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Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English
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Kelly_Hunsaker_reads
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rated it 2 stars
Sep 23, 2019 03:40PM
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In her tender, sweetly comic debut, Natasha Solomons tells the captivating love story of a Jewish immigrant couple making a new life--and their wildest dreams--come true in WWII-era England.
At the outset of World War II, Jewish refugees Jack Rosenblum, his wife Sadie, and their baby daughter escape Berlin, bound for London. They are greeted with a pamphlet instructing immigrants how to act like "the English." Jack acquires Savile Row suits and a Jaguar. He buys his marmalade from Fortnum & Mason and learns to list the entire British monarchy back to 913 A.D. He never speaks German, apart from the occasional curse.
But the one key item that would make him feel fully British-membership in a golf club-remains elusive. In post-war England, no golf club will admit a Rosenblum. Jack hatches a wild idea: he'll build his own.
It's an obsession Sadie does not share, particularly when Jack relocates them to a thatched roof cottage in Dorset to embark on his project. She doesn't want to forget who they are or where they come from. She wants to bake the cakes she used to serve to friends in the old country and reminisce. Now she's stuck in an inhospitable landscape filled with unwelcoming people, watching their bank account shrink as Jack pursues his quixotic dream.
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Natasha Solomons is the New York Times best-selling author of five novels and her work has been translated into seventeen languages. She lives in Dorset with her husband, the award winning children’s writer David Solomons, and their two children. She also works with David as a screenwriter.
Natasha loves spending time in her garden admiring the roses and looking sadly at the weeds. They have no pets. Although the children are holding out for a rabbit and a baby stegosaurus.
Kelly, my copy of the book has questions at the back. Do you want me to add them?
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I would love that!
1. Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English explores the tension between the need to conform to an adopted country's customs and the desire to hold on to one's heritage. Do you think the two can be reconciled?2. To what extent do you think it is important to preserve what Jack calls the "chain" of names?
3. Sadie observes that "despite everything...(Jack) was an outsider." Do you think there is anything Jack could have done to make himself belong, or is this just Sadie's perspective? Is it ever possible to fully belong? Is it desirable?
4. Jack makes many mistakes in his attempts to access English culture. Do you think that immigrants today face similar challenges? Is it easier or harder now? Could an information booklet such as the one Jack receives be useful? What would you include in a contemporary version of such a list.
5. Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English mingles folklore and Jewish tradition. Taking this into consideration, what do you think the woolly-pig symbolizes?
6. Sadie bakes to remember her family. Does this help her overcome her grief - or does it paralyze her further? How do you think Sadie changes when she shares her baking with her daughter and the village women?
7. Jack's single-minded obsession with becoming British leads him to neglect his wife, and their relationship is often strained and distant. Yet when he nearly loses her, he regrets his behavior and tries to make emends. Does Sadie forgive him? Could you?
8. Why does Curtis give Jack the recipe for "Jitterbug cider"? What makes Jack "a true Englishman"?
9. There is an undercurrent of Antisemitism in the book, exemplified in the character of Sir William Waegbert. Why does Sir William despise Jack so much? Is it simply because Jack is a Jew, or does Jack's upward mobility threaten Sir William's "old English"?
10. After years of growing apart, Jack and Sadie reconnect through a mutual love of the Dorset countryside. This landscape reminds Sadie of her family and her idyllic childhood in Bavaria, but why do you think Jack falls in love with it?
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I will look at questions later
Kelly wrote: "I finished... Didn't love this one. Gave it 2 stars. My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I will look at questions later"
Oh no, I am sorry you didn't like the book Kelly. I admit I am a bit disappointed, I thought it would be better but I did enjoy it more than you. I am almost finished.
Mod
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I will look at questions later"
Oh no, I am sorry you didn't like t..."
I can't wait to read your review. :)
Mod
I don't think so for those who are "outsiders" to the place they are immigrating. Jack's German-Jewish background was too distinct and different. In the US today we see it with people of Muslim backgrounds, and those from latin america. 150 years ago we saw it with those who were Chinese.
2. To what extent do you think it is important to preserve what Jack calls the "chain" of names?
???
3. Sadie observes that "despite everything...(Jack) was an outsider." Do you think there is anything Jack could have done to make himself belong, or is this just Sadie's perspective? Is it ever possible to fully belong? Is it desirable?
No. I think that Jack's grandchildren may be able to belong, but I don't think Jack ever will. I also wish it wasn't something expected. I feel holding onto our cultural heritage is a good thing for both the immigrant and the citizen.
4. Jack makes many mistakes in his attempts to access English culture. Do you think that immigrants today face similar challenges? Is it easier or harder now? Could an information booklet such as the one Jack receives be useful? What would you include in a contemporary version of such a list.
I have a friend who teaches English to refugees here in CO. Their needs are so basic. They need to understand the differences between CAT and RAT. How to catch a bus to get to a job. How to count money. I don't think forced assimilation is even possible, let alone preferable.
5. Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English mingles folklore and Jewish tradition. Taking this into consideration, what do you think the woolly-pig symbolizes?
???
6. Sadie bakes to remember her family. Does this help her overcome her grief - or does it paralyze her further? How do you think Sadie changes when she shares her baking with her daughter and the village women?
In the beginning it paralyzes her, but as she begins sharing it that changes. She moves forward. She assimilates more than Jack, and still retains her heritage. The village women get to know her and enjoy her and no longer need her to be the same as them. She does more of what I wish all immigrants could/would do.
7. Jack's single-minded obsession with becoming British leads him to neglect his wife, and their relationship is often strained and distant. Yet when he nearly loses her, he regrets his behavior and tries to make emends. Does Sadie forgive him? Could you?
I don't know if she truly forgives him. I don't think she can trust him that it is any different. I know I would question whether anything really changed.
8. Why does Curtis give Jack the recipe for "Jitterbug cider"? What makes Jack "a true Englishman"?
???
9. There is an undercurrent of Antisemitism in the book, exemplified in the character of Sir William Waegbert. Why does Sir William despise Jack so much? Is it simply because Jack is a Jew, or does Jack's upward mobility threaten Sir William's "old English"?
Both, I think. And, unfortunately, Jack's success feeds the stereotypical judgmentalism of Jews. This man really wants Jack to fail. He dislikes him immediately because he is Jewish. But I am sure the fact that they are German also hurts.
10. After years of growing apart, Jack and Sadie reconnect through a mutual love of the Dorset countryside. This landscape reminds Sadie of her family and her idyllic childhood in Bavaria, but why do you think Jack falls in love with it?
For Jack, he finally feels English, I think.
Mod
Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons4/5 stars
This book should have been called Mr. Rosenblum Dreams of a Golf Course but I think that title would have limited the audience. The story reminds me of my mother-in-law's journey. She and her parents emigrated to America in 1930s, escaping Nazi Germany and finding a new life in the United States. I remember asking my mother-in-law about speaking German and she told me it was not popular to speak German in the 30s and 40s so she spoke English.
This book did put a smile on my face and made me laugh at times. I enjoyed the journey of the Rosenblum family. The pronunciation and spelling of 'Mister-Rose-in-Bloom' cracked me up every time I read it. My heart went out to Jakob (Jack) as he just wanted to fit in and be accepted by his peers something I think is all to common to immigrants today which makes this story still relevant.
“History could be carried forward in tastes and smells.”
“She considered how lonely her mother must be, to bake cakes in order to remember.”
I related to Sadie as I am an avid baker, my degree is in food and nutrition and I identify with recipes being passed down through the generations. I am going to make a Baumtorte.
My copy of the book had a conversation with the author. I learned of her diagnosis of dyslexia, what inspired her from her grandparents experience, and what was fact and what was fiction in this story.
1. Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English explores the tension between the need to conform to an adopted country's customs and the desire to hold on to one's heritage. Do you think the two can be reconciled?I think that the two can co-exist but one will suffer over the other.
2. To what extent do you think it is important to preserve what Jack calls the "chain" of names?
Our names tell us much about our past and where we come from. My maiden name was Errickson, the unique spelling due to the vast number of Ericksons (son of Erick). My married name is Zwang which means coercion. My husband's ancestors were coerced into providing a last name. Our history is in our names.
3. Sadie observes that "despite everything...(Jack) was an outsider." Do you think there is anything Jack could have done to make himself belong, or is this just Sadie's perspective? Is it ever possible to fully belong? Is it desirable?
Jack did belong it just wasn't in the way he expected. Jack was bared from entry into English golf clubs but that would have been the same any where as it was the norm of the time. Jack did find friendship and acceptance in the country. It is possible to fully belong and I think it is desirable as long as acceptance is for who you are.
4. Jack makes many mistakes in his attempts to access English culture. Do you think that immigrants today face similar challenges? Is it easier or harder now? Could an information booklet such as the one Jack receives be useful? What would you include in a contemporary version of such a list.
5. Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English mingles folklore and Jewish tradition. Taking this into consideration, what do you think the woolly-pig symbolizes?
I think the woolly-pig symbolized ones desires to believe. Jack was the only one that went on the ride of believing. The woolly-pig also symbolized hatred. When Jack first arrived the "woolly-pig" destroyed his golf course but once the folk got to know him no more harm came to Jack's place. But the "woolly-pig" landed on Sir Waegbert place as a sort of revenge on behalf of Jack.
6. Sadie bakes to remember her family. Does this help her overcome her grief - or does it paralyze her further? How do you think Sadie changes when she shares her baking with her daughter and the village women?
Sadie was very isolated in the country, it was Jack's dream that brought them there. Sadie finds belonging with the women through her cooking. She cooked for her family and to remember but when she shares she is accepted and finds friendship.
7. Jack's single-minded obsession with becoming British leads him to neglect his wife, and their relationship is often strained and distant. Yet when he nearly loses her, he regrets his behavior and tries to make emends. Does Sadie forgive him? Could you?
Yes Sadie forgives him and yes I could. The author states that her family story is not so dramatic but we all get tunnel vision once in a while and sometimes it takes a catastrophe to pull us out.
8. Why does Curtis give Jack the recipe for "Jitterbug cider"? What makes Jack "a true Englishman"?
Jack wanted to be an Englishman with all that high society stuff but he was truly happy with the town folk. He found friendship more with the cider drinking crowd than Sir William. I think Curtis gave him the recipe to remember that and who actually helped him.
9. There is an undercurrent of Antisemitism in the book, exemplified in the character of Sir William Waegbert. Why does Sir William despise Jack so much? Is it simply because Jack is a Jew, or does Jack's upward mobility threaten Sir William's "old English"?
Sir William's opinion was typical of the time period. I am not English but I believe back then that society was rooted in tradition. It is a patriarchal society that has been in place for generations. The story implies that Sir William was in financial ruin which also motivated his actions.
10. After years of growing apart, Jack and Sadie reconnect through a mutual love of the Dorset countryside. This landscape reminds Sadie of her family and her idyllic childhood in Bavaria, but why do you think Jack falls in love with it?
Jack found true friendship in the countryside of Dorset and finally a sense of belonging.
Mod
I enjoyed your comments!
