Jen’s 2024 Diversify Your Romance Challenge

This was a very fun seek-and-find, my hearts. I found us three romance books in translation—one from Spanish by a Mexican author, one from Turkish, and one from German. I’m going to attempt to read the German Kindle book while listening to the English audio—wish me luck! I’ll let you know how it goes.

As always, I welcome recommendations! What translated novels have you read—and into what language were they translated?

Neither Holland, My Heart nor When Ivy Met Adam have been translated into any other languages. But I’m open to it! If you’re a translator, let’s talk!

Week 11: Translated to English

Tears of Amber by Sofía Segovia, translated from Spanish by Simon Bruni, narrated by Will Damron & Angela Dawe

(A Kindle Unlimited Read and Listen for Free!)

From the bestselling author of The Murmur of Bees comes a transportive novel of two families uprooted by war and united by the bonds of love and courage.

With war looming dangerously close, Ilse’s school days soon turn to lessons of survival. In the harshness of winter, her family must join the largest exodus in human history to survive. As battle lines are drawn and East Prussia’s borders vanish beneath them, they leave their farm and all they know behind for an uncertain future.

But Ilse also has Janusz, her family’s young Polish laborer, by her side. As they flee from the Soviet army, his enchanting folktales keep her mind off the cold, the hunger, and the horrors unfolding around them. He tells her of a besieged kingdom in the Baltic Sea from which spill the amber tears of a heartbroken queen.

Neither of them realizes his stories will prove crucial and prophetic.

Not far away, trying and failing to flee from a vengeful army, Arno and his mother hide in the ruins of a Königsberg mansion, hoping that once the war ends they can reunite their dispersed family. But their stay in the walled city proves untenable when they find themselves dodging bombs and scavenging in the rubble. Soon they’ll become pawns caught between two powerful enemies, on a journey with an unknown destination.

Hope carries these children caught in the crosshairs of war on an extraordinary pilgrimage in which the gift of an amber teardrop is at once a valuable form of currency and a symbol of resilience, one that draws them together against insurmountable odds.

Last Train to Istanbul by Ayşe Kulin, translated from Turkish by John W. Baker, narrated by Sanjiv Jhaveri

(A Kindle Unlimited Read and Listen for Free!)

Born into privilege to one of the last Ottoman pashas, beautiful, spirited Selva is the brightest jewel in her father’s household - until she falls in love with Rafael Alfandari. Though Turkey has long been a safe haven for Jews, marriage between a high-ranking Muslim girl and a Jewish boy is strictly forbidden. Yet young love will not be denied, and Selva and Rafael defy their parents and marry, fleeing to Paris in hopes of a better life - only to find themselves trapped in the path of the invading Nazis.

But in the midst of darkness shines a beacon of hope: A handful of courageous Turkish diplomats, protected only by the tenuous neutrality of their homeland, hatch a daring plot to spirit the exiled lovers and hundreds of innocent Jews to safety. Together, they will traverse a war-torn continent, crossing enemy lines and risking everything in one last, desperate bid for freedom.

The Elephant Keeper's Daughter by Julia Drosten, translated from German by Deborah Langton, narrated by Deepa Samuel

(A Kindle Unlimited Read and Listen for Free!)

From the bestselling author of The Lioness of Morocco comes the beguiling novel of a young woman trapped between the expectations of her family and the desire to live free.

Ceylon, 1803. In the royal city of Kandy, a daughter is born to the king’s elephant keeper—an esteemed position in the court reserved only for males. To ensure the line of succession, Phera’s parents raise her as a boy.

As she bonds with her elephant companion, Siddhi, Phera grows into a confident, fiercely independent woman torn between the expectations of her family and her desire to live life on her own terms. Only when British colonists invade is she allowed to live her true identity, but when the conquerors commit unspeakable violence against her people, Phera must add survival to the list of freedoms for which she’s willing to fight.

Possessed by thoughts of revenge yet drawn into an unexpected romance with a kindly British physician, the elephant keeper’s daughter faces a choice: Love or hatred? Forgiveness or retribution?