The Game of Love and Death

Antony and Cleopatra. Helen of Troy and Paris. Romeo and Juliet. And now... Henry and Flora.For centuries Love and Death have chosen their players. They have set the rules, rolled the dice, and kept close, ready to influence, angling for supremacy. And Death has always won. Always.Could there ever be one time, one place, one pair whose love would truly tip the balance?Meet Flora Saudade, an African-American girl who dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earhart by day and sings in the smoky jazz clubs of Seattle by night. Meet Henry Bishop, born a few blocks and a million worlds away, a white boy with his future assured -- a wealthy adoptive family in the midst of the Great Depression, a college scholarship, and all the opportunities in the world seemingly available to him.The players have been chosen. The dice have been rolled. But when human beings make moves of their own, what happens next is anyone's guess.Achingly romantic and brilliantly imagined, The Game of Love and Death is a love story you will never forget.Starred Reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and The Bulletin"This exquisite, elegantly original fable of young love smashing convention to smithereens is so beautiful I wish I'd written it myself."-- Elizabeth Wein, author of Printz Honor Book Code Name Verity"Smart, haunting, and entrancingly magical, Martha Brockenbrough's The Game of Love and Death is anything but a simple game. In this sweeping and fabulous tale, Brockenbrough creates a vivid world wherein Love and Death come to life with an intent and force of character that is truly unforgettable." -- Ruth Ozeki, bestselling author of A Tale for the Time Being"The Game of Love and Death is a unique love story, and yet, it is also the love story of all humans through time. Martha Brockenbrough is a compassionate observer of many worlds -- airfields, jazz clubs, baseball diamonds, newspapers, and Hoovervilles to name a few -- and the beautiful, doomed human types that dwell in them. This is an exceptional novel."-- Gabrielle Zevin, author of Elsewhere