THE CROOKED PATH
From the international bestselling author of The Girl From the Train comes another redemptive and deeply captivating WWII coming-of-age story.
Growing up in South Africa, Lettie has always felt different from and overshadowed by the women around her– this friend is richer, that friend is more beautiful, those friends are closer. She works hard to apply her mind, trying to compensate for her perceived lack of beauty with diligent academic work and a successful career as a doctor. Half a world away, Marco’s experiences as an Italian resistance fighter in WWII have robbed him of love and health.
From the international bestselling author of The Girl From the Train comes another redemptive and deeply captivating WWII coming-of-age story.
Growing up in South Africa, Lettie has always felt different from and overshadowed by the women around her– this friend is richer, that friend is more beautiful, those friends are closer. She works hard to apply her mind, trying to compensate for her perceived lack of beauty with diligent academic work and a successful career as a doctor. Half a world away, Marco’s experiences as an Italian resistance fighter in WWII have robbed him of love and health. At war’s end and with his life still at risk, he travels to South Africa and soon becomes Lettie’s first patient. Their relationship grows as she aids him on the road back to restored health and they soon find a happiness that neither of them thought possible.
The Crooked Path is sure to resonate with fans of spellbinding, historical fiction such as The Women in the Castle, Lilac Girls, and Orphan Train.
- Thomas Nelson
- Paperback
- November 2017
- 400 Pages
- 9780718098179
Buy the Book
$15.99
About Irma Joubert
International bestselling author Irma Joubert was a history teacher for 35 years before she began writing. Her stories are known for their deep insight into personal relationships and rich historical detail. She’s the author of eight novels and a regular fixture on bestseller lists in The Netherlands and in her native South Africa. She is the winner of the 2010 ATKV Prize for Romance Novels.
Praise
“The story is spellbinding.”―Publishers Weekly
“In her latest richly detailed historical novel, Joubert’s deep insight into human nature is reflected in her intricately crafted characters. The author’s choice to focus on personal relationships and follow the crooked paths that life journeys often take make this a strong entry for readers of women’s fiction.”―Library Journal
“Joubert’s latest is a beautiful and moving tearjerker of a story that will remind readers that joys in life usually come by way of a crooked path. Told in two-person narrative during the World War II era, the story progresses quickly as months go by and the seasons change. Joubert does an impressive job with all the historical elements and details and in giving readers a realistic portrayal of life, challenges and sufferings seen during that era. Readers will find their hearts aching at times for the relatable characters, and then rejoicing for them during happier moments. There are a lot of life lessons to be learned here…The Crooked Path is not to be missed.”―RT Book Reviews, 4 1/2 starred review and Top Pick
Discussion Questions
1. Lettie is a strong female character. She forges her own path in medicine, keeps her name professionally, and is eventually a single mother. How do people react to this strength of character throughout the novel?
2. How did Lettie and Marco’s personal experiences before they met one another allow their relationship to flourish and deepen in the way that it does throughout the novel? How different would their relationship have looked had they met before they faced those difficult times?
3. Have you, like Lettie later in her life, ever found yourself afraid to take risks for happiness because you might disrupt the status quo? What happened in that situation?
4. There are many ways that love is played out in relationships throughout the story. Young love, soul-mate love, convenient love, a marriage without love, and more. Some of these loves are faithful; some are difficult. Whose love story resonated the most with you? With whom did you identify most strongly? What parts of the marriages in the book stood out to you and why?