Synopses & Reviews
In her utterly original novel about mothers, daughters, and love, Judy Budnitz gives the traditional folktale an electrifying twist as she follows four generations of women from an Eastern European village to the tenements of an American city. Elena, born into a family ruled by a formidable mother, embarks on an epic journey to the New World, met along the way by evil, magic, and good fortune. The daughter, grand-daughter, and great-granddaughter who follow each share her special powers of observation and, often, destruction. The result is a family saga unlike any other: a hilarious, heartbreaking story of family ties that bind.
Review
"Startlingly imaginative...Rich, vivid, strange...immensly satisfying." (San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"No ordinary coming-to-America story. The familiar journey from the Old World to New becomes magical in Budnitz's hands.... You're left with the delicious thrill of having been duped -- or have you?-- by a master of embellishment." (The New York Times Book Review)
Review
"An intelligent, tactful, and well-paced novel. Every page is a pleasure to read, and like a matrushka doll, reveals smaller and more intricate layers of beauty the more one takes it apart." (The Village Voice Literary Supplement)
Review
"Wonderfully wrought, with language as simple and straightforward as a fable, alive with a stunning metaphorical quality."--
New York Newsday"Nothing less than a tour de force." -The Forward
"Mesmerizing...This is a definite read for anyone bored by traditional tales." -Seventeen
"A bold first novel....A powerful telling of the immigrant experience."-The Los Angeles Times
"Splendid...If there is any complaint to be made, it is that the novel ends too soon and the reader is forced to close the covers and drift back into reality." -San Diego Union-Tribune
Synopsis
In her original novel about mothers, daughters, and love, Judy Budnitz gives the traditional folktale an electrifying twist as she follows four generations of women from an Eastern European village to the tenements of an American city.
Synopsis
In her utterly original novel about mothers, daughters, and love, Judy Budnitz gives the traditional folktale an electrifying twist as she follows four generations of women from an Eastern European village to the tenements of an American city. Elena, born into a family ruled by a formidable mother, embarks on an epic journey to the New World, met along the way by evil, magic, and good fortune. The daughter, grand-daughter, and great-granddaughter who follow each share her special powers of observation and, often, destruction. The result is a family saga unlike any other: a hilarious, heartbreaking story of family ties that bind.
About the Author
Judy Budnitz's stories have appeared in
Story, The Paris Review, Glimmer Train, and
25 And Under. She lives in Manhattan.