The novel Les Adolescents, by Domnitsa Georgesco-Moldoneanu, reveals to the reader the charm and poetic life of a small Transylvanian village from Romania during the 20th century. The village has a gold mine and the surroundings are called The Golden County. The reader will be surprised to see that the book pictures a completely different Transylvania than the one presented in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The main character is Marie Dona, a teacher in a boarding school. All other characters in the book revolve around her. She is the solid pillar of the family, even of that village. With lots of sacrifices, she and her children succeed to introduce in their life, in spite of all social hostilities, two orphans from the village. With a lot of psychological refinement, the novel focusses on the relationships between teenagers and their parents and the adults of the village, as the young fell in love and try to find their places in that old society that sits on a gold mine.
    It is also the story of young people who face the multiple moral dilemmas of those who seek a meaning to life. And it is also the story of a gold mine in a small mining village in Romania and the history of generations that are crumbling, victims of time and malice.

Anne’s mother is dead. Suicide or murder? An orphan now, Anne is supported by Marie Dona and has the chance to live with Marie’s united and happy family while healing her pain. The Dona family will welcome not only Anne, but also the mysterious Ileana, a girl with a golden voice. Anne is consumed by jealousy because of the popularity of this new half-sister. Will she overcome her feelings?

And who is Auréline, who believes in values and makes the supreme sacrifice for the truth to triumph? Is she a princess coming from the past?

The novel reads both like a mystery and a spiritual story that unravels the truth among people’s cruelty. It is a passionate novel, full of poetic symbols and musical images that reflect the Transylvanian post-war bright and gloomy landscapes.