Join author Bonnie Suchman as she introduces the cousins from her evocative new novel, What Remains is Hope #HistoricalFiction #WWII #Holocaust #RecommendedReading

What Remains is Hope

The Heppenheimer Family Holocaust Saga, Book #2

by Bonnie Suchman

Beginning in 1930s Germany and based on their real lives, four cousins as close as siblings—Bettina, Trudi, Gustav, and Gertrud—share the experiences of the young, including first loves, marriages, and children.

Bettina, the oldest, struggles to help her parents with their failing business. Trudi dresses in the latest fashions and tries to make everything look beautiful. Gustav is an artist at heart and hopes to one day open a tailoring shop. Gertrud, the youngest, is forced by her parents to keep secrets, but that doesn’t stop her from chasing boys. However, over their seemingly ordinary lives hangs one critical truth—they’re Jewish—putting them increasingly at risk.

When World War II breaks out, the four are still in Germany or German-occupied lands, unable or unwilling to leave. How will these cousins avoid the horrors of the Nazi regime, a regime that wants them dead? Will they be able to avoid the deportations and concentration camps that have claimed their fellow Jews? Danger is their constant companion, and it will take hope and more to survive.

Praise for What Remains is Hope:

"Readers will find this follow up to Suchman's prior novel, Stumbling Stones, both a heartbreaking reminder of the Holocaust's atrocities and a compelling tribute to a family's refusal to surrender to despair...Richly compelling Holocaust account, centered on the power of hope."

~ Booklife by Publishers Weekly

"Author Bonnie Suchman has a way of making every moment count with her characters in a narrative that feels powerfully real as she spins deeply personal stories against a sweeping and tragic backdrop of history. ..What Remains is Hope is historical fiction at its best, and I'd highly recommend it to fans of gripping fiction that's emotionally resonant and grounded in truth."

~ K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite

The Four Cousins in What Remains is Hope –

Who Were They?

What Remains is Hope tells the story of four Jewish cousins and their efforts to survive the Nazis. Remarkably, three of the four cousins were able to survive in Europe, and the fourth perished close to the end of the war. Through extensive records, the recollections of family members, and some conjecture on my part, I was able to piece together who they were and how they were able to survive when so many others perished.

Bettina

The oldest of the cousins was Bettina. Born in 1911, she was the cousin everyone turned to in times of trouble. Bettina was the sensible one, taking on the problems of everyone, including her parents. And it was her strength of character that would prove critical during the war. This photo suggests a no-nonsense woman:

Bettina. (c) Bonnie Suchman

Gustav

The second cousin, Gustav, born in 1914, was the artist among the cousins. He saw the beauty in the world and aspired to be a clothing designer.  It took him a while to find love, but when he found her, he went all in. He loved to dress well and his cousins often teased him that he was never without a scarf, as you can see in the picture below:

Gustav. (c) Bonnie Suchman

Trudi

Trudi was also born in 1914 and grew up in a wealthy family. She loved to dress in the most fashionable of outfits, and was rarely seen without her hat, dress, and shoes matching. Her father loved to drive his family around in his fancy car, but it was their driver Georges who did all of the driving. 

Trudi, with her father and their driver. (c) Bonnie Suchman

But Trudi was never showy with her cousins and she showed unexpected strength in protecting her family during the Nazi onslaught.

Gertrud

The youngest of the cousins, Gertrud, was born in 1920. She was adored by her older cousins and grew boy-crazy as she got older. But the secret she was forced to keep as a child gave her the skills to help her and her cousins stay alive and stay connected during the war.

The four cousins had a connection rarely shared even by siblings. When the reader first meets them in 1930, they envision great things for their future and shared those hopes and dreams with each other. None of them could have imagined that in a just a few short years, things would change so dramatically for them and they would be fighting for their lives.

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Bonnie Suchman

Bonnie Suchman has been a practicing attorney for forty years. Using her legal skills, she researched her husband's 250-year family history in Germany, publishing the award-winning, non-fiction book, Broken Promises: The Story of a Jewish Family in Germany, as a result.

Those compelling stories became Suchman's Heppenheimer Family Holocaust Saga. The first in the series, Stumbling Stones, was a Finalist for the 2024 Hawthorne Prize for Fiction, and recently, her family traveled to Frankfurt, Germany, to install stumbling stones for her husband's Great Aunt Alice and her husband Alfred, the real-life characters in the book. What Remains is Hope is the second novel in the saga.

In her free time, Bonnie is a runner and a golfer. She and her husband reside in Potomac, Maryland. 

Connect with Bonnie:

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Join author Deborah Swift as she introduces the female leads in The Cameo Keeper #HistoricalFiction #RenaissanceItaly #WomenInHistory #RecommendedReading

The Cameo Keeper

Giulia Tofana Series

by Deborah Swift

Rome 1644: A Novel of Love, Power, and Poison

Remember tonight... for it is the beginning of always
― Dante Alighieri

In the heart of Rome, the conclave is choosing a new Pope, and whoever wins will determine the fate of the Eternal City.

Astrologer Mia and her fiancé Jacopo, a physician at the Santo Spirito Hospital, plan to marry, but the election result is a shock and changes everything.

As Pope Innocent X takes the throne, he brings along his sister-in-law, the formidable Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, known as La Papessa – the female Pope. When Mia is offered a position as her personal astrologer, she and Jacopo find themselves on opposite sides of the most powerful family in Rome.

Mia is determined to protect her mother, Giulia Tofana, a renowned poisoner. But with La Papessa obsessed with bringing Giulia to justice, Mia and Jacopo's love is put to the ultimate test.

As the new dawn of Renaissance medicine emerges, Mia must navigate the dangerous political landscape of Rome while trying to protect her family and her heart. Will she be able to save her mother, or will she lose everything she holds dear?

For fans of "The Borgias" and "The Crown," this gripping tale of love, power, and poison will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Praise for Deborah Swift:

''historical fiction that is brisk, fresh and bristling with intrigue'

~ Bookmarked Reviews

The Female Characters in The Cameo Keeper
by Deborah Swift

Mia Caiozzi – astrologer and herbalist

Tarot Cards, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

Mia’s main aim in this book is to persuade Jacopo, her fiancé, that it is time for them to marry and set up home together. He wants to wait as he doesn’t feel he earns enough to support her - he is only an apprentice physician. During the book Mia becomes astrologer to the Pope’s consort, Donna Olimpia, and as she is on the hospital board, Mia thinks this will be a route to more success for Jacopo. Unfortunately, Jacopo has become an enemy of Donna Olimpia, and so the Mia and Jacopo find themselves estranged and on opposite sides of a divide.

Giulia Tofana – renowned Renaissance poisoner

Aqua Tofana, Wikimedia Commons

Giulia Tofana was a real poisoner and there has been much speculation about her history, and her life, online. Because the authorities are still looking for her, Giulia's main motivation is to protect her step-daughter Mia from her dangerous past.

Giulia has married a man she thinks is the pinnacle of respectability and will make her reputation unimpeachable. But Cesare Ranchetti is not at all what he seems, and Giulia finds herself torn between loyalty to him and protecting her daughter.

Donna Olimpia Maidalchini – a real power behind the throne

Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, Wikimedia Commons

In the turbulent world of seventeenth-century Rome, few figures wielded as much influence as Donna Olimpia Maidalchini. Born in 1591 to a minor noble family, Olimpia rose far above her station to the heart of papal power through political cunning and her unshakeable self belief. She is keen to find out how long she will have to turn Rome into the city she dreams of – and she consults astrologer Mia to find out how long the Pope’s reign over Rome will last.

Donna Olimpia was Pope Innocent X’s most trusted advisor and, many whispered, the true power behind his rule. Known throughout Rome as La Papessa – the Papess – Olimpia took on roles traditionally reserved for men: receiving ambassadors, influencing cardinal appointments, and overseeing financial affairs in the Vatican. Her apartments in the Palazzo Pamphili became a second centre of power, and her voice carried weight not only in the palace but in foreign courts.

Donna Olimpia was a ‘doer’, never sitting back, playing a part in the patronage of art and architecture, and playing a key role in the construction of the new Pamphili palace in the Piazza Navona, one of the grandest urban projects of baroque Rome. She was also a dangerous adversary and could destroy fortunes in the blink of an eye.

Nina Barcarola – Courtesan

Courtesan with servants, Wikimedia Commons

Nina Barcarola was a prominent Italian singer and courtesan renowned for her exceptional vocal talent and her involvement in the intricate political and cultural milieu of the time. Her career flourished under the patronage of Cardinal Antonio Barberini who was the enemy of the current Pope. Barcarola’s performances at home were not only musical events but also social gatherings that attracted Rome’s elite, reflecting her status as both an artist and a courtesan.

In this novel, Mia falls in with Nina Barcarola as part of Donna Olimpia’s plan to ‘clean up’ prostitution in Rome, to Jacopo’s disgust.

In 1645, amidst escalating tensions between the Barberini family and Pope Innocent X of the Pamphili family, Nina Barcarola was arrested – a move orchestrated by the Pamphili to undermine Cardinal Barberini’s reputation.

The female characters in The Cameo Keeper are all based on real people, and belie the idea that Rome was only controlled by powerful men. Both in full view, and behind the scenes, the women of Rome were determined to have their say.

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Deborah Swift

Deborah Swift is the author of twenty novels of historical fiction. Her Renaissance novel in this series, The Poison Keeper, was recently voted Best Book of the Decade by the Wishing Shelf Readers Award. Her WW2 novel Past Encounters was the winner of the BookViral Millennium Award, and is one of seven books set in the WW2 era.

Deborah lives in the North of England close to the mountains and the sea.

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