Lucretia: A Novel

Enter a timeless twenty-four hours of intimate dialogue of mind and heart, in which Lucretia experiences an epic train ride across America on the legendary train, the Chief. It is a journey which culminates in a painful and disturbing homecoming, darkened by human passions, unleashed by the lawlessness of war and the disorder of the era following it. These forces reveal themselves through the thoughts of Lucretia and those connected with her on this journey and beyond.

Lucretia’s husband Colly’s letters provide a poignant counterpoint, offering graphic details of Hitler’s death camps and the difficult choices of those who fought against, and those who collaborated in, the genocide of a plundered race. You will struggle with Lucretia, as she seeks to understand her relationships to those in her present and past, strained by the agonizing desolation brought on by war, and the perennial need for sensuality and love. Experience the hope, courage, and tragedy of mothers, fathers, children, and lovers, attempting to survive in war-ravaged Europe.

This story, not for the faint of heart, brings us face-to-face with a history that we forget at our peril, a reminder of the savagery of war, and the inhumanity within the human breast. It is perhaps unique in the way it does this through the beauty of Lucretia, her sensitive thoughts and anticipations, and the often contrasting thoughts and desires of those she encounters on this journey by rail.

*The sound quality of this recording represents the available audio technology of the era.