The Viennese Dressmaker: A Haunting Story of Wartime Vienna

Book excerpt: The Viennese Dressmaker A Haunting Story of Wartime Vienna From USA TODAY Bestselling author, Kathryn Gauci, comes a powerful and unforgettable story of one woman's incredible will to survive and protect those she loves against insurmountable odds. "In the half-light of a new day, the city resembled a macabre scene from hell. The gay Vienna of her youth had disappeared - vanished as utterly as if it had never existed." Vienna 1938: Austria's leading couturier, Christina Lehmann, sits at the pinnacle of Viennese society. Her lover, the renowned painter, Max Hauser, is at the height of his career. But Max harbours a secret, and it is only a matter of time before the Gestapo finds out. The situation takes a dramatic turn on Kristallnacht, when the pogrom against the Austrian Jews escalates and one of Christina's Jewish seamstresses is brutally murdered. In order to protect both Max and her couture house, Christina begins a double life, plunging her into the shadowy world of Nazi oppression, fear, and mistrust fuelled by ancient hatreds. As Vienna descends into chaos, hunger and disillusionment, will her deception be enough to save Max - or will it end in tragedy? Based on actual events, this is an epic story of courage and resilience. It is the kind of book that wraps around your soul and leaves an impression. "Brilliant and moving, The Viennese Dressmaker is a compelling and vivid portrait of wartime Vienna; a story of human relationships, and the will to survive under the shadow of the most evil power the world has ever known." - JJ Toner, author of The Black Orchestra