Product Description

1992: Leo Deakin wakes up in a hospital somewhere in South America, his girlfriend Eleni is dead and Leo doesn't know where he is or how Eleni died. He blames himself for the tragedy and is sucked into a spiral of despair. But Leo is about to discover something which will change his life forever. 1917: Moritz Daniecki is a fugitive from a Siberian POW camp. Seven thousand kilometres over the Russian Steppes separate him from his village and his sweetheart, whose memory has kept him alive through carnage and captivity. The Great War may be over, but Moritz now faces a perilous journey across a continent riven by civil war. When Moritz finally limps back into his village to claim the hand of the woman he left behind, will she still be waiting? Danny Scheinmann paints a dramatic portrait of two men sustaining their lives through the memory of love. Cinematic and brimming with raw emotions, it is the magnificent and emotive debut from a remarkable new writer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #409 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Daily Mail
'Two strikingly different tales of love and grief are gradually revealed to have more in common than just the tenactiy of both men to cling desperately to the memory of love...a lush, romantic novel'

Sunday Express
'Really is as special as its press suggests...beautifully told...an amazingly assured debut'

Publishing News
'A tour de force ... mesmerizing'

Customer Reviews

Breathtaking
I finished Random Acts last weekend and it's one of those rare books that stays with you long after you've finished it. I still find it creeping into my thoughts. At first I was reading Leo's story as the predominant one but as Moritz's one took over I found myself absolutely addicted to it. I often check the amount of pages left in a book to estimate what might happen, but I read each one thoroughly wishing it not to end. Indeed the story in the book of the journey versus the destination was how I read it from then on. I absolutely adored it, and when I've got the emotional strength to read it again I definitely will, which is again rare for me to do. I would recommend this not just as a romantic novel but a life lessons one which I'd say almost anyone will enjoy. Have to go now as I'll probably start crying again if I think about it too much. Enjoy.

Amazing
A real story of love. Moritz is determined to find his lost love,
Lotte. He endures real hardship along the way.Elsewhere, Leo is
mourning the loss of Eleni, his one true love. Leo goes on a journey
and makes a discovery that will change his life. The hidden connections
between these two men are heartwarming.
I really enjoyed this book, beautifully written, tender and very
moving. It really draws you in.

Wonderful but ....
This is Danny Scheinmann's debut novel. He has a terrific story to tell. Born in 1896 in Ulanov, a small village close to the Russian border, at 16 years old, Moritz Daniecki falls in love with Lotte Steinberg. He the son of a cobbler, she the daughter of a wealthy fur trader. They share one kiss and promise themselves to each other, despite knowing that their circumstances will never permit marriage. When war is declared he is sent to The Front. Finally, after many hardships and great suffering, he is abandoned in Siberia and, with Lotte's memory to sustain him, he begins the long walk home, a journey that will take years and one that will test his courage, his love and his endurance. Wonderful. BUT .... this story more than stands up for itself, why then muddy the waters with the story of Leo Deakin, a young man who loses the love of his life in a terrible accident while back-packing in South America? Leo Deakin is not a sympathetic character and I found myself unable to warm towards him. I think DS made a mistake in using a parallel story to illustrate the extraordinary events of his grandfather's life because this was the lifeblood of the book and made it worth every moment of the time spent reading it. I think Scheinmann was not best-served by his editor. A good read that could have been better.