Yona Zeldis McDonoughReviews

Independent Reading Level: 3-5
Awards: none

Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-5

reviewed - Katrina

Well this was disappointing. Described as “Mesmerizing historical novel about three women in 1920s New York City and the secrets they hold.” Couldn’t wait to read about the 1920s! New York! Fashion!

What the description failed to mention was a vivid child rape scene about 70 pages into the novel. Then the story concentrated on a seriously depressed woman. After 119 pages, I decided life is too short to continue reading this downer of a book.

I read for entertainment, and I was not entertained. Maybe the story got better and probably ended happily, but I bet it got worse before it got better. I did not finish this one.

Content warning: child rape

Great biography book for children! Some of the paragraphs are a bit choppy and sometimes don't always seem to fit but are added because it was a part of his life. I would prefer if the paragraphs and sentences flowed more easily and better, but it is still a good biography book nonetheless.

From the beginning I was completely enthralled by the characters of the story. The story is told from 3 strong women; Bea, Alice and Catherine, in the 20’s era. Each one has a distinct voice and heartbreaking pass. As the story moves into the present, they soon discover secrets of each other that connects them more than they realize.
A moving story of found family that works brilliantly during the time period.

Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-5
Awards: N/a

One morning in 1947, Eleanor Moskowitz is on her way to a job interview when two taxicabs collide on a Manhattan street. Eleanor, riding in one, suffers a mild injury, though she’s more upset at missing her interview. But the passenger in the other taxi, Patricia Bellamy, insists on bringing Eleanor to her Park Avenue home and tending to her.

As it happens, Patricia’s thirteen-year-old daughter, Margaux, needs a tutor, and Eleanor has teaching experience and a Vassar degree. More importantly, Margaux takes to her instantly, as she has to no other person besides her parents and her mother’s brother, her Uncle Tom. As an angry, whiny child suffering a disability — she had polio and walks with a cane — she normally dislikes everyone on sight, so the connection to Eleanor means something to Patricia.

Trouble is, Eleanor’s Jewish, and Patricia’s an anti-Semite — the genteel sort, to be sure, but her husband, Wynn, is louder and more pointed about it. In fact, he’s louder and more pointed about everything, a drunken boor with roving eyes and hands. But the Bellamys hire Eleanor anyway, because Margaux likes her, and they’re desperate for someone to get through to their daughter.

But Eleanor has her doubts too. As her mother says, these prospective employers are “not our kind,” and the newly hired tutor feels intimidated by their wealth, apparent ease, and, well, perfection, observable even in the building where they live, only three blocks from her own.

Zeldis has New York down — the clothing styles, social mores, scenery, and, most germane, workplace anti-Semitism. The author has a gift for the unexpected, the essence of tension, so that even when the plot seems predictable, events don’t turn out quite the way you think. I also like Zeldis’s knack for getting tremendous mileage out of a simple situation that’s actually very complicated, especially once Patricia’s charming, individualist brother happens on the scene and hits it off with Eleanor right away.

The Bellamys’ prejudice lurks behind every interaction, as if the elephant in the room were trumpeting loudly, except they try not to hear it. It’s the problem that simply won’t go away, and Zeldis resists any temptation at easy fixes. For the most part, until the last quarter of the novel, the plot unfolds naturally, with no apparent guiding hand.

Where Not Our Kind falls short, I think, lies in the characters, especially the men. Wynn is a cartoon; Zeldis belatedly announces his merits, trying to mitigate his villainy, but you don’t see them. Likewise, though Tom’s charming, he’s elusive, and though I can see Eleanor admire his ease and wish she had it, and that she soaks up his kindness and sensitivity, that’s different from love. I like Patricia and her daughter, who seem real, and Eleanor’s mother, Irina, who can observe that she’s unhappy about decisions Eleanor has made, but that unhappiness isn’t fatal.

The heroine’s another story. I sympathize with Eleanor, but once I finished the book, I tried to remember her flaws and couldn’t. She’s unsure of herself and a little envious, but those hardly count, and she seems remarkably self-possessed, seldom at a loss for the words she needs to stick up for herself. She grows toward feminism without using the term, a worthy theme and apt for the time, but I find Patricia more rounded.

Further, Eleanor’s Jewishness is entirely cultural, and though many novelists draw such characters, I often suspect that they do so merely for the inconvenience that observance causes in the workaday world, or because they’re not confident they can do otherwise. Zeldis plainly can; late in the book, Eleanor recoils inwardly at pork on a plate. She could have, should have done that throughout the narrative—not necessarily as strongly, just to acknowledge her difference, her otherness, which she notes in many other ways.

Finally, Not Our Kind, despite its marvelous descriptions of clothing or architecture, doesn’t feel like 1947. There’s no sense of relief after a war, or even that there was a war, though we’re told that Wynn didn’t fight, and that Patricia lost a brother. There’s nothing about popular culture, politics (as in anti-Communist hysteria, whose roots lay in anti-Semitism), or other goings-on — surprising, given that Gentleman’s Agreement, a movie about covert anti-Semitism, came out that year.

A beautifully illustrated brief biography. Good for roughly ages 6-10

A really lovely story about three women and how families are created. Catherine, a young wife who desperately wants a child, finds her path intertwining with Bea, a retired madam turned businesswoman, and Alice, a talented seamstress. I particularly loved the character of Bea, who manages to make the best of each downturn in her life, and possesses a graciousness worth aspiring to. Overall, this novel makes for a satisfying story with conclusion that provides the characters with their own sort of happiness.

. Zeldis offers a fascinating look into historic New York City and New Orleans, set against the backdrop of the not always so “Roaring Twenties”. This story is filled with love, loss, despair, forgiveness, and the difficult decisions that people sometimes make.

Bea, Alice, and Catherine.

What is their connection?

What are their stories?

Bea had come from Russia, moved to New Orleans, and had met Alice there. Bea found something out from her past that was in New York so she and Alice moved there.

Bea and Alice opened a dress shop and met Catherine the day she stopped in.

Bea was acting very odd when Catherine paid for her purchase.

Catherine never came back into the shop because Bea had frightened her.

Catherine found out what caused Bea to act so oddly the day they met by accident.

THE DRESSMAKERS OF PROSPECT HEIGHTS takes us from Russia to New Orleans and then to New York and is a beautiful read about family and forgiveness.

Find out the stories and the secrets of these three women in this lovely read that will have you turning the pages and joining in their sorrows and joys.

There are some agonizing moments, but many beautiful, endearing ones.

Seamstresses will adore this book as well as historical fiction fans and women's fiction fans. 5/5

This book was given to me by the author for an honest review.

The Dressmakers of Prospect heights: A Novel is a very good book about women surviving in the worst circumstances possible. The tremendous racism, hatred, ridiculous rules were the voice of the time. The women in this book found it inside of themselves to be strong and survive along with forgiveness, understanding and compassion making it possible for them to succeed. Four stars were awarded to this book.

Catherine Berrill’s longing for a baby became a nightmare when she lost her unborn child and all hope for any child in her life. Her misfortune continued when she met Beatrice who claimed to be her birth mother. Beatrice had been looking for Catherine and she was the reason why she came to New York where she opened her own dress shop. Nobody knew who she was and what she had done. Only Alice knew about Beatrice's life in New Orleans. Alice was an orphaned girl whom Beatrice raised since she was ten. Beatrice always took care of her but when she met her daughter, Alice felt abandoned and her actions brought nothing but problems for all three women.

This book was nothing but a surprise to me. It's deep and meaningful, this novel captured my attention with every page. It's a story about second chances, forgiveness and a sense of belonging. Kitty Zeldis is a remarkable story writer and I will eagerly anticipate the next book of hers.

The laws have changed in New Orleans. It is no longer legal for Bea to ply her trade. So, she and her young charge, Alice, move to NYC. Bea has an ulterior motive. She is searching for someone. She is searching for the child she put up for adoption.

This story follows three women, Bea, Catherine and Alice. And all three have their ups and downs. And let me tell you…this book is an emotional roller coaster ride! Catherine will break your heart. Bea will have you rooting for the underdog. And Alice will have you watching her grow up right in front of your eyes!

I was captivated by this story. I loved these characters strengths and their weaknesses! This book will have you crying and then shouting for joy all in the same chapter!

Need a quick, emotional read…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the author for a honest review.

Not Our Kind is a book about a young Jewish woman who had a serendipity taxi accident with a non-Jewish woman. The Jewish woman wound up falling in love with the non-Jewish, wealthy woman's brother. The story was good but unfortunately came to a complete stop. Perhaps writing endings is a job all of its own and it does not seem fair to rate a book on that alone, but in this review it is the situation.
Perhaps, the author plans another book. Unfortunately only three stars were awarded to this book.

Includes a timeline

As far as the Who Was series goes, this book really knocked it out of the park -- by far one of the strongest titles I've encountered so far. Not only is the writing top notch, the pacing of Harriet's extensive and fascinating story is well thought out. It helps to have such a strong and interesting subject, and I wish we as a culture didn't continue to let Harriet down so badly.

Great short biography of the extremely inspiring Sojourner Truth. Her life was so hard, but she never stopped fighting for the things she cared about, and her legacy improves all of our lives.

Well done. I liked the combination of individual stories in the context of the larger history.

This biographical overview provides insight into Wilder’s actual childhood, distinguishing between the stories Wilder portrays in her books and the life she lived. Back matter includes quotes, craft instructions, book lists, and recipes. Glossary.

Didn't quite end the way I wanted it to.

The end- I hated it. Other than that I did enjoy most of the book- I'm a sucker for family dramas and this would delivered although I would have loved to hear Angelica or Teddy's story. They seemed to me the more interesting characters than Justine and Betsy. Betsy didn't feel that fleshed out as a character. I enjoyed this book until the last few chapters and then I started skimming through and then I got the end and was annoyed.

Born a slave in New York sometime around 1797, Belle was later sold and separated from her family. Even after she escaped from slavery, she knew her work was not yet done. She changed her name and traveled, inspiring everyone she met and sharing her story until her death in 1883 at age eighty-six.

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