Fraternity-Testvériség, 2005 (83. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2005-07-01 / 3. szám
Page 8 Fraternity- Testvériség An HRFA’s Author A Review of a Book Authored by HRFA Member By Kathy A. Megyeri When Roses Bloom By Eva Bode I have a confession to make. I’ve never before read a romance novel, but when I dis- I covered that Eva Bode, wife of Frank Kapitan of Branch 300, I had recently published WHEN j ROSES BLOOM, my curiosity I was peaked enough to want to The Author: Eva Bode read and review it. And was I ever pleasantly surprised! Set in what is the Okanagan Valley in Central British Columbia, it contains spectacular scenery near the towns of Vernon and Kelowna and a ski resort. The book is the story of Georgina, a middle-aged, attractive and happily married woman, who is forced to confront the death of her beloved spouse following a freak accident. The book examines Georgina’s determination to get on with her life and find love again, but she must also grapple with a business plan of creating a bed and breakfast inn and deal with the jealousy of a woman who also competes with the affections of a new man in her life, all at the same time she comes to terms with the memories of her first most perfect spouse. Georgina’s support system— her cats and her sister-in-law and her husband—are her bedrock of advice and comfort in this saga of “love, the second time around.” Author Eva has an uncanny knack for description—of gardens, clothes, entertaining, and especially, scenery. Her metaphors sing. For example, in this scene of mystical tranquility, Eva portrays a setting that is “joyful yet melancholic”: The mountains loomed dark against an indigo horizon mixed with hues of white, gray, and gold. Slowly an orange ball peeped over the moun- taintops to cast its glorious rays on the Valley. Soon the eastern mountainsides were bathed in a gold- orange glow while the western slopes remained dark and gloomy. Balls of mist danced above the smooth waters, floating, gyrating, until they disappeared into thin air. It was a surrealistic, magical setting—an awakening of another day. (p. 175) And she describes a winter snow scene with the same intensity: The winter wonderland was crunchy, cold and blustery. A crisp wind was blowing the powdery snow off the tree branches and the sun was trying to break through the clouds, giving the pine covered slopes a half light of brilliant gold, causing eyes to water from the eerie brightness, (p. 279) But Eva is just as adept at conveying emotions, so essential to the success of any romance novel. Georgina almost drives her new-found love away as she comes to grips with her own feelings of remorse and repeatedly attempts to cross the threshold into a new life. Author Eva aptly captures the almost universal fear of change and of taking risks in her description of Georgina’s dilemma. She realized that her emphasized loyalty to Bill and her sense of guilt were excuses to hide from her own fears of venturing into something new and different. She had such a beautiful marriage with Bill that she was afraid, afraid of failure, afraid to take a chance, afraid that she might fail the second time, afraid that her life with Peter wouldn’t be perfect. But then had her life with Bill been perfect? Everything was relative. As a former English teacher who never progressed beyond essay writing, I know how difficult it is to create a plot line that carries a story within a setting composed of believable characters and realistic speech patterns. But Eva pulls it off so competently that the reader knows there’s either a sequel or another book in her, perhaps even about Georgina, whom the reader grows rather fond of by the story’s end. The writing of WHEN ROSES BLOOM took almost two years, although frequent interruptions of travel delayed Eva’s completion date. Currently, she is writing a story about love betrayed and its consequences. Her other planned project is to write a story about her relationship with her husband Frank and to place it in a Hungarian context, as far back as the ‘56 Hungarian Revolution. Hopefully, we can celebrate its publication date next year when the ’56 Anniversary Commemoration ceremonies convene. Eva called this book WFIEN ROSES BLOOM because the main character, Georgina, loves her roses, and she associates important events in her life
