Rose Manon has come of age in small-town Nevada, reading Mark Twain and longing for a larger, more exciting life. When she learns of an opening for a staff reporter in New York City, she is soon heading east to pursue her dreams. As the summer of 1935 unfolds, Rose proves she has the right mix of talent and ambition to succeed. She also discovers her ethnicity, a secret her parents have kept hidden. While New York in the 1930s is endlessly exciting for an intrepid young journalist, Rose sets her sights further afield—this time on Europe. By 1937, Rose is reporting for the Paris Courier. The sole woman in the newsroom, she lives with both sexism and anti-Semitism. Then she meets Leo, a German radical and anti-Nazi, and realizes that while Paris is intoxicating, the truly vital historical story is taking place across the border. Rose wrangles an assignment to the Berlin press office, where she is initially happy and in love. But as the seasons change, so does Rose’s life. She becomes caught in the net of terror to which she was once immune. And on the day before World War II is declared, she must choose who will join her on the last train to Paris.
Michele Zackheim
Michele Zackheim worked as a visual artist before turning to writing. She has shown in numerous museums and galleries. She is also the author of Einstein’s Daughter, nonfiction, and Violette’s Embrace. She lives with her husband in New York.