Announcing my new novel, Klara's Journey, out in June!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jim Schuete (503) 888-4624, news@marionstreetpress.com

Marion Street Press to Publish Klara’s Journey 

Author Ben G. Frank’s first novel tells the story of the journey of a 17-year-old-girl  who must travel alone across Siberia just after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.

 

The novel, Frank’s fifth published book, is entitled Klara’s Journey, and will be published in June. “We’re thrilled to have this engrossing book as part of our Spring list,” said Jim Schuette, publisher of Marion Street Press, located in Portland, OR.  Some recent Marion Street Press books include Favorite Words of Famous People by Lewis Burke Frumkes, The Book of the Poor by Kenan Heise, and A Tribute to Teachers by Dr. Richard Lederer.

 

A gripping account of the Russian Civil War and its consequences, Klara’s Journey introduces an unforgettable heroine. As civil war looms, an argument ensues in the Jewish home of the Rasputnis’ over who should make the long trek to Canada to find their father. He left Odessa for work in Winnipeg to send money for the family to join him, but no one has heard from him in months. Despite objection from her ambitious older brother, it is 17-year-old Klara who is nominated for this impossible task. Leaving Moscow on the newly built Trans-Siberian railway she confronts threadbare armies, famished beggars, violent protesters, and her own hunger, but defies the odds when she meets a young soldier who offers her protection. Painstakingly researched, this vivid portrait exposes the violence of the time and explains why many Russian Jews left for America—all within the realm of an adventurous and enduring love story. A brief historical and political synopsis of the events around Klara's travels is provided at the beginning of each chapter.

Frank, a noted Jewish travel writer, traveled through Russia and the Ukraine, Siberia and the Russian Far East, China and Japan, as well as Canada, before writing this historical novel.

 

The telling of the story, the secrets of the Rasputnis family, the deadly struggles of a young girl to find her father, the characters who seek fulfillment in overcoming jealousy and sibling rivalry, make Klara’s Journey, a read about human destiny.

 

About The Author

Ben G. Frank’s previous books include The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti and Beyond, (Globe Pequot Press); A Travel Guide to Jewish Europe, 3 editions; A Travel Guide to Jewish Russia and Ukraine; A Travel Guide to the Jewish Caribbean and South America (all Pelican Publishing Company). His books have been cited and reviewed in the New York Times, Kirkus Reviews, Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, Associated Press, Pittsburgh Press, Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post, and Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. His travel articles have appeared in national newspapers and magazines, as well as Jewish publications.

About the Book:

Klara’s Journey: A Novel

ISBN 9781936863471

Pub Date: June 1, 2013

http://bit.ly/WyVSWq

336 pages, paperback original

$17.95 (CAN $16.95)

Distributed by Independent Publishers Group

Also Available as an eBook