Landsman

by Peter Melman, Daniel Oreskes (Narrator)

In 1861, fleeing a murder charge in New Orleans, twenty-year-old Elias Abrams joins the Confederate Army, where he witnesses the horrors of war and falls in love with Nora Bloom, a young Jewish woman encouraged by her rabbi to correspond with a soldier.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Civil War, Historical, Jewish, War

Audio CD

First published May 15, 2007

About the author

Peter Charles Melman was born in New York and raised in Louisiana, where he earned his Ph.D. in English-Creative Writing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His debut novel, Landsman, has garnered him a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers, BookSense Highlight, and 2007 American Library Association Notable Book of the Year selection. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife, Elena, and son, Charlie.

Reviews

[♥ Sandi ❣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I wanted, I never really got into this book. It is written in a time period that I love, during the Civil War, and had good character development and a good story plot.
It is the story of a young man- aged 14 - who lies and joins the Confederate Army in Louisiana to eliminate going to jail for a crime he was accused of, but really did not commit. He was sent to the front line very quickly and saw dead all around him as he was engaged in combat. He received a letter from Nora Bloom addressed to "Any Soldier". The letter was given to him by his commanding officer, who was a family friend of the Blooms. The story then revolves around the letters written and his relationship with Nora Bloom, along with his sense of morality and his need to make amends.
The reading was easy and the novel was well written. Characters and the portrayed time was well executed, I just struggled getting through this book, probably due to my own misgivings and not the novel itself.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm greatly enjoying this book of a poor jewish born punk who "escapes" to join the army after his biological father is killed by the gang he hangs with. Once there he starts to improve himself and really starts thinking for himself. There is a lot if introspection, but it is not "overdone".

He "falls in love" with a young jewish girl who has sent a letter to a jewish soldier at the request of her rabbi (although he is called a reverent in this book). The writing is somewhat overblown - striking the sound of the time period.

Looking forward to the rest.

Finished the book. Interesting ending.

Really what this book is about is a person who comes to understand his human worth and through that the worth of others. He begins to have standards and because of his friend and his "love" he starts to turn himself around. Amazing 1st novel! Also for those like me who enjoy Civil War history, there is plenty of that.

It was very interesting to me that while I always knew that their were Jews on both sides during the war, Judus Benjimin was a part of Jefferson Davis's cabinet.I always pictured them as a very, very small number. Melman puts the # of Jews in the Confederacy at over 6,000. Still a small % given that they were killing off triple or quadruple that in the large battles, but an interesting revelation to me non the less.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the 2007 Louisiana Book Festival,I had the pleasure of hearing Peter Melman speak about his new novel LANDSMAN and was moved by his passion for historical fiction. Of course, I bought an autographed copy. Then, within hours of the conclusion of the festival, I was in the hospital caring for my daughter, who had just been injured in a traffic accident. In the few quiet moments, while my daughter slept, I began reading Melman's novel and took a strange sort of comfort from glimpsing another messy, violent world.

LANDSMAN focuses on the fate of a young man, Elias Abrams, the orphaned son on an indentured Jewish immigrant in New Orleans. Joining the Confederacy, Abrams tries to leave his sordid gang affiliations behind him but must return to make atonement. The language is often rough and often florid. Sometimes I wished for less exposition about feelings and more dramatic scenes that would allow me to feel with the characters. Authorial descriptions of what would happen to certain characters in their futures is an odd device and didn't always serve the narrative.
Still, historic details of New Orleans and the war-ravaged South are rich and evocative. And everything Melman sets up at the beginning he pays off with dividends by the end.

[Sharyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pick books for my Temple based book club. I came across this in a book sale and thought, Civil War, Jewish soldier, I'll try it. This is a well written story of redemption and love, based in New Orleans and several Civil War battles. I could really feel the horrible conditions of the soldiers, the descriptions of the battles and then the boring aftermaths, lack of food, shelter, clothing, the lice and dirt, quite well described. The changes in Elias Abrams also felt real, and I loved the character of Carlson. There is a lot of swearing and sex, which was quite appropriate for the characters. There were several times when the author would tell the future of real characters, which I enjoyed.The theme of Land throughout, as well as the Jewish meaning of Landsman was well done. I guessed the ending, but I liked it, so I guess it was wish fulfillment!

[Nita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extravagant prose alternates between the coarse and the lyrical in this portrait of a young Jewish hoodlum who escapes a robbery gone wrong by enlisting in the Confederate army. Although the story isn't always plausible (the gritty details are sometimes overdone, and the classics professor who adopts the hero is too good to be true even for me), it gets more and more engrossing. The three villains are especially intriguing.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Characters are brilliantly drawn, plot moves gracefully through history, culture, class, maturity and an unexpected love story. For me, historical fiction can be so, well, predictable. This is not. LANDSMAN is beautiful, engrossing, funny and heartwrenching in all the right parts. Can't wait for the next Melman novel...

[Elena Melman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written. It's gritty, violent, romantic, and heatbreaking. I would recommend it to anyone interested in History, The Civil War, Jewish History, and love stories. Visually stunning. And the author's hot!

[Teresa Thompson Arcangel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the unabridged audio edition. I love reading historical fiction. This book introduced me to aspects of life in Civil War America that I'd never considered. The story is brutal so I can't say I "enjoyed" it. But I'm very glad I listened to it.

[William Howle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sad book. There is misery throughout the book. The story is about a young Jew, born out of wedlock to a Jewish mother and apparently a gentile biological father. He joins the Confederate army to escape a crime he did not commit. The hatred between the USA and the CSA is evident and there is some respite after he is wounded and captured. A Union officer allows him to be granted parole and he returns to New Orleans to discover that a young Jewish woman he loved was raped by a member of his former gang. He is blamed for causing the attack. He finally gets revenge and hopes to become a proper person at the end of the story. There are many characters, one in particular is an educated man, that befriends him, but he is blinded in battle. One more sad aspect of this story.

[Sharon Banitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different sort of Civil War story. Elias Abrams joins up with the south when he thinks he will be implicated in his father's murder. He is an orphan of Jewish descent. He has lived in an orphanage and made friends with someone who leads him into trouble. He finds himself in a correspondence with a young Jewish girl, falls in love but brings harm to her family unknowingly. He is befriended by a professor while in the service, he goes back to New Orleans and is used by the police because he thinks he is to be heir to a great estate. Nothing ever seems to go well for him but in the end he does finally choose to get a job and become a good citizen. An interesting story.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was, at times, a tough read. Graphic and realistic descriptions of life as a young soldier in the South. Death, love and fear combine with cold and hunger to make up the life of our young, reckless private Abrams - a Jewish poor Southerner who faces all the hazards of life as a fighting man for the Confederacy.

Very intense story that is akin to Fazier’s “Cold Mountain.” This book has considerable violence considering that when it is finished, it is remembered as a touching story of awakening and coming of age in times of war.

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an interesting story of a young Jew who joins the confederate army to escape the consequences of his gang-related behavior in New Orleans. He often acts rashly but resolutely seeks solutions in love, war and friendship.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elias Abrams, a young Jewish street tough, tries to avoid retribution for a murder by enlisting in Confederate Army. Set in New Orleans as Abrams’ home base. Very well written w. interesting twist at end. 2007 Book Sense Picks Highlights, 320 pgs.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mature audiences and skillful riff on Charles Frazier’s “Cold Mountain”. New Orleans and civil war plus well developed characters and plot twists well rendered.

[Steph S · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first random-paged this Civil War novel at Barnes and Noble, I was immediately struck by a sense of familiarity. Initially, I was impressed with Louisiana-raised author Melman's capture of southern dialect. In a broader sense, even the ideals which didn't coincide with my upbringing are one's that I'm familiar with through old-timers and younger southerners alike. Sure, they're old-fashioned viewpoints now (and not always pleasant ones), but they still thrum in the heart of many southerners.

I generally shy away from Civil War novels, and rarely read [modern] historical fiction, but Melman's debut novel easily captured my attention. The well-done cover art, the southern voice and tone - hell, even the author's picture; these all worked together to persuade me to delve in. I admit, a few parts seemed a bit rushed. Melman, in an interview, detailed that he had a thorough outline before writing a creative word of this novel, and I feel that there were a few instances in which he decided to just move to the next point in the outline, and did just that within the next couple of pages. However, these instances were scarce, and quickly forgotten as the novel drew me back in.

I can't compare this to other historical novels; the genre certainly doesn't make me giddy. I can say, however, that I didn't begrudge the time I spent reading this. I can add that I became attached to the characters, and sorry to reach the end. I won't say that this is great literature, but I will offer that it is an excellent debut novel(even with the slightly predictable ending), and I will certainly be keeping my eyes open for more from this author.

[Pamela Pickering · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you know how this book ends send me message to fill me in because I'm going to abandon this one at CD 7 of 9. To be fair, maybe I just don't have the opportunities to listen to it but I think if I were really likin' it I would make time for it. Although I enjoyed the book's narration of the letters I felt the story jumped around quite a bit (a little hard to follow) and there was quite a bit of unnecessary "wordiness". The author would include passages describing either the past or futures of "walk on" type characters. Although I've been know to utter an occassional *&!#@*$% myself (okay, okay, probably more than occassional) it just got to be too much for me, and as my fellow reader Cheryl stated, some of the sexual descrptions were a little coarse for my taste as well.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast-paced, exciting read with a very poignant and somewhat austere conclusion. The theme of "the land" is carried through very well, and the protagonist Abrams is really well fleshed-out.

That said, the lot of it wasn't all that original. The characters (except Abrams and his mother) did not have a whole lot of depth to them, and often seemed like caricatures; and the plot of the "lovelorn Civil War soldier returning home" has been done over and over. Part of this is righted by the fact that the very tail end of the ending is somewhat unexpected. It's not the most original of works -- Melman, however, does a darn good job of it.

[Barbara Barna · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the risk of betraying what a tired/lazy reader I've become, when I picked up Peter Melman's Landsman after reading mostly cookbooks, thrillers and pop lit lately my first impression was "this book is hard" - as in complex writing that forced me to think and participate. But I stuck with Landsman and was rewarded - it's an unexpected story of love and redemption about a young Jewish soldier - running from the law and the 1860s version of the New Orleans mob - fighting for the confederacy in the early days of the Civil War.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Civil War historical fiction with the unique perspective of a poor Jewish confederate. Not really a political work - more a glimpse of the sadness of a poor, tough life with the added complexity of being Jewish in such a conflict. There is romance, violence, moral struggle and just simple human effort to reach out. I liked this very much and recommend it. The writer, raised in Louisiana - knows the south.

[Juliana]

New Orleans and the Civil War era serve as the backdrop to this story of redemption. A young jewish street-tough kid escapes his past and joins up with the confederate army. But of course his past catches up with him! I picked the book because of its backdrop of New orleans and the premise of a love story between pen pals. I loved the twist of events and the ending.

[Connie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm generally a sucker for Civil War and coming of age novels, but it took longer than usual to care about this character, Elias Abrams. I did, however, appreciate following Elias as he grew up and changed.


(I listened to this on playaway, which I don't think was a major issue one wy or the other in the enjoyment.)

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am biased. My best friend wrote this book. I love it. The story is solid and classic. The characters are smart. The backdrop of the south feels like home. I have enjoyed this book every single time I read it.

[Straw · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up randomly at the library...I love a Civil War novel, usually. Let's just say this was a borderline bodice ripper and I cannot even believe the author has a phd in creative writing....it was unbelievably bad and took all I had in me to finish.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, if a bit graphic for my tastes at times. The main character's transformation from a gangster to a guy trying to set things right was done well - instantaneous transformation or fall in love at first sight stories like that usually drive me nuts.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book grabs you with violence and a taste of the dark side of New Orleans during the civil war. But its focus is maturing, redemption. A debut by the author, it is beautifully written, lyrical yet raw as hell. The characterizations are stellar. Once I got on it, it was done within days.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one on the $1 table at Barnes & Noble. Hard to get into, but the last 1/4 of the book was interesting. Fighting on the wrong side of the Civil War, starvation, and walking in the snow without shoes stuff for pages and pages. Ok, but not anything I'd recomment.

[Tama Segal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly well written. My husband and I read ALOT and this has been one of favorites! It's not just the story, but the use of the language that makes it special. It's a quick read because you cannot put it down. I highly recommend it. Can't wait for his next book.

[Davidhfinkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

insanely eloquent prose, yet brutally unrelenting all the same. total page turner. if you like the works of cormac mccarthy you will definitely enjoy this.

[Richard Dong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ubber book minus the curse words.

[Catherine Lera · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting book. The writing style was a bit stiff - kinda victorian, also very violent.