My thanks to NetGalley and Zando for an ARC of this novel.

Based on the author’s family history, both actual and in the form of legends passed along generationally, this novel is a compelling account of the Jewish diaspora in the first half of the twentieth century. It opens with teenage Mina Mendel encountering a group of boys while searching for mushrooms in the forest bordering Riga. It is 1913 but there are already rumors of war.
The boys call themselves Bolsheviks, a word that means nothing to her. They are cheery and pleasant as they educate her on its meaning, interspersed with joking and dancing. She returns home with an excited report for her serious, scholarly older brother, Jossel. This is the beginning of the ‘story of the forest’ that marks a turning point in their young lives.

Dire economic prospects, two world wars, and above all anti-semitism, drive the choices of the Mendel family as of so many of the Jews of Europe. Because their merchant father can’t be persuaded to leave Latvia for America with war imminent, older son Jossel, looking to prevent his sister’s contamination, boards a ship that brings them to an alternate destination, and they must quickly adapt to Liverpool instead. They settle, find work and spouses, have children, divorce.

The narrative then runs surprisingly quickly through the Great War, the rise of Nazism, the growing persecution of European Jews in its wake, an even more horrible world war, the Holocaust. Through it all the lives of Jossel and Mina and their children are in the forefront. The story of the forest is an intriguing thread, mutating through the generations, subtly connecting them all.

In the early post-war years, the focus switches to daughter Paula, who has moved to London in her late teens to pursue more exciting opportunities. Itzik also turns up there, thirty years after their departure. He is fascinated by his thoroughly anglicized niece, her acidic tongue and perfectly modulated BBC tones.

I was surprised that the Holocaust, the most significant element in twentieth century history for both Jews and non-Jews, isn’t more central. It is definitely always ‘there,’ however. There are constant worries about family left behind, hopes that they got out, like Itzik, who had ended up working for the Soviet Embassy. They check in frequently with international organizations trying to locate the disappeared. As long as they are not on the lists of the lost, they want to believe that they will turn up.

The novel’s strengths are many, starting with Grant’s writing and characterization. By not focussing on the novel, she shows readers the culture of European Jews who were not in the camps, but were nonetheless afflicted by the constant anxiety about friends and family, and the anti-semitism they faced even in the supposedly safe havens of the UK and the US. It is a fascinating story both personal and historical.

Over twenty years five years ago, I read - and was mesmerized by - Linda Grant's When I Lived in Modern Times. It was one of the books that never left me despite my voracious reading habits. And now, The Story of the Forest will join it as a book that captivated me, taught me and will stay with me forever. Grant used her own family lore - including the missing pieces, the fantastical pieces, and the little that could be actually confirmed pieces, to write the epic 100 year story of Mina, the girl in the story of the titular forest, and her journey from Riga to Liverpool. As Mina lives her relatively modest life in a modest suburb of Liverpool, she is witness to and a player in, some of the twentieth centuries most important movements and debates. The Story of the Forest is a towering achievement and one that deserves the broadest possible audience. Thank you to SJPlit, Zando, and NetGalley for the ARC. Highly highly recommend.

The Story of the Forest by Linda Grant is an original and beautiful multi-generational Historical Fiction story inspired by Grant's own family history. She gorgeously weaves family, war, sorrow, loss, coming of age, snippets of romance and hardship into one raw and imperfect piece of fabric, painted with occasional touches of whimsy.

In 1913, Mina Mendell is picking mushrooms in a Latvia forest when she discovers a group of Bolsheviks. Mina's mystical disposition is curious and she befriends some of them. Shortly after, Mina and her brother Jossel intend to leave Latvia for America but instead start new lives in Liverpool. Mina marries and has a family, fulfilling her desires and wishes.

The writing particularly grabbed me in its lyrical and descriptive fashion. The story has fairytale and lore elements, true to Latvian culture and traditions. I like additions of history such as the war in Bosnia and effects of capitalism. I was easily able to envision the story and settings over the years and felt a range of emotions, along with the characters. It would be wonderful to read more books set in the Baltics.

My sincere thank you to Zando and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this striking and memorable novel.

4.5⭐️
In Linda Grant’s ninth novel, we follow Mina Mendel, a young girl from 1913 Latvia who encounters revolutionaries in a forest. The story starts off like a fairytale and then we follow Mina’s journey to Liverpool.

The novel traces the Mendel family’s experiences through the 20th century, capturing the challenges of immigration, the persistence of family myths, and the gradual assimilation into British society. With humor and tenderness, Grant portrays the family’s resilience amid changing social norms, while adapting to a new world.

It’s a relatively short read for a family saga, and so lacks the depth of characters and story across a typical family saga, and while the book starts and ends with Mina’s story, I did finish thinking there is so much more of Mina’s story to tell. But I think Grant has purposefully spared the reader the ordinary and mundane aspects of what is everybody’s life and given us the snippets that people love to tell at family get togethers!

Overall, it’s an entertaining read and I do like Grant’s writing style. This book was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for political fiction in 2023.

I have read Grant’s earlier book ‘The Clothes On Her Back’ (2008), which won the Orange Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2008. And I remember enjoying it, which drew me to this book and reminded me I may have collected one or two of her other books in my many TBR piles! 🤦🏻‍♀️ Anybody else??!!

Thanks to @netgalley and @zandoprojects for the ebook in return for an honest review.

#historicalfiction #familysaga #britishwriter #lindagrant #thestoryoftheforest #netgalley #ebook #kindle #netgalleyreads #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram

I expected a deep dive into the life and surroundings of the characters, but instead found the story moved slowly, with too much detail in areas that didn’t hold my interest.

I kept hoping I’d feel more invested in the characters, but they never quite became people I cared about. The themes of memory and identity, while intriguing in theory, felt weighed down by the narrative style. Rather than becoming absorbed in the story, I found myself skimming just to reach the end.

Overall, this one wasn't for me. For readers who enjoy introspective, slower-paced books with a heavy focus on prose, it might be a perfect fit, but it simply didn’t capture my attention in the way I’d hoped.

A multi-generational family saga of a Jewish family from Riga and their migration across Europe to a place of safety. Initially the novel seems fairytale -like, a young girl roaming through the forest comes across a group of young fascists and this one encounter sets off a chain of events and becomes a handed down piece of folklore to the family. We read of their struggle to settle into an immigrant life in Britain whilst reminded of all the history that has gone before.

Interesting subject but the novel struggled to hold my attention

I was sent this ebook by Netgalley in return for an honest review

As a naturally speedy reader, I had to at times force myself to slow down while reading "The Story of the Forest" so that I could appreciate the turns of phrase—Linda Grant's writing really is that lovely. The family at the center of the novel could be viewed as a microcosm of a specific Jewish immigrant experience of the 20th century, complete with the creation of a de facto shtetl in the suburbs of Liverpool and generational assimilation. But the characters are more than emblems; they're three-dimensional individuals with distinct flaws and features.

I would have liked to have followed a few of the characters more closely; Jossel, for one, all but drops out of view midway, despite his being the instigator of the move from Latvia that sets the book in motion.

There's much in the book to parse: the dissatisfaction at the root of the women's lives, the ease with which people enter and exit the lives of others... But while at times this is a melancholy book, it's not necessarily a heavy book, and it ends on just the right note of hope.

Thank you, NetGalley and Zando, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The story begins at the turn of the 20th century in Riga, with Mina accidentally meeting the Bolsheviks in the forest and dancing with them until her cheeks are rosy and her heart full of adventure: 'The Story of the Forest' that changes everything. Her brother, fearing that their father will crush his sister's joy with an arranged marriage to an older man and, being a dreamy boy himself suggests leaving Riga for New York. So begins a tale of the Jewish diaspora, a family in different countries facing war, oppression, death, opportunity and community in very different ways. This is a story about expediency, survival, love and identity and it is also funny, surprising and warm. Mina and her brother only make it as far as Liverpool and the descriptions of the city and suburbs through two world wars and beyond through the eyes of the Jewish community provides a rich context to the telling of this story. Author Linda Grant has drawn on her own family history in writing this book and it shows in her description of the intergenerational experience of her characters. I loved the Yiddish and enjoyed this book very much.

I appreciated the opportunity to read The Story of the Forest. Unfortunately, it just wasn't quite for me. There was a lot to like about it--the strong historical components, the vague sense of fairy tale about the narrative (particularly toward the start in Latvia). Unfortunately, it just didn't manage to grab my attention and I found myself pushing to get through it. I think there are readers for whom this will resonate deeply; I just wasn't one of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Story of the Forest by Linda Grant. I enjoyed the storyline which includes the history and culture of a Jewish family from Latvia who immigrate to Liverpool with the goal of arriving in America. I was drawn in from the very beginning of this book., but as time went on it did not continue to hold my attention. I enjoyed Ms. Grant's writing style and look forward to reading other books by her.
,

This novel gave me a different view of WWI. I've never read a story by Linda Grant before. I will read some of her older novels now.

A very entertaining tale of a Jewish family whose lives have been dictated by dreams, life hazards, lack of money and of course antisemitism. A powerful start got me hooked straight away reflecting what the later generations wonder about their earlier family. Yes, emigration whether to Russia, England, Israel or the USA has made it difficult to stay close to the acual events experienced by this family who didn't/couldn't contact each other. This is true for so many Jewish people spread all over the world!I found it very interesting to view the characters: all women are very strong headed while the male characters appear as rather dull, weak even absurd in some cases. I wonder why? Is it because they misled/led their female counterparts as to crucial life decisions? The writing style is very lively. It does give the feeling one actually hears the (fairy?) tale being told. That might be the moral of this story.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.