100 Pages A Day.... Stephanie's Book Reviews
  • Blog Tours
  • Historical Fiction
  • Sci Fi & Fantasy
  • Thriller & Horror
  • Non-Fiction
  • Middle Grade & Children's
  • Literary Fiction and Other Genres
  • Challenges
  • Promo's
  • Product Reviews

How to Make a Life

10/5/2020

3 Comments

 
Picture
About the Book: 
How to Make a Life

By Florence Reiss Kraut


NEW FAMILY SAGA FOLLOWS ONE FAMILY ACROSS GENERATIONS
TACKLING TRAUMA AND CHALLENGES WITH COURAGE AND LOVE


“Florence Kraut has written a sensitive and compelling multigenerational novel that begins with tragedy and ends with hope. Each chapter traces a family member who erases the scars of history’s indelible mark with
courage, determination, faith and love. A wonderful read.”
  • Marsha Temlock, Author, The Exile and Your Child’s Divorce: What to Expect; What You Can Do


Matriarch Ida Amdur and her daughter Bessie escape from Ukraine to America in 1905, fleeing the persecution of Jews in a pogrom, or massacre, in which five members of their family were murdered. But fleeing one tragedy doesn’t guarantee an easy life for them or the generations that follow.
In How to Make a Life by Florence Reiss Kraut [She Writes Press, Oct. 2020], a multi-layered saga of four generations of the Weissman family, we see how the trauma and challenges faced by the family members impact their relationships and future generations. Betrayal, secrets, accidents, illnesses, good luck and bad are woven through the novel. As personal desires come into conflict with family needs, the Weissmans must accept each other’s mistakes and differences or risk cutting ties with the very people who anchor their place in the world.
Anyone who comes from a large, close family will recognize the intricacy of the connections among these varied and sometimes flawed people. Anyone who is not from such a family will learn from having entered this world. Readers of Colm Tóibín and Anne Patchett will devour How to Make a Life and it is a perfect book club pick.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native New Yorker, Florence Reiss Kraut was raised and educated in four of the five boroughs of New York City. With a BA in English and a Masters in Social Work she worked as a clinician, a family therapist and eventually CEO of a family service agency before retiring to write and travel. Her own close family of 26 aunts and uncles and 27 first cousins and listening to stories around the kitchen table, coffee klatches and family parties inspired her to write her fictional, multi-generational family drama, How to Make a Life.


She has published stories for children and teens, romance stories for national magazines, literary stories, and personal essays for the Westchester section of the New York Times. Her fiction has appeared in publications such as The Evening Street Press and SNReview.


Connect with Florence Reiss Kraut at FlorenceReissKraut.com, Facebook (@FlorenceReissKrautAuthor) and Goodreads.


How to Make a Life will be available October 2020 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org and more.

Review:  
In 1905, Ida escaped the pograms of Kotovka, Ukraine that killed her husband, parents and most of her children.  She escapes to America with her surviving ten-year old daughter Beilah and three month old daughter Feige only to have tragedy strike again.  Ida builds her life up again, growing her family and taking care of her grandkids. As Ida watches her daughter and grandkids grow up she sees the effect of her past through the generations and how they learn to triumph.


How to Make A Life follows a family through five generations of hardship and survival through the years.  The opening scene packed a strong punch and set a tone of struggle, loss and overcoming adversity as Ida's family was killed due to their religion.  The writing is straightforward and does not mince words when it comes to typically difficult topics.  Each chapter follows a different member of Ida's family through the years as they face different challenges in life and within their family.  Through the generations, many different themes arose such as mental illness, grief, faithfulness, religion, PTSD, suicide, pregnancy loss and aging.  Even though the story was told through so many different lenses, the family was always central to their thoughts and decisions.  As the generations passed, I did have some trouble keeping some of the characters straight, however, the family tree diagram at the beginning helped me sort everyone out.  Overall, an intriguing look at the complexity of familial relationships and the impact of a traumatic event on future generations.  


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

3 Comments
florence Reiss Kraut link
10/19/2020 12:08:01 pm

I am so glad you saw the intergenerational themes that went through a century of this family's history. Thank you.

Reply
Claire
6/1/2021 03:33:53 pm

Hi! I would like to send you a review request but I haven't been able to find your contact information. Are you currently considering requests of historical fiction with a family saga, similar to this book's genre? Thank you for your time.

Reply
Stephanie link
6/1/2021 06:37:54 pm

Hi Claire,

You can message me through my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/100pagesadaystephaniesbookreviews

Please include a synopsis of your book, formats available and a date that you would like a review by.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Follow at Bloglovin!

    Author

    Hi there! I'm Stephanie and I obviously love reading.  As, the title suggests, I read at least one hundred pages a day.  I enjoy most book genres; however, my favorites are historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, thriller, horror and YA.  I also read a lot of non-fiction science and gardening books for my occupation.  I enjoy reviewing books and as always, any book that I receive for free is read in return for my honest review.  

    ​https://share.simonandschuster.com/stephanierhildreth

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    Picture
    Challenge Participant
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Reading Addiction Blog Tours
    Xpresso Book Tours
    b00k r3vi3w Tours
    - See more at: http://b00kr3vi3wtours.blogspot.com/p/collect-badges.html#sthash.R4DGlIHF.dpuf

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Pump Up Your Book

    This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

    Opt Out of Cookies
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.