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The Four Seasons of Golda Mirel
A triumphant family saga by bestselling author Eva Vogiel
Golda Mirel is born at the turn of the 20th century in a Polish shtetl, into a life of hardship and suffering. Born physically imperfect into a spiritually imperfect world, her saga sends her plunging through the times and places that define the tragic, triumphant past century of Jewish history.
Crippled in one leg, as a child she is humiliated by her heartless Polish teachers at school and barely escapes being kidnapped. Her disfigurement continues to plague her as she gets older, forcing her to make difficult choices when seeking her match in marriage. And two world wars scar her life and family further, as it wounded and changed so many.
From her native Poland to Austria and eventually to England, Golda Mirel learns to boldly confront her challenges, and ultimately ascends to be the proud matriarch of a spiritually rich family dynasty. Her life story enriches, inspires and rewards.
Golda Mirel is born at the turn of the 20th century in a Polish shtetl, into a life of hardship and suffering. Born physically imperfect into a spiritually imperfect world, her saga sends her plunging through the times and places that define the tragic, triumphant past century of Jewish history.
Crippled in one leg, as a child she is humiliated by her heartless Polish teachers at school and barely escapes being kidnapped. Her disfigurement continues to plague her as she gets older, forcing her to make difficult choices when seeking her match in marriage. And two world wars scar her life and family further, as it wounded and changed so many.
From her native Poland to Austria and eventually to England, Golda Mirel learns to boldly confront her challenges, and ultimately ascends to be the proud matriarch of a spiritually rich family dynasty. Her life story enriches, inspires and rewards.
- GenresJewishHistorical Fiction
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 4, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 23, 2009
This is a typical, frum women's novel with the predictable life struggles that settle themselves way too easily. It also has the common flaw of black-and-white frum vs. frei characters and because it spans the protag's long lifetime, there are some major jumps in time. In spite of all that, I liked the book.
The main reason I liked it is that the protag is so compelling. The book opens with her childhood in pre-war Poland where she is the butt not only of the anti-Semitism that was the normal fare of the times but victimized because her legs are uneven and she limps. She shows a brave dignity in that situation, and that wins you over to her for the rest of the book. So despite the flaws, I must admit: I welled up with tears at the ending.
The main reason I liked it is that the protag is so compelling. The book opens with her childhood in pre-war Poland where she is the butt not only of the anti-Semitism that was the normal fare of the times but victimized because her legs are uneven and she limps. She shows a brave dignity in that situation, and that wins you over to her for the rest of the book. So despite the flaws, I must admit: I welled up with tears at the ending.
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March 1, 2024Born in a Polish shtetl, Golda Mirel is marked for life by a birth impediment, but her lively and determined personality loom larger than life. Through a century of turmoil and transformation, times change, perspectives shift, and a network of intriguing characters form an empire, but some things always stay the same. A satisfying and rich tale with the fullness of a lifetime and the opening and closing of connections around the world.
December 12, 2008
This book was amazing!!! Just incredible!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews