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The Golden Willow: The Story of a Lifetime of Love
Harry Bernstein started chronicling his life at the age of ninety-four, after the death of his beloved wife, Ruby. In his first book, The Invisible Wall , he told a haunting story of forbidden love in World War I-era England. Then Bernstein wrote The Dream , the touching tale of his family’s immigrant experience in Depression-era Chicago and New York. Now Bernstein completes the saga with The Golden Willow , a heart-lifting memoir of his life with Ruby, a romance that lasted nearly seventy years.
They met at a dance at New York’s legendary Webster Hall, fell instantly and madly in love, and embarked on a rich and rewarding life together. From their first tiny rented room on the Upper West Side to their years in Greenwich Village, immersed in the art scene, surrounded by dancers, musicians, and writers, to their life in the newly burgeoning suburbs, Harry and Ruby pursued the American dream with gusto, much as Harry’s late mother would have wanted.
Together, through a depression, a world war, and the McCarthy era, through job losses and race riots and the joyous births of their two children, Harry and Ruby weathered much and shared an incredible love. But then the inevitable happened. One of them had to go first. When Ruby was ninety-one, she contracted leukemia and died. Alone for the first time in his life, Harry felt the loss acutely and terribly, and for a long while, despite continued good health, he was uncertain about whether he could go on without Ruby. It was then that he turned to the past for solace–and ended up fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a published author.
Delightful and hopeful, tender and moving, The Golden Willow is Harry’s tribute to his beloved Ruby, to their long, happy life together, to the impact her parting had on his heart and his soul, and to the surprises and unexpected pleasures that continue to await him.
They met at a dance at New York’s legendary Webster Hall, fell instantly and madly in love, and embarked on a rich and rewarding life together. From their first tiny rented room on the Upper West Side to their years in Greenwich Village, immersed in the art scene, surrounded by dancers, musicians, and writers, to their life in the newly burgeoning suburbs, Harry and Ruby pursued the American dream with gusto, much as Harry’s late mother would have wanted.
Together, through a depression, a world war, and the McCarthy era, through job losses and race riots and the joyous births of their two children, Harry and Ruby weathered much and shared an incredible love. But then the inevitable happened. One of them had to go first. When Ruby was ninety-one, she contracted leukemia and died. Alone for the first time in his life, Harry felt the loss acutely and terribly, and for a long while, despite continued good health, he was uncertain about whether he could go on without Ruby. It was then that he turned to the past for solace–and ended up fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a published author.
Delightful and hopeful, tender and moving, The Golden Willow is Harry’s tribute to his beloved Ruby, to their long, happy life together, to the impact her parting had on his heart and his soul, and to the surprises and unexpected pleasures that continue to await him.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
45 people are currently reading
857 people want to read
About the author
Harry Bernstein
40 books101 followersHarry Louis Bernstein was a British-born American writer whose first published book, The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers, dealt with his abusive, alcoholic father, the anti-Semitism he encountered growing up in a Lancashire mill town (Stockport - now part of Greater Manchester) in northwest England, and the Romeo and Juliet-like romance experienced by his sister and her Christian boyfriend. The book was started when Bernstein was 93 and published in 2007, when he was 96. The loneliness he encountered following the death of his wife, Ruby, in 2002, after 67 years of marriage, was the catalyst for Bernstein to begin work on his book. His second book, The Dream, published in 2008, centered on his family’s move to the United States when he was twelve. In 2009, he published his third book, The Golden Willow, which chronicled his married life and later years. A fourth book, What Happended to Rose, will be published posthumously, in 2012.
Before his retirement at age 62, Bernstein worked for various movie production companies, reading scripts and working as a magazine editor for trade magazines. He also wrote freelance articles for such publications as Popular Mechanics, Family Circle and Newsweek.
Bernstein lived in Brick Township, New Jersey. He died at the age of 101, in June 2011.
Before his retirement at age 62, Bernstein worked for various movie production companies, reading scripts and working as a magazine editor for trade magazines. He also wrote freelance articles for such publications as Popular Mechanics, Family Circle and Newsweek.
Bernstein lived in Brick Township, New Jersey. He died at the age of 101, in June 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
August 4, 2019
I followed up my reading of Harry Bernstein’s The Dream with his Golden Willow. Bernstein made headlines with The Invisible Wall which he wrote at the ripe old age of ninety four as a means of coping with the death of his wife Ruby. Both Harry and Ruby Bernstein had become nonagenarians, outliving their siblings, friends, and other acquaintances. Harry attended a grief support group at a local hospital and found the group not to be what he needed. Instead, he turned to writing. Most people do not live to see ninety years old, yet Harry has had the privilege of writing three books in his twilight years. While I found the Golden Willow to repeat passages and themes from The Dream, I did want to see how his life played out. While not necessarily the most memorable, it has been a life well lived and one I feel privileged to have read about.
Following their marriage in 1935, Harry and Ruby Bernstein lived in various New York apartments before settling in a suburban New Jersey community. They had two children Charles and Adraenne, Who Harry writes could not have been any more different from each other. Ruby was the family’s primary bread winner for many years at a time when most women were content being homemakers, working first at a government agency and then as a school secretary. Harry had been a writer for his entire life, publishing stories in magazines and editing for home builders. It had been Ruby’s dream to see Harry publish a novel yet that never came to fruition. They gave each other unconditional love for a marriage that spanned sixty seven years, baffling younger acquaintances who figured that theirs had been a second marriage for both. After a tough childhood for both, Harry and Ruby enjoyed a life that could have only been orchestrated by a higher authority.
While there are overlaps from The Dream, The Golden Willow is Harry’s ode to Ruby and the love they enjoyed over a lifetime. He includes a smattering of historical tidbits such as who was president in certain years and how life changed over time. One anecdote I found intriguing was the Paul Robeson’s 1949 concert in Peekskill, New York. Having read about the concert and mob scene from a secondary sources, reading a first hand account of the event whetted my interest for history. When not attending cultural events, Harry and Ruby took advantage of America’s newly constructed highway system in the 1950s and traveled on family vacations all over the country. They exposed the children to historical sites and natural wonders all over the country and tried to produce an idyllic childhood for their children, one that neither of them had known in their youth.
All lives eventually end, and it was clear that Harry and Ruby Bernstein did enjoy a lifetime of love, symbolized by a golden willow tree that they had known in both Central Park and New Jersey. The Golden Willow did include parts from The Dream, yet these were necessary as Harry Bernstein took his readers on the journey of his life. At publication of The Golden Willow, Harry Bernstein was ninety nine years old. The jacket noted that he was working on another book as he was still in good health for a person his age, something most of us only dream about in their lifetimes.
3.5 stars
The Dream 4 stars. Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Following their marriage in 1935, Harry and Ruby Bernstein lived in various New York apartments before settling in a suburban New Jersey community. They had two children Charles and Adraenne, Who Harry writes could not have been any more different from each other. Ruby was the family’s primary bread winner for many years at a time when most women were content being homemakers, working first at a government agency and then as a school secretary. Harry had been a writer for his entire life, publishing stories in magazines and editing for home builders. It had been Ruby’s dream to see Harry publish a novel yet that never came to fruition. They gave each other unconditional love for a marriage that spanned sixty seven years, baffling younger acquaintances who figured that theirs had been a second marriage for both. After a tough childhood for both, Harry and Ruby enjoyed a life that could have only been orchestrated by a higher authority.
While there are overlaps from The Dream, The Golden Willow is Harry’s ode to Ruby and the love they enjoyed over a lifetime. He includes a smattering of historical tidbits such as who was president in certain years and how life changed over time. One anecdote I found intriguing was the Paul Robeson’s 1949 concert in Peekskill, New York. Having read about the concert and mob scene from a secondary sources, reading a first hand account of the event whetted my interest for history. When not attending cultural events, Harry and Ruby took advantage of America’s newly constructed highway system in the 1950s and traveled on family vacations all over the country. They exposed the children to historical sites and natural wonders all over the country and tried to produce an idyllic childhood for their children, one that neither of them had known in their youth.
All lives eventually end, and it was clear that Harry and Ruby Bernstein did enjoy a lifetime of love, symbolized by a golden willow tree that they had known in both Central Park and New Jersey. The Golden Willow did include parts from The Dream, yet these were necessary as Harry Bernstein took his readers on the journey of his life. At publication of The Golden Willow, Harry Bernstein was ninety nine years old. The jacket noted that he was working on another book as he was still in good health for a person his age, something most of us only dream about in their lifetimes.
3.5 stars
The Dream 4 stars. Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 22, 2010
I really enjoyed all three memoirs (The Invisible Wall & The Dream preceded this one), but I found this one to be redundant with things that were covered in the other books. I also noticed redundancy of material within the book. Yet, it was great to read how the 'final' portion of his life played out. I fell in love with Harry Bernstein after reading the Invisible Wall (frankly, how could you not?) and I loved to read about how truly in love he was with his wife. I am still in absolute awe over the level of great writing and clarity that this man possesses as a nonagenarian. I look forward to reading more of his books in the future.
December 16, 2015
Pochi giorni fa ho letto il terzo libro di Harry Bernstein. Ve li consiglio tutti. Il terzo è la sua biografia (scritta da anziano), racconta del profondo amore per la moglie e di come a più di 90 anni sia diventato scrittore. Soprattutto il libro è una profonda, meravigliosa lettera d'amore alla moglie, si legge tra le righe, spunta fuori ad ogni passo ed è bello vedere una persona di quell'età che vede l'altro come avesse ancora 20 anni. Lì per lì mi ha fatto uno strano effetto, mi ha fatto venire tristezza pensando che non ho più 20 anni, ma dopo qualche giorno ci ho rimuginato su e devo dire che colpisce dritto al cuore e ti fa pensare alla persona che hai accanto con occhi diversi, cosa che spesso nel correre da un posto all'altro nella nostra frenetica vita si dimentica. Bello!
September 6, 2017
R.I.P. Harry. Thanks for your books.
November 23, 2019
It put me to sleep.
This was so slow moving and not much of a plot. It's an old man's life story but nothing very exciting or out of the oridinary.
This was so slow moving and not much of a plot. It's an old man's life story but nothing very exciting or out of the oridinary.
July 5, 2020
This was the last in the trilogy. It was a good ending to Harry’s memoirs, but I definitely think it is better as part of the series than as a stand alone. You need the background of the other two books to appreciate his life story.
August 10, 2017
Questo terzo libro di Harry Bernstein mi ha emozionata e commossa , perchè c'è un vecchio Harry talmente debole e bisognoso di aiuto altrui che mi ha riportata a rivedere il piccolo Harry.
Questo è più che altro la somma di tutti i ricordi accumulati in 95 anni di vita, ed Harry si aggrappa a questi per non impazzire dopo la morte di Ruby.
Non ho trovato questo libro noioso,forse solo all'inizio , non avevo ancora capito che per Harry ricordare e scrivere era vitale, gli serviva per non pensare in ogni attimo della sua vita a Ruby, peccato che non gli servisse a molto dato che tutto quello che ricordava erano in particolare gli anni trascorsi con l'adorata moglie.
Pensare che Harry non c'è più da 5 anni mi da un dispiacere profondo, ma credo che per lui superare i 100 anni senza Ruby accanto sia stato solo una tortura.
Il finale di questo libro è stato bello e triste allo stesso tempo.
Bello, perchè finalmente alla bella età di 96 anni il suo primo libro è stato pubblicato.
Brutto ,perchè con Harry che più invecchiava e più debole e bisognoso degli altri diventava,mi ha molto immalinconita e fatto riflettere sul fatto di essere troppo longevi ,specialmente se non hai nessuno che ti accudisce.
Più che ai personaggi dei libri mi sono molto affezionata a "questo "Harry.
Questo è più che altro la somma di tutti i ricordi accumulati in 95 anni di vita, ed Harry si aggrappa a questi per non impazzire dopo la morte di Ruby.
Non ho trovato questo libro noioso,forse solo all'inizio , non avevo ancora capito che per Harry ricordare e scrivere era vitale, gli serviva per non pensare in ogni attimo della sua vita a Ruby, peccato che non gli servisse a molto dato che tutto quello che ricordava erano in particolare gli anni trascorsi con l'adorata moglie.
Pensare che Harry non c'è più da 5 anni mi da un dispiacere profondo, ma credo che per lui superare i 100 anni senza Ruby accanto sia stato solo una tortura.
Il finale di questo libro è stato bello e triste allo stesso tempo.
Bello, perchè finalmente alla bella età di 96 anni il suo primo libro è stato pubblicato.
Brutto ,perchè con Harry che più invecchiava e più debole e bisognoso degli altri diventava,mi ha molto immalinconita e fatto riflettere sul fatto di essere troppo longevi ,specialmente se non hai nessuno che ti accudisce.
Più che ai personaggi dei libri mi sono molto affezionata a "questo "Harry.
June 10, 2011
I really enjoyed Mr. Bernstein's previous two books and was looking forward to this one. It was an okay read, but I was very much disappointed. Like the other two, it was an autobiography, sure, but the others read much more like novels to me. This one seemed to be a jumble of various thoughts and memories with no solid story or idea for me to really get excited about. Plus, there was a lot of repetition. He re-told many stories that I'd read in the previous books. That was too be expected, I suppose, as he didn't want to alienate new readers. But, then, he continued to tell these stores two or three times again, after already mentioning them. He mentioned the night under the Central Park Golden Willow, for instance, many times, re-hashing details he'd already divulged.
I have a great respect for Mr. Bernstein and what he's accomplished, especially in light of his age, but I don't feel this book was a solid addition to his writing repertoire.
If you've read the others, though, you might as well read it, as it was at least "okay."
I have a great respect for Mr. Bernstein and what he's accomplished, especially in light of his age, but I don't feel this book was a solid addition to his writing repertoire.
If you've read the others, though, you might as well read it, as it was at least "okay."
July 15, 2012
I feel "fortunate to have found" and read Harry Bernstein eloquent memoir. (It's one of those hardback book that somehow was left waiting for me to come along and purchase at a Borders Bookstore the last day they went out of business). Now, it stands proudly alongside my other books in my home library for me to re-read one day.
August 5, 2013
This is the third book I've read by this author. This one wasn't as good as his earlier two, but seeing as he wrote them all in his 90s and I LOVED the first two, I would have read the 3rd no matter what. If you love the story, you want to know how it ends. This author is a true gem. Although this isn't his best book, it is still well worth the read.
June 29, 2009
Amazing love story written by a man in his mid 90's. I always enjoy reading biographies, I like seeing history in terms of people's individual experiences. This couple was truely blessed in terms of their long live and their strong love.
November 2, 2011
Charming story of enduring love that lasts a lifetime. I've read Bernstein's previous books and thoroughly enjoyed them - especially The Invisible Wall, which was published when he was 96 (as a first time author.) What an inspiration!
May 19, 2017
My favorite part of this book was when Harry talks about his wife. They had such a sweet, loving relationship. I didn't find the book as a whole as engaging as his first two books. There seemed to be more repetition and it was less cohesive, but still it amazes me that he wrote these books in his nineties. I enjoyed reading about the thrill he got when we received the call that his first manuscript was going to be published. I can only imagine.
July 19, 2021
A beautiful memoir from a husband reflecting back on his marriage and the joy of loving his wife throughout his lifetime. The story of their marriage is woven from beginning to end with interspersed chapters of what it was like to turn 90 together and celebrate all their years of marriage together. His reflections give food for thought on what it means to love your spouse faithfully through all seasons and the preciousness of each season of life and the gift of a healthy marriage.
July 10, 2017
Very maudlin memoir by Bernstein, author of the Invisible Wall (a wonderful book describing growing up in Manchester with one side of the street Jewish and the other gentile). Amazing story of the love between Bernstein and his wife, Ruby into their 90s and his decision to write the Invisible Wall after she died at 92. This book was written when he was 98.
March 26, 2018
I think it would be difficult to not love the memoirs written by Harry Bernstein. However, it is IMPOSSIBLE not to love the fact that these books were not written and published until the author was in his mid 90's after a lifetime of trying to get a published book. How blessed he has been in many ways.
January 4, 2019
First audiobook of 2019... It honestly was hard to finish. I loved how much he cared and loved his wife and it showed in his writing but it just felt so all over the place. I couldn’t keep track of it. Overall, it wasn’t a bad story or bad writing, just couldn’t get into it like I had wished. I also haven’t read his previous writings.
May 31, 2022
I loved his first book, but this was so different and poorer that I had to look it up to see what had even made me want to read it in the first place. I was surprised it was the same author. Their marriage was indeed sweet but his voice and self-report as an adult make him sound like a not-very-nice guy. I'll probably read the intervening book to see how that one sits.
June 23, 2022
I loved this book! I found it fascinating to see the perspective on life of a very old person. I also agree with some of the author's views and found him well-spoken and engaging. It was hard to tear myself away from this book to watch useless YouTube videos(I was very tired). Read it in two days)))
found this book by randomly browsing through my school's library.
found this book by randomly browsing through my school's library.
September 7, 2017
Terzo e penultimo libro di questo autore .
Questa lettura è la più commovente , dato che , è la sua biografia scritta d anziano , e riporta tt la sua vita e l amore incondizionato per la moglie e famiglia .
Questa lettura è la più commovente , dato che , è la sua biografia scritta d anziano , e riporta tt la sua vita e l amore incondizionato per la moglie e famiglia .
November 19, 2017
The third of the series by Harry Bernstein starting with the Invisible Wall and then the Dream. Everyone should read these books. They are shorter books, seldom over 300 pages, but you will have tears of joy and tears of sadness. These books are amazing and to think the author wrote these in his ‘90’s . I highly recommend this book series, I just had my book club read The Invisible Wall which is the first book and they loved it as well!
January 23, 2019
This was a gorgeously written book portraying one of the sweetest love stories I think I’ve ever heard. Wonderful memoir and written when the author was in his mid to late 90’s. This was the last of the three written in his lifetime. Now I have to go back and read his other two!
August 21, 2020
I liked the alternating past-present chapter construction of this book and the simplicity with which Bernstein calls out the parts of his life he most wants to share. His was a life well lived and well told.
December 12, 2020
Harry Bernstein tells of his life with his wife. There is pure love threw this book and a great way to end his live story in sharing with us all.
The Golden Willow tells of of a love we would all want.
God Bless You, Harry Bernstein for sharing with us all.
The Golden Willow tells of of a love we would all want.
God Bless You, Harry Bernstein for sharing with us all.
January 7, 2021
Excellent follow up to the other 2 books he had written. The one was just as powerful as the others. It was bothersome mentally due to me reading it during a pandemic and not being able to be with my family.
September 10, 2025
These three books recounting the long and amazing life of Harry Bernstein totally pulled me in! Written well into his nineties he recalled incredible details to make events pop off the pages. His lifelong dream of publishing a book was finally realized in his tenth decade, times three!
November 28, 2025
4.25⭐️
non so perché ci ho messo così tanto ad iniziarlo, è rimasto in libreria per 2 anni e sono felice di averlo letto perché è stata una coccola, un romanzo delicato e divertente che entra dentro il cuore.
non so perché ci ho messo così tanto ad iniziarlo, è rimasto in libreria per 2 anni e sono felice di averlo letto perché è stata una coccola, un romanzo delicato e divertente che entra dentro il cuore.
March 11, 2017
Sentimental memoir.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2017
I love that Harry Bernstein quoted Helen Keller in this final memoir,
"What we once enjoyed and deeply loved,
we can never lose,
for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us." ❤️
"What we once enjoyed and deeply loved,
we can never lose,
for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us." ❤️
March 13, 2019
..splendido ed emozionante!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews