Chateau Ella

Great Britain: Hodder & Stoughton, 1988. This book is the story of two generations of women and their men, of two great houses and the legendary grand hotels they became. Set in Budapest, Alsace and New York State, it is a story of inheritance, of passion and love, of strength and madness, of tears and laughter. Born in Hungary in the midst of savage violence, abandoned by her doomed Jewish mother, Krisztina found glamour and love in the heady world of ballroom dancing. Brutally betrayed by her father and by history itself, she fled to France to the enchanting Chateau de Trouvere. Brought to the edge of despair by war and tragedy, Krisztina transformed the chateau into a magnificent, world-famous hotel. Daughter of Krisztina's second marraige, and as exquisite a beauty as her mother, Ella grows up amidst luxury and privilege. But threads of sinister secrets from the past weave themselves into the fabric of her life. They lead to the tragic death of her younger brother; they turn her older brother's sympathies towards the neo-Nazi movement and the ideologies that destroyed his own father. They compel Ella to abandon Chateau de Trouvere, to come to America to establish a new life - and Chateau Bogarde, the grand hotel that will become known as Chateau Ella. It is there, on the grand Hudson River Valley estate, in the fabulous hotel that is Ella's triumph, that the events of seven decades of twisted passions and turbulent history will be brought to a shocking climax which forces Ella to choose between love and justice. 511 pages. Very slight shelf wear to top and bottom of spine.. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good/Fine/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Hardback.