Alexis Landau

Vera Volosenkova and her husband, Max, are Russian-born Jews who settled in Paris. In May 1940, they are enjoying a holiday in their second home on the seaside, Sanary-sur-Mer. Vera and Max have a daughter, Lucie, whom they cherish. Unfortunately, German forces are closing in, and Vera and Max must decide what to do. In "Those Who are Saved," by Alexis Landau, the author traces the journey that will ultimately bring Vera and Max to California. Although they manage to escape, there were show more impediments to bringing a four-year-old with them on what would be an arduous road to freedom. Therefore, Max and Vera entrust Lucie to the care of her governess, Agnes, who will remain in France. Max and Vera plan to come back for their little girl in the near future, but much to their chagrin, the war drags on much longer than they had anticipated.

Another key character is Aleksander (Sasha) Rabinovitch who, as a boy, emigrated to America with his mother. After Sasha's stepfather, a successful entrepreneur, gives his stepson an opportunity to manage a branch of his business in New York City, Sasha moves to the west coast, where he hopes to make it as a screenwriter. When he meets Vera, Sasha feels an instant attraction to this beautiful and exotic woman. Landau follows the fortunes of Vera, Sasha, and Lucie, each of whom is destined to endure a great deal of emotional pain.

Landau is a capable storyteller who touches on the impact of loss on a once solid marriage; the accomplishments of Jewish expatriates who became prominent members of American society; and the pandemonium that followed Germany's surrender, when traumatized survivors of the Holocaust—including many orphans—had to rebuild their shattered lives. "All Who are Saved" has its weaknesses. Max's character is not well fleshed out and the book sometimes veers into melodrama. However, at its best, this is a poignant work of historical fiction that demonstrates the power of love and determination to overcome seemingly impossible odds. show less

To call this a love story would be trite. The Empire of the Senses is a fantastic character-driven first novel by Alexis Landau. This book is about interactions and how the Pearlmutter family collides with their Jewish roots and each other during and after WWI. It's a refreshing break from the endless number of historical fiction novels written about Jews during WWII. This is about the lead up, and how ethnicity affects interpersonal relationships.

The only thing stopping me from giving this show more book 5 stars is that the plot is lacking in some places - particularly when it comes to Franz and his homosexuality. Other than that, it's an excellent novel and Landau expertly shifts between the motivations of each character without jarring the reader. show less

When Vera and Max, Jew immigrants living in France, are told to report to an internment camp, they must make the difficult decision to leave their young daughter Lucie with her nanny. Shortly after they are interned, they have the opportunity to escape across the mountains and ultimately to America. Haunted with guilt and fear, Vera finds it difficult to make a new life without her daughter.

This was a well written and engaging story. The characters were extremely believable and relatable. I show more felt Vera's pain at the separation from her daughter, and found myself reading long into the night to find out what would happen. The book really needed an epilogue, which is my main criticism. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. show less

In the end notes and Recommended Reading, Landau describes her inspiration as being from an impressionistic author who died in the Holocaust. Undoubtedly that formed the dreamy presentation of Vera, a Russian Jew whose family had fled to Paris and who is now dealing with her own flight to America before the German occupation. This writing style was not all that interesting to me. I only persisted through the book because I have a friend whose mother suffered from Jewish generational trauma, show more and I wanted some understanding of how it affected her. Of course, the experience of someone whose family came from the shtetl is likely different from that of families who had the wealth to live a life without the daily struggle to provide basic necessities.
I think the reader is meant to be on the edge of their seats at the near misses and the lucky connections (as God wills?) in Vera's search for her daughter.
That brings up the second dissatisfaction I had with this book: rich people partying and drinking while discussing abstract ideas.
Then, there is the name dropping: Vera is taken to see Dr Bettelheim, recommended by Dr. Adler. The ex-pats reminding him of Fritz Lang. Hollywood industry greats Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Hedy Lamarr, L.B.Mayer.
The side story of Sasha feeling a nameless shame from his Russian childhood about his absent father, his remembered experiences fighting in WWII, and his desire to make the American public see the consequences of war might have made for a more interesting story but it would have to be told by someone with more strength as a writer.
I know we are supposed to identify with the loss and guilt Vera feels for leaving her daughter behind, but the glorification of motherhood, while understandable in someone who has such feelings, did not strike a chord in me, even given my own years raising a family and the joy I felt in their infancy. show less