All that Lingers is a captivating, sweeping, family saga, set against the backdrop of WWII in Austria. The incredible lives and loves of three close friends will have you glued to the pages of this powerful, mesmerising story. A sweeping saga of love, friendship, loss and betrayal, very highly recommended with a big five stars rating.
--ChickLit Café Book Reviews
A standout among the many novels set in this world-changing era.
Novelist Wittig has a gift for character development and for pacing. She takes her time, raising this story to the deserved level of saga.
--Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review
Americans will readily find much to recognize in this story of the past. Highly recommended for readers of Jewish experience, World War II history, and family survival stories.
--D.Donovan, Senior Reviewer Midwest Book Review
Silver Medal for Historical Fiction, 2021 Global Book Awards
A strong and powerful novel. If you are a history buff, this is a must-read and if you just like a good family saga, then it is also a must-read. Irene Wittig has taken a time of war and brought it to life.
--Trudi LoPreto, ReadersFavorite Five Stars
This book offers a touching and powerful story to enjoy, while posing moral questions that can be reflected on long after the final page. The concept that the politically powerful can still remain in relative privilege and comfort, while a layperson feels the full force of the turmoil of political upheaval is poignant.
--Charlotte Walker, LoveReading.co.uk
It tells a tale of deceit, duplicity, death and long suffering, but more importantly, it's ultimately a story of love and redemption. While the narrative deals with the underbelly and ugliness of the human condition, she never allows the story devolve into angry screed..
--Paul Paolicelli, author of Dances With Luigi and Under the Southern Sun (St.Martin's Press)
Loved, loved this achingly beautiful book!
--Brenda C. Reviewer, NetGalley
Reading this saga of historical fiction provides more than any history class would reveal as it shares the different aspects of humanity from those who are motivated by power and greed to those that are motivated by caring and service to others.
--Ferne E.K. Reviewer, NetGalley
I recommend this book in particular for younger (teenage) readers who can learn about WWII through the fiction of friendship, escape, and love.
--Educator, Reviewer, NetGalley
About the Author
Irene Wittig was born in liberated Rome to a Viennese Jewish mother and Italian father, arrived in the U.S. via Austria and Argentina, and grew up in New York, in a neighborhood of Holocaust survivors and fellow Europeans displaced by war. After studying in New York, Germany and Maryland she worked for the Dept. of Defense in Washington, DC before moving to Naples, Italy where she lived for five years. Later, she and her husband spent six years in Switzerland. After twenty years as a ceramic painter and teacher, Irene turned to writing. She and her husband have two children and four grandchildren and live in Arlington, Virginia.
She very much appreciates readers' reviews. She can be contacted at
Irenewittigauthor@gmail.com or through her website all-that-lingers.com
