Fever at Dawn

After World War II, two concentration camp survivors begin a battle for love in this heartwarming, historical novel based on a true story.

It’s 1945, and Miklós is looking for a wife. The fact that he has six months left to live doesn’t discourage him—he isn’t one to let small problems like that stand in the way, especially not after he’s survived a concentration camp. Currently marooned in an all-male sanatorium in Sweden, and desperate to get out, he acquires the names of the 117 Hungarian women also recovering in Sweden and writes each of them a letter in his beautiful cursive hand. Luckily for him, Lili decides to write back…

Drawn from the real-life letters of Péter Gárdos’s parents, and reminiscent of the film Life Is Beautiful, Fever at Dawn is a vibrant, ribald, and unforgettable tale, showing the death-defying power of the human will to live and to love.

“Fever at Dawn has the sweetness of The Rosie Project and the pathos of The Fault in Our Stars…A book to fall in love with.”—The Herald Sun

“At once heartrending and lighthearted, this romance covers enormous ground in love and war, joy and tragedy.” — Shelf Awareness, starred review
“A riveting and high-spirited journey from the brink of death toward life, [Fever at Dawn] asserts the power of love.”—Julie Orringer, author of The Invisible Bridge