The Past Tense Of Love

The Mostyn world was small and self-contained. The Mostyns themselves were placid, undemanding, without curiosity or malice, totally unconcerned with world trends. Only two members of the family had ever broken free of the Mostyn stream. The first was Madeleine, who, at the age of eighteen, had performed the un-Mostyn-like act of leaving home and vanishing without trace, reappearing just once to bequeath her two infant daughters back into the Mostyn fold. The second was one of those daughters, over twenty years later. Kerry, intelligent and high-powered, now lives in London, earning her living working for ill-tempered tycoons nobody else will work for. Her independence and sense of freedom are distinctly not family traits; neither is her reluctance to marry the eligible, uncomplicated man in her life. But when she is suddenly sent off to France on a mysterious errand by her present irate employer, Lord Hazing, her entire future is changed by a serious of strange meetings and coincidences, not in the least of which echo back to the Mostyn past.

The story of a love that transcends time, place and human weakness from Richard & Judy bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde. Perfect for fans of Mark Haddon, Mitch Albom and Alice Sebold. 'A work of art...enchanting' -- San Francisco Chronicle 'A magnificent storyteller' -- Denver Post 'What a quirky wonderful book! It moved me and made me laugh - what a wee gem!' -- ***** Reader review 'A beautiful, moving and thoughtful book' -- ****** Reader review 'Read it in one sitting. Really enjoyed it - had me laughing one minute and crying the next.' -- ***** Reader review 'A beautiful story about love in its various forms.' -- ***** Reader review 'Heartbreaking and uplifting.' -- ***** Reader review 'I highly recommend this book, it'll move the hardest of hearts!'-- ***** Reader review ******************************************************************** THE MAGICAL STORY OF A YOUNG BOY'S SEARCH FOR BELONGING Mitch is a 25-year-old with commitment issues. Leonard is a five-year-old kid with asthma and vision problems, who captivates everyone he meets. Pearl is Leonard's teenage mother, who's trying to hide a violent secret from her past. Life has given Pearl every reason to mistrust people, but circumstances force her to trust her neighbour, Mitch. Then one day, with a heart full of agony, Pearl drops Leonard off with Mitch and never returns. How do you go on loving someone who isn't there? With Leonard's absolute conviction in 'forever love' always present, Leonard and Mitch grow up side by side and piece together the layered truths and fictions of their almost magical lives. Pearl, Leonard and Mitch each have a story to tell - as their lives unfold, profound questions arise about the nature of love and family. The answers are heartbreaking, but ultimately triumphant.

this is a book about the ending of relationships. if you've ever loved someone and lost them, this is for you.

No Past Tense is the biography of Katarina (Kati) Kellner and William (Willi) Salcer, two Czech Jews who as teenagers were swept up by the Holocaust in Hungary and survived Auschwitz and Mauthausen, respectively. Covering their entire lives, weaving in first person 'real time' voices as if watching a documentary about themselves, the unique structure of No Past Tense provides a distinctive 'whole life' view of the Holocaust. The book begins with their childhoods, education in Budapest, and 16-year-old Kati meeting 19-year-old Willi in the Jewish ghetto in Plesivec, a Slovak village annexed by Hungary in 1938. After liberation from the camps they returned to discover most Jews were gone, and the villagers did not want them back. In defiance, Kati took up residence in a shed on her family's property, and in reclaiming what was hers, won Willi's heart. They lived as smugglers in post-war Europe until immigrating illegally to Palestine in 1946. Describing Palestine, they talk frankly about rarely addressed issues such as prejudice against 'newcomers' from other Jews. Willi built tanks for the Haganah, the underground Jewish army, and supported the War of Independence but refused to move into homes abandoned by Palestinian Arabs. After discharge from the Israeli Air Force, Willi founded the country's first rubber factory and headed the association of Israeli manufacturers at only 28. In 1958, saying he did not want the children to know war, Willi convinced Kati to move to America. He did not tell her that punitive tax fines, imposed when the government needed money due to the crisis in the Sinai, shook his faith in Israel. Once in America, after a few bad investments, Willi lost all their money and for the first time Kati suffered panic attacks. But Willi rebuilt his fortune, while Kati rediscovered her courage, and started living again.

How could he possibly know that she, a complete stranger, would inexplicably affect his life and be with him forever, whether she was at his side or not? Drawn together in Russia on a romantic Black Sea beach, Serge and Janna fall headlong in love and rush into marriage. Their divorce months later leads to years of "if only ..." Pressured apart by family and fate, they repeatedly cross paths, never quite reconnecting, never quite letting go. Changes in the world, their careers, and their lives, cause them to surrender to external influences. As they build separate lives and families, their destinies, shaped by post-Soviet political intrigue, collapse into a struggle for their very survival, and dreams of a better life. Long time later, distant memories of young, passionate love spawn emails that lead to international calls reviving an intimate, romantic connection to remind them-and us-that Love is Never Past Tense...