The Skin of Water eBook G S Johnston
Download As PDF : The Skin of Water eBook G S Johnston 
THE NUMBER ONE NOVEL IN KINDLE JEWISH FICTION
Passions flare and alliances shift in this breathtaking story of survival set during the final days of World War II in Hungary.
Young Zeno dreams of moving to Budapest and becoming a great filmmaker in the Hungarian film studios. But one evening he follows Catherine Steiner, a guest at the exclusive lakeside resort where he works as a bellboy, into the forest. Unknowingly he dives into her life, changing his forever.
Her husband is a wealthy industrialist with the power to create – or crush – Zeno. Despite Catherine’s protests, Zeno moves to Budapest and takes a servant’s job in the Steiner house, shining her husband’s shoes while hearing the family’s secrets.
All Zeno and Catherine have are precious hours in a secret apartment, tucked above the uneasy streets of a city at war, their affair a flimsy wall against a future no one can see or predict. Until it arrives.
The Skin of Water eBook G S Johnston
I absolutely loved this book! This is a story rich in history, drama, and romance that ropes you in from the get-go and keeps you hanging on throughout.War was raging across Europe, but Hungary had remained immune. German troops had marched through the streets and roads of Hungary, but no bombs had fallen and Budapest had remained untouched.
It was the summer of 1943, in Hungary, that 17 year old Zeno Czibula first saw Catherine Steiner. He did what he always did - he began filming this beautiful, stunning woman whom he had followed into the deep forest and then into the lake. He approaches her and talks to her briefly, but long enough to realize she was older than he expected, probably in her mid 30s. She was beautiful beyond any face he'd ever seen and spoke with a soft French accent. Zeno was captivated by Catherine early on and could not get her out of his thoughts. He knew immediately that he was out of her league. He was just a bellboy at the Hotel Hungary. It was his day off and he was absolutely forbidden in this part 0f the forest, reserved for guests only. Zeno and Catherine are linked together by two secrets. Zeno witnessed Catherine's reckless actions at the lake and Catherine witnessed Zeno's trespassing in the forest.
Catherine was born in France, but has lived in Hungary for twenty five years, trapped in a loveless marriage. She rarely sees her husband, Sandor. Her life is one big facade - hidden by a web of lies and deceit. She very often stays at a secret apartment where she and Zeno begin an affair.
Sandor Steiner, a Hungarian businessman, is not exactly the son the Steiner family was proud of. He is incredibly lazy and is known as being a womanizer, with a long list of women. One day Sandor calls Zeno to his suite. He was losing his personal valet and offers the job to Zeno. It would mean moving to Budapest, living in the same house as Catherine. While he worked for Sandor, with an unbelievable generous wage, he'd be able to explore the possibility of work in the film studios, a longtime dream of Zeno.
And then it happened - the Germans, vicious fanatics, were invading Budapest and taking control. The madness of the world had come upon Hungary. And the story unfolds ---
Other characters -
Peter Kresz is married to Erzsebet, Sandor's sister. He has worked in the Steiner family's business for years, elevating himself to high management. He worked with a zest that Sandor lacked and the staff maintained that he was the "better son" despite the lack of a blood line.
Tibi is 25 years old, with a film star's looks, who lived in Budapest, but each summer came down to the lake to work. Tibi was a rather ruthless character.
Gertrud was an interesting character who worked for Catherine and was in love with Zeno. It was difficult to know if she could be trusted.
The Skin of Water is a book to be savored and a great read for historical fiction fans with a storyline full of interesting revelations. It has a well constructed plot, compelling characters, and a satisfying conclusion. Don't miss this one. I highly recommend with 4.5 stars.
You can also follow my reviews on http://www.bookreviewsbywanda.blogspo... and Twitter @ghmstudio.
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The Skin of Water eBook G S Johnston Reviews
I thought this was a beautifully written book about a young Hungarian, Zeno, who worked as a waiter at a hotel and had ambitions to work producing motion pictures. He falls in love with an older woman who is married to a philandering rich businessman. He ends up working for this businessman as his personal valet in Budapest Hungary towards the latter part of the second world war. The writing really drew me in. It showed how people tried to accept what was happening thinking that everything would be just fine and then.....how everything can change drastically and who are your real friends? There was a part that brought tears to my eyes - it was very moving. I enjoyed the book so much that I ordered this author's first novel and have just received it. I am sure that I will enjoy it too!
The Skin on Water is a beautifully written book about an ambitious young Hungarian boy and his first love, a more sophisticated woman trapped in a loveless arranged marriage. War-torn Hungary becomes almost another character in the book, as its submission to Nazi control poisons all that is beautiful in the country its music, its food, romance, family loyalty, and friendship. Although this is a book that demonstrates the devastation of World War II, it accomplishes that goal without referring to battles or to the complications of political allegiances. The devastation it discusses is the effect of causeless hatred on the human heart.
Each of the characters was multifaceted. Even the most villainous betrayed vulnerability or the capacity to make better choices. The plot was intriguing through the end of the book and I couldn't stop reading it! Although I finished it in a couple of days, I will remember the main characters, Eva and Zeno for a long time!
After reading a segment of GS Johnston's new novel, I was keen to find out how it fitted into the whole. Having just finished the work, I'm very impressed. The novel is beautifully crafted starting with the infatuated, immature, precocious qualities of a young Zeno in love/lust with the beautiful Catherine Steiner and ending with the wisdom that age and experience brings so that seeming contradictions can sit more comfortably together without the need for justification.
The book is peppered with sharp observations about art and life. They appear as asides and give pause for thought "Does a picture tell a story? Or does a picture make a story?" The author's love of film, music and place comes through clearly and entices the reader to explore the references for themselves.
While reading the novel, I hadn't expected the emotional response to the story from its erotic elements to the despair and sadness following the German occupation of Budapest and subsequently.
Throughout the work, there are many historical references and facts that weave their way through the romance of the main characters. I'd not thought of Budapest as two cities and I wasn't aware of some of the specific episodes mentioned in the novel. While looking up some information about Budapest after finishing the novel, I came across a photo of the memorial, Shoes on the Danube Promenade; it is all the more poignant after linking it to one of the episodes in the novel.
At the same time as I read The Skin of Water, I was reading The Captive Mind by Czeslaw Milosz (following a recommendation in a book by Tony Judt). While I found the style of The Captive Mind a bit dated, and despite the very different context for the work, the character of Tibi strongly resonates with the characters described by Milosz. Freaky!
The Skin of Water demonstrates a wonderful maturity. It is a work I could easily read again and rates highly among the books in my library.
I absolutely loved this book! This is a story rich in history, drama, and romance that ropes you in from the get-go and keeps you hanging on throughout.
War was raging across Europe, but Hungary had remained immune. German troops had marched through the streets and roads of Hungary, but no bombs had fallen and Budapest had remained untouched.
It was the summer of 1943, in Hungary, that 17 year old Zeno Czibula first saw Catherine Steiner. He did what he always did - he began filming this beautiful, stunning woman whom he had followed into the deep forest and then into the lake. He approaches her and talks to her briefly, but long enough to realize she was older than he expected, probably in her mid 30s. She was beautiful beyond any face he'd ever seen and spoke with a soft French accent. Zeno was captivated by Catherine early on and could not get her out of his thoughts. He knew immediately that he was out of her league. He was just a bellboy at the Hotel Hungary. It was his day off and he was absolutely forbidden in this part 0f the forest, reserved for guests only. Zeno and Catherine are linked together by two secrets. Zeno witnessed Catherine's reckless actions at the lake and Catherine witnessed Zeno's trespassing in the forest.
Catherine was born in France, but has lived in Hungary for twenty five years, trapped in a loveless marriage. She rarely sees her husband, Sandor. Her life is one big facade - hidden by a web of lies and deceit. She very often stays at a secret apartment where she and Zeno begin an affair.
Sandor Steiner, a Hungarian businessman, is not exactly the son the Steiner family was proud of. He is incredibly lazy and is known as being a womanizer, with a long list of women. One day Sandor calls Zeno to his suite. He was losing his personal valet and offers the job to Zeno. It would mean moving to Budapest, living in the same house as Catherine. While he worked for Sandor, with an unbelievable generous wage, he'd be able to explore the possibility of work in the film studios, a longtime dream of Zeno.
And then it happened - the Germans, vicious fanatics, were invading Budapest and taking control. The madness of the world had come upon Hungary. And the story unfolds ---
Other characters -
Peter Kresz is married to Erzsebet, Sandor's sister. He has worked in the Steiner family's business for years, elevating himself to high management. He worked with a zest that Sandor lacked and the staff maintained that he was the "better son" despite the lack of a blood line.
Tibi is 25 years old, with a film star's looks, who lived in Budapest, but each summer came down to the lake to work. Tibi was a rather ruthless character.
Gertrud was an interesting character who worked for Catherine and was in love with Zeno. It was difficult to know if she could be trusted.
The Skin of Water is a book to be savored and a great read for historical fiction fans with a storyline full of interesting revelations. It has a well constructed plot, compelling characters, and a satisfying conclusion. Don't miss this one. I highly recommend with 4.5 stars.
You can also follow my reviews on http//www.bookreviewsbywanda.blogspo... and Twitter @ghmstudio.
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