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The Secret of the Nightingale Palace
Struggling to move on after her husband's death, thirty-five-year-old Anna receives an unexpected phone call from her estranged grandmother, Goldie, summoning her to New York. A demanding woman with a sharp tongue and a devotion to fashion and etiquette, Goldie has not softened in the five years since she and her granddaughter last spoke. Now she wants Anna to drive her to San Francisco to return a collection of exquisite Japanese art to a long-lost friend.
Hours of sitting behind the wheel of Goldie's Rolls-Royce soften Anna's attitude toward her grandmother, and as the miles pass, old hurts begin to heal. Yet no matter how close they become, Goldie harbors painful secrets about her youthful days in 1940s San Francisco that she cannot share. But if she truly wants to help her granddaughter find happiness again, she must eventually confront the truths of her life.
Moving back and forth across time and told in the voices of both Anna and Goldie, The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is a searing portrait of family, betrayal, sacrifice, and forgiveness—and a testament to the enduring power of love.
Hours of sitting behind the wheel of Goldie's Rolls-Royce soften Anna's attitude toward her grandmother, and as the miles pass, old hurts begin to heal. Yet no matter how close they become, Goldie harbors painful secrets about her youthful days in 1940s San Francisco that she cannot share. But if she truly wants to help her granddaughter find happiness again, she must eventually confront the truths of her life.
Moving back and forth across time and told in the voices of both Anna and Goldie, The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is a searing portrait of family, betrayal, sacrifice, and forgiveness—and a testament to the enduring power of love.
368 pages, Paperback
First published February 19, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 250 reviews
December 17, 2012
The Secret of the Nightingale Palace takes readers on a cross-country road trip adventure from New York to San Francisco with 35-year-old Anna and her grandmother, the eccentric and fashionable Goldie Rosenthal. An artist who recently lost her husband to leukemia, Anna is surprised when she receives a phone call from her estranged grandmother Goldie, requesting that Anna meet her in New York to discuss an important opportunity.
Curious and intrigued by her grandmother's sudden request, Anna drops everything in Memphis and meets Goldie in New York, who ends up convincing Anna to driving her across country to San Francisco so she can return a priceless collection of Japanese art to its former owner. Desperate for a change in her unexciting, dreary life, Anna agrees to Goldie's proposal, and they begin to head west.
Along the way, Anna - and readers - learn more about Goldie's past, and her life in San Francisco during the 1940s, a life that Goldie had always kept secret from Anna. Additionally, Anna and Goldie manage to sort out their differences and make amends, but only after experiencing a few setbacks on the road that make them appreciate the other more than before. Eventually, Goldie influences Anna to want to move on and live a more exciting and fulfilling life, instead of burying herself in mourning for her late husband.
Everything about The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is beautiful - the novel is beautifully written, and beautifully executed. Goldie is elegant and mysterious, which makes her character endlessly inspiring. She has no regrets, and has worked all her life to achieve her high-class status, which explains her seemingly high-maintenance mannerisms.
The real beauty of this novel comes from Goldie's recounts of the past, and of her life spent in San Francisco during the 1940s. Anyone familiar with history during this time period can already guess that since Goldie has possession of a Japanese art collection, she must have had Japanese acquaintances during this time period that were most likely affected by racism and discrimination after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. As a reader, you can only imagine the potential horrendous outcome of Goldie's story - and of her Japanese friends.
One of my favorite side-stories in The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is Anna's experience with Dr. Naveen Choudary. Anna's persona takes a turn for the better when she meets this man, and I'll refrain from saying anything more to prevent spoilers.
Even the ending of The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is surprising and pleasing - I couldn't have predicted the outcome, or imagined a better ending. Overall, this novel is an exquisite treat that you'll remember for the days, or months, that follow. Don't miss out on this one!
For more book reviews, visit http://dreamworldbooks.com.
Curious and intrigued by her grandmother's sudden request, Anna drops everything in Memphis and meets Goldie in New York, who ends up convincing Anna to driving her across country to San Francisco so she can return a priceless collection of Japanese art to its former owner. Desperate for a change in her unexciting, dreary life, Anna agrees to Goldie's proposal, and they begin to head west.
Along the way, Anna - and readers - learn more about Goldie's past, and her life in San Francisco during the 1940s, a life that Goldie had always kept secret from Anna. Additionally, Anna and Goldie manage to sort out their differences and make amends, but only after experiencing a few setbacks on the road that make them appreciate the other more than before. Eventually, Goldie influences Anna to want to move on and live a more exciting and fulfilling life, instead of burying herself in mourning for her late husband.
Everything about The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is beautiful - the novel is beautifully written, and beautifully executed. Goldie is elegant and mysterious, which makes her character endlessly inspiring. She has no regrets, and has worked all her life to achieve her high-class status, which explains her seemingly high-maintenance mannerisms.
The real beauty of this novel comes from Goldie's recounts of the past, and of her life spent in San Francisco during the 1940s. Anyone familiar with history during this time period can already guess that since Goldie has possession of a Japanese art collection, she must have had Japanese acquaintances during this time period that were most likely affected by racism and discrimination after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. As a reader, you can only imagine the potential horrendous outcome of Goldie's story - and of her Japanese friends.
One of my favorite side-stories in The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is Anna's experience with Dr. Naveen Choudary. Anna's persona takes a turn for the better when she meets this man, and I'll refrain from saying anything more to prevent spoilers.
Even the ending of The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is surprising and pleasing - I couldn't have predicted the outcome, or imagined a better ending. Overall, this novel is an exquisite treat that you'll remember for the days, or months, that follow. Don't miss out on this one!
For more book reviews, visit http://dreamworldbooks.com.
February 2, 2013
I love following the career of my favorite authors. I read Dana's first book, "House on Dream Street," about her time in Vietnam in the early 1990s, not long after I myself returned from living there. It was the first memoir I'd read about post-war Vietnam that felt genuine to me ... that showed a true understanding of the country. With each book she went on to write, I appreciated the new ways she made me look at a country I love very much. Then she departed from the Vietnam-centric subject matter with "The Secret of the Nightingale Palace," and I wondered - will I like it as much as her other books? The answer is yes! Sachs writes with a unique sense of compassion for culture --- in the case of this novel, Jewish and Japanese culture, which have much in common, as her characters reveal. The story of a grandmother (Goldie) and her adult granddaughter (Anna) traveling across the country to return a piece of art the grandmother was given to take care of by a Japanese friend at the start of WWII, this could be called a family tale. But it's more than that. The novel shines a light on how far apart the last few generations are in terms of experiences and in terms of mindset. It is a book filled with misunderstandings, but these misunderstandings are essential for the characters to finally, in the end, understand one another. As is always the case with Sach's books, this is a lovely novel, with writing that reminds me of how a gardener cares for her flowers, tending them, nurturing them, and then stepping back and giving them the space to bloom.
March 9, 2013
Based on the summary, you may think "Why do I want to read this? It sounds like twenty other stories, AT LEAST, and if they make it into a movie, they'll cast either Shirley MacLaine or Jane Fonda as Goldie."
And that's a valid concern. But this is an amazing book, one that completely transcends the "grandmother and granddaughter don't see eye to eye...until a road trip!" basic plot.
And the summary doesn't even begin to do justice to this book. The writing is gorgeous (good luck reading only a chapter or two at a time!) and while the first part put me squarely in "Team Anna," Goldie's flashback chapters made me fall completely in love with her, too.
Do yourself a favor: read this book.
Highly, highly recommended.
And that's a valid concern. But this is an amazing book, one that completely transcends the "grandmother and granddaughter don't see eye to eye...until a road trip!" basic plot.
And the summary doesn't even begin to do justice to this book. The writing is gorgeous (good luck reading only a chapter or two at a time!) and while the first part put me squarely in "Team Anna," Goldie's flashback chapters made me fall completely in love with her, too.
Do yourself a favor: read this book.
Highly, highly recommended.
October 10, 2013
{spoilers included in review} This book frustrated me. Or rather, its characters frustrated me. The story and plot were quite good, and kept me interested despite the nasty grandmother and her emotionally stuck grandaughter. Sometimes personal character details were introduced, but didn't really add to the story; Goldie's twisted feet - why mention them so much? I already understood she was poor, and I already understood she was insecure, so their continual mention was unnecessary. Anna's waffling about her husband's ring also seemed unnecessary. I already knew she was having trouble letting go of her deceased husband and their complicated relationship; the will-she/won't-she of losing the ring was redundant. Even with these heavy-handed hints, I still felt like I was missing out on other details. I wanted more about Henry and Goldie - when did they get back in touch? And the artwork - why did Goldie want Anna to help her return it *now*? And why was Goldie such a bitch? Yeah. Not my fave characters. Bummer, because it's a good story.
July 6, 2013
Yesterday was the sort of Sunday that Seattle loves to inflict on its inhabitants, so dark that my lamps were on all day and the rain trickled on and off in an annoying drip. I picked up a book that I had been meaning to read for a week, fell into it, and stayed there until bedtime--The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is that sort of book.
This morning I woke up haunted by its heroine, simply because I'd never encountered her in fiction before. Surprisingly and originally, center stage wasn't taken by the young widow, but the 85-year-old grandmother.
Goldie pops into life on the first page and it's clear that she isn't the typical matriarch; if Anna "had known it was her grandmother calling, she would not have answered at all." Fortunately she picks up and begins a reluctant adventure, driving her grandmother from Manhattan to San Francisco in a vintage Rolls-Royce.
At the onset of World War II, Goldie was given a portfolio of priceless Japanese prints to keep safe for a friend who faced internment. Now she wants to return them to her friend's brother, who owns a large antique business on the opposite coast--and what Goldie wants, Goldie gets.
What begins as a simple road trip novel is soon usurped by Goldie's story, Goldie's style, Goldie's secret. The story folds back into San Francisco of the 1940s, where a smart and charismatic young woman finds her footing in one of the city's leading department stores. She falls deeply in love with a man she can't have and has the brains to go on with her life without him. She educates herself in deliberate ways. "I made a conscious decision," she tells a friend, "I decided to love Madeleine Vionnet and to hate Schiaparelli."
Much of Goldie's life is pragmatic, but it's always suffused with joy--she never ventures into Scarlett O'Hara territory. She's too smart for that. And she's smart enough to never tell everything she knows--her inner life remains wrapped in Armani and Jean Paul Gaultier until the last page of the last chapter.
Nothing in this delightful novel is exactly what it is expected to be. The Nightingale Palace itself is an elegant joke, Goldie's successful first marriage is based upon an unspoken truth, the reason for her cross-country odyssey with her granddaughter becomes almost irrelevant as the trip progresses. What is always marvelously clear is Goldie's allure, undimmed by age.
"Cognizant" is one of Goldie's favorite words. By the time she is done, everyone who meets her is cognizant of how love of life can keep a woman vibrant, attractive, and a force of nature well into old age.
This morning I woke up haunted by its heroine, simply because I'd never encountered her in fiction before. Surprisingly and originally, center stage wasn't taken by the young widow, but the 85-year-old grandmother.
Goldie pops into life on the first page and it's clear that she isn't the typical matriarch; if Anna "had known it was her grandmother calling, she would not have answered at all." Fortunately she picks up and begins a reluctant adventure, driving her grandmother from Manhattan to San Francisco in a vintage Rolls-Royce.
At the onset of World War II, Goldie was given a portfolio of priceless Japanese prints to keep safe for a friend who faced internment. Now she wants to return them to her friend's brother, who owns a large antique business on the opposite coast--and what Goldie wants, Goldie gets.
What begins as a simple road trip novel is soon usurped by Goldie's story, Goldie's style, Goldie's secret. The story folds back into San Francisco of the 1940s, where a smart and charismatic young woman finds her footing in one of the city's leading department stores. She falls deeply in love with a man she can't have and has the brains to go on with her life without him. She educates herself in deliberate ways. "I made a conscious decision," she tells a friend, "I decided to love Madeleine Vionnet and to hate Schiaparelli."
Much of Goldie's life is pragmatic, but it's always suffused with joy--she never ventures into Scarlett O'Hara territory. She's too smart for that. And she's smart enough to never tell everything she knows--her inner life remains wrapped in Armani and Jean Paul Gaultier until the last page of the last chapter.
Nothing in this delightful novel is exactly what it is expected to be. The Nightingale Palace itself is an elegant joke, Goldie's successful first marriage is based upon an unspoken truth, the reason for her cross-country odyssey with her granddaughter becomes almost irrelevant as the trip progresses. What is always marvelously clear is Goldie's allure, undimmed by age.
"Cognizant" is one of Goldie's favorite words. By the time she is done, everyone who meets her is cognizant of how love of life can keep a woman vibrant, attractive, and a force of nature well into old age.
May 12, 2013
Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com...
The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is the story of Goldie and her granddaughter Anna. Goldie and Anna were close during Anna's childhood, and yet, they have been estranged for five years since Anna entered into a marriage Goldie did not approve of. Now, Anna is a widow, and Goldie has asked for her help in a cross country journey to return artwork to an old friend.
Through this journey, the reader learns of Goldie's past and of Anna's past. The reader discovers many secrets not shared and a story that intermingles with the story of the Japanese in the United States during World War II.
The story had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it started to encompass way too many elements and became a bit like reading a soap opera. Estranged family. Terminal illness. Death. Forbidden love. Marriage of convenience. Affairs. War. Family obligations. Betrayals both real and perceived.
It becomes a story with too many emotional elements such that for me, it lost its reality.
*** Reviewed for LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program ***
The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is the story of Goldie and her granddaughter Anna. Goldie and Anna were close during Anna's childhood, and yet, they have been estranged for five years since Anna entered into a marriage Goldie did not approve of. Now, Anna is a widow, and Goldie has asked for her help in a cross country journey to return artwork to an old friend.
Through this journey, the reader learns of Goldie's past and of Anna's past. The reader discovers many secrets not shared and a story that intermingles with the story of the Japanese in the United States during World War II.
The story had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it started to encompass way too many elements and became a bit like reading a soap opera. Estranged family. Terminal illness. Death. Forbidden love. Marriage of convenience. Affairs. War. Family obligations. Betrayals both real and perceived.
It becomes a story with too many emotional elements such that for me, it lost its reality.
*** Reviewed for LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program ***
November 14, 2012
This is a lovely story on many levels.
Anna is a 35 year-old Memphis widow who feels lost in all aspects of her life. Her 85 year-old grandmother, Goldie, is a widow two times over and lives the good life in Manhattan. Anna feels that Goldie never approved of Anna's late husband, which resulted in a rift between grandmother and granddaughter. But when Goldie summons Anna to New York and asks her to drive with her across the country to deliver some Japanese artwork to its owner, their relationship changes forever.
On the road, the reader learns about Goldie and her secrets from long ago. Anna tries to come to terms with her late husband's death and their relationship before he fell ill. By the time grandmother and granddaughter arrive in San Francisco, they have a new appreciation and understanding of each other.
The ending is one of the most memorable I've read.
Anna is a 35 year-old Memphis widow who feels lost in all aspects of her life. Her 85 year-old grandmother, Goldie, is a widow two times over and lives the good life in Manhattan. Anna feels that Goldie never approved of Anna's late husband, which resulted in a rift between grandmother and granddaughter. But when Goldie summons Anna to New York and asks her to drive with her across the country to deliver some Japanese artwork to its owner, their relationship changes forever.
On the road, the reader learns about Goldie and her secrets from long ago. Anna tries to come to terms with her late husband's death and their relationship before he fell ill. By the time grandmother and granddaughter arrive in San Francisco, they have a new appreciation and understanding of each other.
The ending is one of the most memorable I've read.
April 13, 2013
I’ll read anything Japan-related, and this book promised a Jewish grandmother as well as a road trip, so I figured I’d like it. And I did. It was a little odd in parts and it took me awhile to engage fully. I think in some ways the author tried to stuff too much into one book. You’ve got a grandmother and her granddaughter driving from New York City to San Franciso on a mysterious mission. Grandmother is haughty and granddaughter is mourning a husband who died of leukemia. The parts of the book on her husband and his diagnosis are painful—not in the usual way, but because it was all very ugly. The story goes back and forth between the present and the 1940’s when grandma was living in San Francisco and was involved with Japanese-Americans there.
Not everybody’s cup of tea, but an interesting read.
Not everybody’s cup of tea, but an interesting read.
February 22, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. It tells the story of Anna, who was estranged from her grandma, Goldie, for several years as her grandmother did not approve of the man she married. Anna's husband has passed away and Goldie asks her to join her on a drive from New York to San Francisco to return some prints given to her by a Japanese man before he went to an internment camp during WWII.
On their car ride, we learn about Goldie's past and Anna's marriage and the grieving process that she is working through.
The story was told seamlessly and I really enjoyed the 2 different time frames (current time and San Francisco around WWII).
On their car ride, we learn about Goldie's past and Anna's marriage and the grieving process that she is working through.
The story was told seamlessly and I really enjoyed the 2 different time frames (current time and San Francisco around WWII).
January 17, 2016
I just finished reading this beautiful novel, and I'm still wiping tears from my eyes! Its one of the best (to me) that I've read in awhile...its going to stay with me for a long time. I loved this story of a grandaughter, Anna and her fiesty Jewish grandmother, Goldie together on a road trip. I don't want to give away much of the story, so all I can say is if you read this book, do so with an open mind as well as an open heart. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys lots of beautiful writing, history and love in unusual ways. I'm not very good at reviews but, I try!
March 27, 2016
This novel doesn't fit neatly into any categories, but I think if you enjoy historical fiction as well as stories about families and relationships between women, it's for you. The major characters are prickly, but they grow on me, especially as I learned more and more of their backstories. I found the way that Anna's husband's illness progressed to be particularly striking. I have a close friend whose mother's life ended in a similar way, with a lot of anger and lashing out at her loved ones, so it resonated with me.
February 22, 2013
One of the best books I've read in a long time!! The family dynamics are quirky and hilarious. The bridging of generations was beautfully done. For a grandmother and granddaughter to find any common ground can be challenging. Yet this story unfolds and allows the reader to relate and get immersed in the characters. Some fun recollections of the Grandmother's history and a love story opens up her granddaughter's outlook on her future. Great book!!
July 30, 2013
Wonderful story about an older woman named Goldie and her granddaughter, Anna who take a two- week road trip together to San Francisco from New York. The story about Goldie’s earlier life in San Francisco, rich in detail, melds with Anna’s story; and this beautiful novel is told within the context of their brief rapprochement after a five- year long estrangement. This very poignant story is well written and a delight to read.
May 15, 2013
I really enjoyed this book while i was reading it and I thought the ending was fantastic. But I kind of hated the characters. Not a passionate hate, but a mild hate. They were all kind of not nice people in their own ways. I forgive them, but they were irritating.
I did love the writing, and the story is a good one. So I'd say it's worth reading.
I did love the writing, and the story is a good one. So I'd say it's worth reading.
September 20, 2017
What a nice story. At first, I wasn't that interested in the flash backs, but soon, they came to reveal details I wanted. One thing I liked about the book was how the author shared the story indirectly - it's a refreshing way to experience a book. The other thing I enjoyed was unraveling the truth of a history. There's the facts, and there's what we let people know, and the differences between the two can be significant. Lastly, I like how bits were dropped that became significant later, like "you can learn something from anyone" - the last scene showed what she learned from Marvin, which was an unexpected surprise. 😊
April 21, 2017
Loved the premise, loved Goldie. The storytelling started off promising, but lost some of its luster in the last third or so of the book. Would be a good read on a long trip I would think. The 1940s portion of the story was probably my favorite part.
June 6, 2020
Dana Sachs caught my attention Part One, what a interesting story, that makes each page want me to turn the next page. No spoilers. Just read the book👍
December 12, 2021
A cross-country road trip between a feisty Jewish grandmother, Goldie, and her moody granddaughter, Anna, who was recently widowed and emotionally stuck. I enjoyed reading about the grandmother’s life as a young women in San Francisco in the 1940’s, but found Anna rather boring. The first two-thirds of the book kept my interest, but felt the story dragged on and I ended up skimming the last third of the book. However, I did enjoy the ending.
July 26, 2022
“Not because of that
Or me, I see that you too
Can be whole again.”
Or me, I see that you too
Can be whole again.”
September 8, 2018
Loved this book.....
Knowing our family history is such an incredible gift. This story was told so lovingly and joyfully AND honestly. I have fallen in love with Goldie Anna and Henry .....beautifully written.
Knowing our family history is such an incredible gift. This story was told so lovingly and joyfully AND honestly. I have fallen in love with Goldie Anna and Henry .....beautifully written.
March 29, 2013
This is a fun book about a cross-country trip in an old Rolls Royce made by an 85-five-year-old grandmother and her thirty-five-year-old granddaughter. Grandma Goldie summoned Anna, her granddaughter, to New York City to drive her to San Francisco, ostensibly to return a set of Japanese prints to their rightful owner. Anna and Goldie had been estranged for the past five years when the summons arrived. Anna's husband, Ford, of whom Goldie never approved, had died of leukemia. The first section of the book consists mostly of sniping between Goldie and Anna about Ford, and it gets rather tiring. After they finally hit the road, the book starts to gel with flashbacks from Goldie's past in early 1940's San Francisco. She was close friends with a Japanese girl and fell in love with her brother. For the most part, the flashbacks are what make the book although the ending, which takes place in the present, really has a big surprise. Goldie is quite a character. One keeps hoping that Anna will pull herself together and get on with her life, but five years and two weeks is not long enough to fix all that ails her. Nonetheless, it's a good read once you get going. Stick with it and enjoy.
January 24, 2013
Anna, still grieving over the death of her husband drives her also widowed grandmother, Goldie, across the country from New York to San Francisco. They have been estranged, and the first part of the journey emphasizes their differences and the reasons they may never completely reach an understanding. Goldie grew up in a poor Jewish family and through hard work, managed to marry up the social ladder and achieve success and a sort of safety. Anna, growing up with everything her grandmother had to work to achieve lacks appreciation for her status in life. Interwoven into the story of their travels is the story of Goldie's youth, her marriages and her one true love. The second part of the journey highlights the love they have for each other, in spite of their differences. It is also a love story, Anna coming to terms with her relationship with her late husband, a new relationship and culminating in Anna's discovery of the great secret romance of Goldie's life. Overall, I enjoyed it.
For those who are sensitive to sexual content - be warned.
For those who are sensitive to sexual content - be warned.
February 20, 2013
This is a book I won thanks to firstreads, and not a book I typically would have picked up on my own. However, it turned out to be a great story of family (that doesn't always see eye to eye) and a long lost love. I can completly relate to Anna losing her husband, as I have lost a fiancee a few years ago. And the hopelessness that comes from losing someone so close, it can feel enveloping. As the book progressed it was an encouraging look into someone else's life and that we don't have to have a plan for the future, but that something good can happen at any time so keep living each day.
I love the fact that the author went back and forth from the present to Goldie's past. It gave the story more meaning and backround to a very criptic and private woman.
This is a book I would recomend to friends and family.
I love the fact that the author went back and forth from the present to Goldie's past. It gave the story more meaning and backround to a very criptic and private woman.
This is a book I would recomend to friends and family.
January 21, 2014
Other reviewers have provided a summary of the book. It took me a while to get into it. Like many other reviewers, I grew weary of the sniping between Anna and her grandmother. And it took time to figure out Anna's relationship with her deceased husband, Ford - it was complex. But in Part Two, Goldie's character developed depth and strength. I began to like her. And the book took a meandering journey into the 190s, which was very well done. From that point on, I was compelled to finish the book.
The author created a "world" where life impacts the relationships of people and as a reader, I came to like the people in the book and feel compassion for them.
The author created a "world" where life impacts the relationships of people and as a reader, I came to like the people in the book and feel compassion for them.
May 6, 2015
At first I didn't think I would like this book because I couldn't stand Goldie and Anna's constant sniping at each other. But as the book progressed and each character's back story is revealed, particularly Goldie's, you start to feel more compassion for them. They go on more than just the physical cross country journey, they go on a life changing, heart expanding journey with each other. And that makes all the difference. Read it to the very end. It is worth it.
March 9, 2013
I received this book from Goodreads First Reads. Thank you!
Wow, this was a wonderful, beautifully written book. Gripping plot, emotional ride of family secrets, love and loss, and how famlies endure through the power of love and forgiveness. As Goldie would say "Make your own party"
Thank you for this thought provoking, road trip. I look forward to reading more novels by Ms. Sachs.
Wow, this was a wonderful, beautifully written book. Gripping plot, emotional ride of family secrets, love and loss, and how famlies endure through the power of love and forgiveness. As Goldie would say "Make your own party"
Thank you for this thought provoking, road trip. I look forward to reading more novels by Ms. Sachs.
September 13, 2016
So many feelings can come of similarities and differences and how we each deal with what life gives us. This book is a wealth of these feelings. The writing moves swiftly. The changes of time are not as often or as disruptive as many I have read. Each time teaches us more about the characters as they are and as they may become. It was very enjoyable.
April 23, 2013
What I thought was going to be a road trip story involving a woman who ended up wondering if she married the right man who died a very young (and grandma hated), ended up being full of backstory about the (Jewish) Grandmother's love for a Japanese family in 1941.
I look forward to more from this author.
I look forward to more from this author.
April 7, 2013
I'm glad I read this book. The sections about the grandmother's life before WWII were particularly engaging. The grandmother is also such an imperfect character--cheers to the author's skill in making readers, or at least this reader, want to read more.
April 12, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. When I read I do not usually think of the ending so this one was lovely and perfect and a bit twisty. Maybe another person would have figured it out but I didn't. Sort of made the book mysterious!
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