Synopsis
Mead parachuted into Normandy on D-Day and fought his way to Germany, through some of the most brutal violence of World War II. But his most difficult battle was lost years later, when his beloved wife Sophie succumbed to cancer. Since then, he has waged a private war against both loneliness and the terrible memory of a day in 1945 that went horribly wrong-and has haunted him ever since.
His grandson Andrew, a scared and angry high school sophomore, has been expelled and is heading down a path of self-destruction. Mead agrees to take the boy in for three weeks, to set him right. At first, the two circle warily around each other, finding little in common. Then Andrew befriends a widow named Evelyn, and Mead busies himself fending off the match, even as he feels a reluctant attraction to this cheerful woman who seems to understand his grandson.
One afternoon, rummaging through the garage, Andrew discovers an antique Luger, the deadly memento of his grandfather's war. In a final effort to save his grandson from himself, Mead takes the teenager on a journey to the beaches, bunkers, and cemeteries of Normandy, where both of them confront the secrets they have been trying to forget.
His grandson Andrew, a scared and angry high school sophomore, has been expelled and is heading down a path of self-destruction. Mead agrees to take the boy in for three weeks, to set him right. At first, the two circle warily around each other, finding little in common. Then Andrew befriends a widow named Evelyn, and Mead busies himself fending off the match, even as he feels a reluctant attraction to this cheerful woman who seems to understand his grandson.
One afternoon, rummaging through the garage, Andrew discovers an antique Luger, the deadly memento of his grandfather's war. In a final effort to save his grandson from himself, Mead takes the teenager on a journey to the beaches, bunkers, and cemeteries of Normandy, where both of them confront the secrets they have been trying to forget.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Jonathan Hull is the author of Losing Julia, a Booksense 76 Selection and bestseller, a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller, and a Denver Rocky Mountain News bestseller. An award-winning journalist, he spent several years as Time magazine's Chicago and Jerusalem bureau chief before turning to writing fiction. The father of two children, he lives in Marin County, California with his wife Judy.
From the Back Cover
Praise for Jonathan Hull's previous novel, Losing Julia:
"Superb ... an elegant and touching meditation on life, particularly lost love, and the ravages of war ... Classy and provocative, sometimes stunning."-- Denver Post Books
"Losing Julia receives its immense depth and poignancy from Patrick's search for the meaning of life ... One of the most memorable characters of recent memory.-- Denver Rocky Mountain News
"A love story... authentically told."-- San Francisco Chronicle-Examiner
"[A] grasp of history and sense of story combined with remarkable freshness.--Washington Post Book World
"Elegant."--Publishers Weekly
"A cross-century epic of love and loss ... highly readable."--The New York Post
"The touches of historical and technical detail are expert and used with admirable restraint."¾San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
"Superb ... an elegant and touching meditation on life, particularly lost love, and the ravages of war ... Classy and provocative, sometimes stunning."-- Denver Post Books
"Losing Julia receives its immense depth and poignancy from Patrick's search for the meaning of life ... One of the most memorable characters of recent memory.-- Denver Rocky Mountain News
"A love story... authentically told."-- San Francisco Chronicle-Examiner
"[A] grasp of history and sense of story combined with remarkable freshness.--Washington Post Book World
"Elegant."--Publishers Weekly
"A cross-century epic of love and loss ... highly readable."--The New York Post
"The touches of historical and technical detail are expert and used with admirable restraint."¾San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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The Distance from Normandy: A Novel
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ISBN 10: 0312314116
ISBN 13: 9780312314118
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The Distance from Normandy : A Novel
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The Distance from Normandy : A Novel
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ISBN 10: 0312314116
ISBN 13: 9780312314118
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