Susan Meissner Books

A heartrending story about a young mother's fight to keep her daughter, and the winds of fortune that tear them apart. In California, 1938, sixteen-year-old Rosanne loses her parents in an accident and is taken in by Celine and Truman Calvert, the vineyard owners where she has lived her whole life. However, Rosie harbors a secret—she sees colors when she hears sounds. Promising her mother to keep this ability hidden, the weight of her grief and isolation leads her to break that vow. In a moment of desperation, she becomes pregnant and is banished by the Calverts. Believing she is headed to a home for unwed mothers, she clings to her pregnancy as a chance for a new future, only to discover she is being sent to a place far worse than she imagined. Fast forward to Austria, 1947—Helen Calvert, Truman's sister, returns to America after witnessing the horrors of Hitler's regime, particularly towards "different children." Upon her arrival at her brother's vineyard, she learns the shocking fate of Rosanne, the vinedresser's daughter she once befriended. Determined to find Rosanne, Helen realizes that while the war may have ended in Europe, there are still daunting battles to confront at home.

From the acclaimed author of The Last Year of the War comes a novel set during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, telling the story of a family reborn through loss and love. In 1918, Philadelphia was a city teeming with promise. Even as its young men went off to fight in the Great War, there were opportunities for a fresh start on its cobblestone streets. Into this bustling town, came Pauline Bright and her husband, filled with hope that they could now give their three daughters—Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa—a chance at a better life. But just months after they arrive, the Spanish Flu reaches the shores of America. As the pandemic claims more than twelve thousand victims in their adopted city, they find their lives left with a world that looks nothing like the one they knew. But even as they lose loved ones, they take in a baby orphaned by the disease who becomes their single source of hope. Amidst the tragedy and challenges, they learn what they cannot live without—and what they are willing to do about it. As Bright as Heaven is the compelling story of a mother and her daughters who find themselves in a harsh world not of their making, which will either crush their resolve to survive or purify it.

When farmers and pumpkin patch owners donate their extra pumpkins to the zoo, the animals chomp, chew, play, and give hearty hoorays for their favorite squishy squash! Grab a pumpkin and follow along as this read-aloud zoo book for preschoolers and elementary-age kids celebrates the fall season in the most entertaining way.

April 18, 1906: A massive earthquake rocks San Francisco just before daybreak, igniting a devouring inferno. Lives are lost, lives are shattered, but some rise from the ashes forever changed. Sophie Whalen is a young Irish immigrant so desperate to get out of a New York tenement that she answers a mail-order bride ad and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. San Francisco widower Martin Hocking proves to be as aloof as he is mesmerizingly handsome. Sophie quickly develops deep affection for Kat, Martin's silent five-year-old daughter, but Martin's odd behavior leaves her with the uneasy feeling that something about her newfound situation isn't right. Then one early-spring evening, a stranger at the door sets in motion a transforming chain of events. Sophie discovers hidden ties to two other women. The first, pretty and pregnant, is standing on her doorstep. The second is hundreds of miles away in the American Southwest, grieving the loss of everything she once loved. The fates of these three women intertwine on the eve of the devastating earthquake, thrusting them onto a perilous journey that will test their resiliency and resolve and, ultimately, their belief that love can overcome fear. From the acclaimed author of The Last Year of the War and As Bright as Heaven comes a gripping novel about the bonds of friendship and mother love, and the power of female solidarity.

Elise Sontag is a typical Iowa fourteen-year-old in 1943--aware of the war but distanced from its reach. Then her father, a legal U.S. resident for nearly two decades, is suddenly arrested on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathizer. The family is sent to an internment camp in Texas, where, behind the armed guards and barbed wire, Elise feels stripped of everything beloved and familiar, including her own identity. The only thing that makes the camp bearable is meeting fellow internee Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teen from Los Angeles, whose friendship empowers Elise to believe the life she knew before the war will again be hers. Together in the desert wilderness, Elise and Mariko hold tight the dream of being young American women with a future beyond the fences. But when the Sontag family is exchanged for American prisoners behind enemy lines in Germany, Elise will face head-on the person the war desires to make of her. In that devastating crucible she must discover if she has the will to rise above prejudice and hatred and re-claim her own destiny, or disappear into the image others have cast upon her. The Last Year of the War tells a little-known story of World War II with great resonance for our own times and challenges the very notion of who we are when who we've always been is called into question.-- Publisher's description

Transcribing the journal entries of a victim of the Salem witch trials, Lauren realizes that the secrets of Mercy's story extend beyond the pages of her diary, and forces her to take a startling new look at her own life.

Wartime intrigue spans the lives of three women—past and present—in this emotional novel from the acclaimed author of The Last Year of the War. February, 1946. World War Two is over, but the recovery from the most intimate of its horrors has only just begun for Annaliese Lange, a German ballerina desperate to escape her past, and Simone Deveraux, the wronged daughter of a French Résistance spy. Now the two women are joining hundreds of other European war brides aboard the renowned RMS Queen Mary to cross the Atlantic and be reunited with their American husbands. Their new lives in the United States brightly beckon until their tightly-held secrets are laid bare in their shared stateroom. When the voyage ends at New York Harbor, only one of them will disembark... Present day. Facing a crossroads in her own life, Brette Caslake visits the famously haunted Queen Mary at the request of an old friend. What she finds will set her on a course to solve a seventy-year-old tragedy that will draw her into the heartaches and triumphs of the courageous war brides—and will ultimately lead her to reconsider what she has to sacrifice to achieve her own deepest longings. CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED

Susannah was rumored to be a Civil War spy for the North, a traitor to her Virginian roots. Her great-granddaughter Adelaide, the current matriarch of Holly Oak, doesn't believe that Susannah's ghost haunts the antebellum mansion looking for a pardon, but rather the house itself bears a grudge toward its tragic past. When Marielle marries into the family, she must sort out the truth about Susannah and Holly Oak-- and make peace with the sacrifices she has made for love

Set in 1956 Malibu, the story unfolds around Melanie Cole, a blacklisted actress, and her agoraphobic neighbor, Elwood. Their limited interactions take a turn when Melanie and her Eastern European maid, Eva, notice Elwood's sister-in-law, June, acting suspiciously in his garden. As Elwood mysteriously disappears, the women are drawn into a quest to uncover the truth, leading them to unexpected secrets and a surprising bond. The narrative explores themes of isolation, friendship, and the pursuit of hidden truths amidst Hollywood's glitz and shadows.

Claire Hollands Leben gerät aus den Fugen, als sie Opfer eines sexuellen Übergriffs wird und schwanger wird. Die Entscheidung, das Kind zur Adoption freizugeben, belastet sie und ihre Familie. Jahre später bleibt die Erinnerung an ihre ungewollte Tochter. Susan Meissner zeigt erneut ihr Können im christlichen Roman-Genre.

Alexa Poole kümmert sich aufopferungsvoll um ihre ältere Schwester Rebecca, die seit ihrem Autounfall im Pflegeheim lebt. Der Unfall brachte nicht nur das Leben von Rebecca, sondern auch das der gesamten Familie Poole ins Wanken. Als die junge Frau plötzlich spurlos verschwindet, stößt Alexa bei der Suche nach ihr auf einige offene Fragen. Doch je mehr die Tragweite von Rebeccas Verschwinden deutlich wird, desto intensiver wird Alexas Beziehung zu Stephen, einem Mann, dessen Lebensfreude auch ihr neue Hoffnung schenkt. Eine wundervolle Erinnerung daran, dass ein zerbrochenes Herz wieder neue Lebensfreude schöpfen kann.

Lauren bricht mit den Erwartungen ihrer Familie und arbeitet für die 83-jährige Bibliothekarin Abigail, die sie bittet, das Tagebuch ihrer Vorfahrin Mercy Hayworth abzuschreiben. Fasziniert von Mercys Geschichte entdeckt Lauren, wie diese Ereignisse bis in die Gegenwart nachwirken. Ein fesselnder Roman über Liebe und Glauben.

Die schüchterne Megan lernt die selbstbewusste Jen kennen, was ihr hilft, ihre Hemmungen zu überwinden. Doch als Jen entführt wird, muss Megan Jahre damit kämpfen, das Trauma zu verarbeiten. Ein Anruf von einer Frau, die behauptet, Jen zu sein, bringt neue Hoffnung. Der Roman zeigt, wie Gott alles zum Besten wenden kann.

Rose Muriens Hochzeitsträume zerbrechen, als ihr Verlobter sie verlässt. Um ihr gebrochenes Herz zu heilen, eröffnet sie einen Laden für gebrauchte Hochzeitskleider. Sie kämpft darum, den alten Geistlichen Laurent zu unterstützen, während sein Sohn Ramsey ihn aus seiner gewohnten Umgebung reißen möchte. Rose will ihren Traum von der großen Liebe nicht aufgeben.

A háború bonyodalmai végzetesen összekötik három különböző nő életét 1946. februárjában. A második világháború vége után Annaliese, egy német balerina, és Simone, a francia ellenállás kémjének lánya, a RMS Queen Mary óceánjárón utaznak, hogy újra találkozzanak férjeikkel. Az új élet Amerikában reményteli, de titkaik felfedése mindent megváltoztat. Amikor a hajó New Yorkban kiköt, csupán az egyikük hagyja el a fedélzetet. Napjainkban Brette különleges képessége révén érzékeli a szellemeket, és egy barátja kérésére ellátogat a legendás Queen Maryre, amely ma már múzeumként üzemel. Az ott tapasztaltak arra ösztönzik, hogy felfedezzen egy régi tragédiát, miközben betekintést nyer a hajón utazó katonafeleségek fájdalmába és küzdelmeibe. Brette döntéseit befolyásolják az élmények, és mérlegelnie kell, mit áldozna fel a legnagyobb vágyaiért. A történet kísérteties és lenyűgöző, a karakterek szimpatikusak és inspirálóak, a történelem egyik legrejtélyesebb hajójának egyedi bemutatásával.

Una sciarpa, due donne: un secolo le separa, il destino le unisce «Una narratrice straordinaria.» Publishers Weekly «Una narratrice straordinaria .» Publishers Weekly «Una narrazione evocativa ed emozionante» Kirkus Reviews «Una narratrice straordinaria.» Publishers Weekly «Una narrazione evocativa ed emozionante.» Kirkus Reviews Ellis Island, settembre 1911. Dopo aver perso l’uomo che amava, Clara ha scelto di prendersi cura degli emigranti che ogni giorno approdano all’isola, in attesa di ottenere il visto d’ingresso negli Stati Uniti. Un giorno, tra le migliaia di persone, un uomo attira la sua attenzione. Ha la febbre, forse è destinato a morire, e non si separa mai da una bellissima sciarpa con un motivo floreale su cui è ricamato un nome: Lily… Manhattan, settembre 2011. Taryn lavora in un negozio di tessuti nell’Upper West Side. Rimasta vedova, è faticosamente riuscita a trovare un nuovo equilibrio e un po’ di serenità. Ma non riesce a cancellare il ricordo del giorno in cui le Twin Towers sono crollate, seppellendo suo marito. E neppure a cancellare il senso di colpa: lei infatti si è salvata grazie a uno sconosciuto che ora, a distanza di dieci anni, bussa alla sua porta, portando con sé la sciarpa che Taryn aveva quel giorno: una sciarpa antica, con un motivo floreale…

Tess Longren hat einen Verlobten, eine Wohnung in Chicago und einen Traumjob. Eigentlich sollte sie glücklich sein. Doch etwas beraubt sie ihrer Lebensfreude: der Glaube, dass sie die Schuld am Tod ihrer Mutter trägt, die bei ihrer Geburt starb. Als ihre Jugendfreundin Bella sie bittet, zum ersten Mal seit Jahren mit ihr nach Hause zurückzukehren, um eine alte Schuld wiedergutzumachen, willigt Tess ein. Sie hofft, selbst auch Frieden zu finden. Doch dies gelingt ihr nicht – zumindest nicht so, wie sie es erwartet hat … Erneut legt Susan Meissner einen tiefgründigen Roman vor, der die oft harte Realität abbildet und dennoch Hoffnung schenkt.

Die New Yorker Antiquitätenhändlerin Jane Lindsay findet in einem alten Gebetbuch versteckt einen kostbaren Ring mit der Inschrift "Jane". Bei ihren Nachforschungen stößt sie auf das Leben der Adeligen Jane Grey, die im England des 16. Jahrhunderts zur Königin ausgerufen wurde, bis sie - nach nur neun Tagen - von Mary, der Tochter von Heinrich VIII., verdrängt wurde. Fasziniert taucht Jane immer tiefer in das Leben ihrer Namensvetterin ein, was nicht ohne Folgen bleibt.

Amanda Janvier nimmt ihre Nichte Tally auf, um ihr ein stabileres Leben zu bieten. Trotz Amandas unkonventionellem Lebensstil und der Fassade einer harmonischen Idylle lauern dunkle Geheimnisse, die durch Tallys Ankunft ans Licht kommen könnten. Steht die Familie vor dem Zerbrechen oder gibt es einen Ausweg?

U vihoru rata, mlada je žena na raskrižju puteva. Ono što je učinila, progonit će je ostatak života. Ali čudesna igra sudbine potvrđuje da ljubav i nada nikada ne umiru. Oxford, Engleska. Mlada studentica povijesti Kendra Van Zant dolazi u pitoresknu ladanjsku kuću kako bi intervjuirala devedesetdvogodišnju Isabel McFarland kao jednu od rijetkih živućih svjedoka londonskog Blitza. Ono što Kendra doznaje od Isabel istodobno je dar i teret koji će na kušnju staviti sva njezina uvjerenja. Engleska 1940-ih. U strahu od njemačkih zračnih napada na London nakon pada Francuske, započinje velika evakuacija oko milijun gradske djece na selo. Petnaestogodišnja Emmy Downtree i njezina mlađa sestra Julia udomljene su u prelijepu ladanjsku kuću u pokrajini Cotswold. No Emmyna žarka želja da se vrati u grad i ostvari karijeru dizajnerice vjenčanica kosi se s njezinim osjećajem dužnosti prema sestrici Juliji koja uživa u njihovu boravku na selu. Upravo u trenutku kada djevojčice kriomice stignu u grad, započinje stravično bombardiranje Londona te su sestre naprasno razdvojene, a tijek njihova života nepovratno je promijenjen. Emmy si to ne može oprostiti…