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estherfilbrun's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
This is such a darling story! I’m not sure I’ve read a book set in Czechoslovakia before; I know I definitely have not read one featuring a Jewish family that was set there in the early 1900s! I fell in love with Gisella right away (she reminds me of myself when I was a girl), and loved getting to know her and her world.
I’m not sure what part of this book was my favorite…the village setting, and all the many things it describes the family making by hand, or the way the community pulled together to help each other with bigger tasks, or maybe even the family element, where Mama did her best to create a loving, happy home atmosphere, even though things can’t have been easy for her. It was all done well!
Highly recommended, if you’re looking for books set in early 20th century Europe to help round out your knowledge of the time period. This is a gentle, heartwarming read, with multiple layers of faith, family, and home. I’m looking forward to reading it to my younger siblings; it’s perfect for the 8–12 age range, although I think slightly younger (and older!) children would like it, too. It’s a simple story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am looking forward to what other gems Sydney Taylor has up her sleeve that I don’t know about yet!
michelleful's review against another edition
4.0
Children's book from the author of the "All-of-a-Kind Family". This one is also about the Jewish immigrant experience in the early part of the 20th century (post-WWI), but focuses on the pre-immigration part. The mother and two girls are waiting for the father, who is already in the US, to save up enough to bring them over. It explores their life in Czechoslovakia (though they identify as Hungarians) and their emotions as they wait for the fateful letter and have to say goodbye to their friends and family and everything they've ever known.
I was sorry that it stopped once they entered the US. I would have loved to read about how they settled down, learned English, brought over more members of their family, etc. I am looking for another book that covers that aspect of it. "Stitching a Life: An Immigrant Story" looks like a YA take on that aspect of the immigrant experience so I will probably read that soon.
I was sorry that it stopped once they entered the US. I would have loved to read about how they settled down, learned English, brought over more members of their family, etc. I am looking for another book that covers that aspect of it. "Stitching a Life: An Immigrant Story" looks like a YA take on that aspect of the immigrant experience so I will probably read that soon.