Scattered Seed

Almonds and Raisins #2

by Maisie Mosco

Continuing the family saga which began with "Almonds and Raisins", this book sees the family's stability and happiness overtaken by the approach of World War II and the growing Nazi movement in England. This series continues with "Children's Children", one of the author's eight bestsellers.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Jewish, Fiction

535 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Maisie Mosco was born as Maisie Gottlieb. Her parents were of Latvian Jewish and Viennese Jewish descent, and both emigrated to England around 1900.

She left school at the age of 14 to help in the family business. At the age of 18 she joined the ATS and at the end of World War II was helping to teach illiterate soldiers how to read. After the war, she edited the Jewish Gazette, and subsequently wrote radio plays for the BBC.

Mosco wrote 16 novels between 1979 and 1998. These included the 'Almonds and Raisins' series, which contained elements of her own family history.

She married twice: to Aubrey Liston in 1948, then to Gerald Mosco in 1957.

Reviews

[Angel Rayos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the life back then, hardship, families and hardship for success is always a good one to read.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book over 20yrs ago, but could read it again and again. Very informative fictional story of the jewry in Manchester.

[Jaqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving the series.

Utterly charming with thoughtful insights into an emigrant family^s progress and journey towards integration while struggling to retain tradition and understanding of different social norms, fighting prejudice and injustices both within the family and outside pressures, namely intermarriage and conflict..

it seems to be true that not until the third generation and fourth, the hearts and minds of people settling in a new country leads to success and deeper roots.. But the books are about the journey. The Jewish journey. The writer really know and understands what she is writing about. Lovely books.

[philip seaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read

I enjoyed reading this book with all its inside workings of a Jewish family in the 30s and 40s. Also, because I lived in Jewish Manchester for 42 years, I could relate to all the locations. I look forward to continuing the Saga.

[Natasha Maddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.

[moira Shorton · Rating 5 out of 5]

compelling read

[Allyson Manis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timeless Classic

I love Maisie Mosco's historical fiction series of the Sandbergs. How Sarah and Abraham raise their children in the "new world" of Manchester England and watch their grandchildren and great grandchildren grow up. She interweaves the lives of their dearest friends, historical events, assimilation and intermarriage into beautiful novels that I revisit every few years.
These are stories every Jew can relate with, and even in 2020 we're still facing the same basic issues. However, L' Chaim!

[Felicity Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tremendous bitter-sweet story of family; of the struggles they face; of the bonds that tie; of Jewish culture. A good 'old-fashioned' saga (and I in no way do I mean that derogatorily), the books by far best read in order from the beginning and if at all possible, with the ending of each book left wide open for the next instalment, one after the other.

Continuing on from where (book 1) Almonds And Raisins ended. With fascism come to Manchester and her children gradually moving away from the traditions once held so dearly, Scattered Seed, as suggested by the title, sees the children of Sarah and Abraham (first generation immigrants) scattered; the ever resilient Sarah accepting as always ... or is she?

Setting aside that all the additional characters (many, as tradition dictated, named after others; some very similar to others) made for confusing reading; that I was reluctant to leave behind Sarah's weekly Shabbos teas, there was just something (admittedly nothing I could quite put my finger on) that meant this wasn't quite as good as the first book in the trilogy.

Still, (in Sarah) with a character you won't forget in a hurry and a fascinating social commentary much of which still resonates today, well worth the later than usual bed-times spent reading.

Copyright ... Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper
NB Some of this review may be replicated in my reviews of parts one and three in the trilogy ('Almonds And Raisins' and 'Children's Children)'

[Lu Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the "Almonds and Raisins" trilogy. The series follows the lives of two Jewish families who have found themselves in Manchester, UK, following persecution in their retrospective countries. This book follows the ever growing family as the United Kingdom finds itself facing the threat of World War 2.

Sarah Sandberg remains the rock on which the Sandbergs and Moritzes have built the foundation of their families on. Not only does she appear to be resilient to everything that is thrown against her, she also adapts to the ever changing face of modern world. This book follows the lives of Sarah Sandbergs grandchildren, who are making the decisions that their parents would not have done, bound be the restraints of tradition and religion.

Again like the first book it is very descriptive and even if you are a fan of social history, like me, it can appear to drag on at times. I found myself speed reading through some of the chapters just to get to an interesting point. It felt like a long read. Like most sequels it is not as good as the first book. As the family has grown so have the number of characters in the book and without the use of the family tree at the front of the book it could get confusing. My other issue with this book is that a lot of the characters are very similar to another character. I understand that everyone is supposed to be related and certain things run in families but it got very tedious.

Maisie Mosco however writes well and really highlights the struggles faced by the Jewish community in the build up to the Second World War. Overall it was an interesting read, describing the broadening horizons of the younger generations and the struggles of the older generations watching them.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second in a family saga series is very well told and leads the reader along the paths of change within a traditional Jewish family living in England who must adapt to the many challenges that families experience. It is good to read these three novels in order; Almonds and Raisins, Scattered Seed and Children's Children. The wonderful Sarah who appears on the first page of the saga commencing in 1905, has reached a great age and her wisdom and love for her family is central to the tales of the many diverse characters who people this series.

[Maggie Anton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I very much liked the first volume, Almonds and Raisins, but this one went into places I didn't want to go so I stopped reading about a third through.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read historical novels about the "Jewish" experience in the 19th and 20th century.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series.