Ralph Webster's Blog - Posts Tagged "great-review"
a Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other
A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other
Normally I would not blog a review by a Goodreads member but this one is special...
"The courage and resilience of individuals to survive one of history’s most horrifying times—the tumultuous violence of the Nazi regime—has been depicted through numerous narratives and films. But stories, recounted by actual family members of those shocking times, oftimes help define one’s self and find meaning in one’s life. So it is with Ralph Webster. He relates the absorbing story of family members in their quest to escape, and survive, a regime that defines them by their Jewish bloodlines.
Employing an epistolary format, Webster compiles his “labor of love” by using two narratives. The first narrator is Gerhard Udo Albert Wobser, the author’s father. In his bildungsroman, Gerhard describes his patriotic German upbringing, his Lutheran religion, and his escape to Scotland and then to the United States. Webster admits to the malleability of memory and that the book may be “flawed with errors and omissions.” However, while there are times where he patches together details from separate events to form a single occurrence, his creative blend of fact and “his interpretation of events” allow him to write a seamless, and meaningful, story.
The second narrator, Ralph Webster, uses journal entries to provide an intimate insight into his thoughts and feelings about his father, and about his family history. By using this form of narrative, Webster not only describes the horrors of a world war, he provides a direct connection to the current state of refugees around the world. In his quest for family history, peopled by memorable family members, and through a strong narrative of joy, pain, fear, depravity, and finally, happiness, Webster looks backwards to provide a bridge into the future for his children and grandchildren.
As Gerhard remarks, “ Always is never the same. Mela tells me that life has a smile in one eye, and a tear in the other. Life does find a way to create a balance somewhere between smiles and tears.” Ralph Webster in this remarkable book, with superb historical context, has found that balance—this literary piece is a captivating experience for his readers."
Ralph Webster
Normally I would not blog a review by a Goodreads member but this one is special...
"The courage and resilience of individuals to survive one of history’s most horrifying times—the tumultuous violence of the Nazi regime—has been depicted through numerous narratives and films. But stories, recounted by actual family members of those shocking times, oftimes help define one’s self and find meaning in one’s life. So it is with Ralph Webster. He relates the absorbing story of family members in their quest to escape, and survive, a regime that defines them by their Jewish bloodlines.
Employing an epistolary format, Webster compiles his “labor of love” by using two narratives. The first narrator is Gerhard Udo Albert Wobser, the author’s father. In his bildungsroman, Gerhard describes his patriotic German upbringing, his Lutheran religion, and his escape to Scotland and then to the United States. Webster admits to the malleability of memory and that the book may be “flawed with errors and omissions.” However, while there are times where he patches together details from separate events to form a single occurrence, his creative blend of fact and “his interpretation of events” allow him to write a seamless, and meaningful, story.
The second narrator, Ralph Webster, uses journal entries to provide an intimate insight into his thoughts and feelings about his father, and about his family history. By using this form of narrative, Webster not only describes the horrors of a world war, he provides a direct connection to the current state of refugees around the world. In his quest for family history, peopled by memorable family members, and through a strong narrative of joy, pain, fear, depravity, and finally, happiness, Webster looks backwards to provide a bridge into the future for his children and grandchildren.
As Gerhard remarks, “ Always is never the same. Mela tells me that life has a smile in one eye, and a tear in the other. Life does find a way to create a balance somewhere between smiles and tears.” Ralph Webster in this remarkable book, with superb historical context, has found that balance—this literary piece is a captivating experience for his readers."
Ralph Webster
