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theoverbookedbibliophile's review
4.0
In 1949, twenty-one-year-old Rashka Morgenstern emigrates to New York from Berlin following the Displaced Persons Act of 1948. Her only surviving family is her mother’s brother Friedrich Landau, her Feter Fritz, an Auschwitz survivor. Her mother was a prolific artist who perished in the Auschwitz–Birkenau concentration camps and her father had passed away when she was only two years old. With the help of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Rashka and her Feter Fritz find a place to live in New York and attempt to acclimatize to their new circumstances in the aftermath of their harrowing experiences during WW2.
The novel begins in 1955,New York where we meet our protagonist Rashka, now Rachel Perlman, married to Jewish-American Aaron Perlman who works as a manager in a seafood restaurant. Aaron had served in the Army but had not seen combat having been posted stateside in California. He admits that his knowledge of the plight of Jews during the Holocaust in Europe is limited to what he has seen in newsreels. He is a loving husband but is unable to fully comprehend the extent to which Rachel’s experiences during the Holocaust have cast a shadow on her present life. Rachel is unable to reconcile with her new life and is haunted by her memories of her years in Berlin – the anti-Semitic sentiments and Nazi policies that led to the loss of her home and the destruction of her mother’s art, her time scrounging for food and shelter on the streets of Berlin evading capture, their subsequent arrest and her Eema's deportation and subsequent death. Rachel is also an artist but is unable to pursue her passion on account of her personal demons. The burden that lays heaviest on her soul is the memory of what she had to do to stay alive and avoid deportation. Her memories are easily triggered and though she regularly sees a psychiatrist and is on mild medication, her anxiety and guilt find their way into every aspect of her life – from a breakdown in a posh department store where she used to work that leads to a brief stay in a psychiatric ward, her unwillingness to have children, to her discomfort around her building super who is a German immigrant. She considers herself not only an outsider but also refers to herself as an “oysvurf” a person with a “dead soul” a fact she admits to her sister-in-law Naomi’s black boyfriend who she assumes will understand her state of mind, himself being on the receiving end of racial discrimination and prejudice. When one of her mother’s paintings, thought to have been destroyed by the Nazis, resurfaces in a pawnbroker’s shop it takes her back to her most traumatic experiences during the War and Rachel’s horror and guilt threaten to suffocate her and she realizes that she must face her past to finally be able to have a future.
The narrative is set in 1950s New York, with flashbacks from Rachel’s past in WW2 Berlin that give us insight into the plight of “submarine Jews” (commonly referred to as U-boat Jews) who submerged beneath the surface of the city in a bid to escape deportation, removing the Judenstern ( the Star of David that was mandatorily sewn into their clothes)in an attempt to avoid identification and arrest and the black marketeers who exploited them for shelter, forged papers and ration slips. We also get to know more about “Der Suchdienst”, The Search Service , that granted select Jews(commonly referred to as the “Grabbers” or “Catchers”)special permissions and tasked them with patrolling the streets, parks and other establishments frequented by fellow Jews (U-Boats hiding in plain sight) and arresting them.
Shadows of Berlin by David R. Gillham is a compelling novel that revolves around the themes of grief, mental illness, survivors' guilt and the far-reaching effects of past trauma. This is a slow-paced novel that took me a while to get into and is not an easy read. The tone of the novel is dark and sad for the most part but also sheds a light on the inner strength and resilience of Holocaust survivors in starting over after everything they had been through. Heart-wrenching and profoundly moving, this is a memorable novel that I would recommend to readers who enjoy historical fiction set in the post-WW2 era.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing the digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.
cristinaelenalaaa's review
3.0
“Shadows of Berlin” gives a glimpse into the aftershock life of Rachel, a WWII Jewish survivor. Having relocated to New York with her only surviving relative, uncle Fritz, Rachel tries to make the best of her life while living with the traumas of her past. When uncle Fritz finds a painting created by Rachel’s mother is a pawn shop, the discovery triggers her worst nightmares.
Storyline wise, the story covers a lot of events, going back and forth between Rachel’s time in Berlin and the current time, and incorporates a lot of cultural elements of the time (1940s to 1950s). At times, it is a pleasant reading, but at other times it tends to get too much. In some ways, “Shadows of Berlin” could be compared to “The Goldfinch” when it comes to describing trauma and its aftermath, but doesn’t rise to the same literary mastery.
Audiobook wise, it’s brilliant! Suzanne Toren does a great job of not only changing voice patterns, depending on who is talking, but also goes all the way to get the foreign words in Yiddish, German, and a bit of French pronounced like a native speaker. This aspect greatly enhanced the listening experience and make the 16 hours of the audiobook pass seamlessly.
Special thanks to NetGalley, RB Media, Recorded Books, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.
If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads!
#LifeLongLearning #ShadowsofBerlin #NetGalley
Storyline wise, the story covers a lot of events, going back and forth between Rachel’s time in Berlin and the current time, and incorporates a lot of cultural elements of the time (1940s to 1950s). At times, it is a pleasant reading, but at other times it tends to get too much. In some ways, “Shadows of Berlin” could be compared to “The Goldfinch” when it comes to describing trauma and its aftermath, but doesn’t rise to the same literary mastery.
Audiobook wise, it’s brilliant! Suzanne Toren does a great job of not only changing voice patterns, depending on who is talking, but also goes all the way to get the foreign words in Yiddish, German, and a bit of French pronounced like a native speaker. This aspect greatly enhanced the listening experience and make the 16 hours of the audiobook pass seamlessly.
Special thanks to NetGalley, RB Media, Recorded Books, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.
If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads!
#LifeLongLearning #ShadowsofBerlin #NetGalley
curlygirl71's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Netgalley
bjhg5053's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ninjamuse's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Genocide, Grief, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Drug use, Vomit, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Suicide, Rape, and Lesbophobia
kalynaobyrne's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Shadows of Berlin follows Rachel Pearlman, a Jewish World War II survivor living in NYC navigating life after the war in 1955. Rachel, who changed her name from Rashka Morgenstern to better fit in after moving to NYC in 1948 with her only living family member, her uncle Fritz. Rachel marries American-born Jew Aaron Pearlman but continues to struggle with depression and survivors guilt about the things she was forced to do to survive the Holocaust. After her Uncle Fritz finds one of moms paintings in a pawn shop, Rachel is tortured even more by the ghosts and memories of her past.
The premise of this book intrigued me because most of it is set in the aftermath of World War 2 and I feel like few books focus on the emotional aftermath of the Jewish people that survived the war. I found the exploration into mental health especially for the time period this took place very interesting. Throughout the book you see Rachel struggling to live a normal life because of her past trauma, anger, and survivor's guilt. These issues interfere with her developing and maintaining close relationships with people in her life.
This novel is definitely more of a character focused book than a plot driven book. Suzanne Toren did a great job with the audio and her accents were fantastic and made the audio experience even better even though I listened to this on 1.5 speed. This audiobook was over 16 hours and I felt like it could have been trimmed down. I think this book brings up an important discussion of the lasting mental trauma many faced after the war but it felt a little too long.
Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media and Recorded Books for an audio arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of this book intrigued me because most of it is set in the aftermath of World War 2 and I feel like few books focus on the emotional aftermath of the Jewish people that survived the war. I found the exploration into mental health especially for the time period this took place very interesting. Throughout the book you see Rachel struggling to live a normal life because of her past trauma, anger, and survivor's guilt. These issues interfere with her developing and maintaining close relationships with people in her life.
This novel is definitely more of a character focused book than a plot driven book. Suzanne Toren did a great job with the audio and her accents were fantastic and made the audio experience even better even though I listened to this on 1.5 speed. This audiobook was over 16 hours and I felt like it could have been trimmed down. I think this book brings up an important discussion of the lasting mental trauma many faced after the war but it felt a little too long.
Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media and Recorded Books for an audio arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
stacyroth's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Rashka Morgenstern survived World War II, despite living underground in Germany as a Jew. Her mother died at Auschwitz-Birkenau, and now her only living family member is her uncle Fritz. In 1948, the two move to New York City, where Rashka changes her name to Rachel to fit in better and marries American-born Jew Aaron Perlman. Rachel struggles with depression and survivor’s guilt about the things she had to do to survive the Holocaust. When her Uncle Fritz finds one of her mom’s paintings in a pawn shop in Brooklyn, the ghosts and memories haunt her become more vivid and terrifying than ever. Can Rachel learn to forgive herself and move on?
This novel is definitely more of a character study than a plot-driven book. There are some flashbacks to Rachel’s years in Germany, but the bulk of the story takes place in 1955 New York. Suzanne Toren did a great job narrating the audiobook. At 16 hours in audiobook format or over 400 pages for the written version of the book, I feel like it could have been trimmed down. Additionally, I never connected emotionally with the characters, so the story didn’t hold my attention like I was hoping.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.