"Bliss, Remembered"

"Bliss, Remembered" by Frank Deford is the only book I've read by Deford but it definitely won't be the last. Teddy's widowed mother, Sydney Stringfellow Branch, is dying and, when he goes to visit her in Eugene,Oregon where she has moved after his father's death, she begins to tell him a story.  He and his younger sister know that she went to the Berlin Olympics in 1936 and that their father was wounded at Guadelcanal but neither parent would ever talk about either event.  Teddy has a week with his mother before he returns home to Montana and his sister arrives from Texas for her visit with mom.  During Teddy's week with Sydney she begins to tell him about a love affair she had while attending the Berlin Olympics -- a man who was the love of her life.  This is a little disconcerting for Teddy knowing that his parents had such a good marriage and, at times, it's a little difficult for him to hear but it's a fascinating story, too, and he's drawn in.  It's about the world of competitive swimming and the Olympics and love and loss, war and intrigue and love found, lost, and new love.  I couldn't help admiring Sydney's strength and courage through difficult choices and her story is a surprising one that takes the reader down some unexpected paths.  It's also historical fiction revealing much about what it was like to live in the 1930's-1940's.  pazt