ANNA'S PROMISE
by D.G Schulman
GENRE: Historical Fiction
BLURB:
In the spring of 1975, Ben Friedman will celebrate his rite of passage into adulthood. When his beloved grandfather suddenly dies and leaves him a mysterious inheritance, Ben begins to discover who he is and where he belongs. When he chooses a path his powerful father opposes, their relationship becomes volatile. Will Ben withstand the pressure?
In 1914, Dovid Weisman, Ben's great-grandfather, struggles to protect his family when Germany declares war on Russia and the brutal Cossacks occupy his village of Siedlce, Poland. He finds that love and opportunity are still possible. If they can escape with their lives.
Slipping between war-torn Poland and modern American life, one family’s story is woven together across three generations.
Purchase ANNA'S PROMISE on Amazon
Excerpt:
“Rosen, get up!” A guard shook Ira roughly by the shoulder.
“What’s going on?” Ira squinted. It was still dark, and flashlight beams blinded him.
“There’s a medical emergency.” The guard pulled on Ira’s arm, and he rolled off the top bunk, staggering onto his feet.
“What the hell is this?” Ira backed away across the cold tile floor.
“There’s been an accident in the UNICOR factory. We need a doctor.”
“Get one of those Loretto fed doctors. I’m not supposed to be a doctor anymore.” Groggy, Ira turned to climb up to his bunk, but a guard pulled him back.
“There’s nobody else. The ambulance is twenty minutes out. There isn’t time to put on your shoes. We’re going to the satellite.”
Two guards spun Ira around and drove him through the barracks, down the corridors, and out into the raw night air. Large snowflakes blew against his face, and he fully awoke, shivering. He was alone in the yard with the guards, and adrenaline rushed into his system.
The satellite door was unlocked, like Sam said it would be, and they shoved him through. They led Ira down a long green corridor to a sterile room that looked like an infirmary, and a patient lay wheezing in a bed with rails. Ira became alert at the scent of fresh blood. A red stain spread across the white sheet over the patient’s chest. He lifted the sheet and layers of gauze and saw the chest puncture. It was a normal sight in the downtown Detroit ER where he’d done his training. Detroit Medical Center was one of the best places to learn trauma.
“Rosen, get up!” A guard shook Ira roughly by the shoulder.
“What’s going on?” Ira squinted. It was still dark, and flashlight beams blinded him.
“There’s a medical emergency.” The guard pulled on Ira’s arm, and he rolled off the top bunk, staggering onto his feet.
“What the hell is this?” Ira backed away across the cold tile floor.
“There’s been an accident in the UNICOR factory. We need a doctor.”
“Get one of those Loretto fed doctors. I’m not supposed to be a doctor anymore.” Groggy, Ira turned to climb up to his bunk, but a guard pulled him back.
“There’s nobody else. The ambulance is twenty minutes out. There isn’t time to put on your shoes. We’re going to the satellite.”
Two guards spun Ira around and drove him through the barracks, down the corridors, and out into the raw night air. Large snowflakes blew against his face, and he fully awoke, shivering. He was alone in the yard with the guards, and adrenaline rushed into his system.
The satellite door was unlocked, like Sam said it would be, and they shoved him through. They led Ira down a long green corridor to a sterile room that looked like an infirmary, and a patient lay wheezing in a bed with rails. Ira became alert at the scent of fresh blood. A red stain spread across the white sheet over the patient’s chest. He lifted the sheet and layers of gauze and saw the chest puncture. It was a normal sight in the downtown Detroit ER where he’d done his training. Detroit Medical Center was one of the best places to learn trauma.
My Review:
Anna's Promise was a very engaging story. It spans from war-torn Poland in 1914 to America in the 1970s. It spans three generations. A young woman makes a promise to her father before she leaves Poland for America that she will not forget her faith. She lives up to that promise as she supports her grandson when he takes over for his grandfather upon his death.
Anna's Promise tells the story of one family’s story and their hardships in America. Anna's Promise jumps from one timeline to another without a hitch. The characters are all amazing people and there are a lot of them. You feel as if you have known these people all their lives or at least people you would like to have known.
Anna's Promise is a well-written story. The descriptions are all so vivid making it so easy to picture. You feel as if you are a part of their story and their world. You feel as if you are a witness to their long hard journey through life.
I would highly recommend Anna's Promise to anyone who likes reading historical fiction. If you like reading about the past then Anna's Promise is the book for you. Grab a copy today!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
D.G Schulman is a publishing executive who married the boy next door and lives in the Midwest, where she and her husband raised their two daughters. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan and her Master of Arts in Communication from Eastern Michigan University. She's the recipient of an Avery and Jule Hopwood award in the novel category and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. When she's not in front of a keyboard, she enjoys making chocolate, growing herbs, cooking, reading, and playing with her growing brood of grandkids.
Connect with D.G Schulman
Website ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Twitter
12 comments:
Thank you for reviewing and featuring this book today.
I like the blurb. This sounds like a good historical fiction.
I liked the excerpt.
This sounds like a good book.
I want to express my heartfelt thanks to The Avid Reader for hosting me and reviewing "Anna's Promise." I'm deeply appreciative of the opportunity to connect with passionate readers and share this intergenerational tale. "Anna's Promise" has been a labor of love for me, and it brings me immense joy to see readers engaging with the story and its characters. Your thoughtful and kind review captures the essence of the book beautifully. Your words about the vivid descriptions and the feeling of being a witness to their journey truly touch my heart. Your recommendation to historical fiction enthusiasts is greatly appreciated.
Readers may also be interested in the Kirkus Review. Here is an excerpts: "Schulman's thought-provoking novel ably considers the tension between assimilation and tradition...An entrancing, layered coming-of-age novel." -- Kirkus Review
People often ask, how much, if any, of your own family history did you put into this novel? Can you tell us about your mother and the stories she told you?
My mother was the youngest of five children and the only one in her family born in America. She grew up in a family of immigrants and attended her first day of kindergarten in America not speaking a word of English, only Yiddish. My childhood was filled with rich stories about my family’s life in Siedlce and those early days in America. My grandfather was strong and brave and bigger than life.
While the characters and events in Anna’s Promise are fictional, they are all things that could have happened. My grandfather was actually a kosher butcher in Siedlce who was trained in the art of ritual slaughter. And the Cossacks persistently pilfered his meat market and forced them to immigrate to America. Cossacks stormed into my grandparent’s home in Siedlce on Friday nights, ate their Sabbath feasts and stole my grandmother’s silver candlesticks. Thereafter, my grandmother dug wells in potatoes and used them as candlesticks.
This sounds like a book that I am really going to like.
looks like a fun one
This looks like a very enjoyable novel. Thanks for hosting this giveaway
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