Overture of Hope

Two Sisters' Daring Plan That Saved Opera's Jewish Stars from the Third Reich

By: Isabel Vincent

Narrated by: Liisa Ivary

A secret aria of courage and suspense

Europe, 1937. Two British sisters: one a dowdy typist, the other a soon-to-be famous romance novelist. One shared passion for opera.

With war clouds gathering and harassment increasing, the stars of Continental opera, many of whom are Jewish, face dark futures under the boot heel of the Nazis. What can two middle-aged British spinsters do about such matters? They can form a secret cabal right under Hitler’s nose and get to work saving lives. The sisters conspire to bring together worldwide opera aficionados and insiders in an international operation to rescue Jews in the opera from the horrific fate that everyone intuits is coming. By the time war does arrive, the Cooks and their operatives have plucked over two dozen Jewish men and women from the looming maw of the Holocaust and spirited them to safety in England.

Packed with original research and vividly told with suspense, hope, and wonder by award-winning New York Post investigative journalist Isabel Vincent, this singular tale reveals many new details of the seemingly naïve and oblivious Cook sisters’ surreptitious bravery, daring, and passionate commitment as the two mount a successful rescue mission that saves dozens of lives and preserves the opera they love for another generation.

©2022 Isabel Vincent (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Thank you

Each person can do something to help someone . History has shown that ordinary people can do extraordinary deeds.

A Great Book!

Wonderfully written and narrated. I never thought a book about two English spinsters would never have a dull moment. I learned a lot and was given even more to think about. Get this book, you won't be dissapointed!

memorable

I appreciate learning about such courageous people whose heroism I had not known about. this is well researched and also narrated very well.