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A Sojourn in Hell
A Sojourn in Hell focuses on the tragic romance of a young woman. Losing the love of her life in combination with a dysfunctional upbringing help to shape the subsequent decisions she makes.
It's a multigenerational tale spanning almost eighty years. From the Great Depression through WWII and beyond, the reader is witness to the changes one woman’s life undergoes as she becomes a wife, mother, and grandmother as well as the trials and tribulations her own children end up going through. Alcoholism, untimely deaths, physical and mental abuse, adultery, and life-long regrets abound in this heartbreaking character study of human emotions.
It's a multigenerational tale spanning almost eighty years. From the Great Depression through WWII and beyond, the reader is witness to the changes one woman’s life undergoes as she becomes a wife, mother, and grandmother as well as the trials and tribulations her own children end up going through. Alcoholism, untimely deaths, physical and mental abuse, adultery, and life-long regrets abound in this heartbreaking character study of human emotions.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2013
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 22, 2013
A SOJOURN IN HELL by Roberta Goodman was just fantastic! If you love family saga type stories this is for you. There were a lot of elements I loved that were in the Paulina Simmons style. The story and character were very rich and entertaining. I enjoyed the time line that was Serafina's life. It all starts with her and her childhood. It shows the family in all their stages. It takes you on the emotional journey that begins the pattern of dysfunction for Serafina and later on her husband and children. When Serafina is growing up in a very wealthy community and the economy tanks her father who is a tailor has to choice but to close his doors. Eventually they loose everything and are forced to live with relatives. Once the cycle starts it flows through the generations to come. I think it all started with Serafina and the "old school" ways she was taught. In a way she was told to marry because of support, like he/she will be a good spouse and you will have a stable home. It was the time period that a woman stays home to raise her children.
Each child and grand child has their own pattern of dysfunction they follow. It is hard to put all of the characters here and write about them. Serafina has children that all struggle with familial relationships. There are brothers and sisters who dont speak and hold a grudge for years. What is similar is that in their later years they all turn to the church that was like a chore, and realize their errors and try to change and be their for the grandchildren.
My favorite character beside Serafina was Dante. His story was just fabulous. I have so much to say, but I can't give any plot away. He is very close with his sister Felicia and shares his many problems. What transpires for him and his family is very well written and painful.
When I say it is a must read I mean it simply because a synopsis doesn't do it justice. The love story of Serafina and Joe is one that is remarkable. Throughout the entire book, he is at the root of her troubles. Overall her heart is forever broken.
July 10, 2013
A Sojourn in Hell, written by Roberta Goodman, follows the dysfunctional, tragic lives of an Italian Catholic lower middle class family in South Philly from the 1920s to the late 1990s. The main character, Serafina, survives a physically abusive relationship with her father only to marry Nick who belittles her with his verbal abuse. Before meeting and marrying Nick, Serafina finds her soul mate, Joe, and for two years they are inseparable and madly in love. Joe suddenly ends their relationship with no explanation to Serafina. She is totally devastated and never gets over it. She literally dreams about Joe for the rest of her life. It affects her marriage to Nick, and eventually drives her to alcoholism. The story continues following Serafina’s three children, Felicia, Dante, and Caprice.
The book is a powerfully written and emotional story about Serafina and her children. It deals with abusive fathers and husbands, alcoholism of Serafina to help her deal with the tragic loss of her soul mate, Joe, Felicia’s depression and bi-polar disease, infidelity by Dante, a tragic death of Allison after learning from her husband of his infidelity, and the spoiled favorite child, Caprice, who some believed was possessed by the devil when she was growing up.
Roberta Goodman tells the story with thorough character development. She does it in a way that makes the individuals and the story totally believable. It’s as if she had a personal insight into this family. The parts of the story where Serafina and Joe reunite for a brief period and when Serafina finally dies are written with so much emotion, the reader cannot help but feel the emotion.
I strongly recommend A Sojourn in Hell by Roberta Goodman. It is an easy read, but be prepared for an emotional ride.
The book is a powerfully written and emotional story about Serafina and her children. It deals with abusive fathers and husbands, alcoholism of Serafina to help her deal with the tragic loss of her soul mate, Joe, Felicia’s depression and bi-polar disease, infidelity by Dante, a tragic death of Allison after learning from her husband of his infidelity, and the spoiled favorite child, Caprice, who some believed was possessed by the devil when she was growing up.
Roberta Goodman tells the story with thorough character development. She does it in a way that makes the individuals and the story totally believable. It’s as if she had a personal insight into this family. The parts of the story where Serafina and Joe reunite for a brief period and when Serafina finally dies are written with so much emotion, the reader cannot help but feel the emotion.
I strongly recommend A Sojourn in Hell by Roberta Goodman. It is an easy read, but be prepared for an emotional ride.
October 30, 2013
(I received and ARC)
A Story of Love, Passion, and Struggle
A Sojourn in Hell by: Roberta Goodman
A novel set from the Great Depression through nearly present day about a lower to middle class family struggling to exist during a difficult time. This book tells the tale of Italian Catholic family plagued by alcoholism, abuse, and love. I fell in love with Serafina and her tale of young love and innocence. I found myself pulling for Sera in her times of trial and her attempt to survive. Sera’s heartbreak brought me to tears, yet her destruction of herself was painful to watch. Will Sera be able overcome her family’s differences and learn to exist on her own?
While the book started with a bit of a slow start, the description and attention to detail was the trigger to pull you back in. The book tended to jump around a bit, and at times a bit hard to follow. However, thinking back every family member was covered in the book, while not in great depth for some, they were all included and followed in relation to the storyline.
This book is a story that touches on love, marriage, and struggle. The story is one that will make you thankful for you own family, or will it make you rethink your own journey. Many of us battle addiction, many of us overcome and many of us don’t. Will Serafina and her family come to overcome struggle or will they continue to pass it down through the years?
A Story of Love, Passion, and Struggle
A Sojourn in Hell by: Roberta Goodman
A novel set from the Great Depression through nearly present day about a lower to middle class family struggling to exist during a difficult time. This book tells the tale of Italian Catholic family plagued by alcoholism, abuse, and love. I fell in love with Serafina and her tale of young love and innocence. I found myself pulling for Sera in her times of trial and her attempt to survive. Sera’s heartbreak brought me to tears, yet her destruction of herself was painful to watch. Will Sera be able overcome her family’s differences and learn to exist on her own?
While the book started with a bit of a slow start, the description and attention to detail was the trigger to pull you back in. The book tended to jump around a bit, and at times a bit hard to follow. However, thinking back every family member was covered in the book, while not in great depth for some, they were all included and followed in relation to the storyline.
This book is a story that touches on love, marriage, and struggle. The story is one that will make you thankful for you own family, or will it make you rethink your own journey. Many of us battle addiction, many of us overcome and many of us don’t. Will Serafina and her family come to overcome struggle or will they continue to pass it down through the years?
March 4, 2014
It is autumn, and Serafina sits thinking in the aftermath of having done something awful. She drinks, which is something she does very well, and she contemplates, and she remains almost detached from the outcomes of her actions. This moment is the fulcrum of the novel, the halfway point in Serafina’s life, and as A SOJOURN IN HELL unfolds, we will learn not only what brought her to this point but what happens after, not so much as result of Serafina’s actions but as part of a complex pattern that is often sustained in all families of dysfunction.
Here is a book to be felt in your bones, a book that runs through your veins and both chills and warms you in equal measure. It is filled with both mirth and melancholy, and because the latter has become almost routine for Serafina and her children, the aloof way they perceive their own horrors and heartbreaks is almost off-putting. It is only when we realize that this is Serafina’s “normal” that the sweeping picture of her life starts to take shape. A SOJOURN IN HELL is a book for the senses, a book about suffering that will ultimately inspire. Bring your handkerchief.
Here is a book to be felt in your bones, a book that runs through your veins and both chills and warms you in equal measure. It is filled with both mirth and melancholy, and because the latter has become almost routine for Serafina and her children, the aloof way they perceive their own horrors and heartbreaks is almost off-putting. It is only when we realize that this is Serafina’s “normal” that the sweeping picture of her life starts to take shape. A SOJOURN IN HELL is a book for the senses, a book about suffering that will ultimately inspire. Bring your handkerchief.
March 29, 2014
Took a bit of getting into but happy I persevered with this novel. Beautiful ending
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews