My local bookstore owner recommended it, and she never steers me wrong. Brooks creates unforgettable characters as she leapfrogs from present day Sarajevo to World War Two to 19th century Vienna...and ultimately to 15th century Spain and the Conviviencia, a Golden Age where Jews, Muslims and Christians lived in peace and learned from one another. There's an international "thriller" aspect to this novel as well as the uncovering of a family secret undermining a complex mother-daughter relationship. But above all, Brooks offers us a rich portrayal of the interweaving of Eastern and Western cultures around the Mediterranean that have created the world of strife we live in today, and she shows us the hope of a new Conviviencia based on our shared love of our common artistic heritage. Fantastic!