Book II of The Prophecy
by
In the fall of 1928, Nicolai Kota leads a Roma caravan into a community in eastern Germany for the annual fair, where they expect to display their talents. When nine-year-old Punita is attacked, the Kota family makes the difficult decision to leave her in the care of a relative.
While the caravan resumes its cyclical travels through Europe, Punita remains with Nicolai's cousin to attend school. It's six long years before the caravan returns. Punita is now a young woman in love, dreaming of marriage. However, when her beloved receives orders to serve in the youth army for a year, that dream must be delayed.
Just days later, danger descends, and each family from the caravan flees for their lives. Nicolai, his wife Rosalee, and Punita set out for the safety of Amsterdam. But on the way, Nicolai is trapped and sent to the concentration camp at Dachau. Punita and Rosalee are forced to embark upon a sea voyage to Amsterdam without him.
In Amsterdam, Punita and her mother are welcomed by family friends, but even there tragedy awaits. To survive, Punita sets up an unusual business in the Red Light District.
Together, The Crest, The Emerald and The Destiny tell of the challenges and changes that external forces place on everyday people, who must rise above their own expectations to meet family obligations and responsibilities-no matter how reluctant they may be to do so. They provide the reader with an opportunity to consider life from an alternate perspective.
“Then you must take this,” Rosalee said, lifting her own hair and reaching behind to release the clasp of the golden necklace that always hung from her neck. The weight of the large emerald dangling from the chain dropped away from her.
“My mother gave me this the day she died. As every mother before her has done. It is yours now,” she said, fastening it below Punita’s braid.
“No Mama!” Punita shrieked. “You’re not dying! You mustn’t remove it!”
"The Emerald: Book II of The Prophecy by Jerena Tobiasen is the story of the Kota family saga lasting over 70 years. There is joy, sorrow, death, life, tears, and laughter and we are able to share in it all. The Emerald is a long read, but it was hard to put down and only took a few days because I read as often and as long as I could. The characters were all so real and their story matched what we know historically very accurately. This is the second book in the series. I did not read book one but at no time did I feel like I could not understand what was going on and I certainly plan to read the final book. The Emerald by Jerena Tobiasen is a book you must read."
