Author Yoel Blum lives in Jerusalem with his wife Bat-Aml and the couple have three grownup daughters. Yoel made a promise to his mother Sonia, that he would never return to his birthplace Amsterdam and his Dutch publisher wants him to visit.

While touring the Jewish Museum with his wife, a slideshow of photos is played to honor the Dutch Jews that were persecuted and killed during the holocaust. Yoel is shocked to see an image of his younger mother, with his father Eddy, sister Nettie and a baby he doesn’t recognize. All of the family’s photos were destroyed during the war, Yoel has never seen a picture of his father and he knows deep down in his soul, the baby isn’t him.

The 145,000 Jewish citizens felt safe in Holland, they didn’t think they would be targeted and unfortunately they were. First they had to register and wear a yellow star, they were banned from public places and their businesses were taken, property and money was seized and letters started arriving informing them they had to report Westerbork Transit Camp.

Yoel travels back to Amsterdam, he wants to find out who he really is and he’s shocked by what he discovers. Parents had to make difficult choices, sometimes very quickly and there was an underground network that hid thousands of Jewish children. Later many didn’t remember their real parents, or the caretakers didn’t tell them the truth and others were sent to Palestine in exchange for German citizens.

I received a copy of House on Endless Waters by Emuna Elon from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review. A moving and emotional narrative that looks at what Dutch people had to do to survive the holocaust and how it effected them afterwards. Some lost their entire family, and others had trouble trusting people, had a fear of loss and didn't have children, they felt humiliated and didn’t talk about what happened to them. Four and a half stars from me and a very emotive story to read.

I'm really sorry but I couldn't finish reading this book. I got quite a ways into it thinking it would start to catch my attention but it didn't. I have read a great deal about the Holocaust and World War II in general and was interested in reading what happened to the Jews in Amsterdam since there hasn't been much on the subject. It was taking so long to get to the gist of the story and I could NOT relate to the main character at all, he just didn't seem sympathetic to me.
I'm so sorry because I almost never do this but I simply could not push myself to read further.

Just could not get into this book, so I did not post a review. I don't like to DNF books, but there are so many great ones. Thanks for the opportunity.

This was an engaging and reflective story that shifted time periods, but really kept my attention. I read this over a long period period of time, and set it aside for awhile and then returned to it. I appreciated the research the author did in order to write a fictional story embedded in historical truth.

I loved the premise of this book, the ways that it pulled in the past and the present. Would definitely consider recommending to lovers of history and family sagas.

DNF the book. I was bored after reading few chapters. It just did caught my interest and I was so disappointed.

HOUSE ON ENDLESS WATERS begins with author Yoel Blum making his first trip to Amsterdam to promote his books. Despite promising his late mother he would never visit the city of his birth Yoel reluctantly succumbs to his publisher’s pressure to finally visit Amsterdam.
During his book tour Yoel and his wife took the opportunity to visit the Jewish Historical Museum. While at the museum Yoel watches some prewar film reels. In a brief clip Yoel spots his mother, father his older sister and an infant he does not recognize.
Immediately questions start to form in Yoel’s mind that he can’t let go. What really happened to his family and who is the infant his mother is holding?
The story goes back and forth between the present day and World War ll. Bit by bit Yoel manages to piece together his past.
The novel was well written. The characters are memorable and the story is interesting. Considering the number of novels set during World War ll the storyline felt original.
HOUSE ON ENDLESS WATERS would make a good book club selection.
Thank you to Atria Books for allowing me access to an early ebook edition.

what a beautifully written book, the characters were great and I loved the plot of the book. The way the author was able paint this picture was great and I really enjoyed this journey.

Wow... what a book! I was not sure what to think of it by the title, but since it intrigued me, I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did. The book deals with survival during WWII, Holocaust, and children, family and so much more. The plot takes place in Europe : Amsterdam. It was a book not only well written by book that will leave a reader reflecting on life and history.

House on Endless Waters by Emuna Elon is based on the history on Jewish children and families in Amsterdam during World War II. To honor the history, I wanted to love the book. Unfortunately, for me, the way in which the story is told got in the way of the story itself. The book felt like it tried too hard and felt like a literary exercise more so than a story.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2020/05/house-on-endless-waters.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

Unfortunately I couldn’t finish this book. I got 20% of the way in and it did not keep my attention. The premise was there but I was not drawn in as I wished I’d be.

A fresh structuring of an account of the Holocaust as it spread across Amsterdam. Elon blends riveting details with an overt depiction of the writing/discovery process in a way that brings the events of the 1940s into the present, It is unnecessary to say, “Never forget,” because the mothers, fathers, doctors, toddlers, infants, and others who were fighting for their survival become living entities surrounding the main character, an author writing the story of his own family. Poignant and impactful. House on Endless Waters is an excellent read.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy. Beautifully story with the past and present beautifully interwoven. This story of family tragedy left me devasted.

I loved this book. I thought I couldn't bear to read another book about WWII - stories of WWII have flooded the shelves and it feels overdone - but this story was actually a tale of one man's discovery of his unique connection to the Holocaust. He changed into a gentler human as the story unfolded, and I loved how the author portrayes his wife's compassion. I have already been recommending it to anyone who will listen!

Author, Yoel Blum, had only one request from his late mother, to not go to Amsterdam for any reason. His mother, his sister, and he survived WW2 as Jews and his mother's only request is this. After her death, he breaks his promise, attending a book tour in Amsterdam, and discovers a photo in a museum. His mother, his father (killed during the war), his older sister, and a baby boy, who is not him. His search takes him through his past to find out who the baby is and thus who he is.

The book is a story within a story, as Yoel begins writing a book on his mother and father and what happened during the war, making it interesting to follow, providing you pay attention to who the current character is. It is not chapter vs chapter, but often times switches in the midst of Yoel's thoughts.

The story itself (past and present) is more enjoyable than the writing. Perhaps it is because it is an English translation, but the writing seems awkward at times despite the story premise being well thought out.

Yoel Blum is an author and has been persuaded by his publisher to travel to Amsterdam to promote his book. On this trip he discovers a startling truth and sets off on a journey to find more information. As Yoel learns more about Nazi occupies Amsterdam you go between the present and the past and see the effects the war had there.

Yoel is a difficult character to get a feel for as he isn’t easily related to and very distant emotionally. The book is a very slow read, but once you get into it (took me over half the book to get there) it is actually enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley, Emuna Elon, and Simon & Schuster for this advanced reader edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partners

Because I read so much historical fiction and centered around WWII at that, I can tend to feel like I’ve “read it all” and that there can’t be another angle I have yet to experience. Boy oh boy, did this book prove me wrong! I so appreciated what my eyes were opened up to like the Dutch Jewish life and more on the Holocaust from this interesting, harrowing perspective. Even just the setting of Amsterdam had me so invested and picking up so much along the way.

I think the ultimate highlight here was the writing for me! The pacing was a bit slow and things took a while to unfold, yet I still flew through the short chapters and appreciated the unique way that they were woven together between Yoel’s thoughts, his research of the book, and present day. The writing itself was simply stunning and I couldn’t get enough of the lyrical feel of it. I will say it took me a minute to get used to the writing style with no quotation marks used, but it didn’t take long for it to not bother be anymore and I found it to add yet another special element to the book.

This was such a compelling, character-driven story that truly left its mark on me. I can definitely say I won’t be forgetting the experience of reading this wonderful, honest, moving book anytime soon, and will be recommending it to all historical fiction fans!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the gifted copy.

I was so excited to get an advanced copy of the book from Netgalley, I love "If You Awaken Love" by the same author. This one was a struggle for me. The writing was beautiful, the translation was very well done, and it brought an area I didn't know much about into focus - the plight of Dutch Jews.

My issue with it was that pretty early on, the main character finds out the big secret, yet the reader is left in the dark. I guessed at it pretty early on and was right, but I don't like plots that do that. I struggled with the first 60% of the book as a result. Normally a book by a favorite author, I will tear through. This one, my frustration with it made me not want to read it. If it hadn't been written by an author I loved, I would have abandoned it. I'm really glad I finished it, I was bawling my eyes out towards the end. But it doesn't get 5 stars from me, though I'd happily recommend it. Others won't necessarily have an issue with it like I did.

Flipping back and forth between the years of WWII and the present, this novel follows the lives of the Blum family and their hidden family secret.

Yoel Blum's fame as an author brings him back to Amsterdam, his birthplace, despite the promise that he has made to his late mother - to never return to the place that caused his family a lot of sorrow. While in the city, Yoel and his wife decide to visit a Jewish Museum. During the tour, in one of the photos, Yoel recognizes his mother's face. And the more he examines the photo - the more questions filled his mind.

In the spur of the moment, one photograph flipped Yoel's life upside down. And just like that, piece by piece, with his sister's and mother's remaining friends' memories and a little help of his own research, like a puzzle, Yoel builds a true picture of his past.

You have a mother, and you have a sister, and you have yourself. That's it, nothing else matters.

The past and present timelines wove together so beautifully. The tragedy of Blum's family left me devastated, however, their ability to forgive gives me hope in humanity. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books publishers for a free and advanced copy of the novel.

I was not familiar with Emuna Elon.

This is a book that has two points of view. Yoel and his mother are the main characters. I think where things got a bit muddy was that there are different time periods for Yoel plus his mother's story. This type of storyline might work for some people but I struggled.

I found some parts of this book's writing to be so rich that I wanted to savor it. "In fact, his mother left him long before she finally left this world. Ever so slowly she went out of her mind, then out of her soul , and then finally out of her body, lessening, stage by stage, her grip on reality." But then there were other parts of the book that seemed leaden there were so many words. I don't know if this is because it is a translation or just clunky sentences.

I am planning a trip to Amsterdam in the fall and want