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MICHEL MICHEL
An explosive, emotional novel about a young Jewish boy whose parents die at the hands of the Nazis but he is saved by a Catholic Frenchwoman and raised in her faith. When the war ends Michel's aunt in Israel claims him but "Madam Rose" Michel's foster French mother refuses to give him up and the battle is soon joined.
What begins as a personal quarrel in a small provincial town slowly and inexorably grows into a cause involving the hierarchy of the Church and the leaders of French Jewry as the boy goes in hiding passed from one secret refuge to another by Madam Rose and by the priests and nuns. The conflict not only divides France, reviving old passions and stirring up anti-Semitism and anticlericalism, it becomes a national scandal.
But in the end it is up to young Michel torn and devastated by opposing loyalties and loves who must decide his own fate.
What begins as a personal quarrel in a small provincial town slowly and inexorably grows into a cause involving the hierarchy of the Church and the leaders of French Jewry as the boy goes in hiding passed from one secret refuge to another by Madam Rose and by the priests and nuns. The conflict not only divides France, reviving old passions and stirring up anti-Semitism and anticlericalism, it becomes a national scandal.
But in the end it is up to young Michel torn and devastated by opposing loyalties and loves who must decide his own fate.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 18, 2009
I read this book many years ago, but I have never forgotten it. Clearly it made an impact on me. Simply stated, this story tells about a Jewish family in Europe during WW II, who in their attempts to provide safety for their little son, place him with Catholic people. Despite the promises to maintain his Judaism, they have the child baptized. This sets the stage for heartbreak during this period of violence, destruction and loss.
The interesting aspects of this novel are the moral questions that are presented to the reader. Depending upon one's attitude toward religion, there would be no doubt in mind what decision should be made. The question remains, is it better to save a life and forsake one's religion, or should one cling to prior observances? Clearly, what ever the answer is, more problems arise.
The interesting aspects of this novel are the moral questions that are presented to the reader. Depending upon one's attitude toward religion, there would be no doubt in mind what decision should be made. The question remains, is it better to save a life and forsake one's religion, or should one cling to prior observances? Clearly, what ever the answer is, more problems arise.
May 24, 2013
I read this book when I was a teen & decided to re-read. Although I remembered the general plot, I didn't remember the specifics, so it was an interesting read. Also, I remember finding the political discussions "boring", but it was very interesting this time. It led to a deeper understanding of the behind-the-scenes intrigue and to the motivations of the various characters.
The book, without giving anything away, is about a young Jewish boy who is hidden with Christians in France during the Holocaust. His parents both die, and this lengthy novel, with many twists and turns, is about the Christian woman who has him baptized and wants to keep him and his Jewish relatives who learn that he is alive and want him to rejoin his family. There are many points when the reader thinks the resolution of the story must be near, but knows that it can't be because there are still hundreds of pages left to read.
The book, without giving anything away, is about a young Jewish boy who is hidden with Christians in France during the Holocaust. His parents both die, and this lengthy novel, with many twists and turns, is about the Christian woman who has him baptized and wants to keep him and his Jewish relatives who learn that he is alive and want him to rejoin his family. There are many points when the reader thinks the resolution of the story must be near, but knows that it can't be because there are still hundreds of pages left to read.
October 26, 2007
I read it 3 or 4 years after publication while in high school and loved it, and I’m reasonably sure that it would still hold up. Still have my old paperback copy and it seems that way. This is a really engrossing novel that takes place in the era of WWII about a young Jewish boy whose parents are killed by the Nazis and who’s taken in and saved by a Catholic woman and raised Catholic. The main part of the story is what happens after the war when this boy’s surviving Jewish relatives want him back and the battle that ensues.
March 23, 2018
Robert Lewis' debut novel, and as far as I can tell perhaps his only novel, can be counted among the fine works of prose written in the mid-century period. It is a shame that the short stories for which he was awarded the O Henry Special Award in 1947 that were printed in Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, The New Yorker, Cosmopolitan and Esquire have not been bound and reprinted.
Lewis' depiction of village life in post-war France conveys clearly the fortitude and what we today would term the denial of the horrific scars that the war has left, but what people then not prone to the constant self-examination, would deem getting on with it. People were in the business of getting back to life before the war and in that regard Mother Church has been a refuge during the war and now in a changing world they do not understand, she is stalwart against change. Into this village life comes le petit orphan Michel, like an angel in their midst.
He is coveted by many; a motherless spinster, a Mother Superior whose mission is to convert Jews, an embittered holocaust survivor, a grieving aunt, a kindly Basque priest. Lewis leads Michel and the reader on a journey in search of himself, or as some might have it his soul. From the Alps to the Pyrenees this little fellow forges the terrain with the aid of those he thinks of as his protectors. While, those who also believe they are his protectors, fight the authorities both civil and ecclesiastical to protect him. Lewis is at his best in his depictions of life in the Basque country, we read so little about, these ancient people neither French or Spanish, who remind one of wild west.
A salient point, Lewis wrote this novel in the years just following Vatican II, and it seems no coincidence that the exigencies for the changes brought about by Pope John and Vatican II are clearly depicted here, especially in its doctrinal message that has been reformed toward the Jewish community. This is foreshadowed in the time Michel is with Fr. Vergara.
One can also see that there are elements of the sad kidnapping story of Edgardo Mortara of the 19th century when the Jewish boy was stolen from his family in Bologna and raised in the Vatican, following a servant girl baptizing the boy as an infant. He was removed from the home at age 6 when it was found out he was baptized and was not to be allowed to live with his Jewish family who would not educate him a Christian. He became a Priest and died in 1940. The family remained Jewish.
And although Lewis could not have known this at the time his novel was published in 1967, the story of Michel relates even more to the late Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, born Jewish, whose mother died in the holocaust, his father survived, but Aaron Lustiger (his given name) converted to Catholicism. If you read Michel, Michel listen to at this link re Kaddish for the Cardinal on NPR, it might have some relevance for you.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...
Lewis' depiction of village life in post-war France conveys clearly the fortitude and what we today would term the denial of the horrific scars that the war has left, but what people then not prone to the constant self-examination, would deem getting on with it. People were in the business of getting back to life before the war and in that regard Mother Church has been a refuge during the war and now in a changing world they do not understand, she is stalwart against change. Into this village life comes le petit orphan Michel, like an angel in their midst.
He is coveted by many; a motherless spinster, a Mother Superior whose mission is to convert Jews, an embittered holocaust survivor, a grieving aunt, a kindly Basque priest. Lewis leads Michel and the reader on a journey in search of himself, or as some might have it his soul. From the Alps to the Pyrenees this little fellow forges the terrain with the aid of those he thinks of as his protectors. While, those who also believe they are his protectors, fight the authorities both civil and ecclesiastical to protect him. Lewis is at his best in his depictions of life in the Basque country, we read so little about, these ancient people neither French or Spanish, who remind one of wild west.
A salient point, Lewis wrote this novel in the years just following Vatican II, and it seems no coincidence that the exigencies for the changes brought about by Pope John and Vatican II are clearly depicted here, especially in its doctrinal message that has been reformed toward the Jewish community. This is foreshadowed in the time Michel is with Fr. Vergara.
One can also see that there are elements of the sad kidnapping story of Edgardo Mortara of the 19th century when the Jewish boy was stolen from his family in Bologna and raised in the Vatican, following a servant girl baptizing the boy as an infant. He was removed from the home at age 6 when it was found out he was baptized and was not to be allowed to live with his Jewish family who would not educate him a Christian. He became a Priest and died in 1940. The family remained Jewish.
And although Lewis could not have known this at the time his novel was published in 1967, the story of Michel relates even more to the late Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, born Jewish, whose mother died in the holocaust, his father survived, but Aaron Lustiger (his given name) converted to Catholicism. If you read Michel, Michel listen to at this link re Kaddish for the Cardinal on NPR, it might have some relevance for you.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...
February 6, 2013
Overall a fantastic read, although the first 30 or so pages took me a while to get through. The tension builds up slowly, gaining momentum, then I found I could hardly put the book down.
Often i start a book from the last few pages, I'm so glad that I didn't do that with this book, as the conclusion is on the last page.
The book is about a battle for possession of a child, Michel Benedek, whose Jewish parents were killed by the Nazis in France at the beginning of the war, but who was saved and brought up by a Catholic woman named 'Maman Rose'. Against the tenets of canon law, he was baptized; and when the war was over his Aunt in Israel claims the boy, but his foster mother refuses to give him up.
It would have made a fantastic movie...... any producers out there??
Often i start a book from the last few pages, I'm so glad that I didn't do that with this book, as the conclusion is on the last page.
The book is about a battle for possession of a child, Michel Benedek, whose Jewish parents were killed by the Nazis in France at the beginning of the war, but who was saved and brought up by a Catholic woman named 'Maman Rose'. Against the tenets of canon law, he was baptized; and when the war was over his Aunt in Israel claims the boy, but his foster mother refuses to give him up.
It would have made a fantastic movie...... any producers out there??
February 17, 2018
I enjoyed almost everything about this, as painful as it was. The inflexible, uncompromising beliefs of nearly all the adults led to a horrible situation that should never have happened. It was perfectly clear how all of it transpired, but the selfishness and self-righteousness of so many led to so much pain.
I loved the epiphany of Michel's crisis point. It really spoke to me as a person, and now I want to explore more of that in the theology. It's the same argument I used with my sister, who insisted on suffering and trying to make me suffer, when my father died. She kept insisting he was damned, and I just wanted to strangle her.
Loved this book and I do believe this is going into my "let's catch up with old friends occasionally" reread pile.
I loved the epiphany of Michel's crisis point. It really spoke to me as a person, and now I want to explore more of that in the theology. It's the same argument I used with my sister, who insisted on suffering and trying to make me suffer, when my father died. She kept insisting he was damned, and I just wanted to strangle her.
Loved this book and I do believe this is going into my "let's catch up with old friends occasionally" reread pile.
March 25, 2008
I was lucky enough to stumble on this novel at a used book sale. I spent every spare moment reading for a couple of weeks. It is the story of a young Jewish boy who is hidden by a Catholic family in France during WWII. All is well until they refuse to give him up at the end of the war and he becomes a pawn in a larger battle as the French examine their wartime experience.
December 23, 2009
This book is an absolute masterpiece. I was so lucky to find a copy used, but the fact that it is out of print and unavailable is actually unfathomable to me. Started in December 2009, finished in January 2010.
May 19, 2018
I read this book in the 70’s and it left a long lasting impression. So glad I read it again.
Controversial issue and being Jewish and a daughter of holocaust survivors it was at times difficult to understand.
2 sides to a story, with no right ending that would have Michel happy and whole.
Controversial issue and being Jewish and a daughter of holocaust survivors it was at times difficult to understand.
2 sides to a story, with no right ending that would have Michel happy and whole.
June 26, 2020
I first read Michel, Michel when I was in high school 50 years ago. I read it again to see if it’s as good as I remembered. It is!
Michel is a 7-year-old Jewish orphan in post-WWII France. His parents died during the German occupation, and he is being raised by Mlle. Rose, who is raising him with other orphans in her care. She loves him like her own son. As the story begins, it is the day of Michel’s baptism into the Catholic Church. But that same evening, a man appears, M. Konrad. He has come to claim the child for his aunt, who lives in Israel. But Mlle. Rose is not having it. And it turns out, neither is the Church.
Thus begins the battle for the boy. Michel wants nothing more than to be left alone, but it is not to be.
I’m not sure this book would have been published in today’s market. There’s a lot of philosophizing, both religious and political, and the narrative is often dense with it. But there’s a good story there as well, not the least of which is about Michel’s internal struggle to understand why a small boy, such as he is, has become so important.
Michel is a 7-year-old Jewish orphan in post-WWII France. His parents died during the German occupation, and he is being raised by Mlle. Rose, who is raising him with other orphans in her care. She loves him like her own son. As the story begins, it is the day of Michel’s baptism into the Catholic Church. But that same evening, a man appears, M. Konrad. He has come to claim the child for his aunt, who lives in Israel. But Mlle. Rose is not having it. And it turns out, neither is the Church.
Thus begins the battle for the boy. Michel wants nothing more than to be left alone, but it is not to be.
I’m not sure this book would have been published in today’s market. There’s a lot of philosophizing, both religious and political, and the narrative is often dense with it. But there’s a good story there as well, not the least of which is about Michel’s internal struggle to understand why a small boy, such as he is, has become so important.
August 14, 2012
Michel, Michel how they fought over you......
Maman Rose who rescued you from the Nazis during the War but made you her 'possession' which she did not want to share with anyone. You the boy with golden curls and cherub features was hers and hers alone to own and cherish. When your aunts wrote to Maman Rose to have you back again in your Jewish family, she got you baptized although you were already circumcised.....
Then the battle for you started in earnest and you were kidnapped,shunted from place to place, hidden in austere seminaries, in snow bound caves, amongst partisans, crossing borders, staying in small parishes, your name changed a hundred times all in the name of Jesus.
The Jews fought for you in Courts, hundreds of documents, lawyers big and small, testimonies, witnesses and money....
In the end who did you belong to ?
Which God should you have worshiped?
Maman Rose who rescued you from the Nazis during the War but made you her 'possession' which she did not want to share with anyone. You the boy with golden curls and cherub features was hers and hers alone to own and cherish. When your aunts wrote to Maman Rose to have you back again in your Jewish family, she got you baptized although you were already circumcised.....
Then the battle for you started in earnest and you were kidnapped,shunted from place to place, hidden in austere seminaries, in snow bound caves, amongst partisans, crossing borders, staying in small parishes, your name changed a hundred times all in the name of Jesus.
The Jews fought for you in Courts, hundreds of documents, lawyers big and small, testimonies, witnesses and money....
In the end who did you belong to ?
Which God should you have worshiped?
March 29, 2025
Goodness, this was a heavy book.
If it wasn't so lengthy and so depressing, I might have considered giving it more stars, but it is both of those things and I just can't do it.
What a tale this is. While I don't believe it's based on a true story, it's still easy to believe it could have been. Lewis truly took you on a journey. He made you feel feelings. He made you see two sides. He made you see how things are rarely ever black and white.
This book weighed heavily on my heart, but it was truly spectacular. I felt like I had been through something when I reached the ending. A worthy read.
If it wasn't so lengthy and so depressing, I might have considered giving it more stars, but it is both of those things and I just can't do it.
What a tale this is. While I don't believe it's based on a true story, it's still easy to believe it could have been. Lewis truly took you on a journey. He made you feel feelings. He made you see two sides. He made you see how things are rarely ever black and white.
This book weighed heavily on my heart, but it was truly spectacular. I felt like I had been through something when I reached the ending. A worthy read.
March 24, 2009
Jewish war orphan aged 3 sheltered from Germans by French woman who after war refuses to surrender child to family - major theme role of Catholic Church in support of woman to thwart reuniting child with family - undertones of anti-semitisim - catholic dogma - church vs secular law in France - EXCELLENT read
December 31, 2023
This book was highly recommended by a highly regarded friend who has way more literary understanding than I.
That all being said, I read only 272 of 735 small print pages and gave up. Very wordy. There is too much religious history, of which I'm so not interested.
The story itself definitely has merit. Michel is a young boy, born in France to Jewish parents. First has mother dies. Then the Nazis invade and his father is taken. He eventually winds up in the Nursery, something like day care but also the director fosters needy children. She is a Catholic. Gets to love Michel and arranges to become his guardian. She has him baptized. A family member comes forward to take him in and bring him up in his birth religion. This doesn't happen bc Mlle. Rose says she will never give him up.
The whole book is dedicated to the fight for Michel, in tedious description of law, life, love and religion.
That all being said, I read only 272 of 735 small print pages and gave up. Very wordy. There is too much religious history, of which I'm so not interested.
The story itself definitely has merit. Michel is a young boy, born in France to Jewish parents. First has mother dies. Then the Nazis invade and his father is taken. He eventually winds up in the Nursery, something like day care but also the director fosters needy children. She is a Catholic. Gets to love Michel and arranges to become his guardian. She has him baptized. A family member comes forward to take him in and bring him up in his birth religion. This doesn't happen bc Mlle. Rose says she will never give him up.
The whole book is dedicated to the fight for Michel, in tedious description of law, life, love and religion.
December 5, 2018
Read this when it first came out and reread it for book club now. Had very different impressions. Originally felt there were the good guys and the bad guys. This time it seemed less clear. It seems now that it was more a power struggle for the child by both sides, not looking for his best interests.
Very moving.
Very moving.
August 4, 2011
"Michael, Michael" is the historical/religious fiction story of Michael Benedek, a child born to Jewish parents who are killed during the Holocaust. Michael is raised by a devout French Catholic woman, Odette Rose, who wants Michael to become a priest. When Michael is seven years old, his aunt finds out that he is still living and comes forward to adopt him and take him to the newly formed Israel to grow up a Jewish child with his Jewish family. Rose disagrees and a long court battle ensues. During the years the court case goes on, Michael is kidnapped and/or transferred to new schools with new identities more than 4 times. No one bothers, of course, until toward the end to ask Michael what he really wants.
The bulk of the book can be broken down into two sections, which the reader in no particular order will find themselves thrust into. Large parts deal with the French justice system of the 1950/60s which I found, alas, particularly boring. The other large theme the reader can expect is the Jewish/Christian religious struggle within Michael, who does not turn out to be the child either side expects.
On the minus side, there is a reason this never became a classic. Exceedingly dry legal reading and religious queries worthy of seminarians (and then only if assigned), not of a seven or eight year old child. It is obvious that the author had internal religious battles himself and used the text as a way to voice them. The book was about 300 pages too long. On the plus side, this is a great look at the Church v's State of just-pre Vatican 2. There's a lot of Jewish-Christian relation time-capsule type stuff here. Beware though, Jewish readers, the Christian side is very strong and sometimes overtly anti-Semitic. All in all, worth a read if you are a religious studies buff, but definitely not for the casual reader.
The bulk of the book can be broken down into two sections, which the reader in no particular order will find themselves thrust into. Large parts deal with the French justice system of the 1950/60s which I found, alas, particularly boring. The other large theme the reader can expect is the Jewish/Christian religious struggle within Michael, who does not turn out to be the child either side expects.
On the minus side, there is a reason this never became a classic. Exceedingly dry legal reading and religious queries worthy of seminarians (and then only if assigned), not of a seven or eight year old child. It is obvious that the author had internal religious battles himself and used the text as a way to voice them. The book was about 300 pages too long. On the plus side, this is a great look at the Church v's State of just-pre Vatican 2. There's a lot of Jewish-Christian relation time-capsule type stuff here. Beware though, Jewish readers, the Christian side is very strong and sometimes overtly anti-Semitic. All in all, worth a read if you are a religious studies buff, but definitely not for the casual reader.
January 9, 2012
I last read this in junior high. It's as good as I remembered. Jewish boy is given up at age 3 by his parents in France to protect him when they know the Gestapo is coming for them. A Catholic woman who takes him in decides to keep him when the boy's aunt comes for him after the war. In fact, she has had him baptized and raised Catholic. A legal battle ensues that lasts years, mainly because the church is helping to hide him because they now see him as "theirs" since he's been baptized. Jewish persecution didn't end when the war did.
February 1, 2009
A child is saved from the Nazis by a French woman who then determines to make him her own. Even though he is a Jew, she has him baptized and then the Church assists her in claiming this child even though an Aunt in Israel wants to care for this child. Much emphasis on French anti-semitism.
March 13, 2010
Gripping, but very depressing story of a Jewish orphan and his relationships and pressures.
May 30, 2016
I found the story very interesting because it brings fresh perspective on the Catholic church and events during WW11.
July 26, 2021
I read this soon after it was first published in 1967 when I was 15. It was probably the one of the first adult novel that I ever read about World War II.
June 25, 2022
Well written but in the end it just seemed so pointless to me. Wasted years, wasted money, wasted deaths all for one random child.
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