Historical Fiction Review

The Blows of Fate
by Antoinette Clair
ISBN-10: 1904433049
Review by Heather Froeschl

Lives begin like any others, and are kindled with hope and promise for the future. Only they are not like any other lives. The son of a master confection baker, the son of a master violinist, and the daughter of a master surgeon grow up and become a trio of friends, two of which are destined for deep love. The three show promise of carrying on the family linesàGiuliano is a great singer in the opera, Stephan is apprentice in the bakery and Maria Luisa is to study to become a physician. The war is over and life is going on.

However, post war eastern Europe is not to be a peaceful haven. Under the grip of the communist regime everything is about to change. The bakery is seized ôfor the peopleö, apartments are brutally taken from residents, jobs are lost and people banned from making a living. Some are taken to concentration camps, some just disappear. Stephan and his sister are forced to leave Sofia and their father dies in the hospital. They exist for a short while in a hovel, by the grace of an elderly man. Maria Luisa is taken to a rural area and left to find shelter in a falling down cattle shed with her mother and father. It isnÆt long before her father is taken and killed on the mountain. Giuliano cannot escape Sofia. He must stay and support his parents after his father loses his position. The family is blacklisted, yet they cannot leave.

Somehow the three friends find a way to meet, and a plan is made for escape from Bulgaria. Two of them make good on the plan, while the third is left to uphold responsibility. Over the next 40 years the two will hold tight to their dreams and build on them. They become successful in spite of their cruel past. After 40 years, the communist regime comes to an end and the third is able to finally escape the life he has lived. Will he be able to find his true love? What surprises await him?

Antoinette Clair offers a look into the brutality of political change and an insightful glimpse into life as many lived it. In ôThe Blows of Fateö (2003), her characters are vivid and unforgettable; her story is one you will not soon forget. It is a stirring tale of love, raw beauty, talents and the reality of our dependence on government. Brava!