Where the Desert Meets the Sea

A Novel

By: Werner Sonne, Steve Anderson - translator

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo

A moving novel about the fates of two women and those they love in the days surrounding the founding of the State of Israel.

Jerusalem, 1947: Judith, a young Jewish woman who survived Dachau concentration camp, arrives in Palestine after a treacherous journey and seeks refuge with her only remaining relative, her uncle. When Judith learns her uncle has died, she tries to take her own life in despair.

In Hadassah Hospital, Hana, an Arab nurse, saves Judith’s life by donating her own blood. A fragile bond of friendship develops between the two women, but it will face a harsh test over time.

Soon Hana’s fiancé Youssef learns that she, the daughter of a prominent Palestinian family, is in love with a Jewish doctor, and he becomes increasingly radicalized. Youssef joins the followers of a mufti who plans to drive the Jews into the sea. Judith, meanwhile, follows the Jewish Palmach officer Uri into the battle for Jerusalem.

Then the political situation worsens. In November, the United Nations adopts the Partition Plan for Palestine - and the violence erupts.

Author Werner Sonne worked for more than forty years as a television correspondent for ARD in Germany and abroad. He’s a sought-after expert in the fields of foreign and security policy. His intention for this novel was to show the human face of the Jerusalem conflict.

©2019 Werner Sonne. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Narrator mispronounces characters’ Hebrew names!

Sloppy that narrator says common Hebrew names inaccurately. Story is interesting and describes the time of Israel’s independence. Also a great. historical fiction text.

The narrator’s voice made it VERY difficult to love this book.

I absolutely applaud narrators esp when there are multiple characters voices. However the whimsical portrayal of the lead female characters irked my nerves. The historical aspects of the book are great yet the narration attempted to turn it into a sleazy romance novel. The love stories could be betrayed without a bad soap opera interpretation.

Fascinating story

I really appreciated the story and the multitude of perspectives in this novel. However, because the perspectives from various characters changed abruptly, it was challenging at times to track with the narrative as I listened to the audible book. I would be curious if reading the book would be easier.

Interesting, unbiased, sadly true

I have read much about this time in our history. The author shows the facts on both sides. It is sad that this remains a problem. Excellent book!

Interesting

It is a sad story to tell and read. I think the author really tried to portray what it was like to live in such turbulence. I liked the author's comments at the end.