Choices

About the Book

Choices is the story of four unforgettable and very different individuals who are brought together as the horrors of the Second World War draw to a close.  Christina, with dark hair, dimpled cheeks, and shy smile was only 14 years old when her proud city of Krakow, Poland was invaded in September of 1939.  In an attempt to escape the advancing Russian Army, she flees with her parents, a younger sister, an aunt and an uncle in a restored three-engine aircraft.  Several hours into their treetop flight to the Swiss boarder, they experience the unbelievable and crash into an uncharted and unknown valley in the Alps.  Miraculously, Christina survives the accident.  Cared for and nurtured by shepherds, she gracefully matures into a remarkable and stunningly beautiful woman.                  

Marie had lost her family during the early days of the war and fled from her home in Latvia.  Only 24 years old at the time, and with her worldly possessions in her frail arms, Marie was cold, tired and near death when she found harbor and solace within the shattered walls of the only cloister in Prague, Czechoslovakia.  After overcoming her anger and spite, she vows to live a virtuous life while serving God and the children of the world.  Unexpectedly, Sister Marie is sent to an orphanage near Budapest, Hungary at the close of the war.  In an empty journal and with great detail, she begins to record the extraordinary events of the people and the world around her.  

Ivan, a 17-year-old soldier with the Russian Army had also lost his family and homeland to the totality of war.  Seeking asylum and waiting to be sent to the free country of Switzerland, he and Sister Marie meet at the rail station in Prague.  With different destinations, yet the same resolves, they board the train and begin new lives.  Within hours, however, their train stops for a brief period in Munich, Germany where they learn that they are suddenly prohibited from crossing the closed borders.  Unsure of their destinies, Sister Marie seeks the solitude of the nearest church where she learns of a forgotten valley in the Alps and a need to serve and teach the children of God.  Together, Ivan and Sister Marie leave a world of devastation and suffering and travel to a group of families and a valley that time had forgotten for more than 1,200 years.  

Josef, a native Austrian overwhelmed by the fighting and suffering of the war, chooses to volunteer and serve as a medic with the Allied forces as they advance across France and Germany.  When the war ends, he travels back to his homeland in the Alps and marries his only love, the girl who fell from the sky, Christina.  

More than 50 years pass when Andy and his German-born wife, Ulrika, purchase Sister Marie’s journal at a church flea market.  With cautiousness and bewilderment they read the stained entries on the thin and brittle pages and finally learn the truth about the lives of Marie, Ivan, Christine, Josef and quite surprisingly themselves.

About the Author

Lawrence A. Kacmarcik of Hubertus, Wisconsin, has truly created a masterpiece of personal conflict and suspense. His wife, Judy, their trust and faith in God, a passion for writing, combined with their extensive travels throughout Europe, are the inspirations for his first novel.