Books Set in Europe and Asia; Poland and Israel

Once We Were Home, by Jennifer Rosner (2023)

Read: July 15, 2024

4 Stars

Books Set in the United States: Brooklyn

The Two-Family House, by Lynda Cohen Loigman (2016)

Two brothers own a house together in Brooklyn in the late 1940s and run the family business.  The brothers couldn’t be more different.  Abe is out-going, and Mort is resentful that he was unable to complete his studies in mathematics.

Abe, his wife and three sons live upstairs in the shared house.  Mort, his wife, and three daughters live downstairs.  The wives get along like sisters, sharing recipes and take care of the children.  What happens when both are pregnant and give birth at home on the same night as a frightful storm with only a midwife available to assist with the birth.

Although the reader knows within the first few chapters what happens, the family members are kept in the dark about the events. The novel focuses on how events can radically change family dynamics.  The characters really come alive leading the reader to have an interest in how the family secrets can be resolved.

I really enjoyed this novel.

Read:  April 25, 2018

5 Stars

Read: April 25, 2018

5 Stars