A debut novel unwinds the tangle of twentieth-century history with wit, humor, and humanity...
61-year-old Feliks is a naturalized Frenchman, a displaced Pole and former Communist-and a curmudgeon-who has made his living writing a yearly travel guide to the countries behind the Iron Curtain. In 1991, with the Curtain now fallen, Feliks finds his beliefs beginning to crumble around him. When a rapacious American publisher offers to buy out his life's work, Feliks must travel to the country he has long despised, and so begins the wry and moving tale of a man who awakens from self-imposed isolation into a changed world he must get to know all over again. So unfolds a story of family, war, politics, a second chance at love, and one man's quest for himself.
"The Breaking of Eggs is a book that thoughtful readers won't soon forget." - Booklist
"Funny and compelling." - Kirkus Reviews
"[A] fluent and unusual novel" - The Sunday Times
"With great charm, humor and wisdom, (and a vast amount of modern European history), Powells tells of Feliks' rebirth from a political to an emotional creature. This story manages to take well-worn themesthe horrors of wars, the decisions made and misunderstood or regretted, the costs of political allegiances, the elasticity of familiesand make them into a fresh and moving and remarkable story. Unforgettable." - Leslie Reiner, Inkwood Books (Tampa, FL)
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jim Powell was born in London in 1949 and was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. His first career was in advertising, becoming Managing Director of the London partner of New Yorks largest agency. He then started a pottery with a ceramic designer, producing hand-painted tableware for leading stores, including Bloomingdales. He was previously active in politics, standing for Parliament in the 1987 Election and collaborating on a book with former Foreign Secretary Francis Pym.
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