The Other Side of the Meadow by Mira Stanis³awska-Meysztowicz

The Other Side of the Meadow is a sweeping epic saga of betrayal and twists of fate, overlaid with subtle undertones of paranormal intervention. Spanning four generations of women, two world wars, and the communist takeover of Poland, this stunning novel ultimately proves one undeniable fact of life: True love never dies. Emilia, Daisy, Bella, and Fleur are distinctive women living in different eras. Their family line crosses a period of unsurpassed change in the world. Even as social customs, an evolving political landscape, and sweeping advances in technology forever rewrite history, the most important change for these four women is the coming of freedom for the fairer sex. Each woman is willful, visionary, and exudes a passion for life and for love. They are risk takers, determined to live with dignity and "to thine own self be true." The story begins in the early 1900s, when Emilia defies her father’s wishes to marry the wealthy but disgusting old Baron Dalnoff, while relinquishing her true love in a desperate bid to flee her homeland. The novel ends with her great-granddaughter, Fleur. Each woman wears the same family cross that binds their fates together. Far from passively submitting to destiny, an unbroken chain of love follows the generations as they come to discover that through tragedy and triumph the link between them is stronger than their bloodline. It is in their soul.