Goddess Fish Promotions Presents

Stars Maintain Their Glow
by M G da Mota

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A mystery – the theft of a precious book. A disappearance without a trace. Three women, three very different destinies, all entwined in time and circumstance.

Maria Eduarda, a mixed-race beauty born into the elite of Portuguese aristocracy, who is reaching adulthood during World War II, in neutral Portugal, in its capital – a melting pot for refugees, the displaced, spies, diplomats and opportunists.

Hertha, born into German farming stock, destined to endure the terrible privations of war as a young child.

Valeria, a child born of a much later generation, who brings the two together.

And a man, Gerald Neale, English diplomat, and spy, devastatingly handsome, fluent in Portuguese but a not-so-nice guy, the shadow behind Eduarda and Hertha.

Stars Maintain Their Glow is the story of two exceptional women whose lives were impacted by social conventions of the time, war and men’s privileges. Their story is gradually revealed through the words of Valeria – her promise to Hertha to complete the book that Hertha felt she could not.

5 out of 5

This was a complex historical fiction, set primarily in WWII, and taking place mainly in Portugal and Germany. Although the blurb speaks of three women’s lives, there’s really a two during the war, the third in the mix – the narrator relating those two extraordinary lives, and whose life would not have been the same without their actions long before she was born. You’re drawn in with a personal anecdote by the narrator, making the story feel more like the promise of a fictional biography, but quickly morphing into something more akin to a poignant, and eventually gut-wrenching work of historical fiction. Soon the story adds a touch of mystery, the layers of which are only slowly and painstakingly peeled back as you dive in deeper. If you enjoy complex historical fiction that will draw you in with a literary vibe, then expertly plays with varying tones throughout while bringing everything vividly to life, you need to read this!

Gertrud stared at the root vegetables on the table. At least there would be something a little different. Indeed a treat. Hertie’s teacher was right. 

Jutta, her younger sister, entered the kitchen, holding the tips of her apron where she carried a handful of potatoes.

Placing the potatoes in the sink to wash she said, ‘if this situation goes on, the potatoes won’t last until Christmas. There are still plenty in the cellar but if we don’t start rationing now and no food becomes available to buy we’ll have miserable holidays.’

‘I know,’ Gertrud replied, ‘I’ve been squeezing my brains out but I don’t know what to do. At least today, we’ll have a slightly better meal,’ she pointed at the root vegetables, ‘Hertie won them at school. She wrote the best work.’

Jutta smiled. ‘Lovely. The soup will be tastier.’

‘Yes,’ Gertrud paused, as if gathering courage, then said, ‘you think we should leave, Jutta?’

‘Leave where?’

‘I don’t know. I met our neighbour Hilde yesterday. She said she didn’t care what the orders from the army or the government were, she was leaving with her little girl. She doesn’t want to be here when the Russians arrive.’

‘Nonsense. The Russians won’t come this far. Hilde always was a scaremonger.’

‘That’s what I think too. But sometimes when you start listening to other people…’

‘Then don’t listen, Gertrud,’ her sister interrupted her.

‘You’re right. Besides if we tried to leave we could be caught and sent to prison or worse, shot for treason.’

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M G da Mota is Margarida Mota-Bull’s pen name for fiction. She is a Portuguese-British novelist with a love for classical music, ballet and opera. Under her real name she also writes reviews of live concerts, CDs, DVDs and books for two classical music magazines on the web: MusicWeb International and Seen and Heard International. She is a member of the UK Society of Authors, speaks four languages and lives in Sussex with her husband. Her website, called flowingprose.com, contains photos and information.

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