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Shirley Russak Wachtel

A Castle in Brooklyn: A Novel Audio CD – Unabridged, Jan. 1 2023

by Shirley Russak Wachtel (Author), P. J. Ochlan (Reader)

4.0 9,071 ratings

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Spanning decades, an unforgettable novel about reckoning with the past, the true nature of friendship, and the dream of finding home.

1944, Poland. Jacob Stein and Zalman Mendelson meet as boys under terrifying circumstances. They survive by miraculously escaping, but their shared past haunts and shapes their lives forever.

Years later, Zalman plows a future on a Minnesota farm. In Brooklyn, Jacob has a new life with his wife, Esther. When Zalman travels to New York City to reconnect, Jacob’s hopes for the future are becoming a reality. With Zalman’s help, they build a house for Jacob’s family and for Zalman, who decides to stay. Modest and light filled, inviting and warm with acceptance—for all of them, it’s a castle to call home.

Then an unforeseeable tragedy—and the grief, betrayals, and revelations in its wake—threatens to destroy what was once an unbreakable bond, and Esther finds herself at a crossroads. A Castle in Brooklyn is a moving and heartfelt immigration story about finding love and building a home and family while being haunted by a traumatic past.

Language

English
Publisher

Brilliance Audio
Publication date

Jan. 1 2023
Dimensions

13.41 x 1.19 x 16.99 cm
ISBN-10

1799790290
ISBN-13

978-1799790297
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From the Publisher

Product description

Review

“This is a story about immigration, adaptation to new cultures, and…a chance to grapple with the traditional roles that women play…A solid choice for book clubs.” —Library Journal

“Wachtel [shows] how surviving the horrors of Nazi-occupied Poland…doesn’t guarantee a ‘happily ever after’ in America but may become a source of pride, strength, and reconciliation for the next generation.” —Historical Novels Review

“A Castle in Brooklyn is a story about love and endurance. It follows Jacob and Zalman as they survive 1944 Poland and make their way to America, to a dreamlike life that is shattered too soon. With deep empathy, Wachtel lays bare an incredible resilience and desire to live that will inspire readers and keep them turning the page. Magnificent.” —Rachel Barenbaum, author of A Bend in the Stars and Atomic Anna

“An enchanting, lively, and heartbreaking novel—all at once—A Castle in Brooklyn evokes such a tantalizing yet improbable image, especially for Holocaust survivors. Survival rendered them royalty, but could a fortress keep them safe from memories and destinies that could cross any moat? Wachtel delivers a most worthy debut.” —Thane Rosenbaum, author of The Golems of Gotham, Second Hand Smoke, and Elijah Visible

About the Author

Shirley Russak Wachtel is the author of THIS I KNOW, THREE for a DOLLAR, and THE MUSIC MAKERS. She is also the author of a book of poetry, IN the MELLOW LIGHT, and several books for children. Her short stories and poems have appeared in various literary journals. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Wachtel is now a college professor in New Jersey where she lives with her husband, Arthur. She has earned a Doctor of Letters Degree from Drew University, and in 2017 she received the Middlesex County College Scholar of the Year Award. But her proudest achievement are her three sons and two granddaughters, Zoey and Emmy.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Brilliance Audio; Unabridged edition (Jan. 1 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1799790290
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1799790297
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 77.1 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.41 x 1.19 x 16.99 cm

Customer Reviews:
4.0 9,071 ratings

About the author

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Shirley Russak Wachtel

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Shirley Russak Wachtel is the author of A CASTLE in BROOKLYN, the moving story of a Holocaust survivor whose dream of building his own home and raising a family in Brooklyn is threatened when unexpected tragedy occurs. This highly touted debut novel reflects the aspirations of anyone who dreams of a better life. Other of her books include THREE for a DOLLAR, an anthology of her short stories, THE STORY of BLIMA, the journey of the author's mother in the Holocaust, IN THE MELLOW LIGHT, a book of poetry, and several books for children. Her short stories and poems have appeared in various literary journals. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Wachtel is now a college professor in New Jersey where she lives with her husband, Arthur. She has earned a Doctor of Letters Degree from Drew University, and in 2017 she received the Middlesex County College Scholar of the Year Award. But her proudest achievement are her three sons and two granddaughters, Zoey and Emmy.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5

9,071 global ratings

5 star		37%
4 star		34%
3 star		20%
2 star		6%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from Canada

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Leslie Bethmann

a great read

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 5, 2023

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This book at first felt quite grim but it definitely got better. Luckily it was not a really difficult read as it was easy to continue reading long enough for it to end up inspiring and a happy ending!

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Beautiful language read

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 20, 2023

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I love the depth of some of the wording in this book. Not to deep to understand but words that are colourful. This book has many tragic stories in it but I stopped from feeling to sad when the book found new joyful stories to keep me interested. From redeveloped friendships and new family relations!

An overall fantastic read!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 22, 2023

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Just read it. You'll see for yourself. This book is more than a story. It is an inspiration for family, true loyalty, and survival.

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G H

Sure to keep you reading

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 13, 2023

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This book has a great plot. The strength of friendship and lives lived comes through. A beautiful story with an unexpected end.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 6, 2023

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I loved this story. How it all was interconnected.
How it all worked out in the end. The sad and the happy.

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Evalina

It was not a bad read

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 28, 2022

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The book was quite sappy and predictable …. The writer was competent, the reader was very good but the story was slow which is ok if you like that kind of thing. For me it was just something to finish

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canadianreader

Beautifully constructed story!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 3, 2023

Shirley Russak Wachtel’s debut novel, A Castle In Brooklyn, is a beautifully constructed story following two young men, Salman and Jacob, across six decades from Poland to America. She reveals how the experience in their teens with the Nazis influenced almost every aspect of their future.

I appreciated the reminder that their survival, both present and future, depended on their honesty and trust in each other. In addition to an examination of what makes a house a home and what constitutes ‘family,’ I also appreciated her focus on what ‘being there’ for another really entails. If we aren’t willing to unpack the baggage and deal with the fallout, we aren’t really a support for a needy friend.

While the beginning was focused and compelling, the narrative slowly meandered through the following decades and my interest waned slightly along the way. Regardless, this is a heartfelt debut story about the weaving together of dreams, disappointments, and three hearts.

I was gifted this copy by Little A and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Helpful

Lindsay Wincherauk

The first chapter was riveting.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 26, 2023

The first chapter was riveting. And then…

They built a house. A family grows. A child dies. Friendships are destroyed.

Infidelity. Racism. Other stuff.

Who are these characters? Why are they here?

Someone from Japan enters the story. People keep dying. Stories lay unresolved. The characters become pedantic. The house’s new tenants rearrange the furniture. A jogger runs by with water bottles, hugging their thigh (or something like that). A nosey neighbour.

Another page. Introspection. Two vehicles collide.

And then…

It’s been 10 years since 9/11 - was mentioned; so is Aids.

Why is 9/11 mentioned?

Back to the Vehicles Colliding

The last thing he saw was MERCURY.

If it was the last thing he saw, how do we find out?

Someone smokes weed, or does heroin, or cocaine, or…

I’m being mean.

I’m confused. No, I’m not.

I read the acknowledgments.

I rarely read the acknowledgments.

Writing is hard.

The book’s layout is good.

WRITTEN: 26 Feb 2023

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Paula

Worth reading

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 4, 2023

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There were many features of this book that I enjoyed very much. I am reasonably well read in this genre, and there was an air of authenticity throughout. The author wove a background mood that was a fine blend of dark, indelible memory; goal-driven striving; inexhaustible hope; and loyal love and friendship. The first chapter was masterful, in my opinion: a well crafted hook that struck a resonant chord for me.

I liked the way the story line wound through many characters’ perspectives without actually shifting narrator voice. The author had a deft touch with that. I felt like the proverbial fly on many walls without ever feeling a strong, jolting shift. Nice!

Something else that struck me well as I read as the feeling I was getting a peek into a side of male tenderness that we don’t often encounter. The main male characters’ inner thoughts are all explored gently and expressed clearly and frankly. The author did some terrific work in that vein, and I find myself thinking about the men and boys even though I finished the book days ago. I think I will remember them for a long time.

A couple of “I wish you hadn’t done thats” though:

The section that plopped a family from Georgia into the middle of the story was truly bad. The characters were unsavory, their actions were ugly, and the later erasure of their clearly destructive act at the end of their section goes unexplained. It’s like the author found a weird thread, tried to weave it in, decided to abandon it and then forgot to come pull it out later. Ugh. And the inclusion of a totally improbable connection to the main plot was in sharp contrast to the aforementioned authenticity of the tale. The book would lose nothing and gain a bit by that part being omitted. Please.

The time spent on that chapter would have been better spent flushing out a lead-up to the way the story ended. As it is, I closed the book semi-happy with the closure, but mostly feeling like the author had remembered she had somewhere else to be and needed to hurry up and just get this off to the editor.

It’s a good story, and I found it worth reading. I will be on the lookout for more by this writer.

19 people found this helpful

Patricia Hegarty

Dreams do come true.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 5, 2023

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Enjoyed moving from horror to the fulfillment of a dream. The house had it's own story. The friendship shared between the characters was heartwarming and contributed to the heart of the story.

JENNY M SERENO

A castle in Brooklyn

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 8, 2023

Verified Purchase

WHAT a fantastic book!! Loved it from beginning to end.The characters are so personable,you get to love them all..A very touching story,so much hurt and so much joy..It will hook as soon as you start reading it. I definitely recommend this book to everyone who likes romance,history and family stories.

Marlys

A wonderful story

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 17, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book is nice because although it begins during the Holocaust, it is not another book about the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust. But rather focuses on future hopes, dreams, loves and losses for several generations after the Holocaust. The characters and settings are lovely and relatable. It is a warm, tender loving tale, woven around a friendship between two boys, and a special house. I LOVE that it was the author’s first published book. Congratulations to her on realizing her own dream. A very compelling story.

2 people found this helpful

VICKI HERBERT

Jacob was a Dreamer...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 13, 2022

Verified Purchase

No spoilers. 3 1/2 stars. A CASTLE IN BROOKLYN by Shirley Russak Wachtel...

In 1944's Poland, Jacob was hiding from the Nazis in the widow Frau Blanc's barn loft...

... with a fellow Jewish boy named Zalman. Frau Blanc sheltered and fed the two young boys until...

The Germans finally caught up with them...

The Nazis dispatched Frau Blanc and forced the two to join a wave of humanity marching toward a nearby clearing and a mass grave...

The Jews were given shovels and forced to dig...

At the first rays of moonlight...

The two friends put down their shovels, fled into the surrounding forest and ran for their lives...

It is 1952 and Jacob now lives in America, working in a seltzer bottling warehouse in New York and taking English classes where he meets his wife Esther...

Jacob dreams of building his castle...

And, following his marriage to Esther, Jacob sends for his friend Zalman to come help build his dream home and live in the house with he and Esther...

This novel was my Amazon First Reads selection for December 2022. The pickins' were slim indeed this month but I settled for this story because the others were just not my kind of reading material.

The first half of the story was very interesting and I thought that I had somehow managed to pick a good book from the pitiful handful of offerings but then there was the second half... whew!!

At that point the plot meandered all over the place introducing many decades and so many different people that I finally lost interest in the whole enchilada.

I gave myself a pat on the back for staying with it to the bitter end but it took me a week to accomplish this.

Summarizing, first half was good; second half not so much.

63 people found this helpful

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A Castle in Brooklyn: A Novel Audio CD – Unabridged, Jan. 1 2023

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About the Author

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About the author

Shirley Russak Wachtel

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