Official Review: Good-bye Russia, Hello America

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Elaine5
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Official Review: Good-bye Russia, Hello America

Post by Elaine5 »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Good-bye Russia, Hello America" by Janet S. Kleinman.]
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2 out of 4 stars
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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
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Post by Shelle »

Great review! I usually really like historical fiction, but like you, I would probably find the shallowness and lack of character development to be off-putting.
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Elaine5
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Post by Elaine5 »

Thank you! Yes, it was difficult to feel invested in the story without some attachment to the characters.
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Post by kandscreeley »

Historical fiction is not a genre I read much, and this sounds rather boring. Guess I won't be looking this one up. Thanks for the review though.
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Elaine5
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Post by Elaine5 »

I didn't find it boring. The plot was strong. It's just that it was a people story with people who I had trouble getting to know. If you don't usually like historical fiction I agree that it probably isn't the right choice for you. Thanks for your comments!
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Post by bookowlie »

Very insightful review. The premise sounds good, but I can see where the poor character development and flat dialogue would make the book less interesting.
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Post by Elaine5 »

Thanks bookowlie!
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Post by Festus »

Ida's mother is undoubtedly a major character but there is no reference to her point of migration, which i consider a visible flaw in the review. The author is able to sustain cohesion in the plot to a large extent, given the nature of mobility around the characters. Most importantly, Good-bye Russian, Hello America might the spur to documenting the current upsurge from crisis - ridden nations to Europe
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Elaine5
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Post by Elaine5 »

Thanks Festus for your comments. It's always nice to hear from someone else who read the book. I agree that the current political climate makes it an interesting time to read this book.
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Post by godreaujea »

Character connection is probably the biggest thing I look for in a book, so I will probably pass on this one. Thanks for the honest review!
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