Nadja: The Librarian’s Hope

by Gregory Andrusz

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Pub Date 28 Feb 2024 | Archive Date 1 Apr 2024

Troubador

General Fiction (Adult) | Literary Fiction | Sci Fi & Fantasy

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Description

The protagonists of this story are Franco and Nadja, whose relationship begins as a chance, lunchtime encounter in a bar not far from the small hilltop town of Montelorenzo in southern Tuscany. Franco comes from an established, artisan family in the town and, although university educated, follows in his father’s footsteps as a cabinet maker.

Nadja is a spirited and determined but anxious young woman with an ever-present phobia. Since her mother died giving birth to her, she was brought up by her father, a fervent Communist who named her Nadja after the wives of both Lenin and Stalin. Nadja is short for Nadezhda, which means ‘Hope’ in Russian. The story illustrates the legacy of history and the lasting effect it has on all our lives. Nadja becomes, both literally and metaphorically, Franco’s Hope, until the Three Fates of Greek mythology intervene.

The protagonists of this story are Franco and Nadja, whose relationship begins as a chance, lunchtime encounter in a bar not far from the small hilltop town of Montelorenzo in southern Tuscany...

A Note From the Publisher

Gregory Andrusz retired from academic life as a sociologist and specialist on the former Soviet Union. Although still engaging with events in Eastern Europe, he now focuses on storytelling as a way of exploring the ideas & beliefs motivating individual and group behaviour. In doing so he draws upon the lives of the many people he has known and his understanding of the relationship between history, social structures & human behaviour. Gregory’s collection of short stories in his book, Foreign Correspondence, published 2017, was well received. He lives in London.

Available Editions

EDITION	Ebook
ISBN	9781805147985
PRICE	£4.99 (GBP)
PAGES	160

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Additional Information

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Featured Reviews

Librarian 1081599

So beyond excited to read, share, and acquire this beautiful love story! I love the background story on Franco and Nadja and I’m so excited to see how their story unfolds and how they find “hope” against the challenges that come their way. I know readers will as well and I be sharing much more on this soon.

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Robin P, Reviewer

This is literary fiction at its very best. One needs to read at a leisurely pace, to absorb, to parse, to understand the magic of the words.
At the heart of the story is Franco, a librarian approaching middle age, who is also a quirky Moto Guzzi biker. When Nadja enters his life a gentle restrained romance slowly blossoms. His life is at once infinitely more complex but infinitely more tolerable.
The novel is set in an undefined past in a small Italian town. The characters discuss post war politics, and scandals that rocked the Italian government. It's poignant and profound. The author renders every tiny detail fascinating. It's funny and full of love that does not cloy. It's concerned with dignity, the force of destiny, and the sometimes terrible consequences of human passion. A sensitive, heart-warming, heartbreaking, story. Tears cannot be avoided.