| Author/Contributor(s): | Austen, Alice |
| Publisher: | Salamandra |
| Date: | 2/16/2027 |
| Binding: | Paperback |
| Condition: | NEW |
«Una novela preciosa y profundamente cautivadora.» —Ann Patchett
«Una lectura apasionante y de una gran belleza.» —Abraham Verghese
Charlotte Sauvin, estudiante de arte criada por su querido padre, un arquitecto, en el apartamento 4L, conoce cada rincón del edificio y a todos sus habitantes: las voces que resuenan en la escalera de mármol, el sonido del saxofón que toca el joven Dirk en el primer piso, las discusiones del conserje y su esposa en la planta baja, o los pasos de su amigo Julian Raphaël, el hijo del marchante de arte, al otro lado del pasillo. Pero un día, la familia Raphaël desaparece, dejando atrás todas sus pertenencias, salvo su inestimable colección de arte, que parece haberse desvanecido sin dejar rastro. Cuando los rumores sobre la inminente ocupación alemana se hacen realidad y un funcionario nazi, curiosamente interesado en los Raphaël, se instala en el edificio, la confianza se convierte en una cuestión de vida o muerte. Frente a una nueva y peligrosa realidad, los vecinos de la Plaza Brugmann descubren que no son las personas que creían ser. Obligados a elegir entre someterse al régimen o arriesgarlo todo para salvarse unos a otros, cada uno deberá enfrentarse a su propia verdad y a lo que realmente da sentido a su vida.
Ambientada en la Bruselas ocupada, Plaza Brugmann, 33 es una inolvidable novela sobre el amor, la resistencia y los lazos invisibles que nos unen incluso en tiempos de oscuridad. Con una prosa refinada y profundamente humana, Alice Austen ofrece una historia coral de valentía y esperanza que celebra el poder del arte y de la empatía frente a la barbarie.
ENGLISH DESCRIPTION
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
"Alice Austen uses her considerable gifts to remind us that the past and the present are more connected than we wish to believe, and that vigilance, loyalty and art hold the key to survival. This is a beautiful and deeply engaging novel." — Ann Patchett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake
An outstanding debut novel—a love story, mystery, and philosophical puzzle, told in the singular voices of the residents of a Beaux Arts apartment house in Belgium during World War II.
On the eve of the Nazi occupation, in the heart of Brussels, life for the residents of 33 Place Brugmann is about to change forever.
Charlotte Sauvin, an art student raised by her beloved architect father in apartment 4L, knows all the details of the building and its people: how light falls on wood floors and voices echo off the marble staircase, the distinct knock of her dear friend, Julian Raphaël, the son of the art dealer’s family across the hall. Then the Raphaëls disappear, leaving everything behind but their priceless art collection, which has simply vanished.
All else that’s familiar fractures when whispers of German occupation become reality, and the lives of the residents grow increasingly intertwined. Charlotte’s godmother Masha, a beautiful seamstress living upstairs, deepens her risky affair with a wartime compatriot of Colonel Warlemont in 3L—a man far more calculating than his neighbors believe. When a Nazi functionary with an interest in the Raphaëls moves into the building, knowing who can and cannot be trusted becomes a matter of life and death.
In the face of their perilous new reality, every member of this accidental community will discover they are not the person they believed themself to be. When confronted with a cruel choice—submit to the regime or risk their lives to save one another—each learns the truth about what, and who, matters to them the most.
A propulsive and exquisitely written tour de force, 33 Place Brugmann champions the restorative power of love, courage, and art in times of great threat.