A mesmerizing tale of love in a time of extraordinary trials.
In this historical novel, an unlikely Jewish couple—she’s an obsessed bibliophile and he can’t read—struggles under an increasingly antisemitic Russia in the late 19th century.
Esther Leving is a remarkable young woman—a voracious reader, she can write in six languages by the age of 15. She’s also defiantly independent and opinionated. Esther angrily chafes at the “subordination of women and persecution of non-believers” as well as the oppression experienced by Jews, a phenomenon she’s familiar with living in Horodno in the Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire. For all her intellectual liveliness, Esther is essentially friendless, hampered by an injured foot, and completely disinterested in the “array of suitors” her parents send her way. She pines to be a writer and expresses disdain for the restrictions of marriage. But when she meets Bernard Garfinkle, the son of a vodka distiller, she falls in love, even after she learns his peculiar secret—despite a nimble mind, he never learned to read, a failing that makes for an odd pairing astutely captured by Freed-Thall: “I love a boy who can’t read. If I hadn’t gotten to know him first, he’d be a book returned to the shelves unopened. Single words aren’t the problem, but when they gather, all talking at once, he lurches forward, pauses, sounds out, only to lose his way and backtrack.” Esther agrees to teach Bernard to read and opens a bookshop he builds for her. But with the ascension of Alexander III comes virulent, violent anti-Jewish sentiment, a historical development rigorously researched and dramatically conveyed by the author. Nevertheless, this novel is at its core a love story—Freed-Thall sensitively limns the ways in which the couple’s devotion transcends their deep differences, not just literary, but also religious. Bernard is devoutly spiritual, and Esther tends to see religious belief as an instrument of thoughtless prejudice. This is a captivating book, historically authentic and movingly romantic.
A mesmerizing tale of love in a time of extraordinary trials.Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-57869-067-1
Page Count: 330
Publisher: Rootstock Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 10, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
These letters from some important executive Down Below, to one of the junior devils here on earth, whose job is to corrupt mortals, are witty and written in a breezy style seldom found in religious literature. The author quotes Luther, who said: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." This the author does most successfully, for by presenting some of our modern and not-so-modern beliefs as emanating from the devil's headquarters, he succeeds in making his reader feel like an ass for ever having believed in such ideas. This kind of presentation gives the author a tremendous advantage over the reader, however, for the more timid reader may feel a sense of guilt after putting down this book. It is a clever book, and for the clever reader, rather than the too-earnest soul.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1942
ISBN: 0060652934
Page Count: 53
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1943
A lively, quirky gothic romance for readers who like ghost stories as much as love stories.
The fourth wife of a dreadful lord finds intrigue in the Scottish Highlands.
Nobody wants Genevieve to marry Lord Burnsby, “England’s most boring peer.” He’s almost 70 and has three dead (possibly murdered) wives in his past. But Evie isn’t looking for love; she’s just looking for some stability at her “august age” of 25 and a dowry for her younger sister. Through their hasty wedding and long trek north to his estate in Scotland, she’s determined to make the best of it—until they arrive at the dreary, cold abbey where he resides. Lord Burnsby, it turns out, has been keeping his mistress there, and generally terrorizing everyone around him. Evie also meets the handsome Sir Godric Everley, a lawyer friend of Burnsby’s heir, whom she initially counts as another villain but soon discovers is surprisingly interesting and kind. Faced with a situation for which her years of perfect behavior have left her utterly unprepared, Evie realizes she will have to take charge even if it means acting unladylike. And though her growing confidence brings many good things to the abbey and its residents, it also brings danger, as Evie and Godric begin to uncover decades of secrets. This historical romance is technically a Regency, but more than anything, it’s a gothic tale. Told in the first person from Evie’s perspective, the book stands apart thanks to her dry, knowing voice combined with the haunting yet whimsical nature of Burnsby’s abbey. It’s a moody ghost story, full of plot twists, but it’s also the tale of a strong heroine with a quick wit and a piglet for a pet. There’s plenty of chemistry as Evie’s relationship slowly develops with Godric, but Evie’s personal development is almost as compelling. Though the story takes some time to find its feet, this book is likely to be enjoyed by James’ fans, as it’s one of her best in years.
A lively, quirky gothic romance for readers who like ghost stories as much as love stories.Pub Date: May 12, 2026
ISBN: 9781668200056
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
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