Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, Summer 2019 - Best Literary Fiction
Beverly Hills Book Awards 2019 - Historical Fiction
“...a superbly atmospheric work of historical fiction with characters that, once met, are never forgotten.” (K.C. Finn, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews, 5 Stars)
Samuel and Aron Katz's fragile childhood connection is severed when Aron leaves pre-WWII Poland for Palestine, and yet again when Samuel is sent to an arctic Soviet Gulag. Now, Aron must decide how far he will go to save his younger brother.
From Poland to wartime Tel Aviv, from a frozen Soviet prison camp to Allied-controlled Iran, and deep into Mandatory Palestine's desperate preparations against Nazi invasion - Moon Path probes the ties that bind siblings and the forces that tear them apart.
“Deeply detailed, historical in nature and spanning a journey of epic proportions, Moon Path leads us by the hand through the horrors of WWII, with characters that are sensational... It is an intensive read but it’s one you won’t put down. This is drama, history, romance and action at its best, a story that will stay with you forever.” (Anne-Marie Reynolds, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews, 5 Stars)
Evolved Publishing Presents a compelling story set against the backdrop of 200 fateful days in 1942, when the Jews of Palestine lived in terror of a Nazi invasion. From the award-winning author of the best-selling Galerie comes fast-paced, character-driven historical fiction in the spirit of Ayelet Waldman's Love and Treasure, Tatiana De Rosnay's Sarah's Key, and Charles Belfoure's The Paris Architect.
READERS’ FAVORITE REVIEW In Moon Path, author Steven Greenburg tells a story set during World War II. Brothers Aron and Samuel Katz live in Warsaw with their parents. Aron the elder boy has constantly bullied his younger brother who still sees him as a hero, and he feels abandoned when Aron leaves the family to follow other Jews who have fled from persecution to make a new home in Palestine. Part of his reason for this is his homosexuality which his parents have tied to ‘fix’. Samuel falls in love with Danuta a Catholic girl. Already the rules are changing for Jews in Warsaw, and first Samuel has to sit apart from the other students in lectures and then he is banned altogether. Interred in a Polish prisoner work camp, Samuel is then set free and decides to make for Eretz Israel to reconnect with his brother and his girlfriend, who converted to Judaism. It’s an arduous journey of over five thousand kilometres especially with no money and no resources. The novel spins between letters from Aron, Samuel and Danuta as each battle with their demons and physical hardships.
Steven Greenberg weaves a narrative in Moon Path with more twists and turns than an Alpine pass. It caught me completely by surprise, for each of the three characters. Jumping back to events that had taken place earlier in their lives, the narrative explains their present actions and feelings. Each have demons to face, and the brothers especially, carry terrible guilt about their actions when living in Warsaw. Both their parents are dead and the brothers, at different times, make the decision to run to Palestine and avoid the fate of the Holocaust. But it is not possible to run from yourself and the fears that break out, especially at night. Palestine too is not safe, for if the British withdraw to meet the German forces in North Africa, the Jews left behind are afraid the Arab population will attack them. This is a book that delves deep into the psyche of both brothers which reaches an explosive end. Written with beautiful imagery, I couldn’t put this book down.
Moon Path is a story of the complicated relationship between two Jewish brothers, set during World War II. The older brother moves to Palestine, and the younger must make his way from a Siberian prison camp to join his brother and his girlfriend, who is also making her way to the Middle East. The author gives us a deep character study of each of these 3 people: their motivations, their relationships, and their goals. There were a couple twists that I didn't expect (especially the ending!) that gave all those points more poignancy and tied the whole story together. The book left me thinking a lot about identity and culture - how it shapes us, and how we shape it.
Moon Path touched me deeply for its fast paced story recreating a time and place that took away my breath. A must read for anyone interested in recent history around wwII in Europe , Asia and Africa and the years just prior to Israel’s rebirth.
Really enjoyed this historical novel. This story of a Polish Jew trying to make his way to Israel during World War 2 is both gripping and surprising at times. Highly recommended.