Katarina: Mennonite Girl from Russia

by Chornoboy, Eleanor Hildebrand

372 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Poetreehugger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am giving this book four stars not because the writing is excellent (but I would say it is definitely good writing) but because it is a story that preserves a vanished way of life, and therefore extremely valuable and accomplishing one of the most honourable purposes for creating a body of writing.
Because I am a Mennonite whose parents both immigrated to Canada as young children with their families, a lot of the details (not all, but a lot) in this book are very similar to those in the lives of my grandparents and their families. This book could be read by my children and grandchildren as a story of their ancestors and their lost culture, preserved only in memory, old letters, and a few written records such as this.

[Edna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate all the details the author put into this historical novel. My ancestors were part of migrations that followed the initial pioneers. While I'm not sure why the author chose not to organize the book in chapters, it was a new experience for me as a reader and a bit disorienting. However, my takeaway from Katarina is the harsh conditions endured by the settlers and sometimes inflicted on each other. I especially liked the scene where the woman giving birth was in grave danger of losing her life as well as the infant's, and the midwife called for the village women to surround her bed to sing hymns and pray. Thank you, Eleanor.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Mennonite history in an interesting story.