The Jew's Harp - Paperback

by William P. Chauvin (Author)

Spanning an era from the 1860's to the present, The Jew's Harp begins in the Nerchinsk silver mining district of Siberia. The only hope in the dismal and lonely life of Nikolay Kuznetsov, former Russian silversmith, now exiled, is derived from stealing small splashings of silver from the smeltworks where he is forced to labor. Over many years he saves enough silver to design a beautiful silver Jew's harp for his wife in Moscow. The Jew's Harp traces the path of Kuznetsov's gift as his son, Pytor, carries it to its future. It becomes intertwined in the lives of an orphaned art school student, the atomic bomb era veteran who marries her, the sculptor who inspires her, and shapes the destiny of their son, Matt. On April 12, 1945 three young people with very different backgrounds are at personal crossroads wondering about their future. Little did they know, at that moment, that their paths would intertwine to the haunting strains of Nikolay's silver Jew's harp.

Author Biography

William Chauvin has been a feature writer for local newspapers and magazines, had a regional fishing guidebook, "Bassin' in New England", published by North Country Press, and many poems and short stories published over the years. Now that he is semi-retired, writing, once an avocation, has become a full time pursuit. He lives in the beautiful Monadnock region of New Hampshire with his wife, Margaret, their four special needs dogs, three cats, 2 rescued cockatiels and some chickens. The Jew's Harp, is his first novel.