Skeletons at the Feast: A Novel

Chris Bohjalian

May 2008 · Sold by Crown

About this ebook

In January 1945, in the waning months of World War II, a small group of people begin the longest journey of their lives: an attempt to cross the remnants of the Third Reich, from Warsaw to the Rhine if necessary, to reach the British and American lines.

Among the group is eighteen-year-old Anna Emmerich, the daughter of Prussian aristocrats. There is her lover, Callum Finella, a twenty-year-old Scottish prisoner of war who was brought from the stalag to her family’s farm as forced labor. And there is a twenty-six-year-old Wehrmacht corporal, who the pair know as Manfred–who is, in reality, Uri Singer, a Jew from Germany who managed to escape a train bound for Auschwitz.

As they work their way west, they encounter a countryside ravaged by war. Their flight will test both Anna’s and Callum’s love, as well as their friendship with Manfred–assuming any of them even survive.

Perhaps not since The English Patient has a novel so deftly captured both the power and poignancy of romance and the terror and tragedy of war. Skillfully portraying the flesh and blood of history, Chris Bohjalian has crafted a rich tapestry that puts a face on one of the twentieth century’s greatest tragedies–while creating, perhaps, a masterpiece that will haunt readers for generations.

Ratings and reviews

I consider myself a a somewhat intelligent person. however, to be honest, I assumed that most, if not all of the German population knew what was going on. I had to rethink this while I was reading this book. While the rounding up of an entire population of people is so huge can't imagine someone not knowing, I am faced with the fact that the world that existed then did not have the means for mass communication the way our world does. And even with the invention of those Mass means there are still many secre

I purchased this by accident. I don't want the book and would like my $17.03 refunded today. I've tried following the Google Help directions to fill out the request but when I "swipe left" I get a family share account set up page. HELP PLEASE.

Never forget the power of human caring nor the arrogance of human fear.

About the author

CHRIS BOHJALIAN is the critically acclaimed author of eleven novels, including Midwives (a Publishers Weekly Best Book and an Oprah’s Book Club selection), Before You Know Kindness, and his most recent New York Times bestseller, The Double Bind. His work has been translated into nineteen languages and published in twenty-two countries. He lives in Vermont with his wife and daughter.

Visit the author at www.chrisbohjalian.com.