Péter Gárdos

I struggled with how to properly convey my thoughts about this book.

"Fever at Dawn" is a fictionalized account about the love story of author Peter Gardos's parents, Miklos and Lili, who are both Holocaust survivors. After being liberated from their separate concentration camps, Miklos and Lili are each taken to Sweden where they are sent to recuperate in hospitals. Miklos learns that having survived the Nazis, he has developed a virulent tuberculosis which will claim his life in 6 months or less. Deciding he has no time to lose, Miklos begins a letter writing campaign to introduce himself all the displaced Hungarian Jewish women in Sweden, which is how he meets Lili.

While their real-life story deserves 5 stars, the book doesn't quite measure up. There were moments of whimsy, humor, and at times a feeling of hope, but in general the book felt choppy and dull. Originally written in Hungarian, it seems that something -- the language, tone, or flow -- was lost in translation.

2.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)

In 1945, after having been freed from a concentration camp, the 25-year-old Hungarian man, Miklós is being treated at a Swedish hospital. The doctors diagnose him with a severe lung disease and tell him that he has no more than six months to live. But he refuses to give up, wants to find a wife with whom he can start a new life, and sends letters to 117 Hungarian girls who are also being treated in Sweden. One of the girls is 19-year-old Lili, who likes Miklós's letter, and they start corresponding. Based on the novel: Fever at Dawn. (fonte: imdb)… (meer)

Svédország, 1945. Országszerte koncentrációs táborokból szabadult embereket ápolnak. Ilyen a huszonöt éves Miklós, akit újra halálra ítélnek: az orvos hat hónapot ad neki. De Miklós élni akar! Levelet ír hát 117 magyar lánynak, akiket szintén Svédországban rehabilitálnak, és feleséget keres, hogy új életet kezdhessen. Kedves Nóra, kedves Erzsébet, kedves Lili, kedves Zsuzsa, kedves Sára, kedves Szeréna, kedves Ágnes, kedves Giza, kedves Baba, kedves Katalin... Reggeltől estig ír - levelet, verset, cikket -, fordít, a hazai híreket lesi és várja a gyógyulást. És hamarosan rátalál az igazira. Mint aki megtáltosodott, úgy sodorja magával a tizenkilenc éves Lilit, hogy legyőzve szorongásait és kísértő álmait, nekiinduljon ő is új életük, az igazi élet felépítésének. (fonte: port.hu)… (meer)