I loved my native city, but how I longed to escape, to go to America - a land full of eligible men... Twenty-something Daria is an intelligent, bilingual secretary who should have her pick of the men in Odessa - except that the only men who are making advances are a dashing mafia gangster and her boss. Fearful that she'll be fired for refusing to sleep her way to the top, she decides to moonlight at Soviet UnionsT, an international marriage broker. But as she bridges the language gap between Odessan beauties and lonely American men she wonders if she will ever escape the trappings of Ukrainian life and find true love. When she intercepts a message from a mild-mannered teacher, e-mails fly back and forth across the Atlantic. Daria soon finds herself much closer to the American dream than she had ever imagined, but will the charms of California prove to be more irresistible than all that she is prepared to leave behind? WINNER OF THE MELISSA NATHAN AWARD FOR COMEDY ROMANCE

Moonlight in Odessa

Literature & Fiction

Skeslien Charles, Janet

Literary

Bloomsbury Paperbacks

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian meets Desperate Housewives in this exploration of the booming business of Russian e-mail-order brides, an industry where love and marriage collide with sex and commerce. Odessa, Ukraine, is the humor capital of the former Soviet Union, but in an upside-down world where waiters earn more than doctors and Odessans depend on the Mafia for basics like phone service and medical supplies, no one is laughing. After months of job hunting, Daria, a young engineer, finds a plum position at a foreign firm as a secretary. But every plum has a pit. In this case, it's Mr. Harmon, who makes it clear that sleeping with him is job one. Daria evades Harmon's advances by recruiting her neighbor, the slippery Olga, to be his mistress. But soon Olga sets her sights on Daria's job. 
Daria begins to moonlight as an interpreter at Soviet Unions(TM), a matchmaking agency that organizes "socials" where lonely American men can meet desperate Odessan women. Her grandmother wants Daria to leave Ukraine for good and pushes her to marry one of the men she meets, but Daria already has feelings for a local. She must choose between her world and America, between Vlad, a sexy, irresponsible mobster, and Tristan, a teacher nearly twice her age. Daria chooses security and America. Only it's not exactly what she thought it would be… 
A wry, tender, and darkly funny look at marriage, the desires we don't acknowledge, and the aftermath of communism, Moonlight in Odessa is a novel about the choices and sacrifices that people make in the pursuit of love and stability.

Moonlight in Odessa: A Novel

United States

Bloomsbury USA

In Odessa, Ukraine, Daria, a whip-smart engineer, spends her days underemployed as a secretary―a job she was lucky to get in this rotten economy. She spends her evenings moonlighting as an interpreter at an agency that matches lonely American men with beautiful-but-broke Ukrainian women. She spends her nights wondering if there is more. When an American client offers marriage and a one-way ticket out of poverty, Daria jumps at the chance. She soon learns there's a reason that her husband couldn't find a wife in America, and that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the world. The perfect book for anyone who's ever been stuck in a dead-end job or relationship, Moonlight in Odessa is an exploration of language, culture, and the difficult choices we make in the pursuit of love and stability.

Une soif de livres et de liberté

LATTES

Una historia de valentía y traición basada en las vicisitudes de los trabajadores de la Biblioteca Americana de París en la Segunda Guerra Mundial.\nParís, 1939. La joven Odile Souchet lo tiene todo: un atractivo novio oficial de policía y un trabajo de ensueño en la Biblioteca Americana de París. Pero cuando estalla la guerra y los nazis marchan sobre París, Odile se expone a perder todo lo que le importa, incluida su querida biblioteca. Sabe que en los momentos difíciles los templos de la cultura peligran porque los libros contienen palabras e ideas prohibidas que deben destruirse. Odile no puede permitir que eso suceda: debe salvar esas páginas, de modo que puedan nutrir la mente de quien llegue después. Junto con sus compañeros, se une a la Resistencia y pone el centro a disposición de los judíos: expulsados de sus casas, tras los libros se sienten seguros, y Odile los defenderá cueste lo que cueste.\nENGLISH DESCRIPTION\nAn instant New York Times, Washington Post, and USA TODAY bestseller—based on the true story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris during World War II—The Paris Library is a moving and unforgettable “ode to the importance of libraries, books, and the human connections we find within both” (Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author).\nParis, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet seems to have the perfect life with her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into the city, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.\nMontana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.\n“A love letter to Paris, the power of books, and the beauty of intergenerational friendship” (Booklist), The Paris Libraryshows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest places.

La biblioteca de París / The Paris Library (Spanish Edition)

Salamandra

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Skeslien Charles, Janet. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Skeslien Charles, Janet

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Skeslien Charles, Janet. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Moonlight in Odessa

Moonlight in Odessa: A Novel

Moonlight in Odessa: A Novel

Une soif de livres et de liberté

La biblioteca de París / The Paris Library (Spanish Edition)