Robert Schumann and Clara Wieck. These brilliant and complex people enrich this sweeping story of a love that could not be denied. Set amid an enthralling rich era with creative genius, Longing explores the nature and danger of passion with precision, sympathy, and wisdom. J. D. Landis has encompassed madness, genius, and passion that propelled characters, and he re-creates their lives with surpassing depth, wit, and intelligence. . . .