Martin Gillard

The Cherry Tree Martin Gillard

From the devastation of the First World War rises the new nation state of Czechoslovakia. But the fledgling state contains within it the seed of its own destruction - three and a half million ethnic Germans who feel little or no loyalty to the country. Two friends, Ernst and Pavel, return from the war to their families in the area of Czechoslovakia known to Germans as the Sudetenland. One is an Austrian from the old Hapsburg Empire, the other a Czech. Their children, Tomás and Anna, are childhood sweethearts growing up happily in the country Tomás' father has helped to create, until the rise of Fascism in Germany threatens the peace and security of the two families. Their country falls victim to a devastating act of political betrayal. How will the two young lovers and their families survive? "An epic tale of tragedy and hope, told with a masterly command of the historical facts and a poet's insight into their human consequences." -Ray McKenzie, writer and historian