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Anastasia (The Love and War Series) Kindle Edition

by R.P.G. Colley (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 129 ratings
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A grieving mother. A young man with dreams. A secret policeman. Each prepared to die for freedom.

Budapest, 1956. Eva, George and Zoltan. Three people trying to live within a system that demands total obedience.

Eva, reeling from the tragedy of losing her baby, Anastasia, falls in love at a time when love is fraught with danger.

George, a rising star of Hungarian football, is told to throw a game. Faced with an impossible dilemma, George has to decide – to risk everything to fulfill his dream or, for the sake of his future, obey the rules.

Zoltan works for the secret police. A torn man trying to suppress the good within him, his job takes him further and further from the people he loves most.

Their destinies collide as Hungary erupts into revolution. Secrets can no longer be hidden as love and loyalties are pushed to the limit in a terrifying climax.

And at the heart of the novel, the unseen presence of baby Anastasia.

Historical fiction with heart and drama. Part of The Love and War Series, ten novels set during the 20th century's darkest years. Can be read in any order.
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  1. Part of series
    The Love and War Series
  2. Print length
    307 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    October 22, 2013
  6. File size
    2022 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Story A buried secret and a lifetime of guilt born in the dark heart of wartime Germany When you trust your enemy more than your family One violin. One curse. One hundred years. "She once saved my life. She now wants to destroy it."
The Black Maria My Brother the Enemy Anastasia
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Story The choice is simple: freedom or love. In Stalin's Russia, you can't have both. Your nation is at war. But the real enemy is the brother at your side. A grieving mother. A young man with dreams. A secret policeman. Each prepared to die for freedom.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Go to rupertcolley.com or historyinanhour.com and grab yourself a free copy of Rupert's novella, 'Elena', a tale of lost and longing in post-WW2 Naples. But be warned - get the tissues ready.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00G3P1WV2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ rupertcolley.com (October 22, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 22, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2022 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 307 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 129 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
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  1. R.P.G. Colley

    R.P.G. Colley

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    I was born one Christmas Day, which means, as a child, I lost out on presents. Nonetheless, looking back on it, I lived a childhood with a "silver spoon in my mouth" - brought up in a rambling manor house in the beautiful Devon countryside. It's been downhill ever since.

    I was a librarian for a long time, a noble profession. Then I started a series called History In An Hour, "history for busy people", which I sold to HarperCollins UK.

    I now live in London with my wife, two children and dog (a fluffy cockapoo) and write historical fiction, mainly 20th-century war and misery.

    Go to rupertcolley.com and grab yourself a free copy of my novella, 'Elena', a tale of loss and longing in post-WW2 Naples. But be warned - get the tissues ready.

    Historical fiction with heart.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Rupert Colley

    Rupert Colley

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    I was born one Christmas Day, which means, as a child, I lost out on presents. Nonetheless, looking back on it, I lived a childhood with a "silver spoon in my mouth" - brought up in a rambling manor house in the beautiful Devon countryside. It's been downhill ever since.

    I was a librarian for a long time, a noble profession. Then I started a series called History In An Hour, "history for busy people", which I sold to HarperCollins UK.

    I now live in London with my wife, two children and dog (a fluffy cockapoo) and write historical fiction, mainly 20th-century war and misery.

    Go to rupertcolley.com and grab yourself a free copy of my novella, 'Elena', a tale of loss and longing in post-WW2 Naples. But be warned - get the tissues ready.

    Historical fiction with heart.

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
129 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Robert Krueger
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2014
Verified Purchase
Jasper Szabo is eighteen and just released from detention by the Hungarian secret police. His crime: listening to the Voice of America. He is standing before Zolatn Beke relating his criminal activity and answering questions, mouthing the Communist Party line. So begins this tale of love, pent-up hate against the tyranny of Soviet rule, fear, and for some lucky few the good life because of their brutality and lack of a moral compass. Emotion bubbles throughout the novel's pages.

This is the story of people caught in the grip of Communist evil, of their personal lives and their interplay with others. But this is also the story of the Hungarian revolution told in shocking detail. It is the story of conflict between characters and within themsleves; strengths and weaknesses. Characters come alive -- you get into their heads. They are empathetic or cruel and heartless, but always interesting. There is the dark side of human nature as well as its oppostie.

A skillfully developed, suspenseful plot keeps the story moving. If you liked this novel you may also like his other story about the Hungarian revolution: My Brother the Enemy. Reviewed by the author of The Children's Story, About Good and Evil.
2 people found this helpful
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Jeff Jentgen
5.0 out of 5 stars An important book
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2019
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Tremendous book, despite the lack of grammar editing. The best book I've read in my 60 years if you judge a book by its efficacy in transporting you back to a place and time, and allowing you to experience and feel what the people living back then felt and experienced. The author puts us in post-war communist Hungary, and through the characters he created, lets us feel the pain and horror of living under totalitarian communism. It's the type of book that should be required reading for all high school students, in order to keep alive in us the horrors of tyranny, along with the preciousness of freedom. An important book I thank the author for writing. I'll be reading more of his stuff.
3 people found this helpful
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Kim
5.0 out of 5 stars Unputdownable Series
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2021
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I just finished the entire Love and War series. Obviously, a lot of research went into this compelling series. I definitely continue reading other works by this author.
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Anne
5.0 out of 5 stars Historically rich
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2021
Verified Purchase
I can’t believe that the Hungarian Revolution isn’t more recognized in world history. Thank you for wrapping characters within a story within a history lesson.
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Barbara
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read on communist life.
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
Best book written to truly feel what it was like living in communist Hungary, before, during, and after the revolution.Would like to see this book on paper. Want to give it to others without kindle to read it. Good lesson in politics and the evil of socialism.
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WB
5.0 out of 5 stars well written novel of a very tumultuous time
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2015
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Well written, historically accurate, and believable novel. The characters are very human, and the descriptions of these tragic events make for an excellent read.
One person found this helpful
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Victoria
5.0 out of 5 stars Impactful. Heart-wrenching. An important read.
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2015
Verified Purchase
Impactful. Heart-wrenching. An important read.
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Gran Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good read and characters
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2022
Verified Purchase
It is good these stories are being told for others to remember even as sad they may be. The history is there as well as lives touched, and this was well written. I felt as though I was there with the characters as they experienced it. Thank you for sharing.
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Top reviews from other countries

Patricia
4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful story of life under the communist rule.
Reviewed in Canada on March 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
We were in Budapest a few years ago and our guide pointed out the building where the people were tortured by the secret police. It was very frightening. This novel brings out and personalizes the suffering the people went through under the communist regime.
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Morris
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful story about the Hungarian Uprising
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
I wanted to read Anastasia by Rupert Colley because of my own interest in the Hungarian Uprising of 1956. I've read a lot about the uprising and was interested to see how this author created a novel set in that time. Anastasia is a powerful and engrossing read about a period of history that deserves to be remembered.
Rupert Colley's skill in writing novels lies in his ability to create characters that the reader truly cares about. His characters are never simply mouthpieces for the political and social ideas of the time, but are fully rounded, complex individuals with their own personal stories.
We see this especially, for example, in Zoltan Beke who is an AVO (secret police) officer. It would have been all too easy to create a monster, after all the AVO were the Hungarian equivalent of the Gestapo in Nazi Germany or the Stasi in communist East Germany. But Zoltan is portrayed as a real man who loves his wife and daughter (even though he lets them down because of the pressures of his job), who is a little bit scared of his boss and who isn't such a ruthless thug as his assistant. Even though his work leads him to do terrible things, it's possible to feel empathy for this character. The revenge meted out to AVO officers was merciless and extreme. What Colley shows is that whilst the system may have been evil and corrupt, there are real human beings on all sides with their own personal fears, desires and motivations. Nothing is simple.
Similarly, the author introduces a sympathetic Russian character into the story. The novel opens in 1949 with a football match about to be played between the Hungarians and Moscow Lokomotiv. Valentin Ivanov is one of the visiting Russians who meets and falls in love with Eva, a Hungarian teacher. Inevitably, he is one of the Russian soldiers who, seven years later, enter Budapest with their tanks to put down the uprising.
The novel is set in 1949, 1953 and 1956 and follows the lives of Zoltan (the AVO officer), Eva, George (a Hungarian footballer) and Valentin (the Russian.) It paints a vivid portrait of life in communist Hungary prior to 1956 so that the reader can understand why the uprising took place at all. It is a powerful story that draws you in, makes you care about its characters and feel their pain and suffering.
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