Talia Carner

Batya and her family flee their hometown in the Russian countryside, the only survivors of another pogrom. After pushing their belongings through the countryside and living off the kindness of others, a wealthy foreign Jewish man, Reb Moskowitz enters the family's life and takes an interest in 14 year-old Batya. Moskowitz offers Batya's father money for her betrothal to him and promises her plenty of food, a nice home and a fortune in America. However, Batya quickly learns that Moskowitz is show more not the good man he portrays. Batya is sold into prostitution in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After being abused, locked up, tortured and starved, Batya comes to terms with her predicament and focuses on survival. She becomes a sought out girl in her brothel and is trusted by Moskowitz. Batya's hopes are focused on bringing her family over from Russia and a mysterious new client may help Batya escape slavery and saver her family.
I absolutely adore historical fiction that is able to open my eyes to a period of history that I knew nothing about. I was certainly not aware of the very long time span that prostitution was legal in Argentina and fueled by the Zwi Migdal, a ring of Jewish men and women who kidnapped young girls and widows for their own profit. The writing deftly portrays the horror as well as the hope in Batya's story. It was obvious that the author delved into the research of this hidden history, from the way Batya was lured away from her family, to the conditions on her journey to Argentina and how she was treated in the brothel to the rhythms, dances and food in Buenos Aires, everything was reflective of the experience of the women and the time period. I was very interested in how involved the Zwi Migdal was in Argentinian politics and culture and just how hard it was to bring them down. I was amazed at Batya's bravery helping to provide evidence against Moskowitz in kidnapping women and especially the real woman, Raquel Liberman who risked it all to save other women from her fate.
This book was received for free in return for and honest review. show less

Let me begin by saying that when I finished reading the engrossing Jerusalem Maiden by Talia Carner (Harper Collins, $14.99), two thoughts flashed through my mind. First, that the inevitable ending was quite satisfying! And, second, that a number of the ancient cultural and religious rituals and practices among the ultra Orthodox Charedi Jews in Jerusalem at the onset of the twentieth century are still being followed, and not just by Charedim. I remember my own grandmother cracking one egg show more after another to search "its clear part for a red vein of fertilization that would render it impure." A practice I continue to follow. I remember my father reciting "Woman of Valor" from the Book of Proverbs to my mother on Erev Shabbat, as does Aba in "Jerusalem Maiden." I also remember that despite my own joy at giving birth to two beautiful daughters, to say that my mother-in-law was less than pleased would be an understatement. Not until I read the richly detailed Jerusalem Maiden did I realize that the Talmud, Kiddushin decrees: "Happy the man whose children are boys and woe to him if they are girls."

Jerusalem of 1911, at the end of the rule of the Ottoman Empire, was a mixture of isolated individuals -- Arabs, Charedim, Zionists, Chassidim and even a few Parisians -- with such conflicting religious and cultural beliefs you might think they lived on different planets. The animosity between Jews and Arabs is well documented, perhaps not so the resentment of Orthodox Jews toward the "brash" Zionists for fighting, for drying swamplands and for planning vineyards, instead of "waiting for the Messiah to bring salvation." Zionist women were disliked for their slack ways, their lack of respect to men, for speaking up in mixed company. Jerusalem was a miserable place for conservative Charedi women, yet, accustomed to familial and financial struggles, to the laws of the book and of the land, most of these women did not consider their lives that miserable. Working hard and bearing sons was a small price to hasten the arrival of the Messiah.

But the talented Esther Kaminsky, who has the courage and insolence to paint, a forbidden act, refuses to accept this life. Nor will Esther's Parisian teacher, Mlle Thibaux, who recognizes Esther's exceptional talent and does everything in her power to nurture it. But despite Esther's love and respect for her liberal teacher, "None of Mlle Thibaux's arguments carried weight with God." When Esther's God strikes her family with one misfortune after another, certain she is punished for the grave sin of "drawing Hashem's image," she sacrifices her dream, steps on her overwhelming desire to paint and swears to stop creating art.

After a short reprieve from misfortune, Esther allows herself to believe again, believe that her sins might not have brought "Sodom-and-Gomorrah-like wrath" after all, and it would be safe to leave her three children with her sister and join her husband in Europe. But once in the city of lights, the lure of Paris proves irresistible. Esther ignores her husband's letters to return home. Relishing her newfound sense of freedom among a community of Avant-garde artists, she allows her passions free rein, cuts her hair short, wears fashionable clothes, picks up her brushes and paints again. Perhaps Hashem intended her to be an artist, after all, she reasons. This is why He facilitated her journey to Paris and guided Mlle Thibaux and her son, Pierre, back into her life -- the goy sculptor Pierre, who is unfortunate enough to fall in love with a "woman who would be forever claimed and reclaimed from me by her God." The story gathers speed when Esther experiences a short period of happiness as a vibrant woman and an artist. But her wrathful God strikes again. This time more forcefully. The devastated Esther is certain that her sinful conduct in Paris instigated this last tragedy. But why would God punish an "innocent bystander for her sins!"

The main thread running through the story is Esther's continued struggle with her deep-rooted guilt and with God -- the story's main protagonist -- and the ongoing clash between her sense of responsibility to her religious mores on one hand and to her passions and desires on the other. Esther's tumultuous journey leads the reader to 1968 and back to Paris and to the gripping epilogue. We care for Esther. We pray that the older woman has learned to make peace with her God. show less

This novel sets itself apart from the legions of WWII historical fiction by focusing not just on the horrors of occupation and the Holocaust, but intertwining that with what happened directly after WWII and in Israel in the following decades. I found the story highly compelling, but I felt frustrated with the characters often. Claudette felt more childlike than she deserved and Sharon kept digging into Daniel's past even after he requested she stop. I also didn't like how Daniel treated show more Sharon as they inched toward becoming a couple - sometimes calling Sharon sweetheart and then seeming to withdraw didn't feel like the right building blocks for a good relationship. I learned a lot from this book and I became really investing in this story, although some portions didn't sit well with me. show less

This is one of those rare books that I wanted to rush through because it had me so totally engrossed in the story. I felt the fear and intensity as unbelievable incidents were described. But once I reached the last few pages I found myself slowing down. On one hand I wanted to quickly read those pages to find out what would happen. But on the other hand I did not want the story to end.

Brooke Fielding, an ambitious young investment manager, accepts an invitation to travel to Moscow as part of show more a team to teach entrepreneurial skills to the Russian women. While eager to share of herself with the women she is also apprehensive. Her parents were born in Russia and escaped from the pogroms against the Jews. Her mother was the only survivor from her family as the others died in a concentration camp. Her father’s first wife and three children were killed. Thus, Brooke has grown up hearing of the anti-Semitism in Russia.

The story begins in 1993 just weeks after the fall of Communism. Left as a country with no laws, the Duma is busy making up laws as they go. However Yeltsin is frustrated and impatient with them and fires them. As the members of their Duma are democratically elected, Yeltsin did not have the authority to fire them. Thus, a stand-off develops between the members of the Duma and Yeltsin as he calls in the Army to remove the Duma.

The entire team encounters MAJOR culture shock. As Communist control ended, theft and gangs quickly filled the void. “Connections” and bribes were required for the simplest of services. Corruption has taken over. Time after time, the Russians are impressed by how white the Americans’ teeth are. Many of them have rotted teeth but proudly support one gold tooth as it shows they can afford it. People stand in line for hours, sometimes days, for food, gasoline, money from the banks. The descriptions of the living conditions of most Russians were shocking. The photos of “communal apartments” in the back of the book were definitely eye-opening.

Svetlana is assigned as the group’s translator. She knows several languages and would have been translator for the Foreign Minister. However, she was labeled as having “loose morals” after being gang-raped. Dr. Olga Rozanova, a sociologist from the Institute for Social Research, is ashamed that the Americans are so poorly treated in her homeland. Brooke forms friendships with these women, but can the friendships survive the anti-Semitism of the culture? And how can she teach Western capitalism to a people who are afraid to even trust their neighbors?

There is a good sampling of the male characters. There are primarily four Russian male characters and they are very different from each other.

Brooke’s early family history is revealed slowly, like layers of an onion being peeled away, layer by layer. Being in Russia makes her face parts of her past that she had been running from her entire life. There is a possible love interest for her but she is very distrustful of men. Her past relationships are also slowly revealed making it understandable why she is so distrustful of men. Brooke carries secrets that she is afraid of revealing. One of the secrets could cost her her job. She also struggles with the question of “What does it mean to be Jewish?” Should she hide her Jewish identity in this land that is rampantly anti-semitic?

Ms. Carner visited Russia in 1993 and experienced some of the events told in the book. Her descriptions made me think of several social issues. Is this the way all oppressed societies behave once they get that first taste of freedom? I was amazed at the pride the Russian people still exhibited toward their country, no matter how corrupt it had become. Yet underneath it all, people are people, proving that compassion and trust still exist in the most lawless of societies. I also looked at my own Jewishness, just as Brooke was forced to look at hers. In spite of the corruptness, this was a beautiful story. I look forward to reading her other three books. show less