Book Review: Pictures of the Past

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Fiction/ Historical/ Romance
Pictures of the Past
Deby Eisenberg
2011
Studio House Literary
378 pages

"Pictures of the Past" is a creative melding of the tragic history of the Holocaust and a lifelong love affair. Author Deby Eisenberg offers the reader a dynamic mix of characters and subplots along with an enlightening history lesson on Jewish culture. The romantic tale that runs through the length of the main plot commands the reader's attention to the story's eventful end.

The book opens in 2004 when Gerta Rosen, a holocaust survivor, discovers a painting by a French artist while visiting the Art Institute of Chicago on her eight-second birthday. Gerta remembers the painting once hung in the home of a friend, Sarah Berger, who was her neighbor in Berlin, Germany in 1937. The painting has been donated by Taylor Woodmere of the Woodmere Family Foundation. Gerta believes the painting was stolen by the Nazi's. She believes she must speak out and reveals her discovery to the media. From this starting point the reader is propelled back in time to the early days of Hitler's reign over Germany.

Taylor Woodmere is the heir to his family's business, Woodmere Industries. The summer after he graduates from Yale University, Taylor's father sends him to Paris to establish relationships with European businesses. Taylor is reluctant to go because his girlfriend is visiting and he has plans to propose. The senior Woodmere insists and Taylor leaves for Europe to attend the conference his father had planned to be held during the time of the 1937 World's Fair in Paris. While in France, Taylor meets his father's European contact, Emanuel Berger, a Jewish business owner from Berlin. He also meets and falls instantly in love with Emanuel's daughter, Sarah. The two become close very quickly. As the couple falls in love, the Nazi threat comes to the Berger's front door.

While Taylor's story is developing, the story of Rachel Gold begins in 1968. Rachel is a college student who becomes enamored with a wealthy young man-a Woodmere-during her summer break. Her brief relationship with Court Woodmere will bind her to Taylor Woodmere in the future.

This is a challenging book from start to finish. The pacing of the story in the opening chapters is somewhat slow and choppy as Eisenberg introduces the book's multi-character cast and their individual stories. But once introduced, the author smoothly guides the reader in and out of the lives of each character as she stitches together the ragged edges of all of the subplots until they fit together in one solid account of a love that continued to burn for over sixty years.

"Pictures of the Past" is a lovely story of romance, history and family. I highly recommend it.

Melissa Brown Levine
for
Independent Professional Book Reviewers

Melissa Brown Levine is the author of "I Need to Make Promises: A Novella and Stories"
http://www.melissabrownlevine.com/

Book Review: Dog Shelter Blues

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Fiction
Dog Shelter Blues
Mark Conkling
2012
Sunstone Press
245 pages

Dog Shelter Bluesis the second novel by author Mark Conkling. While it is not a sequel to Conkling's first novel, Prairie Dog Blues, the author does answer a few stray questions that the reader was left with at the end of the prairie dog's tale. In the new book, Danny Sandoval faces multiple legal problems after speaking out against the cruel treatment of rescued animals at a local shelter. With the help of his friends, Danny survives law suits and a relapse of his addiction, all while maintaining his stand to protect the animals he is so passionate about.

During an interview with the local paper, Danny, a vet tech at the Albuquerque Animal Humane Center, accuses Safe Sanctuary No-Kill Rescue of mistreating the animals the organization takes in. The most damaging accusation Danny levels against the non-profit run by Norma Jean Lawson is that a sick puppy a young boy adopted from Safe Sanctuary exposed the child to a disease that can be fatal to humans and animals. In making the comment, Danny revealed confidential information that his fianc?e, Ida Corley, a nurse at the local hospital, shared with him.

The article sets off a series of unfortunate events in Danny's fragile life. He is sued by Safe Sanctuary for slander and libel and a restraining order is taken out to keep Danny away from the property where the rescue center is located. A recovering alcoholic, Danny risks his sobriety and his freedom to prove the neglect taking place at Safe Sanctuary.

Conkling's writing is darker in this story as opposed to the faith-filled prose that supports the plot of the Prairie Dog Blues. The author reveals the abuse and loss Danny experienced as a child, which led to his addiction and discomfort with most people. Conkling also challenges the reader to view Norma, one of the antagonists, as a whole person who also has a troubled past and is involved in a damaging relationship that she entered into in order to pursue her goal of helping animals. One of the great ironies of this story is that the two people who clash the most have similar struggles dealing with people and a shared passion for animals. As in Prairie Dog Blues, Conkling convincingly uses the premise of animals in need as a spring board for diving deeper into the human psyche.

Dog Shelter Bluesis more than a story about neglected rescue animals. It is also a story about broken people and how they can overcome their problems to become their best selves.

Melissa Brown Levine for Independent Professional Book Reviewers

Melissa Brown Levine is a writer, book reviewer and manuscript consultant. She is the author of "I Need to Make Promises: A Novella and Stories." Read an excerpt at http://www.melissabrownlevine.com/.