Rifka Berg grew up in Warsaw, Poland in the 1920's. In her Orthodox Jewish home Rifka notices that women do not have as many opportunities as men and are only expected to get married and have children. Rifka breaks free from this mold and opens a corset shop with her best friend, Bronka. While difficult in the beginning, the two women succeed in business with their talent and charisma. However, with Hitler's rise to power and the Nuremberg Laws in 1935, danger is lurking. Rifka becomes worried about her sister Golda in Palestine and decides to travel to find her. In order to travel safely to Palestine, Rifka assumes a new name and becomes Raquela Bluestone. Upon entering Palestine, Rifka becomes entangled in the Jewish-Arab conflict and becomes part of events that will change her for a lifetime. After Palestine, Rifka cannot imagine going home and decides to travel to Spain. When arriving in Spain she becomes embroiled in the Spanish Civil War and watches over the orphans from the war. During Rifka's time in the orphanage, she becomes attached to orphan Manuel and takes him with her when she escapes to France. In France Rifka and Manuel face Nazi occupation, but with their skills, they join the French Resistance. Rifka once again changes her name, now Simone Bonheur, she is able to help others escape to freedom.
The Corset Maker is an epic story of bravery, survival and resistance. Loosely based on the author's mother, I can only imagine that she was an absolutely tremendous woman. Rifka's character captured me from the very beginning as she defended a neighbor. I was constantly amazed by her ability to question what was happening around her, stand up for what is right, and make choices for herself. While not all of her choices were for the best, she stood by her decisions and carried on. Through Rifka we are able to see the effects of three wars as well as the people who gave everything to fight in them. Rifka's story spans a long amount of time and while I was absorbed in the details of each period of her life, I wanted to know more about her feelings and connections during some of the more tense moments when we just got a play-by-play. Some of the time hops also took me by surprise as well as the switch in perspective between Rifka and Bronka. Bronka's story seemed to just be there to tie up loose ends instead of contributing to the story. I do wish there had been a fuller arc for her. As Rifka's journey landed in France, the suspense heightened with her involvement in the Resistance. I would have loved to have more details of her involvement with removing children from danger. Overall, a factual-based story of hope, resilience and adapting while keeping true to yourself.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
The Corset Maker is an epic story of bravery, survival and resistance. Loosely based on the author's mother, I can only imagine that she was an absolutely tremendous woman. Rifka's character captured me from the very beginning as she defended a neighbor. I was constantly amazed by her ability to question what was happening around her, stand up for what is right, and make choices for herself. While not all of her choices were for the best, she stood by her decisions and carried on. Through Rifka we are able to see the effects of three wars as well as the people who gave everything to fight in them. Rifka's story spans a long amount of time and while I was absorbed in the details of each period of her life, I wanted to know more about her feelings and connections during some of the more tense moments when we just got a play-by-play. Some of the time hops also took me by surprise as well as the switch in perspective between Rifka and Bronka. Bronka's story seemed to just be there to tie up loose ends instead of contributing to the story. I do wish there had been a fuller arc for her. As Rifka's journey landed in France, the suspense heightened with her involvement in the Resistance. I would have loved to have more details of her involvement with removing children from danger. Overall, a factual-based story of hope, resilience and adapting while keeping true to yourself.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
