Tibo Krobic, respetable y admirado alcalde de una remota localidad del Mar Báltico, se enamora de su secretaria Agathe Stopack, una mujer casada pero con graves problemas en su matrimonio. Ambos son almas solitarias necesitadas de amor. Pero Tibo es un hombre demasiado romántico y soñador, que no termina de dar el paso, y Agathe se cansa de esperar y entabla una relación formal con Hektor, primo de su marido, un hombre violento… Aun así Tibo no desistirá en su empeño de conseguir a Agathe.

I hate books that don’t give a when, where and the how is only possible via magic> ( )

A disappointing, overly long, romantic tale. Elements of magic realism which didn't enhance the story for me. Glad to finish and out it goes. ( )

I'm not sure I 'like' how things worked out. ?�This is def. not a Harlequin or Hollywood romance. ?áTo understand why all the characters made all those choices, a reader needs a book club discussion,?áa savoring of the help the author does provide in the narration,?áand an investigation of symbolism and themes. ?áIt's not *L*iterary and inaccessibly pretentious, don't get me wrong, but it's not just an easy fun read, either. ?áI'm sure there's plenty I missed, but there's also plenty I appreciated.

For example, I'm sure there's a reason that the author made the lawyer comically morbidly obese. ?áSure, in general lawyers are typed to be avaricious, and to make this lawyer appear to crave food instead of money is an interesting choice. ?áBut then, the lawyer insists upon implying that he doesn't eat nearly enough to support his bulk. ?áAnd his most prominent theme is the difference between what is right, and what is good, and how they're more often than not at odds with each other.

But the biggest question a person who wishes for a Hollywood story might ask has at least one simple answer: Why did Agathe waste three years with Hektor? ?áSo that she and Tibo would realize they've gone through hell for each other, and treasure their love, instead of deciding, after a tiff or two, that what they had was only infatuation, and therefore not being happy after all, and feeling like they'd been cheated of love yet again, and feel like they had to figure out how to deal with disappointment. ?áThere's probably actually more than one answer to that question, but again, I'm not sharing this discussion with others, so I'm sure I'm missing how other themes interact with this one....

Lovely story, moving & joyful & thoughtful & dramatic, and, at times, even just plain funny. ?áTreat yourself to a couple of days in the town of Dot near the mouth of the River Ampersand in the Baltic watching over the lives of the people of this town, just as the narrator, Saint Walpurnia, does. ( )

A touching story. This is what happens when you dither and do not have the strength of your connections. seize the day - somewhere in the Baltic. ( )