October 21, 2018
I enjoyed this book very much. The story line is one you know and this author reimagines it beautifully. The author uses short descriptive chapters which keeps the story moving quickly and had me turning pages for more. Characters were well developed and I found myself thinking about them away from the book. There are plenty of twists and turns, one of my favorites (without revealing too much) was when the main characters finally get back to the US and things seem to be all wrapped up and resolved…not so fast. The author does a great job of capturing the challenging environment of Eastern Europe just before and then during the onset of World War 1 and an equally good job at portraying life in Manhattan’s lower east side during the height of European migration. I enjoyed this story on many levels. It’s primarily about family struggles and the bonds that keep us together but it’s also a love story with no shortage of high drama and suspense. Some scenes were so descriptive I would actually cringe and pause a moment before reading on. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great job Mr. Gordon, I look forward to more from you.
J.B.