Joanna Hempel, author.

"This novel is worth filming. The period of World War I and the recovery of Poland’s independence after 123 years of being wiped off the map of Europe, as well as the description of the life of the nobility under Russian rule, is very rarely depicted in our literature, which makes this novel even more desirable. I impatiently await Volume II."

— Wojciech Wojnarowski, Facebook

“The author from the first page to the last informs us how much is still to be said about Polish/Russian/Lithuanian relations. The novel reveals the perseverance and rebellion in the name of Independent Poland.”

— Granice.pl

"It's hard to break away from this work that so vividly intertwines great history with human fates. This novel touches the heart. I am entranced!"

— Barbara Wysoczanska, author of the best-seller A Nazi's Fiancée

“Great stories demand great narration. They are nothing without full-blooded heroes who love, yearn, fear and fight. Joanna Hempel does not allow her ancestors to fade in photograph albums. She shows them as they are tested, weaving their trials into an enormous tapestry of European history. If you want to understand the Eastern Front during the First World War — this is the only way! It is impossible to stop reading."

— Tomasz Kosiorek, journalist, psychologist,
Polish Radio