The Story of the Forest

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.

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.