Nearly a 4*, just not quite. I did enjoy it and found the Jewish / Christian opposition a fascinating change from say, Irish / English. I can’t even quite pinpoint what I found « missing ». I think it’s the ending. Knowing the story is based on the author’s childhood memories, it’s hard to say I found the ending rushed, as obviously he had to decide on a cut off point; was it necessary to bring us up to date ? I can’t make up my mind whether the epilogue was really necessary. Nonetheless certainly well worth reading, lots of historical points of interest. ( )

At the age of 96, Harry Bernstein published this, the first volume of his memoirs, which he had started writing a few years earlier after the death of his wife. An impressive feat in and of itself. But equally impressive is the work itself, the story of Harry's childhood, told in a straightforward, gentle tone with incredible detail. My only quibble is with the subtitle: "A love story that broke barriers." In my mind, this sounds like a marketing gimmick and lessons the true value of the memoir, but that decision was most likely not the author's.

Harry Bernstein grew up on a narrow street in the English mill town of Lancashire during the first world war. It is an area of extreme poverty and segregation: one side of the street is inhabited by Christians and the other side by Jews. An invisible wall runs down the middle that is only semi-permeable. Harry's father is a brutal alcohol, and his mother struggles to keep Harry and his siblings fed and clothed. Her self-sacrificing nature is put to the test when an interfaith relationship strains the little community.

Although poverty, religious differences, and the impact of war are at the heart of the book, it is not all gloom and doom. There is love, friendship, and hope. Harry is both an observer and a participant in the dramas of the day, and his perspective has both the innocence of childhood and a calm reflective quality. I very much enjoyed reading this first volume, and may look for the second, The Dream, about his adolescence in America. ( )

This is the story of Harry Bernstein's life as a very young child growing up in early 20th century England on a street people by Christians on one side and Jews on the other. Despite their proximity and interdependence, there is an "invisible wall" that separates them. The Bernstein family was very poor (reminded me of "Angela's Ashes") with a loutish father who spent much of his income on booze and gambling. Then Harry's sister falls in love with a Christian boy across the street and things begin to change.

It was so interesting to read about something I knew absolutely nothing about and was amazed by how vivid Mr. Bernstein's memories were. ( )

This is the story of Harry Bernstein's life as a very young child growing up in early 20th century England on a street people by Christians on one side and Jews on the other. Despite their proximity and interdependence, there is an "invisible wall" that separates them. The Bernstein family was very poor (reminded me of "Angela's Ashes") with a loutish father who spent much of his income on booze and gambling. Then Harry's sister falls in love with a Christian boy across the street and things begin to change.

It was so interesting to read about something I knew absolutely nothing about and was amazed by how vivid Mr. Bernstein's memories were. ( )

This is a memoir written by a 96 year old man, looking back on his childhood in Europe centered around World War 1. Harry, a small child for most of the novel, tells of the anti-semitism on his street, and the occasional joyful joining of the two religions on it (Judaism and Christianity). The memoir also focuses on his sister falling in love with a Christian.

This book didn't grip me in the way that a great memoir could, but I'll be damned if it wasn't written superbly or made me tear up at the ending. It didn't bring much of anything new to the table, instead preferring to highlight the age-old theme of "We are all the same; do not let our divisions, religious or otherwise, separate us."

But for me, it was touching. I won't be racing to the bookstore to buy the sequel for this book, but I'm glad that I read it. ( )