The Origin of Sorrow

by Robert Mayer

For more than 300 years, from the 15th through the 18th centuries, there existed in the independent European city of Frankfurt an enclosed Jewish ghetto, one street wide and a quarter-mile long, surrounded by high walls and locked gates, overcrowded, teeming with both the stench and the joy of human life. Once notorious, this Judengasse--Jews Lane--a passionate place infused with love and hate, with frustration, ambition and desire, has been largely forgotten. Now, in this dramatic, moving and at times wildly comic novel, Robert Mayer brings to vivid life in fictional form what is essentially a true how a 16-year-old girl named Guttle Schnapper married a 26-year-old coin dealer named Meyer Rothschild, bore him ten living children--and how, incredibly, from this sordid ghetto, emerged the richest family in the history of the world, before or since.

Genres: Jewish, Historical Fiction

572 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 2010

Reviews

[Vic · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing I had to do upon finishing this work of art was to update my list of favorite books to include the Origin of Sorrow. I can not say I am speechless after reading this novel. On the contrary, my mind, my heart, my very soul have been set on fire. Words and thoughts and feelings have erupted in a most welcome display of gratitude for having had the opportunity to experience this book. Even now sitting here hours later and attempting to write a review my head is still swirling with images and conversations, characters whirling in time to music both imaginary and real . . .

What I was most unexpectedly taken with was the normalcy of life experienced by people in the Judengasse. How in spite of being locked in at night and contending with an ever-present sewage canal feet from their homes, life simply went on. What was clearly despicable and almost beyond comprehension, was for some, like Georgi Kremm who while escaping conscription in the Princes' army sought refuge in the ghetto, not even the worst thing in his life. That the young man, abused and neglected while living in supposed freedom, would find love and acceptance living in a place where there was supposedly so little freedom. This is a beautiful thought to contemplate and only one of many that Robert Mayer was able to bring to light in this story.

What then is life if not contemplated as "relative to what?" What is the context by which we measure the good, the bad, the difficult. What then constitutes oppression and does it reside more in the mind than in the physicality of nature? A difficult notion especially as the stakes go up: concentration camps, ghettos, Guantanamo.

What struck me most upon completion of The Origin of Sorrow was Mayer's poetic brilliance at illustrating the courage it takes to live life, to both accept and not accept what life presents. The courage it takes to stand up to oppression and ignorance, but to know when and how to pick your battles. The courage to follow the heart. The courage to question, to resist, and for the Jews living under the inconceivably abhorrent conditions of the Judengasse, the courage to live most deliberately with one foot firmly in the world and one foot in the divine.

Like the ever-present sewage that flowed through the ghetto to the sea, life is not static. For most residents of the Judengasse a good life meant following the ancient teachings and trusting in God. It was a time honored test of faith, a way to survive, acquiescing to the demands of the world by immersing the mind and body in the world of the spirit -- at least for the men, who if married, had women to take care of the everyday business of living. Yet times were changing. The age of enlightenment was taking hold throughout Europe. New ideas were emerging, and what was once accepted without reservation was no longer sacrosanct.

In the world of the Judengasse, life, as it does everywhere, was moving inextricably forward, carried on the backs of those willing to follow their hearts, to stand up to ignorance, to opposition, to the status quo. These courageous few, armed with nothing more than something tugging at their souls, or an idea that refused to die, were willing to challenge tradition. This too is part of life, the way of progress: to question, to challenge, to study, to learn, to grow, to expand, to accept change.

The world will always include the ignorant, the obstinate, the narrow minded. Those unwilling to change, so stuck in tradition or a system of belief, that they are unwilling to adapt, unwilling to search their own hearts and conscience, preferring instead to defer to some higher authority. Our heritage, our culture to be sure. Yet fortunately the world also includes those capable of feeling the winds of change, with hearts and minds reaching for something greater, able to rise higher, able to accept and honor tradition while recognizing that the world is changing and that what is, is no longer enough.

A wonderful blend of history, philosophy, and religion, the story of the Rothschild family was breathtaking; Mayer's creative prose not only masterful, but at times rhapsodic. For those who have never before wondered about their European Jewish roots, it will be impossible not to after reading The Origin of Sorrow. For those who have lived life wondering about the origins of some undefinable sadness or inexplicable anger that refuses to dissipate, who can trace their ancestry back through the centuries of oppression, prejudice, torture and inhumane treatment, The Origin of Sorrow may just provide a place to start.

[Robert Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has just been published in a new edition. Other writers have called it a masterpiece monumental wonderful. I of course agree, since I wrote it.

[Kathe Coleman]

A very powerful book about the jewish getto of Judengasse in Frankfurt in 1700s. Especially enjoyed the historical aspect of what was happening In America with the fight for independence, in Britain where Prince Wilhelm kidnapped the hessons to fight against the Americans all going on while Jews struggled in Judengasse. I was inspired by the famous Moses Mendelsson a German Jewish philosopher to whose ideas enlightned the eighteen and 19 centures. 5 stars

[Minette · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!! I loved it! A well written novel which takes place in the Judengasse (ghetto) in Frankfurt, Germany in the 1770's and tells the story of the beginnings of the Rothschild dynasty. Love stories, highway robbery, adultery, controversy over a school for girls, investments from American Revolution money, a debate with Moses Mendelssohn – all these are part of the dramatic novel The Origin of Sorrow by Robert Mayer. Although this is a work of fiction there is so much historical fact which really made the story come alive for me and Google more information about the Rothschild family. Even after they became the richest family in the world they remained by choice to live in the ghetto. So far my best read of 2015. 5 stars from me

[Susan Voorhees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book a lot!
When is the movie coming out? Too much like Fiddler on the Roof?

[Jaqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding and compelling. A wonderful book.

I had no idea that from 1462 for around 315 years the Jews of Frankfurt were encased by walls in overcrowded cobbled streets and narrow houses less than three metres across. Here in the Judengasse where the gate was locked on Sundays, and there were guards posted on the outer walls, entire trapped generations lived and worked and died.

In this place where the sun doesn't reach and a stinking sewage trench runs through the main lane, live many complex and deep individuals, among them ... cobblers, bakers, rag and bone men,artists, poets, rabbis violinists bankers and all have fascinating many faceted lives and stories that evoke joy and sadness in the telling. This despite being trapped physically by the ghetto walls but also the rules of the society outside the walls who condemn them to live this way as outcasts viewed with hatred and suspicion. Inside the ghetto, women have their traditional roles but the winds of change are blowing and Guttle's story is at the heart of this. What she achieved is hard fought and at high personal cost.

This beautiful book tells the story of Meyer Rothschild and his young and spirited wife Guttle but it is a saga of so much more. Life and death and faith and love and what Judaism and religion mean.

The masterful way this writer weaves these interconnected lives and strands of stories together is spell binding. Absolutely magical. At times it is gently mocking and amusing; at other places full of suspense and harrowing moments. It has everything. It begins with a murder mystery but there is also love and marriages and deaths and joyful dancing.

I thought it was a most wonderful, well written book. The way the writer seamlessly merges historical fact - such as the marriage of young Marie Antoinette and the beginnings of the Rothschild dynasty - with fiction seemed to me a master class in writing a diverting and riveting story with heart that at times made me hold my breath hardly daring to read on.

Been telling everyone about it and that they have to read it..

If I have one criticism - and it's a small one - it is that the book is very long but it is oh so worth the rather long time it took me to reach the end. It isn't a quick read but a story to savour. Tragedy, hope, love, lust, murder and madness. This book has it all. Plot and fascinating characters.

In my opinion, it is wonderful: so thought- provoking, uplifting sad and glorious. Simply outstanding. I loved it!

[MariLee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Germany during the 15th century, 16 year old Guttle Schnapper and her family live in the Judengasse, the high-walled Jewish lane home to the Frankfurt Jews for over 300 years, where they and their fellow Jews are locked inside the gates each night. The story follows Guttle and other members of her community for the next several years.

The writing is good and the story is interesting. I felt like the story got lost in the weeds periodically and would have benefited from fewer tangential storylines. In my opinion it could have been shortened about about 100-150 pages and not lost anything, improving the story's pacing and energy. There were also a couple of instances where I felt like the characters' actions and thoughts were incongruent with the time period. The ending also felt somewhat abrupt and needed some additional details to make it more satisfying.

Note for sensitive readers: some adult content as well as violence

[Jennifer Davids · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Origin of Sorrow deftly explores the history of the Jews in the Frankfurt ghetto during the 1700’s. The author does an excellent job describing life in the ghetto, and develops his main characters - the true historical figures Meyer Rothschild and his wife, Guttle Schnipper. This a an era of Jewish history not much explored, and I appreciated learning about it. The drawback of the book is that it is way too long! Author Robert Mayer could have cut out 150 pages and not hurt the story at all. I had to push through to get to the end, but largely felt it was worth it.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't get into it at the beginning, but, because I was told this was a great book, I kept going. It turned out to be worth the read. The characters are great, and I found myself really immersed in their lives. I learned a lot from this book about Judaism and the Rothchild family.

[Beverly Buchalter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical Fiction at its Best

Using Guttle and Meyer Rothschild as principles characters in the walled ghetto of Judengasse in Frankfort reveals the possible life of Jews in 17 th Century Germany. What a moving tale of how this incredibly financial family started.

[Lori Ben-ezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give the story 4.5 stars, but the writing 2.5 stars. Could have been a home run book, but the writing was simplistic and trite.

[Ingrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

My neighbor loaned me this books. She loved it. So did I. It was intense but funny at times. Good historical fiction.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

the biggest book I've ever enjoyed every page of!

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author reports that, while reading about the founding members of the Rothschild dynasty, he became interested in what the first Mrs. Rothschild must have been like. He couldn’t find out much about her, so he decided to write the book on her himself. She definitely had to have been a fascinating character to have been the devoted wife of such a towering figure in history, as well as the influential mother of sons whose financial prowess could make or break kings and countries.

The story takes place in the late 1700’s in the Judengasse, the notorious ghetto of Frankfurt. [Jewish communities were confined after being blamed in most of Europe for the Black Death, in spite of the fact that Jews were victims of the Plague like any other group.] Incredibly enough, this is the place where Mayer Rothschild got his start. All Jews were required to live within the walls of this ghetto, although men could go outside if they had approved business, but the gates were locked at 5 p.m.

The City of Frankfurt regulated much of the lives of the Jews in the ghetto. Men were not allowed to marry until the age of 25, to cut down on the rate of Jewish births. This was not such a bad idea considering that the ghetto consisted of a single lane only: a quarter of a mile long and from ten to twelve feet wide (with a sewage ditch the whole way down its length). But by the mid-1770’s there were already more than 3,000 people living on the lane in a space originally intended for 300. How did they all fit? Most houses were no more than eight to ten feet wide, and there were two rows of them. The Jews could build upward, but windows that looked out over the walls had to be boarded up by law. As a result of the tall, multifamily houses over a single lane, the Jews never could see the sun except for the few minutes it was directly over the lane in between the houses, and subsequently the Jews became known for their pale, pale complexions!

The confined quarters of the Judengasse plays a large role in the book, as it played a large role in the lives of those who lived within its walls.

The focus of the story, besides the Judengasse itself, is Guttle Schnapper, the young girl who won the heart of Meyer Amschel Rothschild. They married in 1770 when Guttle was seventeen. They had ten children who survived to adulthood (and at least seven more who didn’t). In this book, Meyer remains largely in the background. This is Guttle’s story, as imagined by the author. He envisions her as way ahead of her time in some ways, but tied to tradition in others.

Most of the narrative concerns Guttle as a young girl before and for a short time after her marriage to Meyer. A nice epilogue fills us in on what happened toward the end of Guttle’s life, long after Meyer had died. (She survived him by thirty-seven years, and refused to leave their house in the Judengasse.)

Evaluation: Mayer brings the the Judengasse to life, and makes an interesting case through his imaginings for what the exceptional young girl could have been like who was the mate of the man, and mother of the men, who changed the Western world. We also get to know some of the other residents of the ghetto, and learn about the ways in which they coped with the physical, legal, and psychological strictures of the time. For fans of historical fiction, this book makes a definite contribution to the genre in exposing a little-known but important aspect of the Western World at that time.

Rating: 3.5/5

[Dalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this historical novel and highly recommend it.
It is tremendously absorbing, as well as enlightening - artistically reviving an interesting, not widely known part of Jewish History.
It is also a very fine piece of literature.
Amongst the merits of this novel I shall mention the ones that impressed me most:
Both narration and dialogue are often characterized by a witty sense of humor that is delicately combined with compassion, probably influenced by the great Sholem Aleichem;
The text is enriched by many wise, insightful observations, and at times, by some beautiful, lyrical passages.
One thing I found a little disturbing was something which - without making this review a spoiler - I can best define as casting some moral shadow on one of the characters that was based on a historical person (unless of course I’m ignorantly mistaken, and this moral shadow is not fictitious).

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just had a lovely time reading this well researched historical novel set in the 18th century Jewish Ghetto of Frankfurt. Its main characters the Rothchilds whose children would be among the most wealthy bankers of Europe. It has everything I enjoy in a novel- history, a spirited female protagonist, a good story and wonderful writing.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very engaging book. The characters draw you in and make this a real page turner.

[Leora Wenger · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review is here:
http://www.leoraw.com/blog/2012/06/bo...

[Michael Chavez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful tome that deserves notable acclaim.