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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Rina's Journey (Lucky To Have Read It) Mar 22, 2007
All in all, a very nice read.
I approached this book with the idea of gleaning, through the author's eyes, a first-hand account of what it was like for a person of Jewish ancestry to have live though some major pieces of modern history, starting with the coming to power of the Nazis in Germany, moving through the formation and early development of the state of Israel, and ending perhaps with a view, through biased eyes of course, of what makes peace in the Middle East seemingly forever beyond reach. Her later experiences as an émigré to Australia might be interesting too, I reckoned. Turned out that I got all of this and something more. That is, in reading the first 100 pages or so I was struck by and enjoyed the author's brightness of outlook and joy of life, and her mischievousness too which was often in evidence. (I took "strength of character as a "given" and was not wrong in the least in this pre-judgment.) I thought that she was reaching into memory to recreate these qualities, particularly the mischievousness, but then found that all of them stayed with her through out her entire 3-country passage of life.
I found it particularly noteworthy that that the time in her life when she most needs to draw on her inner strength is not, for example, when close friends from high school are killed in the war of independence. Rather, it is much later in life when she and her family come face-to-face with the power of a modern bureaucracy that decides to pursue the outsiders for reasons it never adequately explains, because it doesn't have to, and in an Orwellian manner, because it can. Rina, along with her family, prevails but in so doing one can sense that she and her husband retreat to a safer, more removed (physically on a boat for a while) style of life in which they seemingly live apart from their adopted home country rather than becoming enmeshed in the social/political fabric of it. I wondered, has she, figuratively speaking, rejoined the Jewish Diaspora that for centuries roamed in search of a homeland? But she has found her home; it is in her place of honor within a loving family.
Sorry, this review got long. Now I need to find a book that tells a similar story except maybe this time from the standpoint of a Muslim woman who, having grown up in a Middle Eastern, makes the passage to the West. (Suggestions?)
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Courage, Adventure, Sadness and Joy Feb 02, 2007
`From the Promised Land to the Lucky Country' - Renate
I was privileged to be one of the first to read `From the Promised Land to the Lucky Country' - an inspirational true account of Renate's life.
The book tells of the happy, and not so happy adventures, and the challenges faced by Renate and her family between 1933 and 1988 in four countries. - Germany, Eretz Israel, Australia and the USA.
It is a story of the enduring love between family members; between Renate and her husband Gerry, and the love they share for their three children and their families.
I was moved to tears and laughter. I was also educated in the customs and history of the different cultures, and encouraged to expand my mind by imagining the wide variety of circumstances and the diversity of experiences depicted.
Renate's parents demonstrated courage when they left Germany with their family to help settle Eretz Israel before the Second World War. With the same pioneering spirit in the 1950's, nurse Rinate and pilot Gerry migrated to an unknown country, Australia. With only a smattering of English, little money and nothing more than shear determination and willpower, they accomplished unbelievable things. They established their own private hospital in an outer Sydney suburb, and then migrated to the US to become qualified in chiropractic and radiology. They set up a thriving practice in Western Australia, whilst at the same time raising their children.
The adventures roll on one after the other, keeping the reader wanting to turn every page without putting the book down. Renate and her husband Gerry can truly be called `world citizens'.
Renate's style of writing is delightfully honest and from the heart. With English as a second language she transports the reader into other worlds through her turn of phrase and her view of her surroundings. Her descriptions paint visual images that can only be captured by the artist that she is, as she comments on details with a perspective uniquely her own.
This is neither a political commentary, nor a historical document, but Renate pulls no punches. If she has a comment which is important to make she makes it.
There is much in her life that Renate could resent if she chose to, but the energizing message of the story is `We can overcome' - and have fun along the way.
Reading `From the Promised Land to the Lucky Country' is an unforgettable experience that will inspire you to appreciate the world we live in and the indomitable human spirit.
I encourage you to do yourself a favour and claim a copy of Renate's book for yourself.
Joan Small - Author / Poet [...]
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Rosalind Rosenfeld's Review from BookSurge.com Nov 23, 2006
A compelling auto-biography that hi-lights the trials and tribulations of the author which starts in Germany in 1933. Renate takes the leader on a journey through Israel, USA and Australia. Her story gives an insight into the State of Israel from before 1949 and the British Mandate from the point of view of the natives of Israel. Even in the land of milk and honey, her fighter-pilot husband is hampered by bureaucracy: bureaucracy she finds, as a citizen of the world, is relevant to all countries that they live in. It is a determination of the spirit, sometimes against all odds to settle and re0settle in a foreign land. Her book is illustrated with interesting photographs bringing life to Renate's conversational style of writing. A good read that you will not put down to the end.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Review from BookSurge.com by Matt Mawson Nov 23, 2006
Renate has created a well-written account of an eventful life, from growing up in the emerging nation of Israel, to her life as an artist and author in Australia. Running to 400 pages and illustrated with over 100 photographs, "From the Promised Land. . ." follows the author's battles and triumphs, disappointments, joy and humour as she and her husband raise a family while dealing with a wide range of challenges, including losing comrades in the Israeli war of independence, dealing with bitterly cold winters, setting up a successful chiropractic clinic and a nursing home, building and launching a yacht, fighting a mean-spirited bureaucracy and defending their reputations in a long court case. The hardships are outweighed by the good times and Renate's positive attitude to life.
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