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A heartrending story about a young mother's fight to keep her daughter, and the winds of fortune that tear them apart by the USA Today bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things and The Last Year of the War.
California, 1938—When she loses her parents in an accident, sixteen-year-old Rosanne is taken in by the owners of the vineyard where she has lived her whole life as the vinedresser's daughter. She moves into Celine and Truman Calvert's spacious house with a secret, however—Rosie sees colors when she hears sound. She promised her mother she'd never reveal her little-understood ability to anyone, but the weight of her isolation and grief prove too much for her. Driven by her loneliness she not only breaks the vow to her mother, but in a desperate moment lets down her guard and ends up pregnant. Banished by the Calverts, Rosanne believes she is bound for a home for unwed mothers. But she soon finds out she is not going to a home of any kind, but to a place that seeks to forcibly take her baby – and the chance for any future babies – from her.
Austria, 1947—After witnessing firsthand Adolf Hitler's brutal pursuit of hereditary purity—especially with regard to "different children"—Helen Calvert, Truman's sister, is ready to return to America for good. But when she arrives at her brother's peaceful vineyard after decades working abroad, she is shocked to learn what really happened nine years earlier to the vinedresser's daughter, a girl whom Helen had long ago befriended. In her determination to find Rosanne, Helen discovers a shocking American eugenics program—and learns that that while the war had been won in Europe, there are still terrifying battles to be fought at home.
1
Sonoma County, California
February 1939
The chardonnay vines outside my open window are silent, but I still see in my mind the bursts of teal and lavender their summer rustlings always called to my mind. That sound had been my favorite, those colors the prettiest. The leafless stocks with their arms outstretched on cordon after cordon look like lines of dancers waiting for the music to start—for spring to set their performance in motion. Looking at them, I feel a deep sadness. It might be a long time before I see again these vines that had for so long been under my father's care, or hear their leaves whisper, spilling the colors in my mind that belong to them alone.
Perhaps I will never see this vineyard again.
The Calverts won't welcome a future visit from me. Celine Calvert has already made it clear that after today she is done with me. Done.
For a moment the words if only flutter in my head, but I lean forward and pull the window shut. What is to be gained by wishing I ...
Here are some of the comments posted about Only the Beautiful.
You can see the full discussion here.
Could Johannes have done more to save his daughter? What would you have done?
I agree with deeh. I think he could see the forest in spite of the trees and knew what was coming. Perhaps, knowing the reich from being a part of it, he figured there was no escape. - beckyd
Did you feel closer to Rosie or Helen? What did you think about how the book was structured?
I felt closer to Helen because like Helen, I did not have children of my own. As far as how the book was structured, I am okay with it. I prefer a chronological narrative, but the chapters told through various characters perspectives seems to be a ... - Molly Mae
Do you believe literature, even fiction, can help shape the world? Did you learn anything new from Only the Beautiful?
Like many of the other responders, I will often use the historical fiction I read as a springboard to learning more about the topic.I was not a history fan in school, but the older I get the more I am fascinated by it. - beckyd
Do you see eugenic ideology as it played out in Only the Beautiful in our world today? In what ways?
Sadly, eugenic practices have occurred in just about all of the major civilizations. The ancient Egyptians married brothers to sisters in order to keep the bloodlines pure, as did many royal families from across the globe.
Though the ... - Molly Mae
Do you think Helen did enough during the war to protect the innocent? Do you think she could have been more helpful if she had remained in Austria or returned to America?
I think Helen lived her life well and did all she could to protect innocent lives. Perhaps, in America, she could have helped Rosie more but there are always choices to make, with so many unknowns and effects. I felt the way the author handled this... - ssh
Meissner's extensive research into this time period and movement is clear in her detailed descriptions of mental institutions and the resistance Helen meets as she advocates for the differently abled. Brutal and heartbreaking, yet ultimately joyful, Only the Beautiful not only shines a light on a dark period in American history but shows the importance of speaking out for what's right...continued
Full Review (692 words)
(Reviewed by Jordan Lynch).
In Only the Beautiful, the historical novel by Susan Meissner, readers are introduced to Rosanne "Rosie" Maras, a teenage girl who has lost her family and is placed under the care of her parents' former employers. To most, Rosie seems like a normal girl, but she's hiding a secret: when she hears sounds, she sees colors. When her secret is revealed—amidst other shocking discoveries—Rosie is sent to a state home where doctors try to "cure" her of what they deem a disability.
Today, Rosie's ability is known as synesthesia, defined as "a neurological condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway…leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway." In other words, when...
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