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Reparations
With the sweep of Sophie’s Choice and search for identity of Everything is Illuminated, Reparations is the story of Molly Rose, an innocent catapulted from the streets of New York into the bombed out cities of Austria and Germany at the end of World War II. Along with her journalist husband Jacob – an ambitious writer yearning for fame covering the end of the War – Molly moves through the destroyed world of Eastern Europe, living an unexpected life.
This is her story, a story of circumstance and choices, survival and strength, love and betrayal. In the early years in Europe, Molly meets stateless Jews in Austria and Germany. They become her European family. Slowly, they begin to tell their secrets of horror under the mutilation, experimentation, rape, torture, state-induced abortions, relentless cruelty and death.
Some turn to smuggling goods, gold bullion and loose silver, to Spain and Italy. Molly and Jacob join them, driving across borders in a specially built car. Molly has another quest as Molly wants a baby for herself and for the surviving Jewish women experimented on by Nazi doctors. Molly wants to undo the wrong done to her sisters by the ultimate affirming Molly wants to create new life.
Written in 1950, Reparations ends with Molly’s choice, the choice of a completely modern woman.
This is her story, a story of circumstance and choices, survival and strength, love and betrayal. In the early years in Europe, Molly meets stateless Jews in Austria and Germany. They become her European family. Slowly, they begin to tell their secrets of horror under the mutilation, experimentation, rape, torture, state-induced abortions, relentless cruelty and death.
Some turn to smuggling goods, gold bullion and loose silver, to Spain and Italy. Molly and Jacob join them, driving across borders in a specially built car. Molly has another quest as Molly wants a baby for herself and for the surviving Jewish women experimented on by Nazi doctors. Molly wants to undo the wrong done to her sisters by the ultimate affirming Molly wants to create new life.
Written in 1950, Reparations ends with Molly’s choice, the choice of a completely modern woman.
524 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 17, 2015
Begun in 1950 and worked on for a decade, Ruth Sidransky's great big juicy novel covers rare territory: Europe just after WWII.
In Reparations, Molly and Jacob are young American Jews who go to Europe in 1950 - he to find his glory as a journalist covering the end of the war. They begin to smuggle for the Jews rising from the sewers and woods around Vienna at the end of the war. These survivors need cash to rebuild their lives, find search for their loved ones, begin on their own 'reparations,' children to replace the lost souls.
This book is the real deal for fiction lovers. It's big, sweeping and feels a bit like Sophie's Choice - with a MUCH better ending.
In Reparations, Molly and Jacob are young American Jews who go to Europe in 1950 - he to find his glory as a journalist covering the end of the war. They begin to smuggle for the Jews rising from the sewers and woods around Vienna at the end of the war. These survivors need cash to rebuild their lives, find search for their loved ones, begin on their own 'reparations,' children to replace the lost souls.
This book is the real deal for fiction lovers. It's big, sweeping and feels a bit like Sophie's Choice - with a MUCH better ending.
April 30, 2015
A tumultuous gripping story of tremendous loss and great love. I could not put this book down and when I did, I could not stop thinking about what was going to happen next. A story for the ages, a story that should never be forgotten. For everyone who gave their lives in WWII, for all of the deaths in the Holocaust and for all the new births for the young mothers desperately wanting to repopulate Europe with new baby Jews.
Brilliantly written, Mrs. Sidranksy takes the reader on a woman's journey of discovery of being true to herself in a time when life is at its worst. She gives you glimmers of hope throughout the book that keep you wanting more. A truly beautiful story.
Brilliantly written, Mrs. Sidranksy takes the reader on a woman's journey of discovery of being true to herself in a time when life is at its worst. She gives you glimmers of hope throughout the book that keep you wanting more. A truly beautiful story.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews