National Jewish Book Award Winner!The New York Times-bestselling author of A Fierce Radiance and City of Light returns with a new powerful and passionate novel—inspired by historical events—about two women, one European and one American, and the mysterious choral masterpiece by Johann Sebastian Bach that changes both their lives.In the ruins of Germany in 1945, at the end of World War II, … ruins of Germany in 1945, at the end of World War II, American soldier Henry Sachs takes a souvenir, an old music manuscript, from a seemingly deserted mansion and mistakenly kills the girl who tries to stop him.
In America in 2010, Henry’s niece, Susanna Kessler, struggles to rebuild her life after she experiences a devastating act of violence on the streets of New York City. When Henry dies soon after, she uncovers the long-hidden music manuscript. She becomes determined to discover what it is and to return it to its rightful owner, a journey that will challenge her preconceptions about herself and her family’s history—and also offer her an opportunity to finally make peace with the past.
In Berlin, Germany, in 1783, amid the city’s glittering salons where aristocrats and commoners, Christians and Jews, mingle freely despite simmering anti-Semitism, Sara Itzig Levy, a renowned musician, conceals the manuscript of an anti-Jewish cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, an unsettling gift to her from Bach’s son, her teacher. This work and its disturbing message will haunt Sara and her family for generations to come.
Interweaving the stories of Susanna and Sara, and their families, And After the Fire traverses over two hundred years of history, from the eighteenth century through the Holocaust and into today, seamlessly melding past and present, real and imagined. Lauren Belfer’s deeply researched, evocative, and compelling narrative resonates with emotion and immediacy.
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This was a hard book to review. I found the subject matter intriguing, enjoyed getting glimpses into 18th and 19th century lives of beloved musicians and the mystery behind a (fictional) never-before-discovered Bach manuscript. I appreciated the author’s careful research and obvious love of music. I also enjoyed the time-slip sequences from present day back into previous centuries. And I found her treatment of antisemitism important. However at times the book seemed heavy on ‘telling’ and bogged down in the details of musicology. Also, I felt the author had an agenda: to show the horrors of antisemitism throughout the centuries by highlighting the way Christians contributed to this, from Luther and Bach to German Christians who supported Hitler. I think these are important issues to raise, and as a Christian, I readily acknowledge ours sins against our Jewish brothers and sisters. But at times the book seemed like a diatribe from the author and I lost empathy for the main character, Susanna because she was overshadowed by the author’s voice. Be sure to read the author’s notes at the end and listen to the playlist she created on Spotify that includes the music feature in the novel.
I was fascinated by this book because it dealt with some of my favorite composers. The part of the story in the past was historical fiction and mostly factual. The parts dealing with music were very well researched, and even the fictional piece of music was presented realistically. As the heroine was researching in the present to uncover answers to questions about a manuscript she inherited, its story was unfolding in the past. The story alternated between the past and present and kept the reader hooked by leaving you hanging in one era to go to the other. At the end of the book is a list of recordings of the music mentioned in the book, which can be accessed at Spotify.
Loved it…great read.
This was a very enjoyable novel. I would recommend it for reading 🙂
Had great potential, but it wandered and didn’t keep my attention. Had to force myself to keep reading it. Keep choosing to read another different book, rather than go back and finish this one.
As a musicologist I was impressed at how non-fictional this piece of historical fiction actually was overall. As a Christian with spiritual interests in many religions I was impressed with how thought filled this book was about explaining different concepts from several different belief patterns. If you love music and how it ties into life and belief and history, I know you’ll enjoy this magnificently written book!
Very well written book. I learned quite a bit. I’ve recommended it to my book club as I really want to discuss with them. Very thought provoking.
I learned about music and in particular Bach. I also learned about the history of the holocaust. All of this information was wrapped up in a story well told.
I liked this book because it had a Bach manuscript as a central part of the story. Weaving contemporary as well as historical settings.
Remarakably well researched, creatively written and inspirational for a variety of interests.
A background in music, music history, theory, and knowledge of musical terminology makes this a more interesting book, which I have. However, I suggest that people continue to read this original book and not be intimidated by the music references; it really is a great read!
Great for lovers of J.S. Bach’s music to imagine what it would be like to discover that you possess a previously unknown work by him. I found it a bit technical in spots for the average reader. However, the author does a good job of weaving the present day characters with the story of the manuscript’s owners down through the centuries.
I thought the book was depressing even though the historical writing was wonderful. I really liked the characters also.
Far too much detail in regard to descriptions of musical pieces – unless you are a musician, these details have little if any meaning to the reader and only serve to slow the story line to a crawl.
Well written especially enjoyed the chapters alternating between historical and present day. Characters were well developed. Book was really engaging and very much a page turner.
I loved this book! Everything about it, the detail to history was excellent.
Book illustrated how full circle we’ve come to being so anti-semitic. Wish we could get past it.
Absolutely loved it – never read a book this fast.
Slow start but towards the end I could not put it down.
Fascinating! If you know music it’s even more interesting. But even without knowing music it’s a gripping tale.