I’m going to be blunt. This post is going to blatantly ask you to buy a copy of my historical novel Papa’s Shoes (Aberdeen Bay, April 2019). It’s sales are very slow; however it’s gotten some fantastic reviews. Hopefully after you read the three latest ones, you’ll want to read Papa’s Shoes too, and even write a five-star review of your own.
November 12, 2019
November 10, 2019
October 30, 2019
Papa’s Shoes is a delightful story of a family of immigrants, much like my family. My maternal grandfather came to America from Lebanon to earn enough money to send for my grandmother and mother in 1910. Like the family in this story, they traveled by boat to Ellis Island. Although my family’s faith is Christian rather than Jewish, our family dynamics and adherence to customs and traditions are quite similar. As I read the story, I naturally related to it because of these similarities. Yet, I learned about traditions, language, and foods that were quite different from mine. I like the way the author used the Yiddish language in dialog to add flavor and authenticity to the story. My favorite part of the book was reading about Ava coming of age in the 1920s and living in a boarding home with other young ladies who taught her the dances and lingo of the Flappers of that generation. It was the berries!
The story begins in the early 1900s with Ira, a Jewish cobbler returning to an impoverished home in Poland after enjoying a better life in America. He’s learned of the tragic death of three of his young sons in time to borrow money from his brother to pay for the trip to Poland for their burial. Ruth, his grief-stricken wife, is resentful and unforgiving of Ira for not being there to prevent their deaths. At first, the tone of the book is sad and somber, but shifts to one of hope and amusement as the reader enjoys the antics of the remaining son, six-year-old Charles, an enterprising young man who finds buyers for his papa’s shoes. Later, Ruth and her young daughter, Ava join Ira and Charles, and each finds his or her way of acclimating to the American lifestyle. I highly recommend Papa’s Shoes to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, love stories, or good writing by an excellent author.