The Fortunate Ones - Paperback

by Ellen Umansky (Author)

A BOOKLIST BEST DEBUT NOVEL OF THE YEAR

One very special work of art--a Chaim Soutine painting--will connect the lives and fates of two different women, generations apart, in this enthralling and transporting debut novel that moves from World War II Vienna to contemporary Los Angeles.

It is 1939 in Vienna, and as the specter of war darkens Europe, Rose Zimmer's parents are desperate. Unable to get out of Austria, they manage to secure passage for their young daughter on a kindertransport, and send her to live with strangers in England.

Six years later, the war finally over, a grief-stricken Rose attempts to build a life for herself. Alone in London, devastated, she cannot help but try to search out one piece of her childhood: the Chaim Soutine painting her mother had cherished.

Many years later, the painting finds its way to America. In modern-day Los Angeles, Lizzie Goldstein has returned home for her father's funeral. Newly single and unsure of her path, she also carries a burden of guilt that cannot be displaced. Years ago, as a teenager, Lizzie threw a party at her father's house with unexpected but far-reaching consequences. The Soutine painting that she loved and had provided lasting comfort to her after her own mother had died was stolen, and has never been recovered.

This painting will bring Lizzie and Rose together and ignite an unexpected friendship, eventually revealing long-held secrets that hold painful truths. Spanning decades and unfolding in crystalline, atmospheric prose, The Fortunate Ones is a haunting story of longing, devastation, and forgiveness, and a deep examination of the bonds and desires that map our private histories.

Front Jacket

Vienna, 1939: As the specter of war darkens Europe, Rose Zimmer's parents are desperate. Unable to get out of Austria, they manage to send their young daughter on a Kindertransport to live with strangers in England.

Los Angeles, present day: Lizzie Goldstein returns home for her father's funeral, grief-stricken and shouldering a sense of guilt she cannot displace.

When Lizzie and Rose meet, they discover that the same Chaim Soutine painting has been stolen from them both--and has never been recovered. As the two women share their stories, and the sense of loss the painting sparks in them, they begin to forge a friendship that will release both from the long-held burdens they carry. Spanning decades and unfolding in crystalline, atmospheric prose, The Fortunate Ones is a haunting story of longing, devastation, and forgiveness, and a deep examination of the bonds and desires that map our private histories.

--Joanna Hershon, author of A Dual Inheritance

Back Jacket

Vienna, 1939: As the specter of war darkens Europe, Rose Zimmer's parents are desperate. Unable to get out of Austria, they manage to send their young daughter on a Kindertransport to live with strangers in England.

Los Angeles, present day: Lizzie Goldstein returns home for her father's funeral, grief-stricken and shouldering a sense of guilt she cannot displace.

When Lizzie and Rose meet, they discover that the same Chaim Soutine painting has been stolen from them both--and has never been recovered. As the two women share their stories, and the sense of loss the painting sparks in them, they begin to forge a friendship that will release both from the long-held burdens they carry. Spanning decades and unfolding in crystalline, atmospheric prose, The Fortunate Ones is a haunting story of longing, devastation, and forgiveness, and a deep examination of the bonds and desires that map our private histories.