From the author of The Door, a beloved coming-of-age tale set in
WWII-era Hungary.
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Abigail, the story of a headstrong teenager growing up during World
War II, is the most beloved of Magda Szabó's books in her native
Hungary. Gina is the only child of a general, a widower who has long
been happy to spoil his bright and willful daughter. Gina is devastated
when the general tells her that he must go away on a mission and that he
will be sending her to boarding school in the country. She is even more
aghast at the grim religious institution to which she soon finds herself
consigned. She fights with her fellow students, she rebels against her
teachers, finds herself completely ostracized, and runs away. Caught and
brought back, there is nothing for Gina to do except entrust her fate to
the legendary Abigail, as the classical statue of a woman with an urn
that stands on the school's grounds has come to be called. If you're in
trouble, it's said, leave a message with Abigail and help will be on the
way. And for Gina, who is in much deeper trouble than she could possibly
suspect, a life-changing adventure is only beginning.
There is something of Jane Austen in this story of the deceptiveness of
appearances; fans of J.K. Rowling are sure to enjoy Szabó's picture of
irreverent students, eccentric teachers, and boarding-school life. Above
all, however, Abigail is a thrilling tale of suspense.
