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A Desert in Bohemia
by Jill Paton Walsh ; Jill Paton Walsh
ISBN: 0312262639
ISBN-13: 9780312262631
Format: Hardcover
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Summary
It is 1945 and, in the beleaguered fictional Eastern European country of Comenia, Eliska and Jiri and a foundling baby take refuge in an abandoned castle where, along with the lord of the manor, they manage to make a life for themselves. In the midst of terror and chaos, the respected children's-book writer Jill Paton Walsh creates a fairy tale with political overtones.
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Media Reviews
"A DESERT IN BOHEMIA sets out to tell credible stories...about victims of war and oppression in an invented Czech-speaking Comenia, an imaginable country embellished with a fair amount of romantic color....The conventions of romance employed in presenting characters and how they speak and relate work against all its best intentions; the mixture of grim fact and fairy tale fails to blend." -- Alan Brownjohn
-- Times Literary Supplement
"Walsh works hard, and occasionally to powerful effect, in demonstrating how [her] characters are shaped and limited by exterior circumstance....But it's a novel that ought to have had a much sharper edge...."
-- Kirkus
"Like its predecessor [KNOWLEDGE OF ANGELS], DESERT is a novel-parable, though considerably less successful....The individual stories, though they embody the turns and blowbacks of history accurately and sometimes cleverly, are manipulated and often simplistic." -- Richard Eder
-- New York Times
"Paton Walsh...writes with grace and cunning, trapping her characters, chapter by chapter, in a web of intrigue." -- Lynn Karpen
-- New York Times Book Review
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: St Martins Pr
Published date: 2000
Edition: 1th edition
Size: 5.75 x 8.25 inches
Weight: 1.05 pounds
Pages: 335
Publisher's Notes
It is 1945. Somewhere in Central Europe, in the aftermath of violence and confusion, a terrified and bloodstained young woman, Eliska, emerges from the forest to take refuge in an apparently abandoned castle. Soon she is joined by others-the idealistic Jiri, the sinister Slavomir and his partisans, and Count Michael Blansky, who is the castle's ancestral owner.
But the war has changed things forever. In a storm of ideological change, the existing order and the aristocratic heritage of ten generations are brushed aside by the arrival of Communism, and Count Michael must join the flood of refugees if he is to survive. He leaves behind a legacy that will entangle those involved for the next forty years in more ways than they can possibly imagine.
As divided post-war Europe unravels around them, communities are destroyed, families uprooted, and the ties of trust, friendship, and duty that bind them together are broken down. Told through the eyes of nine characters who live through the forty years between the end of the war and the fall of Communism, A Desert in Bohemia is a complex and enthralling testament to the power-and powerlessness-of the individual in challenging times. By the time the Berlin Wall comes down, their lives will have been battered, broken, and made whole once more.
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A Desert in Bohemia
Walsh, Jill Paton
St. Martin's Press. Hardcover. 0312262639 A former library book with the usual identifiers in a protective glossy dust jacket covering. Dust Jacket has some edgewear present. 2000 St. Martin's Press Hard Cover . Very Good. 2000. ( more information) Offered by Seashellbooks.com, Inc. (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Walsh, Jill Paton
St. Martin's Press. Hardcover. 0312262639 A former library book with the usual identifiers in a protective glossy dust jacket covering. Dust Jacket has some edgewear present. 2000 St. Martin's Press Hard Cover . Very Good. 2000. ( more information) Offered by Seashellbooks.com, Inc. (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Jill Paton Walsh
St. Martin's Press. Used - Good. Ex-library. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped daily. Over one million satisfied book lovers read with Experienced Books. 2000. Hardcover. Good condition, showing modest signs of wear. EX-LIBRARY with typical library markings, attachments and wear. Dust jacket: Good. ( more information) Offered by Experienced Books LLC (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Jill Paton Walsh
A nice ex-library copy. Gently used. All pages and cover clear except for a few library markings. Mylar over dustjacket. Binding solid and tight. No creases. ( more information) Offered by Once Sold Tales (United States)
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5)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Jill Paton Walsh
St. Martin's Press. Used - Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers! Your purchase benefits world literacy! ( more information) Offered by Better World Books (United States)
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6)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Jill Paton Walsh
St. Martin's Press, 2000-12-04. Hardcover. Good. BIND: hardback. ED: ex-library copy, 12/01/00. DJ: [good], mylar covered, some shelf wear, library stickers. COVER: [very good], clean, straight. SPINE: [very good], tight, straight. PAGES: [good], clean, straight, unmarked except for typical library identifiers. PUB: St. Martin's Press. AUTHOR: Walsh Jill Paton. KRC ( more information) Offered by affinnallc (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Paton Walsh, Jill; Walsh, Jill Paton
Gordonsville, Virginia, U.S.A.: St Martins Pr, 2000. ISBN: 0312262639. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. ( more information) Offered by firstfloorfront (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Jill Paton Walsh
St. Martin's Press, 2000-12-04. Hardcover. New. ( more information) Offered by Nationwide Book Traders (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Walsh, Jill Paton
N . Y.: St. Martins, 2000. X-Library with normal flaws....The hard cover and the jacket has very light shelf wear ......We are very careful when we list our books, but sometimes something minor may get by... 1st. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. Illus. by Cover Art. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Hard Back. ( more information) Offered by Add-More Books (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Walsh, Jill Paton
St. Martin's Press, 2000-12-01. Hardcover. New. GREAT Bargain Book Deal - some may have small remainder mark - Ships out by NEXT Business Day - 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! ( more information) Offered by BookCloseouts.com (Canada)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Paton Walsh, Jill; Walsh, Jill Paton
Gordonsville, Virginia, U.S.A.: St Martins Pr, 2000 Tight, clean.. 1st. Near Fine/Near Fine. ( more information) Offered by Burke's Book Store (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Walsh, Jill Paton
St. Martin's Press. Hardcover. 0312262639 2nd printing. Near fine in near fine dust jacket. ...Experience, Quality, Value.... . Fine. ( more information) Offered by Robinson Street Books (United States)
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desert in bohemia
walsh, jill paton
Hard Cover. St. Martins Press 2000. First Edition. All books in VG or better condition. ( more information) Offered by Sixth Chamber Used Books (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Walsh, Jill Paton
New York: St. Martins, 2000. Hb. Fine/Fine. 1st U.S. 335 pp.. F. Hardcover. ( more information) Offered by Priceless Books (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Walsh, Jill Paton
St. Martin's Press. 1st printing U.S.,2000. Near Fine/Near Fine hard cover. 12mo,boards,335pp. slight edgewear dust jacket. slight shelfwear cover. clean,tight,text. fiction. ( more information) Offered by Gail Kennon Book-Comber (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia (Qty: 5)
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Walsh, Jill Paton
St. Martin's Press. Hardcover. 0312262639 A used but readable copy with markings and general wear. Hardcover. Immediate shipping for all orders and FREE STANDARD DELIVERY on Domestic US Orders! International, APO, FPO and PO Box addresses accepted. All of our titles are exactly the same title as shown and are 100% Guaranteed! Used items may not include extras such as infotrac, CD or other web access codes. We recommend expedited shipping for fastest delivery. Standard shipping may take up to 14 business days. . Good. ( more information) Offered by Paperleaf Books (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia (Qty: 25)
Jill Paton Walsh
St Martins Press, 2000. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Brand New. 8.30 x 5.80 x 1.20. Brand new. Never read or owned. May have a remainder mark. 16.8 oz. It is 1945. Somewhere in Central Europe, in the aftermath of violence and confusion, a terrified and bloodstained young woman, Eliska, emerges from the forest to take refuge in an apparently abandoned castle. Soon she is joined by others-the idealistic Jiri, the sinister Slavomir and his partisans, and Count Michael Blansky, who is the castle's ancestral owner. -- But the war has changed things forever. In a storm of ideological change, the existing order and the aristocratic heritage of ten generations are brushed aside by the arrival of Communism, and Count Michael must join the flood of refugees if he is to survive. He leaves behind a legacy that will entangle those involved for the next forty years in more ways than they can possibly imagine. -- As divided post-war Europe unravels around them, communities are destroyed, families uprooted, and the ties of trust, friendship, and duty that bind them together are broken down. Told through the eyes of nine characters who live through the forty years between the end of the war and the fall of Communism, A Desert in Bohemia is a complex and enthralling testament to the power-and powerlessness-of the individual in challenging times. By the time the Berlin Wall comes down, their lives will have been battered, broken, and made whole once more. It is 1945 and, in the beleaguered fictional Eastern European country of Comenia, Eliska and Jiri and a foundling baby take refuge in an abandoned castle where, along with the lord of the manor, they manage to make a life for themselves. In the midst of terror and chaos, the respected children's-book writer Jill Paton Walsh creates a fairy tale with political overtones. A DESERT IN BOHEMIA sets out to tell credible stories...about victims of war and oppression in an invented Czech-speaking Comenia, an imaginable country embellished with a fair amount of romantic color....The conventions of romance employed in presenting characters and how they speak and relate work against all its best intentions; the mixture of grim fact and fairy tale fails to blend. -- Brownjohn -- Walsh works hard, and occasionally to powerful effect, in demonstrating how [her] characters are shaped and limited by exterior circumstance....But it's a novel that ought to have had a much sharper edge.... -- Anderson -- Like its predecessor [KNOWLEDGE OF ANGELS], DESERT is a novel-parable, though considerably less successful....The individual stories, though they embody the turns and blowbacks of history accurately and sometimes cleverly, are manipulated and often simplistic. -- New York Times - Richard Eder (12/20/2000) -- Paton Walsh...writes with grace and cunning, trapping her characters, chapter by chapter, in a web of intrigue. -- New York Times Book Review - Lynn Karpen (02/04/2001). . ( more information) Offered by Books and More by the Rowe (United States)
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A Desert in Bohemia
Walsh, Jill Paton
St. Martin's Press. New; May have light shelf wear and ink mark (remainder mark) on outer edge. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! 2000. Hardcover. 1.05 x 8.55 x 5.78 Inches; 288 pages . ( more information) Offered by E & A DISCOUNT (United States)
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