The German Bride

October 15, 2007
Hershon’s third novel (Swimming
; The Outside of August
) is a stylish account of a German Jewish young woman’s often brutal odyssey to the post–Civil War American Southwest. After a family tragedy in Berlin, Eva Frank flees in shame and guilt to Santa Fe with her new husband, Abraham Shein. Abraham and his older brother, Meyer, are successful dry goods merchants, and once Eva and Abraham arrive in Santa Fe, Eva’s narrative becomes a fish-out-of-water story as the promises Abraham made to her fail to materialize. Abraham, an abusive philanderer with a gambling addiction, wants a child, and Eva wants Abraham to build them a proper house. Eva—hoarding her dowry—begins scheming ways to abandon Santa Fe and establish a better life in San Francisco, but fleeing from unstable Abraham is a dangerous proposition. Though sometimes stilted, the novel, with its colorful cast, setting and redemptive conclusion, eventually wins the reader over.

November 15, 2007
Eva Frank is a young Jewish girl living in 1860s Berlin who has an illicit affair, and the ensuing consequences are devastating. Driven by guilt over the affair, Eva feels compelled to marry and soon finds herself wedded to Abraham, a man whose dream is to move to the American Southwest. Living and adjusting to married life in America brings with it a multitude of problems, most of which are made worse by Abraham being what we now think of as a compulsive gambler and womanizer. Does Eva deserve this abuse as punishment for her past mistakes? It's only when Eva slowly starts to realize that she can't make up for earlier choices that she begins to live a full life. Hershon's third novel (after "Swimming"and "The Outside of August" opens a window into the world of immigrant Jewish women who bravely faced the harsh reality of frontier life. The author researched a variety of historical documents, which lends authenticity and depth to the book. Recommended for all public libraries.Marika Zemke, Commerce Twp. Community Lib., MI

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