Focused on the period between the wars (1927-1939), A CRUEL CALM, (these words taken from a poem by James Joyce) visits an era of innovation on all levels when Paris was the cultural capital of the world. With Charles Lindbergh, James Joyce, Coco Chanel, Gertrude Stein, Joseph Campbell, Hemingway, Picasso, e e cummings, Amelia Earhart and Besse Coleman, my historical fiction, which took 15 years to research and write, depicts both history and the protagonist's poignant pursuit of love.
Although the era of Paris between the wars was a showcase of artistic, technological and cultural dynamism and change, other forces were at work. One Great War had ended. Its tragedy was obvious visually and emotionally. The next 'great war', however, was simmering, drawing strength from issues unresolved by the first conflict.
Lindbergh closed the gap between two great powers, the European and the United States, by flying solo across the Atlantic. Aviation was enjoying its golden age, a positive legacy of the war.
The Catholic Church, however, sunk its heels in tradition. While individuals anguished, the Church was unrelenting in its stance toward annulments. This is the story of one of those individuals, my mother, and her quest.