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Ballad for Emma
Ballad for Emma depicts the life journey of a woman of Jewish descent who, amid the turmoil of the twentieth century, struggles both to survive and to cope with her love for a man she cannot have. Her story dovetails with that of the old Trenck's Castle, whose fate is miraculously intertwined with hers. Set in Croatia and Hungary, this book explores the dramatic position of one woman under the fascist and communist regimes that left such bloody marks on Europe.
744 pages, Paperback
Published December 17, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 8, 2018
I won this book from Goodreads.com as a first-read. Here is my unbiased review.
While the book has the length, girth and scope of GONE WITH THE WIND, it is lacking it's passion. In this case the background is the First and Second World Wars in Croatia, Hungary and Yugoslavia. As straight history goes, it is very informative, but the character development is flat and should not be categorized as a historical romance. Perhaps historic women's fiction? There are also certain adverbs that are overused and lines that are repeated.
The blurb of the book, talks about a tale of a young Jewish woman discovering she is pregnant by her Christian boy, but she dies in the first chapter, so it is sort of a bait and switch. It is very unlikely in that time period (the late 1800s) that young Bertha Klein, raised by her aunt and uncle after her parent's death in an observant household would be allowed to be alone in her uncle's store where she would come in contact with men. And she is engaged to another. But raging hormones makes her agree to meet this Catholic man, where they believe they are "in love" and plan to run off together. However, he drowns and she is left pregnant. Not the "smartest tool in the shed", she runs off to a far away town and gets a job as a seamstress assistant. When she is fired toward the end of her pregnancy, for "economic" reasons, the seamstress allows her to stay in a shed on her property. Naturally, she goes into labor in a blizzard and hemorrhages. Before she dies, she gives her friend her siddur, id papers and so photos, asks her to raise her daughter, Emma, as her own and one day tell her the truth about her parentage. The friend has always wanted a daughter, so agree, despite her husband's objections. The book then proceeds through history, having Emma grow up as a peasant, being sent at eighteen to the local castle to work in service and being seduced by the son of one of the Barons that frequent the castle. With the heralding of WWI, she and many others are dismissed from service and she is so innocent that she doesn't even know that she is pregnant, history repeating it's self. And so it goes. She continually jumps from the fire to the frying pan. But most annoying of all is she is constantly answering questions with a shrug. After a while, you want to slap her. So if fictionalized history is your thing, then you might like this book as it does do a good job of going through the entire history of the Balkans during the twentieth century.
While the book has the length, girth and scope of GONE WITH THE WIND, it is lacking it's passion. In this case the background is the First and Second World Wars in Croatia, Hungary and Yugoslavia. As straight history goes, it is very informative, but the character development is flat and should not be categorized as a historical romance. Perhaps historic women's fiction? There are also certain adverbs that are overused and lines that are repeated.
The blurb of the book, talks about a tale of a young Jewish woman discovering she is pregnant by her Christian boy, but she dies in the first chapter, so it is sort of a bait and switch. It is very unlikely in that time period (the late 1800s) that young Bertha Klein, raised by her aunt and uncle after her parent's death in an observant household would be allowed to be alone in her uncle's store where she would come in contact with men. And she is engaged to another. But raging hormones makes her agree to meet this Catholic man, where they believe they are "in love" and plan to run off together. However, he drowns and she is left pregnant. Not the "smartest tool in the shed", she runs off to a far away town and gets a job as a seamstress assistant. When she is fired toward the end of her pregnancy, for "economic" reasons, the seamstress allows her to stay in a shed on her property. Naturally, she goes into labor in a blizzard and hemorrhages. Before she dies, she gives her friend her siddur, id papers and so photos, asks her to raise her daughter, Emma, as her own and one day tell her the truth about her parentage. The friend has always wanted a daughter, so agree, despite her husband's objections. The book then proceeds through history, having Emma grow up as a peasant, being sent at eighteen to the local castle to work in service and being seduced by the son of one of the Barons that frequent the castle. With the heralding of WWI, she and many others are dismissed from service and she is so innocent that she doesn't even know that she is pregnant, history repeating it's self. And so it goes. She continually jumps from the fire to the frying pan. But most annoying of all is she is constantly answering questions with a shrug. After a while, you want to slap her. So if fictionalized history is your thing, then you might like this book as it does do a good job of going through the entire history of the Balkans during the twentieth century.
November 12, 2018
I purchased Ballad for Emma through amazon.de.
If you love reading books which are inspired by true historical events, then this book is for you.
The author succeeded in bringing to life 20th century events that took place in Europe.
The book is overwhelming with extraordinary events of life and time that her character Emma lived in.
I loved it from the beginning to the end. Once I started reading, I couldn't let go.
Through Emma, step by step, you can learn how to overcome your own struggles trough life with love, faith and hope which Emma strongly lived and believed.
I highly recommend this book to everyone! I loved it!
L.S.
If you love reading books which are inspired by true historical events, then this book is for you.
The author succeeded in bringing to life 20th century events that took place in Europe.
The book is overwhelming with extraordinary events of life and time that her character Emma lived in.
I loved it from the beginning to the end. Once I started reading, I couldn't let go.
Through Emma, step by step, you can learn how to overcome your own struggles trough life with love, faith and hope which Emma strongly lived and believed.
I highly recommend this book to everyone! I loved it!
L.S.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews