Jennifer Steil Book order

A "novel based on an unexplored slice of World War II history, following a young Jewish girl whose family flees refined and urbane Vienna for safe harbor in the mountains of Bolivia"--

From a real-life ambassador's wife and the acclaimed author of Exile Music comes a harrowing novel about the kidnapping of an American woman in the Middle East and the heartbreaking choices she and her husband each must make in the hope of being reunited. When bohemian artist Miranda meets British ambassador Finn in the ancient stone streets of an Islamic city, the course of her life alters in extraordinary ways. Their marriage gives her the luxury to paint whenever she wants, a staff to wait on her, and a young daughter she adores, but she loses the freedom to wander where she likes and to meet the Muslim women she is secretly teaching to paint. Her husband also makes Miranda a target: One sunny afternoon while hiking in the mountains, she is brutally kidnapped. As Finn struggles to save his family and his career, and Miranda grows close to a stranger’s child in captivity, the secrets he and Miranda have each sought to hide place them and those who trust them in peril. Not even freedom could restore the happiness that once was theirs.

Navigating a medieval city alone, the protagonist faces the challenges of darkness, fatigue, and language barriers. Despite her fears, she draws strength from past adventures, including surviving in Costa Rica and making her way in Ireland with minimal resources. As she embarks on her first solitary exploration of Sana'a, she embraces her resilience and determination, setting the stage for a journey of self-discovery and courage in an unfamiliar world.

A lively memoir of the author's experiences in Sana'a, the capital city of Yemen--one of the oldest and most conservative Muslim countries--where she worked for a year as the editor of the "Yemen Observer" and discovered a surprising romance.