Overview

In occupied Denmark, a brutish, tormented farmer steals a precious necklace, setting off a ripple effect that will pit a son against his father, and take decades and the fall of the Berlin Wall to culminate It is 1941. In occupied Denmark, an uneasy relationship between the Danish government and the Germans allows the country to function under the protection of Hitler's army, while Danish resistance fighters wage a bloody, covert battle against the Nazis. Fredrik Gregersen, caretaker of a small farm in Jutland, profits from helping Jewish fugitives cross the border into Sweden. When he steals a jeweled necklace from a refugee, he sets off a chain of events that tears his family apart. Oskar, his son, brings the necklace to Copenhagen to sell it. There he meets Polina, a beautiful, half-Jewish prostitute, and Oskar exchanges the necklace for her life. Back at the farm, Polina becomes the focus, not only of Oskar's young love, but also of Fredrik's savagery and desire. Cinematic in its atmosphere, suspenseful as a thriller, THE SECOND WINTER tells the story of a man who must choose between evils in a lawless world. It is a literary work that defines what it means to be father, son, and daughter amid the horrors of wartime life.

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9781590517888

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[A] richly narrated story that brings the horrors of the Holocaust and the merciless depravities that accompany war into vivid focus. There is a remarkable cinematic quality to the novel, from the barrenness of Jutland to what remains of the glitter of Copenhagen. An absolute page-turner and a discussion-group leader s dream. <i> Booklist<b><i></b> </i> Larsen creates a darkly sensual world in which evil impulses often triumph, but not always. <i> <i>Kirkus Review</i>

A great historical novel, a touching family saga, and a noir wartime thriller all rolled into one terrific narrative. Lee Child, <i>New York Times</i>best-selling author [A] richly narrated story that brings the horrors of the Holocaust and the merciless depravities that accompany war into vivid focus. There is a remarkable cinematic quality to the novel, from the barrenness of Jutland to what remains of the glitter of Copenhagen. An absolute page-turner and a discussion-group leader s dream. <i> Booklist<b><i></b> </i> Larsen creates a darkly sensual world in which evil impulses often triumph, but not always. <i> <i> Kirkus Review </i> Larsen s (Mania) impressive second novel is filled with compelling though not always attractive characters. A solid choice for adventurous readers. <i> Library Journal<i> </i> The Second Winter captures not the lives of soldiers on the battlefield, but those of simple people living on the edges. <i><i> <i> Foreword Reviews</i> The Second Winter by Craig Larsen is a book impossible to put down even when you wish you could. <i> New York Journal of Books </i> These disparate lives cross in unexpected ways, making the ending satisfying without sacrificing thecomplexity of characters Larsen has so carefully created. This novel is a fresh approach to the abuses ofboth the occupier and the occupied in a period of history that continues to surprise us with its dark, dirty secrets. <i> Historical Novel Society</i> [Larsen] excels at capturing tone and building tension; once you re into the main plot it s hard to put the book down. You can practically see the dirt from the sty on Frederik s clothes, feel the cold driving nails into Oskar s hands, feel the hot anguish Amalia suffers at the hands of the family s wealthy landlady as well as in her own home. It s a time that s so emotionally charged, but this perspective is different from so many that we see. <i> </i><b></b><i>Woman Around Town</i>

Author Information

Craig Larsen was born in 1968 and is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and Columbia Law School. His first novel, Mania, was published in 2009. A single father, Larsen has lived in New York and Europe. He currently resides in Northern California.

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