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HomeShop at BookSurgeMusicGenres & StylesHeavy MetalBefore Memories Fade |
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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 1 customer reviews )
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4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
needs some serious editing, Aug 03, 2011
By gwmars
Although I am sympathetic to and interested in the stories and memoirs of World War II victims, as I myself have grown up listening to the war stories of my parents, their families, and friends who also lived in Europe during those crucial years, this book reads as if someone has typed it verbatim from a tape recorder. The story itself is very interesting, but the English needs serious editing, in order for this book to have the value that the author thinks it should have. I am also aware that the author's first language was not English, and that this is not her diary of day to day events, but she retold her memories when she was in her sixties. However, the basic subject line is very interesting and kept me reading, waiting for what was to come. Basically it is the story of Pearl and her parents who lived in Eastern Europe at the time, their experiences during the war and their final passage out of the country to the United States, subsequent events in the US, and Pearl's immigration to Israel, and subsequent marriage. The subject always arises: all of Pearl's brothers and sisters were already in the United States by the time the War started,so it begs the question as to why these three were left behind. Her brothers and sisters seemed to be quite well off financially, while their parents and sister endured difficulties because they were Jews, and because of being Jews under the Russian and then German Occupation. While the world slept all these atrocities were committed, and it appeared to be so swift that not even families of victims appreciated the true difficulties, the hardships, and the horror they experienced. In fact, the families really did not want to hear about it.
I empathize with Pearl. I used to sit on the stairs on Sunday evenings after we had immigrated from Europe in 1957, and listen in fascination and horror to my parents, their family and friends retelling these stories.......stories which would give me nightmares.
After the story of Pearl's immigration to Israel and subsequent marriage, we learn that she had 2 sons, but she never answered the question about what happened to her after she returned to the United States after a seven year stay in Israel. What of her mother, who became a widow shortly after arriving in the US, and who was ill prepared to deal with the new country, not to mention the children she had not seen for years, who were practically strangers to her.
After the main body of her story, she has several odd chapters at the end of the book, which are neither a epilogue, but should have been incorporated into the main body of the book.
However, I know how she thought......she wanted her family to understand her by recounting her experiences, & for that effort alone, this work is memorable.
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