The Bowl with Gold Seams by Ellen Prentiss Campbell was another loan from a friend. And, I can’t remember which friend for this one either. I need to start putting names in my loans, clearly. It’s a fascinating story told in between another story. In the preface and epilogue, we learn about Hazel, a private school principal in a Quaker School outside DC (Sandy Spring Friends??). In the center story, Hazel is a young woman, working in the Bedford Springs Hotel in PA where, in the summer in 1945, the hotel served as the detainment center for the Japanese ambassador to Berlin, his staff, and their families. Amazon says: “The final events of the war challenge Hazel’s beliefs about enemies and friends, victory and defeat, love and loyalty. In the ensuing years she remains haunted by memories. Long after the end of the war, an unexpected encounter causes Hazel to return to the hotel where she must confront her past, come to terms with her present life, and determine her future.” I really enjoyed the inner and outer stories – the book has made me want to know more about this history – I will have to do some research.