Shirley Russak Wachtel

A Castle in Brooklyn by Shirley Russak Wachtel What a slog this book was! I was ready to DNF half way through, but since it was only 255 pages, I bored myself silly with the last half. Lots of potential here, but never realized. The main characters were not likable and very distant. Other characters appeared for a chapter, didn't advance the plot, and were never seen again. The story began in Poland in 1944 where our protagonists escaped a Nazi firing squad and eventually ended up in New York City. The story ended, thankfully, in the 1970's. 2.5 Stars I got this free from Kindle in January 2023.… (more)

Thank you to Goodreads, the author and the publisher.

Another good historical book. I've read so many of them lately that they tend to blur together but this one stood out because it was about Jacob and Zalman who ended up building their "Castle in Brooklyn" where Jacob and his wife Esther lived for years. Zalman lived with them for a while after being coerced from where he was living on a farm in Minnesota. It was his house as well since he thought up the blueprints and they built it together.

The almost ending was sort of mishmosh to me with all the tenants after Esther moves to FL, but in the end it all comes together finally.… (more)