New Memoir, The Voice Beneath the Quince Tree, Chronicles a Child's Magical, Harrowing Journey Through Communist Romania and Beyond

With striking clarity, author Maria-Cristina Necula recalls a world of dreams, defiance, and survival under a regime that forever changed Eastern Europe.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Against the backdrop of Nicolae Ceaușescu's dark and oppressive rule, The Voice Beneath the Quince Tree: A Memoir of Growing Up in Communist Romania offers readers a deeply moving story of resilience, magic, and hope. Authored by Maria-Cristina Necula, this memoir transports readers into the heart of the years preceding Romania's 1989 revolution, through the eyes of a child raised in a world of unimaginable restrictions yet boundless imagination. This poignant story is available for interviews and media coverage across national radio, TV, podcast, print, and book blogs.

In a narrative both tender and unflinching, Necula reflects on a childhood spent behind the Iron Curtain, where her Bucharest home became a curious blend of wonder and oppression. Living under a regime that demanded loyalty and secrecy, her discovery and instant love of opera served as a sanctuary — a hidden realm of solace and quiet rebellion. While the city around her trembled under Ceaușescu's grip, young Maria-Cristina and her mother found strength through the power of music, resisting the bleakness around them as they awaited a rare opportunity: freedom in the United States.

Ceaușescu's fall in 1989 was a rare, bloody revolution among the mostly peaceful collapses in Eastern Europe, yet for the children who survived his regime, the story was both simpler and more complex. Speaking to those who grew up under — and broke free from — dictatorships, The Voice Beneath the Quince Tree is a journey through Romania's dark past, narrated with the light and laughter of a child's gaze. After reuniting with her father in New York, Necula shares the thrill and bewilderment of her arrival in America, navigating culture shock, the excitement of a new world, and her dreams of becoming an opera singer.

"My journey has been one of discovery," says Necula. "I was just a child then, yet I learned that the human spirit — even in its youngest form — has an incredible way of adapting, surviving, and dreaming."

The Voice Beneath the Quince Tree will resonate with readers from every generation, especially those who have longed to know what it was like to live, love, and fight for freedom behind the Iron Curtain. Readers will be moved by her family's strength, the challenge of adapting to life in the U.S., and the enduring power of music that became an unexpected lifeline.

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SOURCE Maria-Cristina Necula