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Loading... To The LAND Of The CATTAILS. Translated by Jeffrey M. Green. (original 1986; edition 1986)by Aharon. Appelfeld
Work InformationTo the Land of the Cattails by Aharon Appelfeld (1986)
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In 1938 a Jewish woman and her son travel eastward to the mother's homeland in the heart of Europe, where they see ominous signs of the Holocaust to come. Eventually, the mother disappears on a mysterious train with an unknown destination and the son, after seeking her fruitlessly, is resigned to awaiting a train of his own. Evokes the apprehension of a Europe on the verge of world war and a people on the verge of a near-destruction. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)892.4Literature Literature of other languages Middle Eastern languages Jewish, Israeli, and HebrewLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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The reading is slow in this story as the two characters are taken places which are increasingly hostile to Jews. It is a very uncomfortable story because as readers we know the future of the Jews in Europe at that time. It’s a look at a mother-son relationship both with its love and its doubts. The story is mostly peaceful and quiet, but has a dark, disturbing rumble to it. The tone of the story subtlety changes to an atmosphere of fear as the journey continues. Toni accepts it; Rudy challenges it.
Aharon Appelfeld is known to write about the atmosphere in Europe prior to the Holocaust. I had an idea of what this novel would be like before reading it, and I was correct. My suggestion for anyone who reads it is to not bail on it. The beginning of the book might seem slow, but there is a reason for the pace and all of the description in this book. The beauty of this book is in the mood it creates for the reader. Bear with it, and let it pull you along at its own speed.
There came a point at which I understood why most of this book was a slow, plodding narrative of mother and son.