A Castle in Brooklyn

by Shirley Russak Wachtel

Spanning decades, an unforgettable novel about reckoning with the past, the true nature of friendship, and the dream of finding home.

1944, Poland. Jacob Stein and Zalman Mendelson meet as boys under terrifying circumstances. They survive by miraculously escaping, but their shared past haunts and shapes their lives forever.

Years later, Zalman plows a future on a Minnesota farm. In Brooklyn, Jacob has a new life with his wife, Esther. When Zalman travels to New York City to reconnect, Jacob’s hopes for the future are becoming a reality. With Zalman’s help, they build a house for Jacob’s family and for Zalman, who decides to stay. Modest and light filled, inviting and warm with acceptance—for all of them, it’s a castle to call home.

Then an unforeseeable tragedy—and the grief, betrayals, and revelations in its wake—threatens to destroy what was once an unbreakable bond, and Esther finds herself at a crossroads. A Castle in Brooklyn is a moving and heartfelt immigration story about finding love and building a home and family while being haunted by a traumatic past.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Historical, New York, Holocaust, Family

287 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Castle in Brooklyn is a historical fiction story about two young Polish Holocaust survivors, Jacob Stein and Zalman Mendelson. Jacob is hiding in a barn, one night he’s woken by a noise, and he's worried it's the Germans. Zalman Mendelson is twelve years old, his family live in the nearby town of Raczki, when soldiers arrive at his house, he follows his dad’s instructions, Zalman hides and then he needs to find somewhere safe.

Jacob has lost track of time and he has no idea how long he has been staying in the barn, he doesn’t realise how lonely he is until Zalman arrives, and they spend a lot of their time talking, eighteen year old Jacob dreams of building a house and having a family. The boys are found, along with other Jewish people who have been in hiding and the group are marched into the forest. Jacob doesn’t want Zalman to end up in an unmarked grave, he’s given him a reason to fight to survive and somehow they manage to escape.

At the end of the war, the two young men are living in a displaced persons camp and they travel to America. Zalman moves to Minnesota, to work on a farm and he doesn’t want to live in a big city. Jacob stays in New York, twice a week he attends night school after working in a factory during the day and he meets Esther Itzkowitz. They marry, Esther’s father owns a real estate company, and Jacob starts working for his father-in-law. Jacob is busy, Zalman returns and helps Esther with overseeing the building of the couples house in Brooklyn and when it's completed he moves in with them.

Jacob and Zalman suffered dreadfully during the war and witnessed awful atrocities, both have nightmares and Jacob refuses to speak about his family and what happened to them. Unfortunately a terrible tragedy occurs, this causes friction between Jacob and Zalman and sadly Esther is caught in the middle.

I received a copy of A Castle in Brooklyn by Shirley Russak Wachtel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and the authors parents were survivors of the Holocaust. Over 80,000 Jewish immigrants moved America after the end of the Second World War, and she was inspired by them to write her novel. I think the book was too long, the last half of the narrative dragged for me and I wish someone had pointed this out to Ms. Wachtel. A stunning cover, such a promising idea for a story about loss, survival, friendship, immigration, denial, misunderstandings and three stars from me.

[Greta Samuelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob and Zalman- 2 boys hiding in a barn from the Nazis in Poland make it to America.
They are friends but more like brothers.

Jacob marries Esther (his star) Zalman helps Jacob design and build their “castle” (house) and lives with them like the family member that he is for many years.

Here is this family’s story, from beginning to end and then beyond to show what their castle experiences through all of it year after year after decade after decade.

Shirley Russel Wachtel wrote this beautiful, painful, joy filled and heartbreaking story and although many parts of of made my heart ache it was perfectly done.

I believe that it is more than worth noting that Shirley Russak Wachtel is the daughter of holocaust survivors and that she also grew up in Brooklyn.

[Nancy G. Murdoch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Depressing

I had high hopes for this book but was very disappointed. Even the characters were not very likable, and flat as well. Parts were a distraction and added little to the story. There are so many good books out there; for me, this wasn't one of them.

[Vicki Herbert - Vacation until Jan 2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacob was a Dreamer...

CASTLE IN BROOKLYN
by Shirley Russak Wachtel

No spoilers. 3 1/2 stars. In 1944, Poland, Jacob was hiding from the Nazis in the widow Frau Blanc's barn loft...

... with a fellow Jewish boy named Zalman. Frau Blanc sheltered and fed the two young boys until...

The Germans finally caught up with them...

The Nazis dispatched Frau Blanc and forced the two to join a wave of humanity marching toward a nearby clearing and a mass grave...

The Jews were given shovels and forced to dig...

At the first rays of moonlight...

The two friends put down their shovels, fled into the surrounding forest, and ran for their lives...

It is now 1952, and Jacob is living in America, working in a seltzer bottling warehouse in New York and taking English classes where he meets his wife Esther...

Jacob dreams of building his castle...

And, following his marriage to Esther, Jacob sends for his friend Zalman to come help build his dream home and live in the house with he and Esther...

The first half of the story was very interesting, and I thought that I had somehow managed to pick a good book from the pitiful handful of offerings, but then there was the second half... whew!!

At that point, the plot meandered all over the place, introducing many decades and so many different people that I finally lost interest in the whole enchilada.

I gave myself a pat on the back for staying with it to the bitter end, but it took me a week to accomplish this.

Summarizing, the first half was good. The second half, not so much.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Castle in Brooklyn is one of those books that once you start reading you aren't able to put down. I was enthralled by the storyline and these amazing characters!

Spanning over decades, the story begins in 1944 Poland, during WW2. A Castle in Brooklyn tells the story of two best friends, Jacob and Zalman. The two meet as kids during the war, terrified, hiding from their captors. Their escape solidifying the fact they will forever remain in each other's lives, best friends, just like brothers. That is until tragedy strikes and changes everything.

I can't even begin to describe the range of emotions I felt while reading these pages. The heartbreak in itself is very prominent. And while there is heartbreak, there is also much beauty.

If you have a love of Historical Fiction I highly recommend picking up this book.

Thanks to Over The River Publications for this gifted copy!

Trigger warnings: death of parent/death of child/infidelity/animal cruelty/death of pet

[Stacey B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Gloriana Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful read this was. A story of two boys who become friends during WW2 and the journey of their immigration to the US. The book spans decades that tells the story of friendship, loyalty, tragedy, love and building a home. Definitely one of my favorites in 2022!

[Gabriela Probst · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of Jacob and Zalman and their friendship was quite sad, but the characters were flat. I never connected with any of them, as the story just narrated events, often at a remove. There were quite a few character deaths that felt as if they were just inserted for action's sake and we never really felt the emotional weight of them. The second half of the book became extremely choppy and hard to follow, and the final chapter was odd. It was obvious that the ending was meant to show things coming 'full circle' but it just seemed contrived. I feel like my review is kind of
choppy; that's how I felt reading the book as well!
Basically, Jacob and Zalman survive the war and come to America. Jacob marries and builds his 'castle', a lovely home in Brooklyn, with Zalman's help. He expects to fill it with his large family but things do not go the way he expects them to. Tragedy befalls him and Esther, his wife, and they become estranged from Zalman. That's the first half of the book. The second half covers about 30 years of misery with rapid fire narration; Esther goes back to school, becomes a teacher and moves up the education ranks, all within a chapter or two. Then she disappears to Florida and there are a bunch of tenants in the house whose stories don't add much, except as plot devices, but an awful lot of attention is given to them although their stories don't go anywhere.
And also, cigarettes don't give off a blue light. They glow orange. TVs give off a blue light. And people from the south don't say pop. They say soda or Coke. Just two weird details that annoyed me.

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is much tragedy and sadness in this book, but even those incidents are written with caring and love ... it is not a perfect book (which one is?) but it is well worth reading ... memories will linger with you

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so impressed by the writing and authenticity of the characters in this historical read. The novel carries you decades through times of flourishing friendships, family and unrequited love. A heartfelt exploration touching on cathartic triumphs and tragedies that affect multiple families tied together by a single thread. An endearing search for a place to call home.
*****
As boys, Jacob and Zalman meet in a time of desperation, that will ultimately seal their bond and friendship for life. Tragic times force their separation but place them back together as fate intended.

Reunited they move on from their traumatic past and are thrust into a future of hopes and dreams. With Zalman’s help, Jacob watches his dreams materialize in both his house and home. Never forgetting how Jacob saved him; Zalman puts aside his wishes to fulfill the life that Jacob is so deserving of.

He helps design and build a castle for Jacob and his wife Esther. He is by their sides through thick and thin despite his yearning to live in the country. They form a family that Zalman views as his own until a loss breaks them all.

Their lives are altered as they must face obstacles that will change the course of each life. Hurdle after hurdle challenges every connection they’ve made and the fight just to make it another day is a struggle. Bonds of friendship and loyalty of love are tested leaving hidden truths to be revealed.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story that spans decades of love and loss. It might just break your own heart.

There are multiple storylines, but it centers around a few main characters - Jacob, Esther, and Zalman. Jacob and Zalman escaped Poland during WWII and remained fast friends for most of their life. There is an incident that tears them apart, but you'll have to read the book to find out what exactly. They went different ways once they reached America, but they stayed in touch the best they could. Once Jacob married Esther, Zalman moved to New York and remained with them for many years. It was an interesting dynamic to watch how they interacted with each other.

The story is also about a house. The house was built by Jacob for Esther, and Zalman designed it. It was where they lived and created many memories. It was also where they dealt with some harshness that life threw at them. The house knew love, joy, pain, and sadness. There were many memories that were fondly remembered and others that broke hearts. It was interesting when the house was rented in later years how it was appreciated and then not appreciated by the tenants.

This story spans approximately 70 years, and I enjoyed the jumps back and forth in time because it gave me more information to understand Jacob and Zalman's past in Poland. It added layers to the characters that we couldn't understand until they told their story. Each of the characters in this story had their own issues to deal with that many of us might experience in our own lives.

I enjoyed this book and give it 4 paws up.

[Tobi Payton · Rating 1 out of 5]

good basic story

I loved the story of the main characters. But was utterly disappointed by the other distracting characters. Their stories held no relevance to the main story and often were accompanied by terrible and awful events. I would not recommend this book to anyone. It just made me sad to read it

[Samantha McCoig · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was only able to read about half before it just felt like the story was never going to end.

[Sue Swan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a novel; it’s the outline of a novel. The characters and plot are undeveloped, and I couldn’t care about any of it. The only thing that held my attention was fact-checking the numerous anachronisms and other errors. When Gary was 8 (1968),he ate ketchup spaghetti from a Corelle bowl. Corelle debuted in 1970. Before the war,Zalman’s family in Poland listened to Frank Sinatra on the phonograph; Sinatra’s first album wasn’t released until 1946. In 1978, Esther mused that Gary may have been a doctor or lawyer by now; he would have only been 18. Jacob wore his Louis Cardin suit to a job interview; Louis Cardin made perfume. PIERRE Cardin made suits. And on and on….

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While some parts of this story dragged or added nothing to the story's progression, and some parts seemed almost gratuitously sad, I really enjoyed how the book came full circle and left on an emotional high note. I'm a sucker for historical fiction based in NYC, and the story revolving around a house built in Brooklyn by holocaust survivors really was lovely to read.

[Jacqueline Brown-Schultz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate not giving positive reviews but this book had a lot of characters with no dept. Many of the story lines didn’t seem to go any where and it had multiple sad story lines.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Rita Bookreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very forgettable novel. Skip, unless you like lots of descriptions of chintz curtains and other details of suburban life. A vapid descent from what began as a story of 2 Holocaust survivors into becoming another assimilated American suburban family. Women give up careers and their own personalities to tend house and watch tv at night with their working husbands. Jaw droppingly superficial.

[Mary Fabrizio · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is very disjointed. It is ultimately about the house but it read at first like it was Jacob and Zalman's story. Where it needed details - in developing the characters, it came up short. Where it didn't need details, it was overdone (who cares what paint colors were selected on one of Zalmans jobs?).

[Laurie Hetherington · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do not waste your time on this book. The timeline is utterly confusing jumping from past to present with no rhyme or reason. And there are sections so drawn out and unnecessary to the story. What a waste of my time.
I kept reading waiting for it to get better - it never did.

[RoseMary Achey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was poorly written - unimaginative characters, really bland descriptions and it was impossible to feel empathy for any of then characters.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shirley Russak Wachtel’s debut novel, A Castle In Brooklyn, is a beautifully constructed story following two young men, Salman and Jacob, across six decades from Poland to America. She reveals how the experience in their teens with the Nazis influenced almost every aspect of their future.

I appreciated the reminder that their survival, both present and future, depended on their honesty and trust in each other. In addition to an examination of what makes a house a home and what constitutes ‘family,’ I also appreciated her focus on what ‘being there’ for another really entails. If we aren’t willing to unpack the baggage and deal with the fallout, we aren’t really a support for a needy friend.

While the beginning was focused and compelling, the narrative slowly meandered through the following decades and my interest waned slightly along the way. Regardless, this is a heartfelt debut story about the weaving together of dreams, disappointments, and three hearts.

I was gifted this copy by Little A and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel starts during WWII but is more about the effect on the lives of two young men who managed to survive and move to America. It covers their lives and the lives of their from 1944 - 2010. Even though they had a good life in America, the loss of family and their daily struggle to survive the war was never far from their minds.

Jacob was hiding in a barn loft in Poland when Zalman showed up looking for a place to hide. At the time Jacob was 18 and Zalman was 12 and they had both fled from their family homes to keep from being sent to the camps. They were discovered by a Nazi patrol and taken out into the woods to dig their graves but managed to escape. From that beginning chapter, the story jumps to 1952. Both men have emigrated to the US. Jacob is working at a factory and attending English classes in the evenings and Zalman is working on a farm out west. When Jacob first saw Esther in class, he wanted her to be his wife. After a brief courtship, they marry and he goes to work for her father. Now he can finally build the house that he dreamed of during his days in hiding. He asks Zalman to return to New York and help him build the house and to live with he and Esther. For all three of them it's a castle and their happy home. When tragedy happens, their lives are totally changed. Zalman returns to the farm to work, Jacob starts working long hours on his job and in her loneliness, Esther goes back to school to get a degree and become a teacher. Zalman is totally estranged from his former friends and told to never come back but that doesn't stop Jacob from thinking about his friend and how far they've come in their lives. His pain begins to affect his marriage with Esther and she realizes that even if they stay together, she needs to create her own life and find her own happiness.

This book was an interesting look at the effects of war that lasts for years. It's a story about creating a family from those that you care about and about the importance of friendship and the final effects if that friendship is ended. My only problem with the book was the introduction of several new people near the end who I didn't think added much to the story. This is a debut novel for this author and based on my overall enjoyment of this book, I look forward to her future books.

[Floyd Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

the story of a castle and its residents

I lovely story around a man’s dream and close friend. Love story and generational stories. Deep sadness and loss as well as early childhood terrors. It’s all woven into the story of a castle in Brooklyn. Well done.

[Jhayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was brutal to listen to. The author spent too much time describing things like eating a popyseed muffin, blushing, and literally breathing air. The characters were boring and flat because most of the book was used using descriptive adjectives. It also jumped all over from one person and him meeting a girl, the jumps to the passed to the girl before she met the boy and then fastward to another character with the other two getting married. At the end it randomly adds POVs from characters for a single chapter and then never a part of it again.

[Carisa Schmidtke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally recommend! Very clean (no "spice", just one swear word if I remember correctly). A relatively light read, with a couple teary moments, as well as warm-hearted moments. Well written, with lovely descriptions. The characters aren't deeply developed in the writing, but it fit and didn't take away from feeling fully "in" the story. I saw some reviewers didn't like how characters felt "added in" for little reason... to me it made sense as the book, while centered primarily on the 3 characters, was also equally centered around the house itself and the stories that took place in it. I loved this book and ended it with a happy sigh. :)

[Thelma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was very confusing I really did enjoy the first chapters, but then it was way too much about the drama between the two heroes in this story, Jacon, and Zalman is like they couldn't pass their own sadness and burdens.

Two great friends who are lighter after the war, Zalman is married now and he is living the fantasy of a happy family until a tragedy happens and that beauty comes to end, even the friendship that survives so much now is no way to be found.

it was heartbreaking at one point but at the end, I really felt incomplete with that end, I really feel like the main character was unable to get the happy ending or the happy time it was like nothing ever fixed what was broken. no matter the end I really feel like something was missing.

Not to mention that chapter whit the dog was completely unnecessary. That was the lowest point in the book, I didn’t like the kids where never accountable and the autor never gave an excuse for that terrible situation.

The narrations by P. J. Ochlan were good and I really enjoy how much the story grew at times with the narrator.

[Patti Whitfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I should judge a book by it's cover, or at least it's title. What appeared to be a book about two young holocaust survivors, and then perhaps a love triangle, morphing into a marriage story, became simply a story about a house. I felt the relationships lacked real intimacy. Just when you were developing a rapport with a character, we were suddenly done with them. This lack of development ultimately undermines the story.

[Barbara Keane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much

I liked the first part of the story and the setting in Brooklyn, because I grew up there. The story of those who survived the holocaust and made something of their lives is a familiar one that can’t be told too often. However, the tale got very convoluted as it we t along and neared completion, as though the author didn’t know how to end it. I saw no reason to include the tenants who moved in after Esther retired to Florida. Too much extra stuff that did not add to the story. Save those extras for another book.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very conflicted and confused by this book. I did struggle to finish it. I thought the storyline was good but I am still very mush confused as to what the author intended readers to come away with.
The introduction of addition characters towards the end (Francine & Ricku) were interesting substories but I have no idea what they had to do with the main storyline.
I would like to see this in one of my book club discussions to see what others came away with.