy, the guy every girl wants to date. But Kyle has secret that he can't even admit to himself. He never asks himself why he sneaks peeks at the Gay Kid or why he dreams of wrapping his arms around him. But just a few weeks before graduation, Kyle finds out why during an unexpected and violent encounter with Bobby. It is an encounter which causes Kyle to admit the unthinkable. And unless Bobby can convince him there is a way out of the trap he thinks he's in, their encounter will lead to a terrifying climax that could cost both boys their lives.