Review Almonds and Raisins by Maisie Mosco
The first book in this 5-book saga is Almonds and Raisins, and begins with the arrival of the Sandberg family to a new life in England, having fled the Russian pogroms. Their arduous journey from their hometown has been long, difficult and culminating in a nauseous sea journey with many families in a similar situation crammed into a crowded hold. Once in England they make their way to Manchester, uncertain of where they would stay, relying on the hospitality of others who have escaped the same threat and already settled. On their arrival, they are welcomed, but the accommodation is by no means spacious and certainly does not measure up to what they have left behind. As was the experience of all who had to make this journey, the belongings they have brought with them are minimal. The place they find themselves in is a far cry from Dvinsk where they had previously lived. On researching I found that Dvinsk (now Daugavpils, Latvia) was one of the leading Jewish cities of the Russian Empire and a centre of high Jewish culture and debate. The Sandburg’s comprise Sarah and Abraham and their children David, Sammy and Esther (Nathan would be born later). The first few chapters of this book cover Abraham’s eventually finding a job pressing garments in a Jewish sweat shop, and in due course the family being able to move into their own home. Their lives revolve around the close-knit Jewish community and the Orthodox Shul, which initially is a small room in the Rabbi’s house. David, the eldest boy, carries the burden with him that he was unable to protect Sammy from the Cossack horseman who had cruelly ridden over his leg crushing it and leaving him with a lifelong limp. The Sandberg’s lives become intertwined with their neighbours, the Moritz family, who have fled Austria. Sarah is the Matriarch of the family, striving for the best and making them take the decisions which would see them climbing the social ladder. This includes making the right choice of wife or husband, not based
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on love but on financial or societal benefit. Sarah is determined that her children will not suffer the deprivation she has endured. These stringent rules cause some pain, jealousy and fragmentation in the first-generation family and continue to do so as successive generations Maisie Mosco are born. As the series of books continue there is a real spectrum of how Sarah’s descendants respond to their Jewish heritage. Some become very strict (even relocating to the emerging state of Israel); some ‘marry out’ having families with conflicting religious loyalties. Ultimately her descendants include a member of the aristocracy and a member of Parliament raised to the peerage. But there are also those who have struggled with their sexuality and many who have regretted that they had done what was expected rather than what they themselves desired. These books, especially the earlier ones, do use a lot of Yiddish words, but reading the Kindle version, gives the opportunity to highlight and look-up unfamiliar words. Having previously lived in an area with a significant Jewish population and having several Jewish friends I am interested in Jewish culture and recent history, so I found this family saga fascinating and very enjoyable to read. The other books in this series are Scattered Seed; Children’s Children; Out of the Ashes and New Beginnings. Tess Maddin
Famous Last Words: A Novel Timothy Findley
A longstanding family Christmas Day tradition – participating in the Queen’s Broadcast to her subjects at home and abroad, followed by an afternoon stroll to reflect on her words and marvel at the work stamina of this 94-year-old woman – led this old Republican (of the Irish Republican as opposed to the Trumpian Republican variety) to reread this fantastic novel.
