Thank you for allowing me to give this book a try. Unfortunately I was unable to finish it. The idea of the story is compelling, and for the most part it is well written. I struggled with the tone, repetition and then pace of the story. It simply just did not hold my interest.

I might give it another try at a later time, but right now, just not able to get through it.

Shayna: A Novel
Being a Jew, early in the 20th century in the Ukraine, was not easy. Shayna was 16 years old, engaged to be married to Yussi, and living alone in her parent’s home, when she heard the horses coming and gunshots in the distance. The pogrom that was rumored about was really happening!
Shayna’s parents had already been killed by the Russians in an earlier attack on their village. Shayna quickly hid in the safe place her father had carved out for her prior to his death.
As the shouting and hoof beats came closer, she worried about her sister and her young family in a nearby village, her best friend, and her fiancé’ and his mother. She smelled smoke and heard the crackling of fire…. Yet, she stayed still until she could be sure that the invaders had left her home. Retreating from her hiding place, she saw her house in flames. She ran to the next village to find her sister…. What she saw would remain in her memory forever. Her sister lay on the bed, dead and violated. Her newborn niece was on the floor, very still and not breathing. Where was her young nephew?? He was alive! She took Dovide and ran to look for her fiancé’! Hundreds of people in the neighboring villages had been killed. It was no longer safe to stay. The Russians would come back!
Yussi and Shayna knew they had to leave…. They set their sites on America.
This book tells the story of this young couple and their journey to get to America. It is a very emotional tale of love, perseverance, forgiveness and trust. It’s a book you will never want to end.
Many thanks to the author, Miriam Ruth Black, #kirkhousepublishers, and #netgalley for the privilege of reading and reviewing an advanced copy of this book.

There are so many Jewish readers who will love this book as it could be the story of their own grandparents or great-grandparents. As I read the book, I could picture the pogram, the journey to America, and the new life on the Lower East Side. Of course, it has a a bit of "Oh, no, what else could possibly go wrong?!" in it as it is fiction, but nothing that happens is, unfortunately, unimaginable. It's so important to preserve our history and this book is helpful in knowing what our own family history could be. The characters shine in their imperfections, dreams, and inner and outer struggles. A follow up would be wonderful... hint, hint.

I shed so much tear, I didn’t know I was capable of shedding. For some inexplicable reason, it was an emotional read for me. I liked the language and how raw and authentic the characters has been portrayed.