Only The Beautiful by Susan Meissner

 

Publisher: Berkley

On Sale Date: April 18 2023

Pages: 400

I reviewed a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley.com

The story of Only The Beautiful starts in California in 1938, where sixteen year old Rosanne works as a maid at the lush vineyard of the Calvert family. Years ago, Rosanne's parents and brother lived on the vineyard, where her dad was a vinedresser. But then the terrible accident made Rosanne and orphan, and she was taken in by Celine and Truman Calvert, to live there and also to work as a housemaid for them. But now, she finds herself kicked out of their home, and in the car of a social worker who brings her to a special care home for unwed mothers and  psychiatric unstable people, only because Truman raped her in a drunken mood against her will, and now she is expecting a baby. her baby is taken away from her after it is born and send to an orphanage. And they knew about the colors that Rosanne sees. Everything in her life makes her see colors. Every sound and numbers makes her see colors, She promised her mother she’d never reveal her little-understood ability to anyone, but Truman told Celine, and now, in the psychiatric facility , she is treated as if she is insane.  When she is finally released after, she  starts a life of her her own with succes 

Years later, after the war Truman's sister Helen, who was good friends with Rosanne, returns to California to the home of Celine and Truman. During the war years, she worked at the home of an Austrian family, but during the war, tragic events regarding the little daughter who had a physical disability and was taken away by the Nazi's. She returns at Celine's home to learn that Rosanne has gone, and Truman is dead.Then she learns what happened to Rosanne, and how that connects to the tragic events she witnessed in Austria. She is determined to find Rosanne, and her little niece Amaryllis..

This is a book that truly blows you off your feet. I have read several previous books by Susan Meissner, but this is my absolute favorite. The story is so deep, layered, orginal and unlike anything I've read in years. The book is set in two parts, half from Rosanne's point of view, the Helen's point of view, from both characters it alternate in chapters between the past and present time. The pysch ward where Rosanne ends up is just horrific. From day one she is sedated because the doctor there thinks she is crazy, and ofcourse everyone does this with ''just her best interest at heart'' , even when they sterilize the women that live there without their consent.(that truly gave me the cold chills) but Rosanne is strong,determined to come out of it and she does, and slowly makes a life of her own, which was much more difficult for a woman alone during that time period.

Rosanne's story and marked as ''crazy'' resonates with Helen's story, and this is why Helen wants to find her and her little daughter no matter what. The child she was the nanny of was taken away during the  horrific nazi 'aktion t4'', which took mentally and physical children out of their home and schools, without the parent's knowledge often to be put away at closed '''hospitals'' Parents never saw their child again. Helen's search for Rosanne is long and difficult, but I truly liked how everything ended up for Helen and Rosanne.

Overall this is a jewel of a book!!