Illusions of Love

by Cynthia Freeman

Do we make our own destinies? Can we alter the courses of our lives?Cynthia Freeman’s New York Times bestselling novel will resonate with anyone who has ever dreamed of a second chance


Twenty-five years ago, Martin Roth made the most difficult decision of his life. He gave up the girl he loved, married a different woman, and raised a family. But he’s just been given another shot at happiness.


Sylvia has loved Martin since she was a young girl. They have two great children and a wonderful life together—until a love from Martin’s past threatens everything she’s worked so hard to build.


Jenny McCoy can’t believe she and Martin have found each other again—but she’s never gotten over his cruel betrayal. Is she ready to forgive the sins of the past for a second chance?


Moving between countries and across time, Illusions of Love tells the story of a man, his heritage, and the crisis of faith that brings his life to a crossroads. 

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Own

377 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Beatrice Cynthia Freeman  (January 10, 1915 - October 22, 1988), pseudonym of Bea Feinberg, was an  American  novelist. She was born in  New York City, where, as a young girl, she began writing books but abandoned writing to pursue a career running an  interior decoration business. When poor health forced her to give up her business, she decided to dust off an old manuscript from childhood but discovered the cleaning lady had thrown it out. From memory, she rewrote the story.

Ms Freeman specialized in multi-generational stories of  Jewish  families, centering on a female protagonist. Her novel, "No Time For Tears," was No.10 on the list of bestselling novels in the United States for 1981 as determined by the New York Times. Her books were translated into thirty-three languages, selling more than twenty million copies worldwide.

Cynthia Freeman died of cancer in San Francisco in 1988,[1] aged 73.

Reviews

[Kim D · Rating 1 out of 5]

worse than vintage Danielle Steele.

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh!

[Julie Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illusions of Love by Cynthia Freeman
Leaving France after the war he made his way to USA and then to Panama to get to the west. Although sick someone helped him and he continued his journey. struck it rich in CA and staked others money so they could dig for gold. His parents had died and now the rest of the family wanted to stay in Jerusalem and not to the USA. He felt there was nothing worth living for. He was introduced to Sarah and married her.
Martin has met Jenny again after 25 years and now he's not going to let anybody
stand in their way. Before it was religion and he gave in and married whom his parents
wanted him to.
Silvia-who his parents picked for Martin
Martin never feels like he's earned being the head of they dynasty so he leaves CA for NY to head up his college roommates firm.
Martin and Jenny make decisions that makes them happy til after his father is taken ill and Martin flies back to CA.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: ***1/2

For some reason, I have become drawn to the older family saga and romantic (e.g., Dorothy Eden) fiction books that are becoming available for Kindle. The stories aren't any deeper or thought provoking than those written today; however, there seems to be a certain style to the writing that is appealing to me. Illusions of Love (originally published in 1984) was one such story, telling the history of one Jewish family from the pogroms through the riches found in Gold Rush era California and beyond.

Martin took him by the hand and bought him a cone. Forgetting his loss for the moment, Jeremy smiled. Martin observed the child's tattered clothes and the hole in his left tennis shoe where his large toe stuck out. It was all an accident of birth, wasn't it? Like being born a Rockefeller, the Queen of England...or himself.

[Anne Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

another nice family saga, read years ago and found while cleaning the garage. What always surprises me when I fall upon a book written in the 1980's is the amount of cliches you find. Page after page, the heroes and the villains offer all he traits you are expecting. The bad ones hate Jewish and black people, the good ones are hard workers who would rather die than compromise with their principles, etc...
I understand better reading such books how Danielle Steele became so famous. The ideas are all the same, nothing original. Just some kind of romance or romantic suspense to keep the women busy.
It does sound a little outdated when you get back to them today. Thank God! the hero, Martin, is just a selfish bastard, and the morality underlying the book is more depressing than anything else. She has written better books, I think. Or maybe I just should not read them again...

[Aline Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the book! Shows you should never think you can have everything and in the end you end up with nothing.mlike all of her books the last sentence leaves you hanging but maybe that's the point. Leave them wanting more!

[Valynda]

sold

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A love triangle.

[Peggy]

5th one read

[Jessiaca Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, it would've been a good book is not for the redundancy. She uses the same words right down to the same situations. You can literally mouth the words she is about to say

[MMMMMM · Rating 2 out of 5]

To me one of the most interesting charachters of this book was Sylvia. She was in love with Martin even though he did not love her. So the question is; How could she be with a man for so long and he didn't even loved her? Is that really love or just an obsession? In the end Martin found out that Jenny was his obsession, he felt passion towards her....but they did not share peace together, so that was a problem. He loved the vision about Jenny he created and it was fake. So ;was Martin for Sylvia actually just her Jenny? He was her first love , so was Jenny for Martin. it was also clear that he loved her just as a friend, so why did she accept that? I think that Sylvia was blind and that Martin was a big coward. If love is not mutual, then its not love.....just obsession or a dream what could be( your own creation of a fake world). This book did not challenge my brain that much , but I learned something about jewish culture, so I give props for that! :)

[Sandra Marcela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuando tenía como 7 - 8 años, veía la carátula del libro y una breve reseña que ponía la revista Círculo de Lectores a la que estaba suscrita mi tía. Siempre me llamó la atención. Un día, más de 30 años después de verlo en la revista, lo encontré por casualidad en la librería que pusieron en mi sitio de trabajo. No dude en leerlo por la nostalgia del recuerdo que me produjo. Sin embargo, aunque la historia comenzó muy bien, el resumen es: la vida de alguien que tiene todo y se conforma con ver pasar la vida sin él. La historia se vuelve sosa y monotona y el final es completamente predecible.

[Bamboozlepig · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the dumbest books I've read in awhile. This didn't feel like Freeman even bothered to put together a plot and interesting characters. There's no depth to it and it moves very fast. In one scene, a character runs out into the bitter cold and falls asleep in a doorway. Next thing she's in the hospital and in a coma and nearly dying from pneumonia. There's like two paragraphs devoted to her hospital/near death experience. The boyfriend then shows up and is all upset over her plight. That's like one paragraph. Then she's suddenly better and I'm like...wtf? Blink and you'll miss the plot in this one.

[A · Rating 1 out of 5]

Skimmed the book... Didnt completely read it... But the wife has no spine and self respect. A cheater is a cheater. The wife talks about how they are best friends. Best friends would never betray the way he did. He is not a hero, just a coward who wants to have his cake and eat it too...

The other woman/his first love played her cards a little too early. Wish the cheater had married his first love/the other woman and destroyed himself. Horrible ending!

[jeffrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initially I thought the book was going to be a kind of generational 'fiction-based-on-fact' kind of saga. It certainly started out that way. But, no, it settled down to be a weepie, woman as victim slog. I lost all sympathy for the protagonist Martin Roth about two-thirds of the way in. So, in the end when his long-suffering wife gets him back from the jilted paramour and proclaims that she had finally "won", my reaction was "Huh?" What did she win? A jerk.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, the only only thing to complain about is that sometimes the story didn’t attract my attention and it made me bored, that’s why I took so long to finish the book. The end (second part) is actually really good and it made me read until the end non-stop.
The plot it’s very interesting and Dominic >>>>

[Danny Lamar · Rating 1 out of 5]

About 75% of this book is copied from a book the author wrote a few years earlier called "Come Pour the Wine." How does a famous author get away with copying and pasting a previous story into the new manuscript, changing a few details and soaking people for the price of a new book? WHOLE PARAGRAPHS were identical. Seriously?

[Daragh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it more for the challenges the main character had to make in the light of his family background - I found the romance aspect rather cheezy and I didn't feel sympathy towards the cheating husband.

[Cyndy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Held my attention and an easy read, but the poor main character stays torn between controlling and domineering women all his life. It’s a romance novel with moments of insight into being the only son of prominent and wealthy Jewish parents who planned his life for him.

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read until the end. Horrible ending.

[Maureen Holloway · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is about a spoiled only man child who never truly appreciates what he has until it’s too late. The only redeeming character in the story is his patient, wise wife.

[Joel Fotinos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illusions of Love is not Cynthia Freeman's best book (that would be "Portraits"), but it is a sweet, quick read. Freeman is a wonderful storyteller, and this one is no exception. Not as substantial as most of her books, but if you have a couple of free hours and want something that makes you smile at the end, this is a good choice.