The Shawl

Wow, just wow. The opening story about the shawl alone will suck you into this story. It's historical fiction in a sense, but the story it tells in a thin, thin volume packs a big punch.

Depressing! One of my friends who read this book 4 times and he really like the book. Good idea to go past the first time reading!

Is she a madwoman? You'll have to decide for yourself. My answer is yes and no. To me, the shawl represents nurturance and longing to be comforted. The mother language of the character- Yiddish, exposes a novel subjective experience of survivors of the Holocaust.

I was asked to read aloud to my writing class the first part of "The Shawl" in a at the Fiction Writer's program at Columbia College. By the time I had finished the last paragraph the class was in tears and I was headed for the ladies' room to weep. It's a gem but it still fills me with grief when I read it. Exquisitely written, however, I did not like the second section. It seemed random and as...more

I was asked to read aloud to my writing class the first part of "The Shawl" in a at the Fiction Writer's program at Columbia College. By the time I had finished the last paragraph the class was in tears and I was headed for the ladies' room to weep. It's a gem but it still fills me with grief when I read it. Exquisitely written, however, I did not like the second section. It seemed random and as if an afterthought. Word to the wise: Skip the second part.   hide

Le livre commence par la mort de Magda en camp de concentration. Mort d'un bébé électrocuté. Puis vient le récit de la vie de Rosa, la mère, qui "vit" maintenant aux US. En réalité elle ne vit pas, elle est resté aux heures du camp de concentration. Le temps s'est pour elle arrêté à ce moment là. Il y a 3 vies "the life before, the life after and the life...more

Le livre commence par la mort de Magda en camp de concentration. Mort d'un bébé électrocuté. Puis vient le récit de la vie de Rosa, la mère, qui "vit" maintenant aux US. En réalité elle ne vit pas, elle est resté aux heures du camp de concentration. Le temps s'est pour elle arrêté à ce moment là. Il y a 3 vies "the life before, the life after and the life during". Et elle en est restée à celle du milieu, elle ne vit que pour sa fille morte et s'est enfermée aussi bien dans sa chambre d'hotel que dans ses relations. Jusqu'à ce qu'un homme la bouscule lors d'une rencontre dans une laverie ... Ce livre retrace un peu l'histoire de ceux qui ont vécu les camps, qui n'ont pas parlé pendant 20, 30 ans car personne ne voulait entendre ce qu'ils avaient à dire. Personne n'était prêt, ni les survivants ni les ordinaires.   hide

very compelling read on being a young mother in the camps during the holocaust, and then being an older women with the memories.

The first story was heart rending. The second which continues with the same person - the mother and her dead daughter, was a little of a let down. While it did look into her downward spiral into maddness, it did less to evoke sympathy than just an irritaion with the protagonist. Long and drawn out. I don't thyink I could sit through a whole novel.

i do NOT want to read this fucking book for some reason beautiful. moving, beautiful, shocking. will completely change your subjectivity and your perception of the Holocaust.

A perfectly balanced novella.