The Violin Maker
By Ray Drayton
“Should be a movie.
A wonderful book based on a true story from the Russian invasion of Hungary 1956. Beautifully written.
It involves the reader of the hardships and emotions of what happened to a family. A brother and sister when they were left very young with no parents.The story of sadness, success and happiness.
I repeat that this book would make a very good heart rendering movie, the audience would I’m sure would lose a few tears.
Highly recommend.”
Synopsis:
The boy needs no second bidding and starts running in the darkness, dragging his sister with him. Light from a Border Guard’s flare reflects off dense fog closing in and blinding them. Joska knows he must run in a straight line directly into the border fence somewhere in front of them. A sense of panic overwhelms him when Lilla’s hand slips from his grasp.
He pauses to grope blindly for his sister, knowing full well should the fog lift before they reach the border fence, both of them will die where they stand.
Just as their mother and father did…
THE VIOLIN MAKER, a heart rendering story spanning two continents.
The Iron Curtain of Soviet occupied Europe is wrenched aside when two siblings flee Hungary, leaving their dead parents in a field close to the Austrian Border. The family were so close to freedom, yet so far in their effort to escape the cruel oppressive Soviet juggernaut sweeping through their homeland.
Joska is separated from his sister when they are each placed in institutions in different countries. Neither know where their sibling is or if they are still alive.
A virtual lifetime passes before Joska finds Lilla in a psychiatric clinic in Switzerland. His sister had enjoyed fame and fortune as an opera diva under the name of ‘Lilly Francis’. She toured the opera houses of Europe until falling from grace due to alcohol and substance abuse. Her dependence on cocaine and champagne robs her sanity, leaving Lilla living a mindless existence on the streets.
Joska had climbed the corporate ladder in Australia – land of endless horizons and endless opportunities. The money and success fades in significance when he succumbs to a desire to find his sister, if she is still alive.
He enters Lilla’s world. A world of dark despair where the ghosts of her parents haunt Lilla, driving her deeper into a drug and alcohol induced madness.
Is Joska too late to save Lilla from the demons fracturing her mind, luring the once great ‘Lilly Francis’ into a dark never ending nightmare?
This is a story of two sibling’s journey of courage and determination against seemingly insurmountable odds.
A journey from darkness to greatness – and back again…
Demons of insanity remain in the shadows patiently waiting to lure their victim back to the consuming madness.
He pauses to grope blindly for his sister, knowing full well should the fog lift before they reach the border fence, both of them will die where they stand.
Just as their mother and father did…
THE VIOLIN MAKER, a heart rendering story spanning two continents.
The Iron Curtain of Soviet occupied Europe is wrenched aside when two siblings flee Hungary, leaving their dead parents in a field close to the Austrian Border. The family were so close to freedom, yet so far in their effort to escape the cruel oppressive Soviet juggernaut sweeping through their homeland.
Joska is separated from his sister when they are each placed in institutions in different countries. Neither know where their sibling is or if they are still alive.
A virtual lifetime passes before Joska finds Lilla in a psychiatric clinic in Switzerland. His sister had enjoyed fame and fortune as an opera diva under the name of ‘Lilly Francis’. She toured the opera houses of Europe until falling from grace due to alcohol and substance abuse. Her dependence on cocaine and champagne robs her sanity, leaving Lilla living a mindless existence on the streets.
Joska had climbed the corporate ladder in Australia – land of endless horizons and endless opportunities. The money and success fades in significance when he succumbs to a desire to find his sister, if she is still alive.
He enters Lilla’s world. A world of dark despair where the ghosts of her parents haunt Lilla, driving her deeper into a drug and alcohol induced madness.
Is Joska too late to save Lilla from the demons fracturing her mind, luring the once great ‘Lilly Francis’ into a dark never ending nightmare?
This is a story of two sibling’s journey of courage and determination against seemingly insurmountable odds.
A journey from darkness to greatness – and back again…
Demons of insanity remain in the shadows patiently waiting to lure their victim back to the consuming madness.