2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Goodbye Russia, Hello America is a work of historical fiction about a Russian family who immigrated to America between World War One and Two. The book opens with a vivid description of the Lituania leaving the port of Danzig for America. On board are Ida Sidowitz and her two youngest sons, Jack and Rueben. They land in Boston in 1923, met by their two older brothers, Nathan and Louis, who escaped to America five years earlier.
Ida and her younger sons learn from the experience of Nathan and Louis who have built a life in New York City. They all work together and while life is not always easy, they find happiness in their new lives. The Second World War changes everything. Jack is of the age and health that he has no choice but to join the American army. He must leave his wife, young son and business behind. He is trained in languages and by 1945 is in Europe experiencing the horrors of war.
Jack visits labour camps where dead bodies are piled high and survivors are starving to death. He helps wherever and whenever he can, becoming a respected lieutenant. Meanwhile, we read about his family back in America who miss him terribly while they keep the family business thriving. Jack also misses his family and is completing an important personal mission while overseas. His mother has a son who remained in Russia when the others emigrated. He was the son of her first, and now deceased, husband. Jack promised his mother he would do everything possible to find her first born son.
I very much enjoyed the descriptive writing in the book. It brought striking and sometimes harsh images to life. I also enjoyed the main story line of a hard working family, proud of their heritage but also proud to be American. The sub plot of the search for the lost brother was an excellent distraction from the brutal realities of war and I imagined it to be the same for the character of Jack. However, I found the book to be shallow overall. The characters were not well developed and the dialogue was flat. While places and things were described vividly, feelings and emotions were not, making it impossible to relate to the characters or get to know them. There were also some inconsistencies that I struggled with. For example, Ida desperately wants to find her lost son and speaks of how she will never forget her husband who was "killed by a drunken Cossack...". However, when Jack thinks he may have found a relative, she doesn't know her first husband's last name.
I think if you are part of a family who immigrated to North America around the time of World War Two, you may enjoy this book and you might relate to the characters more than I did. I would probably give this book two and a half stars if half stars were permitted. However, my lack of attachment to the characters meant that had I not been reviewing the book, I likely would not have read to the end. That leads me to a rating of 2 out of 4 stars.
******
Good-bye Russia, Hello America
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Elaine5's review? Post a comment saying so!