House of Israel, Vol. 2: Land Divided

by Robert Marcum, David L. Walker (Narrator)

It's November, 1947, and a political storm gathers over the Middle East as the United Nations partitions Palestine. Great Britain is determined not to lose control of the region, and Arab forces are desperate to seize all of this holy land. Along with thousands of other immigrants, holocaust survivor Hannah Daniels and her husband Ephraim have made Palestine their home, with hopes of helping to establish an independent Jewish state. But unlike most newcomers in this land where religion shapes both personal and political actions, the Daniels family is LDS and must fashion their own customs. As the turmoil escalates inevitably toward war, the Daniels are forced to fight for their newfound freedom-and their lives. While Hannah and the children struggle to survive in the Old City, an area under siege, Ephraim, a battle-experienced American pilot, fights for this land as if it were his own. An epic story of a family united in hope, in a country divided by religion and politics-Land Divided, volume two of the House of Israel series, explores the indomitable spirit of a remarkable family in a land divided.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Lds Fiction, Lds

450 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jesse Whitehead · Rating 3 out of 5]

This continues the story of Hannah and her Jewish refugee friends after they fled Europe and made their way to Jerusalem. Shortly after arriving in Jerusalem the area became a hotbed for strife and war as the Jews fought to reclaim a Holy Land that they felt was promised to them and the Arabs scrabbled to hold on to their homes as the Jews came in droves.

There are no good guys in war, there are just those who try harder to do what is right. Both sides of any conflict end up doing things that they are not proud of and the Jewish fight to reclaim the Holy Land was no exception. Arabs were killed and driven from their homes, Jewish buses containing unarmed refugees were bombed and sacked.

In the midst of it all Robert Marcum tells the story of one family — an extended one to be sure with several adopted children — trying to survive the destruction and strife going on around them.

Marcum is a good writer and does his research well, setting the story in the midst of real events he gives a sense of immediacy and sheer terror to the war that raged through city streets and across a countryside.

I would recommend this book if you have an interest in historical fiction. You could do a lot worse than Marcum’s Land Divided.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the second and third books in this series even more than the first. I felt that the characters' storylines weren't quite as predictable, and I really liked reading about the conflict in Israel from and LDS perspective. I also liked that while Robert Marcum focused more on the Jewish viewpoint of the conflict, he did address both sides of the conflict (especially in the third volume) and pointed out that neither side was wholly in the "right." Reading this series helped me understand the current conflict in Israel a little better.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read this book again, and I really love this series. It was very captivating and powerful for me. I love the characters in the story and their power to love and pull together after going through such heart-rending things. I love how it teaches me more about history and about the Jews and about people of many different cultures. It opened up my understanding for what is going on in Israel, and I appreciated the viewpoint from people of different cultures.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books, but I just don't read them as quickly as I usually read books. I'd say it's because it's part history and it's a history I've never known much about, so I can't just skim - I'm actually reading and re-reading. Everything is new to me and I love learning about it.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this second book in the series was a little better than the first as far as switching from story line and conversation to history and what happened. I don't know if this was because is was written better, or, it I was just more used to it. This story line was a little more "faster pace" than the first book. It seemed to move faster, although I read it very slowly compared to other books. I am not sure I want to read the 3rd book in the series. Not gripping enough. There are so many other books to read. We shall see.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good also and it is very interesting learning about that time in our history in more of a less tense version than reading a straight history book. I had to finish all three just to see what happened to all the people.

[Dianna]

I was trying to listen to this, and I finally gave up because I had so much going on I couldn't listen for long enough periods to get into the story, I'll try again in a while...

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history. Fun, but somewhat predictable story.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books help me understand the wars in this land much better.

[Angela]

I made it halfway through but found it too boring to continue.

[Eloise]

He writes so well that it seems that this could really happen!