by Ursula Hegi
Part of Burgdorf Cycle, book 3
First published 2001
Emma Blau stands at the center of a family story that spans decades and cultures. Her relatives have experienced the kind of transformative love that arrives only once in a lifetime, but at different stages. Some found their great passion in youth, others discovered it in their final years. Emma watches as these varied experiences of profound connection shape her bicultural family in unexpected ways. The family carries dreams and ambitions alongside deep losses and moments of grace. Emma must navigate the weight of their collective history while facing her own questions about love's timing. She wonders whether early passion or late-blooming devotion offers the greater gift. The family's journey reveals how love's arrival, whether in spring or autumn of life, creates ripples across generations. Emma discovers that understanding her family's romantic legacy becomes essential to charting her own path forward.
Genres: fiction, family, literary-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, multi-generational
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
432 pages · Paperback · Scribner/Simon & Schuster