Does love conquer all?Can it bloom evenin chaos? In Escape to Live, love not only survives, but shines it'brightest while the world around it lies in terrible darkness
Marcus Feldman, the heir to a successful department store chain in pre-war Berlin is an eager young man looking forward to his marriage to Gretchen who was an employee at the store. The rise of Hitler and anti-Semitism quickly encroaches on their plans. When the Gestapo demands access to the company documents, Marcus understands that disaster will soon befall him, his fiancée, and his mother, Elena. An escape plan is devised. Marcus will impersonate a German Army officer; a pregnant Gretchen will travel to America; Elena will stay with relatives in Poland and everyone will soon reunite in America. Tragically, war breaks out and three lives are changed forever.
The years pass. Marcus and Gretchen settle into separate lives with spouses and children, but they never forget the love they once shared. When they are reunited we are reminded that love is more than a joining of the heart; it requires tenacity and the willingness to survive all life sends our way.
"Escape to Live" is a story rich not only in character and texture but in history as well. This book was accepted, and is a part of the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archives. This is a book that has been loved and reviewed by men and women alike.
Escape to Live also includes a wonderful non-fiction story entitleld The Great Escape which describes the author's story on the events that unfolded in his own life at that time.
Professional Reviews
Ellen Tanner Marsh, New York Times Best Selling Author
Does love conquer all? Can it bloom even in chaos? In Escape to Live, Sol Berg’s luminous debut, love not only survives, but shines it’s brightest when the world around it lies in terrible darkness.
Berg introduces us to two extraordinary characters, Marcus and Gretchen, living in Germany in the 1930’s. They’re happy, successful and in love, but the shadow of Nazi fascism is fast approaching. Before too long Hitler’s Gestapo is harrassing them, and although they make plans to escape with Marcus’s mother, Elena, war quickly engulfs them and they are forced to go their separate ways.
This is an evocative and deeply moving novel. From the early days of Nazi Germany to the struggles on the Golan Heights, Berg gives us both a historic, resilient portrait of the Jews and a moving testament to the power of love.
Blending Southern Gothic mystery romance, fantasy, theater, dance, music, and flashes of humor, tells the story of a pair of lovers in two separate time periods who find themselves battling an evil fifty years apart.
