The Third Generation

This novel takes the reader from contemporary Vienna to Melbourne, from the survivors of the Holocaust to the generations that follow. It is the story of a woman's self-discovery, her growing inner strength, and her understanding of her past.

Ella is Jewish, born in the 1960's in Leopoldstadt, once a ghetto in Vienna, but has no sense of her background. Her undemonstrative mother is unwilling to talk about the past and her father, a survivor of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, died shortly after her birth. Locked in an unsatisfying marriage to Richard, and with few ties to the wider society, she finds comfort in Vienna's welcoming cafs and in a long-term love affair with her childhood non-Jewish sweetheart, geologist Luke.

When Richard is offered a promotion in Australia, she reluctantly joins him with their youngest son. In the outer suburbs of Melbourne, she struggles to find her footing in the dissimilar culture. To cope with her turmoil, she drifts back to her scattered memories and attempts to weave them together. She decides to sell her mother's old home in Leopoldstadt to developers and when demolishers find a portfolio of her father's paintings in the study, one painting is thought to be valuable. This discovery will shape her future.

Meanwhile, on the death of his mother, a horrified Luke discovers documents revealing his grandparents' roles as guards in a concentration camp. His guilt leads him to immerse himself in the study of Judaism and later, to even considers conversion. During a visit to an Australian university to present a paper on geoscience, Ella and Luke meet and he tells her of his guilt.

The Third Generation is a gripping story of one woman's heritage; a discovery to pass onto her children what she believes is rightfully theirs.

About the Author:
Joan Zawatzky was born in South Africa. After completing her studies, first in art and then in psychology, she moved to Australia, where she worked for many years as a counselling psychologist. Though painting remained a hobby, she decided to try her hand at writing. She wrote There's a Light at the End of the Tunnel, to help her clients overcome depression. The Scent of Oranges, her first novel, is set in South Africa and was shortlisted for the Australian Books Alive Programme in 2007. Recently she began writing full-time. The Elephant's Footprint and The Third Generation are her recent novels. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and their Siamese cat.

Praise for the Scent of Oranges:
"The elegance of Joan Zawatzky's writing is a big part of what makes this story so memorable and delightful. Her words flowed right through me and led me into a story so full of life, nature and relationships. I never wanted it to end." Ashley Merril, Front Street Review.
"The Scent of Oranges by Joan Zawatzky is the first book I've read by this author but hope to read more. Right away I was transported to South Africa. I could picture everything that Linda saw as if ...