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67th out of 386 books
—
1,416 voters
The Seamstress
"From its opening pages, in which she recounts her own premature birth, triggered by terrifying rumors of an incipient pogrom, Bernstein' s tale is clearly not a typical memoir of the Holocaust. She was born into a large family in rural Romania?and grew up feisty and willing to fight back physically against anti-Semitism from other schoolchildren. She defied her father' s...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
May 1st 1999
by Berkley Trade
(first published October 13th 1997)
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Finished. A very good holocaust book, different from others maybe because you follow the main character from her youth. You follow Seren through many years. She is feisty! It is also very interesting to know that Sara did not tell the author everything. The missing bits are revealing. The reader knows of them because Seren's daughter has added more information and interesting comments about what it is like to be the daughter of two parents who have survived the holocaust.
Through page 273 - thes...more
Through page 273 - thes...more
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From its opening pages, in which she recounts her own premature birth, triggered by terrifying rumors of an incipient pogrom, Bernstein's tale is clearly not a typical memoir of the Holocaust. She was born into a large family in rural Romania between the wars and grew up feisty and willing to fight back physically against anti-Semitism from other schoolchildren. She defied her father's orders to turn down a scholarship that took her to Bucharest, and got herself expelled from that school when sh...more
I thought this was a great Holocaust memoir and definitely worth reading. I think it is very important to never forget the Holocaust, though it is hard to "enjoy" these types of book. They are always disturbing, but I think that it is good for us to feel disturbed and remember. The Holocaust should never be swept under the rug because it is too unpleasant to think about. We need to feel uncomfortable about what happened. It was true, it was real, it was unbelievably horrific. Seren was a real su...more
A Holocaust survivor's story, sometimes graphic, sometimes horrifying, and in a word: depressing. The problem is, the first book I ever read about the Holocaust was Corrie ten Boom's "The Hiding Place," which deals with the horrors of Hitler's regime in the light of God's love. That book, itself, is a masterpiece of grace. This becomes a problem for me because I unconsciously want every book on the subject matter to measure up to that. I realize the Holocaust will never be something that we read...more
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I usually don't care for Holocaust stories, but I found this especially interesting for a number of reasons. It was a personal story, told from one woman's viewpoint. We saw the horrors of the holocaust through her eyes and her experiences, which made it more vivid than reading about statistics and atrocities on a grand scale. We learned about Seren's history, and her family before the Nazi's came to power, which helped underline how shocking and unexpected this was to previously well-establishe...more
Sincere, outstanding, and captivating are just three of the words that describe this book. I read (actually listen as an audio book) in just three days time. The narrator was skillful in bringing to life Saran’s journal – the life of a young female (Romanian Jew) survivor of the Holocaust. A riveting and very personal coming-of-age memoir (a historical non-fiction) was gripping and brought me to tears more than once. Her tenacity was simply remarkable. I strongly recommend that you intentionally...more
An extraordinary, unsentimental story by an extraordinary woman. This is powerful truth, akin to horror at some points and heartwarming at others, with a strong female hero. Seren is a hero by any account. She's a tough woman who shouldn't have survived but did using intelligence and determination.
Although Seren's young life involved the Holocaust, the book is about her family and her own wisdom and grit in every situation. It's part of Seren's journey to a life she must have cherished every da...more
Although Seren's young life involved the Holocaust, the book is about her family and her own wisdom and grit in every situation. It's part of Seren's journey to a life she must have cherished every da...more
Like others, I could not put this book down. Sara's story was captivating. She was incredibly strong in the face of horror. The fact that she was not German and explains what happened to the Jews in Eastern Europe gave me a perspective I have not had. And, like other reviewers, I found her lack of bitterness amazing. This was the first Holocaust book I've read which made me understand that people had no idea what happened to members of their families when they suddenly disappeared. From Sara's p...more
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Sad yet ultimately uplifting story of Sara (Seren) Tuvel, a young woman who lived through Ravensbruck concentration camp during WWII years. She weighed only 44lb when rescued. Her ability to adapt and sew saved her life.
This story is a bit different from most as I've not seen as many accounts of Romanian life during the War.
Although he is not mentioned in this book, it gives one pause to think if Churchill's bulldogged determination to fight Hitler and drag Roosevelt into WWII the kind of barba...more
This story is a bit different from most as I've not seen as many accounts of Romanian life during the War.
Although he is not mentioned in this book, it gives one pause to think if Churchill's bulldogged determination to fight Hitler and drag Roosevelt into WWII the kind of barba...more
Oct 29, 2012
Clay
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult-non-fiction,
memoirs-holocaust
I listened to this on audio CD and it's an amazing first-person survival story, superbly performed and produced as well. Easily in my 2012 Top Ten, maybe the finest story I've had the honor to read or listen to this year.
Since beginning this book I have pondered much on the wickedness of mankind. There is so much hatred. I have never experienced pure hatred due to who I am, based on religion, color, creed, whatever. I am thankful to have been raised by parents who taught me to love all, to follow the example of my Saviour, and to strive to be like Him--perfectly loving in all things. Although I am far from His perfection, I am thankful that love, not hate, is natural for me.
I cannot recommend this book highly en...more
I cannot recommend this book highly en...more
I couldn't put it down. One of those intensely riveting personal accounts that is both heart-rending and inspiring, powerful and vivid. It can be hard at times, but the way she relates her story and her personal experiences without pity, selfishness, hardness, or despair is amazing in itself. A testament to the human will to live through suffering. After I read a story such as this, I feel like I have learned life-lessons and I am a better person for it. Helps me to remember all the little thing...more
I've read a lot of Holocaust books, but this one was definitely worth reading. And frankly, I will continue reading Holocaust books, because this history should never be forgotten.
Sara is Romanian. She tells the story of how life remained pretty normal, until one day she is put into prison and beaten, for no reason. She is released and resumes her life, trying to earn income enough to support her sisters, niece, and her mother who lives in a distant town. She looks Gentile, so she is overlooked...more
Sara is Romanian. She tells the story of how life remained pretty normal, until one day she is put into prison and beaten, for no reason. She is released and resumes her life, trying to earn income enough to support her sisters, niece, and her mother who lives in a distant town. She looks Gentile, so she is overlooked...more
Seren Tuvel's story of surviving the Holocaust is unbelievable. She was one of 11 children and she and 3 of her siblings managed to survive, along with some nieces and nephews. From a very young age Seren was very independent and actually defied her father to attend a special school when she was 13 years old. Her fighting spirit is what kept her going through the unimaginable horrors she faced during the years of the Holocaust. When Seren, her sister Esther, and two of their nieces Ellen and Lil...more
A story of survival, as Sara Tuvel tells of her will to live as she faced the horrors of life in the women's concentration camp, Ravensbruck. It was a little slow to start out but is truly an amazing story. I found how she dealt with the aftermath of her imprisonment to be the most fascinating part of the whole book. She lost almost all of her family, her health, her home, everything that once was hers and yet she still found the will to survive and was able to move on after the war. I always wo...more
Another holocaust memoir, but this one takes place in Romania and Hungary. Seren Tuvel entered a force labor camp in the middle of 1944 and was then sent to Ravensbruck, a camp for women only. Ravensbruck was one of the worst camps during WWII. Seren was sent there to die, but survived. Even though she was sent there towards the end of the war, when the war was over, she weighed only 44 pounds. I enjoyed this memoir because it took place in Romania, and not Germany. Not knowing much about Romani...more
There is nothing terribly original about this Holocaust memoir but it is interesting none the less. The Seamstress follows the life of Saren as she navigates through life in Hungary and Romania during WW2. We continue to follow her as she is imprisoned in several different notorious concentration camps. What is truly amazing in this story is not only the fact that she survived but her sheer determination in keeping herself, her sister and her friends alive. She was kind of a Holocaust McGyver in...more
I greatly enjoyed Seren's story. It was a very different Holocaust story than most I have read. I think most of us come to expect a certain...formula(for lack of a better word) when we pick up a WWII memoir. Although each survivor's story is unique, they do seem to blend together.
Seren's was different. Her unique voice and experience really touched me. Her personality and her determination to survive are undoubtedly what got her through horrible things. I was humbled and left in awe of the stren...more
Seren's was different. Her unique voice and experience really touched me. Her personality and her determination to survive are undoubtedly what got her through horrible things. I was humbled and left in awe of the stren...more
This was such a moving book and in the story answers the question how ordinary people become extraordinary. Without bravado, Sara (Seren) uses her practicality and logic to stay alive, and to help 2 others live as well through the Nazi death camps. She takes calculated risks,tries to remain alert to opportunities and uses her sewing skills to 'ease' some of the hardships. The book also shows the process of isolating the Jews prior to the war so clearly on such a personal level. But definitely re...more
Survival narratives are tricky reads as I always question how people remember what they remember, particularly in times of crisis. As far as they go, this one was a relatively easy and enjoyable read. I like the straightforward telling of this tale and appreciate the historical data the author must have researched post concentration camp experience. Only a slight sense of the overdramatic dots the telling of Seren's courageous and terrifying journey. As evidenced in the epilogue, this extra zeal...more
I loved this book, the memoir of a Seren Tuval, a Transylvanian Jew who barely survived the Holocaust. What I liked best about this book is how it is different from other accounts: It chronicals her entire life, not only her time in hell. We hear about her birth, her family and childhood, and how Seren grows to be a fiercely independent teen, out on her own. Her tenacity and sense of realism make her a hero to many, both before and during the Holocaust -- simply put, Seren challenges people to l...more
I have read many holocaust books, but this memoir is one of the best. The writing isn't really terrific, but the story was fascinating. I learned many things that I wasn't aware of, even though I have read many books on this subject. I was going to give it 4 stars, but after discussing it at my Readers Rendezvous book club I realized that it deserved 5 stars, in my opinion. It was such a riveting story that held nothing back. I would recommend the paperback version, because it has a forward in i...more
One of the best holocaust memoirs I have read, a story of true triumph! When Sara was finally rescued in the closing days of WWII, she weighed forty-four pounds, "I felt myself being lifted up in two arms. I opened my eyes. One of the American soldiers was carrying me. I closed my eyes again. Drops of water began splashing on my cheeks and running down my neck...I realized that the soldier carrying me was crying, his tears falling on my face." She, and two of her companions, survived in camps wh...more
This is, by far, the best Holocaust memoir I have ever read. There is something about Seren Tuvel's spirit that connects you to her on this journey and makes it unlike any other. The book details her life from birth to death, so it isn't solely her time in the camps, which I felt made the story that much richer. Of course, it is always difficult to read about these experience and this book is no different in that regard. However, Seren's attitude, optimistic, yet fiercely determined, is truly in...more
Wish I could give more than five stars to this book. Not only is it a story of an impressive woman, but the way the book came into existence and the story of its writing is unique. Don't read this book unless you want to come face to face with horrible acts of cruelty and learn of such unbelievable suffering that faced the Jewish people during WWII. I, like many, have read & seen about the inhumanity of German Nazis against the Jewish people & other "undesirables" during the war. But her...more
Think of all the problems and stress in our lives. Just when we think that life today is "tough", think again...
The Seamstress is the amazing memoir of Seren (Sara) Tuvel, a holocaust survivor. When originally interviewed for her story, she merely referred to her life spent in the concentration camps as a "waste of time". This just gives you an idea of what a remarkable woman she was, with an incredible strength of character. In all senses, she was a "true" survivor.
Her story begins in Transylva...more
The Seamstress is the amazing memoir of Seren (Sara) Tuvel, a holocaust survivor. When originally interviewed for her story, she merely referred to her life spent in the concentration camps as a "waste of time". This just gives you an idea of what a remarkable woman she was, with an incredible strength of character. In all senses, she was a "true" survivor.
Her story begins in Transylva...more
A very moving book. A true story about a Holocost survivor who kept herself alive in part by working to keep her sister living. This echoes through many of the stories about survival. (In NIGHT, the son lives through most of his ordeal in order to keep his father alive.) I found it interesting the way survivors dealt with their memories after the war...how Seren Tuvel compares her ability to live with her sewing as being able to make something outof nothing. She also explains her fearlessness of...more
The Holocaust is one of the darkest moments of human history, if not the darkest moment. The Seamstress by Sarah Tuvel Bernstein is poignant coming-of-age memoir showcasing the indomitable human spirit. Sarah Tuvel Bernstein, herein referred to as Seren Tuvel, was a Romanian Jew. Much of Seren’s story is shaped around her large family; she was one of nine. Her father was a lumber mill manager and was what we could consider lower middle class today. Her formal education ended at elementary school...more
This book is by far my favorite WW2 book that I have read. I felt that I had become very close to the characters in the book. I grew to love and appreciate the simple things of life. I just don't get how people could treat another human being so inhuman, I just really don't get it. It was all over Europe, like a plague, I don't get how Teenagers and husbands could turn in there mothers in for being Jewish and then call them filthy names.
I would recommend this book over and over again to anyone w...more
I would recommend this book over and over again to anyone w...more
I've read a number of books on the Holocaust, and though certainly categorized as one, full of horrifying first-person stories of what the author endured, the key word here is "endured." Yes, this is a book about the Holocaust, but more than anything it's a book about survival--physical and spiritual. It's told with almost dispassionate detail that speaks to the strength of the storyteller rather than a lack of emotion. I couldn't put this down, and when I was done, I missed Sara.
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