THE DREAM LIVES ON
by
Valeriya Goffe
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Women's Fiction
Publisher: Next Chapter
Publication Date: February 7, 2025
Page count: 267 pages
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SYNOPSIS:
As
war rages in Ukraine, Viktor Yurchenko flees to the United States together with
his three young kids and an elderly mother.
All
he is looking for is a refuge for his family; falling in love is the last thing
he expects on the other side of the Atlantic. What’s more, he would have never
guessed that his journey could help his relatives connect the dots in a
decades-old family mystery.
Teresa
Jameson, a top executive in an international company, has lived for sixteen
years in a seemingly happy marriage. Or maybe she just closed her eyes too
often and refused to face the reality?
As
ample cracks start to show, she needs to dig deep into her soul. Will she look
away just one more time, or give the new relationship a chance to flourish?
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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:
Viktor got to
the railway station exactly two hours before the train to Warsaw was supposed
to depart. It was sufficient time, but he quickly realized that getting on the
train was not going to be easy. In fact, it was nothing short of an ultimate
test of endurance and desire to live.
By now, the
train station was flooded with millions of people desperately trying to get out
of the capital before the Russian army got closer. Getting on the train was
free, but trains were extremely scarce—which meant that a huge, shapeless crowd
of people moved around the platform from train to train in hopes of landing a
seat. Many people didn’t have a particular destination in mind and simply
wanted to get on one of the trains going to Western Ukraine or Poland.
It’s going to
be a total nightmare getting on this train, Viktor said to himself. He squeezed
his hands into fists and looked over their motley group: three young kids, each
holding a small suitcase; a frail elderly woman with a bad ankle; a cockatoo in
a large cage; two frightened-to-death dogs with fluffed-up fur and tails
between their legs; and a middle-aged university professor who had spent most
of his life with his nose stuck in a book. Not an athlete. Not a hero.
They were at an
obvious disadvantage compared to many other families who gathered at the
platform. Nevertheless, they had to try. Fight their way onto the train.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Valeriya Goffe was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine and spent most
of her adult life in the USA. She resides in Washington DC together with her
husband, Bill, and a nine-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. You can often find
their family golfing, playing tennis or hiking at the Rock Creek Park. They are
also frequent visitors at the Jekyll Island, one of the Georgia’s incredible
Golden Isles.
Valeriya’s daytime job involves writing analytical reports and
managing complex financial sector projects at a large international
organization. Previously, she worked in financial services consulting, auditing
and in academia. Valeriya holds a PhD degree in finance from the Kyiv National
University of Economics in Ukraine and an MBA degree from Kogod School of
Business, American University in Washington DC. She is also a Chartered
Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder and a member of the Accounting Advisory
Board at the Kogod School of Business. Valeriya enjoys learning foreign
languages. She is trilingual in English, Russian, Ukrainian and also speaks
French and Spanish.
While she finds her business career quite rewarding, Valeriya’s
life would not be complete without creative writing. She writes a travel and
family blog, and she published her debut fiction novel, Secrets We Keep, in
2024.
Valeriya’s writing is very closely intertwined with travel, from
which she gets many of her plots and characters. Over the years, she has
visited many countries in America, Africa, Middle East, Europe, and Asia. No
matter where she goes, she manages to find some interesting stories which need
to be shared with the readers. These stories eventually end up on her travel
blog or in one of her books. Africa in particular has left a large imprint on
Valeriya’s life and given her a lot of inspiration. She has also been quite
lucky to explore the countries of Central Asia which are rich in historical
heritage, natural beauty and also interesting personalities. Some of these
adventures will be reflected in her future books.
REVIEW
5 stars!
Family secrets, a tense journey to safety, and hope for the
future.
The Dream Lives On is a wonderful tale of adventure,
romance, and family secrets that will seize the interest and warm the hearts of
fiction lovers. As war comes to Ukraine, widower Viktor Yurchenko leaves his
homeland for the safety of the United States with his large family, including
three young children and his elderly mother.
Viktor, a professor of finance at the local university, must
put his personal desires to enlist in the military and defend his country from
the Russian attacks; he’s the single father of three young children and the
caretaker of his elderly mother, who has recently begun to decline physically.
In the U.S., what Teresa Jameson thought was her happy family suddenly
disintegrated when her husband of 16 years left her for the mother of his
secret teenage daughter. In a surprising turn of events, Teresa agrees to open
her home to a friend’s Ukrainian relatives fleeing the war, even as her shock
and misery threaten to overtake her.
The plot is riveting and well-paced as the various
storylines converge. Long-held family secrets and plot twists galvanized the ensuing
drama and kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering how things would work out
and what could possibly happen next.
The author’s writing style and vivid descriptions make the
scenes come frighteningly alive, such as the family’s journey to escape
separation and the destruction of war and Maria and Olena’s scramble to get to
safety when Kyiv comes under the attack of Russian forces. However, quieter
scenes between characters are equally effective and, at times, intense, with emotions
that leap off the page.
With its frighteningly authentic portrayal of a country at
war, exciting plot, and relatable and resilient characters stuck in the middle
of it all, I recommend THE DREAM LIVES ON to readers of fiction, historical
fiction, romance, and war-time stories.
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
Valeriya
Goffe will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
Thank you so much for featuring and reviewing THE DREAM LIVES ON today.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting book.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your review of my book! I’m glad you enjoyed the novel.
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