David Brigden
“An important book. I was entrapped, found myself reading a few pages a night to better savour the descriptions of the land and the people but could not stop myself from reading the last 200 plus pages in one sitting. Good literature gives flesh to historical events. Chronicles of War & Love has given me a broader and deeper understanding of WWI and the Russian Revolution. It opened up to me the lives and circumstances of people in parts of Poland/Lithuania/St Petersburg caught up in the madness of others.”
- David Brigden, Sydney Lawyer
Carolyn Hartcher
“Thoroughly engrossed…Moving through this historic journey, the pieces of this artfully woven tapestry come together. Great work!”
- Carolyn Hartcher, teacher, Sydney
Halina Czernuszyn Robinson
“I finished reading the whole of Chronicles of War & Love in two days, even re-read parts, I just could not put it down (this has happened only a few times in my life). I was very much looking forward to this novel, expected the usual biographical…. but the book is particularly well written - the way the novel is structured, its background research and descriptions…”
- Halina Czernuszyn Robinson, Holocaust writer, Sydney
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Penelope Collet
“I have finished reading Chronicles of War & Love for the second time. A masterful work. Could hardly put the book down. I particularly liked Hempel’s use of dialogue to convey the historical and political events… Her characterisation of the women, how Wanda and Bronia grew from inexperienced and protected girls into strong young women, particularly struck me. Her male characters are also very credible. My second reading allowed me to linger... I gave it 5 stars on Amazon.”
- Penelope Collet, Art Historian, France
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Mark Blows
“Having become used to the daily company of Wanda, George and Co, I sadly have come to the end of Chronicles of War & Love. I am familiar with the flight of refugees, but Hempel brought the happy domestic events to life equally well (as Tolstoy did). I greatly enjoyed the novel. Thank you for it.”
- Mark Blows, psychologist, Sydney
Alison Richards
“The characters peopling Hempel’s narrative are dear to her and become real for us in a different way to those in other fiction. Knowing they are based on her own family history gives added meaning to the passionate engagement (she) puts into bringing them back to life.”
- Alison Richards, writer, theatre lecturer, Melbourne
Wojciech Dąbrowski
“Chronicles of War & Love fills in knowledge about parts of Eastern Europe that are neglected, lost in the rush of great events which have grabbed the attention of historians. Such a worthwhile read.”
- Wojciech Dąbrowski, Anthropologist, Warsaw University
Glen Dealy
“Bravo, bravisimo! Definitely a good read. With the imbalance of works about the Western and the Eastern Fronts, on every page I was finding out something I had never considered. As a typical U.S. political philosophy professor, I taught Marx and Lenin...knew a bit about Trotsky and Stalin, but never had any understanding of the context. Chronicles of War & Love paints the complexity of overlapping nationalisms, ethnicity, class and religion on the Eastern Front. I eagerly await Vol II.”
- Glen Dealy, Political Philosopher
Edna Szylkarsk
“I finished Chronicles of War & Love at 2 o’clock this morning, so engrossed...It will be a revelation to Australian readers who are quite ignorant of this subject. What a treasure, cleverly written. A great book!”
- Edna Szylkarski, Brisbane
Aleksandra Hądzelek
“Complex historical processes, especially the radicalisation of pre-revolutionary Russia, have been made accessible through the dialogue-based narrative, helping the reader connect emotionally with the characters. I can see the book becoming the screenplay of a successful movie.”
- Aleksandra Hądzelek, International Studies, University of Technology Sydney
Marina Campbell
“I get only snatches at night, but the last few nights I have hurried to bed to pick up the story where I left off. The dreadful panic and division of families in Poland- Lithuania-Russia: very touching, very painful. It will be on my ‘to read’ recommendation list for my next tour of the Baltics and Russia.”
- Marina Campbell, teacher of Russian, University of Sydney
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Ekaterina Gaevskaya
“Just as War and Peace captures an entire period, Chronicles of War & Love is a story of intensely individualised people caught up in historical transition…brilliantly portrayed.”
- Ekaterina Gaevskaya, translator, Moscow
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.