By Phyllis Eisenstadt on August 31, 2015
MS. KAGAN DID IT AGAIN...YET ANOTHER WINNER!
“The Promised Land,” the third and last of Roberta Kagan’s “All My Love, Detrick” series, does not disappoint; in fact, it more than fulfills expectations. It involves the day-to-day struggles of the Jewish people under Hitler’s Reich and the necessity of fleeing their homeland and finding a safe haven. The unique voices of the characters, their experiences, and the ebb and flow of their various emotions tug at your heartstrings and evoke profound sympathy for the victims. Zofia, the heroine, epitomizes all Holocaust victims; everything was taken from her--people, possessions, her home.
At one point in the book, Katja and Rachel find and heal a wounded bird and then have the gratification of watching it fly away. The reader cannot help but associate this incident that seemed to mirror friends and family scattering and going their separate ways in order to survive.
This Holocaust book has unexpected twists and turns; yet throughout the pathos, the heroine’s gentle demeanor prevails. You cry with her, you hurt for her, you laugh with her. You also find yourself cheering for her daughter, Katja, whose goal was to find her place in The Promised Land.