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113th out of 277 books
—
262 voters
You, Fascinating You
by
Germaine Shames (Goodreads Author)
In the final weeks of 1938, in the shadow of Kristallnacht and imminent war, a heartsick Italian maestro wrote a love song called "Tu Solamente Tu." Its lyrics lamented his forced separation from his wife, the Hungarian ballerina Margit Wolf, in the wake of Mussolini's edict banishing foreign Jews from Italy. The song, first recorded by Vittorio de Sica in 1939, catapulted...more
Paperback, 258 pages
Published
March 4th 2012
by Pale Fire Press
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You, Fascinating You by Germaine Shames is a graceful, haunting book that brings its small part of history to life vividly. As a reader you find yourself immersed in a world full of happiness, sadness and looming terror perfectly realised on the page.
The book is a fictionalized account of the lives of Hungarian ballerina Margit Wolf and Italian composer Pasquale Frustaci aka “the Italian Cole Porter”. You, Fascinating You breathes soul into their life story, amidst the European setting before, d...more
The book is a fictionalized account of the lives of Hungarian ballerina Margit Wolf and Italian composer Pasquale Frustaci aka “the Italian Cole Porter”. You, Fascinating You breathes soul into their life story, amidst the European setting before, d...more
I love books that are based on real-life stories, reflect the modern history of the world, are connected to the arts and are excellently written. Germaine’s “You, Fascinating You” has all these ingredients, and much more.
In this book, Germaine explores the life and love story of Hungarian ballerina Margit and Italian composer Pasquale. Torn apart by the fury of World War II, they struggled and survived, becoming eternal thanks to Pasquale’s famous song “Tu, solamente tu”. As the book tagline say...more
In this book, Germaine explores the life and love story of Hungarian ballerina Margit and Italian composer Pasquale. Torn apart by the fury of World War II, they struggled and survived, becoming eternal thanks to Pasquale’s famous song “Tu, solamente tu”. As the book tagline say...more
This story based on the lives of Margit Wolf, a Hungarian ballerina, and Pasquale Frustaci, an Italian composer and eventually their son Cesare Frustaci, absolutely amazing! It shouldn’t be a surprise I suppose that Margit Wolf was as strong a woman as she was based just on the fact that she was a ballerina which, I think, is one of the most disciplined of the arts… but the horrors she, and so many others, had to endure are beyond comprehension! The love she felt for Pasquale, deserved or not, w...more
You, Fascinating You, by Germaine W. Shames, is not your average love story or average story of how love inspires musical compositions. It is a novel regarding the true story of the Hungarian ballerina Margit Wolf and the man who would become her husband, Pasquale Frustaci. He was known as “the Italian Cole Porter”, and was widely renowned for writing the song, You, Fascinating You, the book’s title.
Margit Wolf is an aspiring ballerina, extremely dedicated and passionate regarding ballet as a pr...more
Margit Wolf is an aspiring ballerina, extremely dedicated and passionate regarding ballet as a pr...more
“Behind every great love song is an unforgettable woman.” There's is no better way to sum up this novel, that starts as a love story set against the background of the music and ballet scene of the thirties in Italy. The young Hungarian ballerina Margit Wolf falls in love with an Italian composer. He writes this beautiful love song for her, that we may all know in the version of Glenn Miller. (You can listen here: http://germainewrites.com/hear-the-song/ )
But as the Mussolini regime is closing do...more
But as the Mussolini regime is closing do...more
I love historical ficton so this book was perfect for me!! I really enjoyed it!
May 14, 2013
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Review R...: Giveaway in Honor of Women's History Month | 2 | 5 | Apr 05, 2013 11:51am | |
| Advanced Review R...: My Publisher, Pale Fire Press, Believes Reading Should Be a SHARED Pleasure | 1 | 6 | Jan 07, 2013 11:02am | |
| Jewish Book Carnival: A Love Letter to Readers | 1 | 4 | Nov 01, 2012 12:15pm | |
| Writers and Readers : A Love Letter to Readers | 3 | 44 | Nov 01, 2012 11:22am |
Germaine Shames has written from six continents--soon to add the seventh--on topics ranging from the Middle East crisis to Aboriginal land rights, from the struggle to save the Amazon to the plight of street children.
Shames is author of the critically-acclaimed novel Between Two Deserts (Macadam/Cage Publishing), two earlier nonfiction books, and three feature screenplays.
Her recently released no...more
More about Germaine Shames...
Shames is author of the critically-acclaimed novel Between Two Deserts (Macadam/Cage Publishing), two earlier nonfiction books, and three feature screenplays.
Her recently released no...more
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