After narrowly surviving World War II, the Gold family fled Hungary for what they hoped would be a peaceful new life in Perth, Australia. But in 1952, thirteen-year-old Frank is stricken with polio, a victim of the terrifying epidemic sweeping the country. Frank is sent to convalesce at the Golden Age, a former pub on the outskirts of Perth that's been converted into a hospital to treat the surge of young polio patients. But while the other children are preoccupied with physical therapy and thoughts of home, precocious Frank is busy discovering a passion for poetry...and an all-consuming love for the beautiful Elsa, one of his fellow patients. As he navigates the newfound demands upon his heart, his parents struggle to find their own footing as caretakers for a disabled son and strangers in a strange land. Elegant and touching, The Golden Age masterfully celebrates love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit. (KG)