Requiem for Barbara
A Novel
When Barbara dies, in Sydney Australia, her daughter Lora finds a series of hidden letters addressed to her estranged father, Ted.
Book Summary
Requiem for Barbara
When Barbara dies, in Sydney Australia, her daughter Lora finds a series of hidden letters addressed to her estranged father, Ted. Upon reading the letters, Lora realises that she never really knew Barbara, except as a mother. She uncovers family secrets, sad and hurtful lies and an array of fascinating people she never knew had made an impact on her mother’s life.
Spurred by these new facts and discoveries, Lora decides to travel to Europe, to her mother’s hometown. In a chance encounter she meets Davor-a world-famous, yet mysterious, figure who was the cause of both Barbara and Lora’s happiness and sadness, as these emotions emerge entangled, intertwined by his story and fascinating past.
The novel traverses Sydney, London and Düsseldorf, where the characters grapple with identity, belonging and how we find solace amongst life’s biggest challenges and questions.
What readers say about the book🧐
First of all, if you haven’t read Requiem for Barbara written by Branka Cubrilo, you absolutely must. The twist at the end caught me completely off guard, the writing was impeccable and the story between Barbara and Davor was heartbreaking and phenomenal. Second, I’ve never left a review before but I felt the need to say something about this beautiful and brilliant book. It left me feeling more emotions than I ever felt reading anything else. I sat quietly for a long time after I finished it trying to process what I was actually feeling. I settled on impressed, sad & happy. I refuse to say anything more because it is a must that you go into this book knowing as little as possible. Cynthia, Sydney
Cynthia555
About the Author
Branka Cubrilo
At the age of eighteen Branka Cubrilo wrote her first novel I Knew Jane Eyre, which won the Yugoslavian Young Writers Award in 1982. Soon after she wrote a sequel called Looking for Jane Eyre. In 1999 Branka published the book Fiume Corre – Rijeka Tece, a year later Requiem for Barbara and in 2001 Little Lies – Big Lies (as a part of a trilogy called Spanish Stories for which she obtained a scholarship from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to research the cultural and historical settings of Cadiz in Andalusia). The Lonely Poet and Other Stories is Branka’s third book published in English by Speaking Volumes, following her earlier novels The Mosaic of the Broken Soul (2011) and Fiume – The Lost River (2014). Branka’s latest novel Dethroned will be published with the same publisher in 2017. Branka has been living in Sydney with her daughter Althea since 1992. Now she predominantly writes in English and translates her earlier works in English. Praise for Branka Cubrilo 5-Star Reviews on Amazon.com
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When Barbara dies, in Sydney Australia, her daughter Lora finds a series of hidden letters addressed to her estranged father, Ted.