And After the Fire: A Novel

From Publishers Weekly In Belfer's compelling third novel, an American soldier in 1945 Germany unknowingly purloins a controversial unpublished cantata by the great Johann Sebastian Bach, and it ends up in the hands of the soldier's niece, Susanna Kessler, upon his death. The journey of this manuscript, with lyrics based on one of Martin Luther's anti-Jewish screeds, from Sara Itzig Levyâx80x94a Jewish student of Bach's eldest son and the real-life budding doyenne of Berlin's upper echelonsâx80x94to America is interspersed with Susanna's own inner trajectory to finding normalcy and love in her life after being raped. The author's strengths lie in the historical passages, starting with the 1780s when Sara receives the cantata as a young woman, and continuing through her rise in society, her subsequent marriage, and her confidential gift of the manuscript to her beloved niece's daughter, Fanny (sister to Felix Mendelssohn). Fanny leaves it in a piano bench, where it's discovered by Susanna's uncle. Belfer's (A Fierce Radiance) comprehensive research brings depth and veracity to the novel, intertwining real-life figures and events from the past with the modern-day story and detailing the strong currents of anti-Semitism that have existed in Germany for centuries. The people in Susanna's life, as well as the contemporary situations Belfer portrays, are not as strongly drawn, and the passages about romance and sexual attraction in both the modern and historic realms never quite work. Nevertheless, this is an immersive, page-turning story emboldened by historical fact and a rich imagination. (May)\n “[Belfer’s] virtuoso novel…epitomizes Faulkner’s epigram that the past is never dead—or even past. . . . The novel swells with life’s great themes—love and death, family and faith —and the insistent, dark music of loss.” — USA Today , **** “In Belfer’s hands, fictitious characters blend uncannily with historical ones.” — The New Yorker “Finely written historical fiction layered with richly detailed characters and moral complexity.” — Jane Ciabattari, BBC “[A] compelling blend of fact and fiction.… Based on impressive research, this remarkable novel spans centuries and continents, touching finally on the Holocaust and serving as a paean to Bach’s music.” — Booklist (starred review) “A different species of suspense tale…. Evocative, deeply researched…. Manage[s] to dazzle while delving into dark places.” — Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air “An intellectual thriller and a beautiful love story. What if you came into possession of an historical artifact with the power to alter history and change the world? Sure to establish Belfer as a fearless, provocative writer. Impossible to put down.” — Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants “A bold and hugely ambitious novel with the transfixing appeal of a best-seller…by a native daughter of the city whose talent is now even beyond the admiration of those of us so impressed by City of Light .…Extraordinary.” — Buffalo News “A fascinating historical novel and poignant love story that will open the eyes and ears of music lovers and please those who enjoy a graceful, spellbinding tale pondering important questions.” — Library Journal (starred review) “Brilliant and mesmerizing…. Since reading And After the Fire , I’ve been trumpeting it as the best novel I’ve had the pleasure of reading in years.” — Elinor Lipman, New York Times bestselling author of Then She Found Me “A remarkably suspenseful story, a literary thriller in the tradition of A.S. Byatt’s Possession .” — Kirkus Reviews “Engrossing. . . . A needy musicologist and his kid, a worldly woman haunted by trauma, the promise of the fabulous discovery of a lost and un-performable work by Johann Sebastian Bach—mix in greed and the drama that is modern New York—and you have the basis of a strong novel. Add to this generations of great names in music and culture, and you get a page-turner to love, even if you’re tone deaf. . . . a compelling and entertaining novel that will send you back to music.” — WOSU Radio “Compelling…. An immersive, page-turning story emboldened by historical fact and a rich imagination.” — Publishers Weekly “Highly readable…. Will delight readers of historical fiction, especially if they are music aficionados who like a good love story thrown into the works…. Belfer proves herself to be that skilled weaver of tales in this intellectual thriller.” — New York Journal of Books “Music pulses through this rich tale of love, morality, and a lost cantata…. Filled with history, gorgeous descriptions of music, and people both real and imagined.” — Washington Independent Review of Books “This latest novel from Belfer…is her most compelling yet…. Told with lyrical beauty (in a tender love scene, the past exists with the present), the novel is like the lost cantata itself, revealing our capacity for darkness, redeemed by the power of unconditional love. A dazzling, transformative novel. Highly recommended.” — Historical Novel Review “Belfer is adept at revealing the complex politics and sentiments, including the religious biases, of 18th-century Europe. The important questions Belfer poses regarding the ethical complexities of art are engrossing.” — BookPage “Blending the gorgeousness of Bach and the horror of anti-Semitism over several centuries should make for unsettling contemplation, and readers of Belfer’s…know that the author will be meticulous with both fact and fiction.” — Library Journal , “Editors’ Spring Picks” “One of the four best novels published to date in 2016.… The research and writing are… splendidly accomplished…. Brilliant.” — AEQAI “Marvelous…. Meticulously structured…. Eloquently and elegantly written. The themes are important and engaging. It is not a novel one will put down easily or forget at its conclusion.” — Jewish Book Council “On as grand a scale as any Bach masterpiece, Belfer’s novel explores the composer’s religious music and its effect on two women living 300 years apart…. Powerfully and emotionally written…. A fascinating, compelling read.” — RT Reviews “An outstanding historical novel…. Compelling.” — BookLoons.com This spellbinding new novel from Lauren Belfer, the New York Times bestselling author of A Fierce Radiance and City of Light , spans centuries and continents to reveal the secret history of a long-lost musical masterpiece—and the two women bound together by its troubled past. Sara Itzig Levy, the daughter of Frederick the Great’s banker, counts herself among the élite of late-eighteenth-century Berlin. A gifted harpsichordist, she hones her musical talents under Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, a son of Johann Sebastian Bach. Kindred spirits, the elderly maestro and his protégée enjoy a close friendship, but their time together is running out. Friedemann’s final gift to his dearest Sara is the original score of one of his father’s cantatas—yet, as she reads its libretto, her gratitude turns to horror. . . . In present-day New York City, Susanna Kessler enjoys a seemingly charmed life with a loving husband and a terrific job. Then a random, devastating act of violence tears it apart. Just as she’s beginning to recover, her beloved Uncle Henry kills himself. He leaves behind a cryptic note alluding to his haunting World War II experiences as an Allied soldier in Germany, and to an artifact he took from the war-ravaged country before returning home. Framed by Susanna’s urgent search for the truth about the disturbing musical score her uncle bequeaths to her, Sara’s richly atmospheric narrative—studded with vibrant, real-life musical figures from Wilhelm Friedemann Bach to Beethoven to Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn—reveals the passions and politics of Enlightenment- and Romantic-era Berlin. Wealth might buy Jews an entrée into German society but, as Sara discovers, a dark anti-Semitism simmers all around her. And as Susanna attempts to fight her demons by plunging deeper and deeper into Sara’s world, harrowing questions about her own family’s past begin to surface. Advance Praise for And After the Fire “It’s a remarkably suspenseful story, a literary thriller in the tradition of A. S. Byatt’s Possession.”— Kirkus reviews “A ‘what if’ novel that begins in the glittering salons of Enlightenment Berlin where, beneath the surface, are sentiments too sinister to be named and culminates in New York present day, And After the Fire is an intellectual thriller and a beautiful love story. What if you came into possession of a historical artifact with the power to alter history and change the world? Sure to establish Belfer as a fearless, provocative writer. Impossible to put down.”—Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of At the Water’s Edge and Water for Elephants “Brilliant and mesmerizing. . . . Since reading And After the Fire, I’ve been trumpeting it as the best novel I’ve had the pleasure of reading in years.”—Elinor Lipman, New York Times bestselling author of Then She Found Me Praise for Lauren Belfer’s previous novels “Enthralling. . . . Belfer’s powerful portrayal of how people are changed in pursuit of a miracle makes this book an especially compelling read.”—Nancy Horan, New York Times bestselling author of Loving Frank, on A Fierce Radiance “A love story and murder mystery rolled into a panoramic family saga and industrial-espionage thriller. . . . Belfer’s prose is heartbreaking, as are her twin themes of love and betrayal.”— USA Today on A Fierce Radiance “Impressive. . . . A stereopticon of a novel, sepia-tinged at the edges yet bursting with color at its center. . . . A powerfully atmospheric book.”— New York Times on City of Light Lauren Belfer’s novel A Fierce Radiance was named a Washington Post Best Novel; an NPR Best Mystery; and a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Her debut novel, City of Light , was a New York Times bestseller as well as a number one Book Sense pick; a New York Times Notable Book ; a Library Journal Best Book ; and a Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. She lives in New York City. Read more