User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
A Half Happy Ending
It started with “Once upon a time...” and ended... and ended... well, it seems I’m kinda stuck here, so I’d better give it some thoughts before proceeding:
In this story I met a Jewish lady — an Holocaust survivor who buried “her fallen loved ones in the forest”:
“This is the story of a woman called Sarah, who made it out of the forest, where the graves of her fallen loved ones would forever remain”
So...I believe this sounds a lot like a half happy ending, right?!
Rating: really liked it
Although I'm giving this book a 3.5 star rating, I've read it and think to myself, "Why has no one turned this book into a movie?"
The story is moving; but, written in a slightly detached manner, it's not moving enough. More emotion would have made everything more real for the reader. More emotion would make your heart race, make you frightened, make you feel all wrung out, bone tired, weary, with a sadness that makes your soul heavy. Instead, the reader may feel as if they're in the forest; but, for how perfunctory the text is written, it reads as if you're in a perpetual state of shock. Seeing everything in the moment and yet from a bit of a distance. I suppose this does make sense in that the author is telling the main character's story from hearing it outside of the time and place in which everything within the book unfolded. Even so, readability is lacking, ever so slightly; my 3.5 stars must stand.
Despite the above, people's life stories are meant to be told. Whether this be moments or a life's entirety, shared we're all able to learn something. We learn about each other more intimately and about humanity as a whole. True stories need to be told, over and over again; especially, when there are deep seated, life lessons to be learned. Each gleans what they need; and, no story is ever wasted.
I step away viewing the main character, Shurka, as having been blessed. Her's is a story not only of survival but of being protected, cherished, and loved. Hers was a happy home from the time of her childhood into her own adult married life. Her family was good, strong, better together, bonded within unconditional love for one another. Despite all of the atrocities, the evil, the unbearable, the unspeakable things that took place; despite Shurka having lost the majority of her family members to death, in its various forms, I still call her blessed. Blessed among women for love propelled her forward and it was love that saved her.
My deepest respect to Avraham. An additional main character who was well connected, smart, knew when to act, and how to save his family. You had to be wise as a serpant and yet viewed to be harmless as a dove in order to navigate within Poland during World War II. He was both wise and harmless, gentle, and good; an upstanding man of integrity whose connections afforded his family more than the average Jewish family would have been given during the war. Thanks be to God for Avraham; and, then too, to his successor Menachem. Men of valor and strength; but, also men capable of kindness, peace, and above all else, love.
It's this overarching love that makes this book one meant to be read by all. It's love that will stir your heart and it's this love that will carry you through this book page by page. It's love that many of us have never felt; but, have always wished for. It's love so immense, wide, and deep that words fail its description and depiction everytime. It's a love worth talking about as it's love that will never die.
Rating: really liked it
A touching and compassionate novel
Israeli author Adiva Geffen is both a writer and a playwright and shares her expertise in writing workshops while her plays are widely performed on stages. She lives in Tel Aviv.
In a sensitive author’s note Adiva describes the story of this bracing novel – ‘This is a story of a simple, regular woman who lived in some Polish village, whose whole dream was to raise her babies, milk the cows, and curl up under a heavy quilt with her husband in their little hut. The war came and destroyed everything, the Germans came and she understood that it was all over, but she did not let her spirit wither, the war did not destroy that strongest instinct of all, the love of life that pulsed within her.’
Though many books about the Holocaust and its effect on survivors remain high on the list of readers’ favorite novels, few have shared that experience better than Adiva Geffen’s story. At once a true story of Sarah Shidlovsky, a fact that makes the story feel even more vital, and also a masterfully written novel as crafted by an author who understands the impact of theater.
Sampling the flavor of Adiva’s writing opens the portal to the significance of this book: ‘The house of Yaakov Mendel and Taiba Shidlovsky stood on the eastern side of the small Polish village of Wolka Zablocka. It was a peaceful village, inhabited for hundreds of years by farmers who worked the land. Although there were not many people, there was affection and friendship among its inhabitants, Jews and Gentiles alike. They lived alongside one anoth¬er in the village in amicable harmony. The Jews lived their lives as Poles but kept up the Jewish tra¬ditions at home; they made sure to observe the Sabbath, to fast on Yom Kippur, and build sukkahs on Sukkot to which they would invite their neighbors. On Hanukkah they lit the meno¬rah candles, and on Passover they sat around the Seder table with their relatives from the neighboring villages, or would go to celebrate the holidays with their families in the neighboring town of Ostrow Lubelski. The Jews of the small village made sure to invite their Gentile neighbors to the holidays and family events to celebrate with them, and made an effort to visit the Christians in their homes to celebrate on their holidays….’ And from that harmony comes the discord of the Holocaust, related with skill and compassion. Adiva Geffen is indeed an important writer. This is a fine book that satisfies on every level.
Rating: really liked it
I received a free copy of this historical novel from TheFussyLibrarian and Goodreads Giveaway, Adiva Geffen, and publisher ebookpro. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read 'Surviving the Forest' of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.
Adiva Geffen takes us into Poland just prior to the beginning of WWII, a time when there were over 5.3 million Jews living peacefully in Poland. World War II officially began on 1 September 1939, with the invasion of Poland by Germany. Changes in the lives of Polish Jews happened slowly in the smaller communities but like a barrel rolling downhill, the damage was eventually damning.
We follow the family Shidlovsky. Sarah - Shurka her more familiar name, was one of two daughters of Yaakov Mendel and Taiba. In the late 1930's Shurka was married to Avraham Orlitzky, son of a trader, and they were the parents of Irina, about 3, and Yitzhak, born frail in the winter of 1941, born into a Poland now under severe German command. The conditions of all Jewish residents quickly deteriorating as they lived through pogroms, sporadic and mass shootings, middle-of-the-night moves to smaller, cruder, safer places, abandoning all they owned save clothing and shoes and pots and blankets, and finally by the summer of 1942, as ordered, four generations of the extended Shidlovsky family including the Orlitzky's moved to the ghetto at Ostrow Lubelski. But they all knew in their hearts the next step would be cattle cars on the train to a death camp. Their only chance of making it through the war alive was to escape from the ghetto. It was too late to try to go east to Russia. The only place left to hide was in the foreboding, swamp infused Parczew Forest.
At the end of the war, there were 40,000 to 100,00 total Jews in Poland who survived the Holocaust. Another 150,000 Jewish refugees returned to Poland at the end of the fighting. By 1946 the first peacetime Kielce Pogrom took place, with 42 deaths and 80 wounded of the 200 Jews then living in that city.
Moving the tattered remains of the Shidlovsky family to Israel would not be fast or easy. Life there would not be simple. But Israel was not a destination. It would be home.
Publishing date May 5, 2019
received August 28, 2019
Reviewed at Goodreads on August 30, 2019. Reviewed on Amazon.Smile and Barnes & Noble on Sept 1, 2019. Not available at BookBub, Kobo or GooglePlay.
Rating: really liked it
Every book I have read dealing with the Holocaust and survivors has introduced me to yet another horror. They leave me traumatizes and thinking about it for days if not weeks. But it seems I am addicted.
In “Surviving the Forest” it is beyond comprehension that these people were able to survive for as long as they did in an inhospitable forest living in ‘bunkers’ dug out by their own hands.
Unfortunately my 3-star rating is because I found the writing overly simplistic. Maybe it was the translation. In any case this is another harrowing story of survival.
Rating: really liked it
This is a beautiful of love, loss, perseverance, and beauty. I loved following the life of Shurka. This amazing woman survived as a Jew by hiding with her family and young children throughout various places including a dangerous forest and swamp. As I read the book I recalled other stories that I had read of those who endured this hell on earth. The difference? This story is true. It’s obvious in the way it nearly breathed with a life of its own. I’m honestly blown away!
Rating: really liked it
A wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel…
Author and playwright Adiva Geffen weaves an exceptional WW2 Historical Novel based on a true story of a Jewish holocaust survivor. With fascinating twists and turns, and emotional highs and lows this book will captivate the reader from the first page to the last. The author paints an all-encompassing human dramatization of love, loss and survival in a very vivid and convincing way. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction. It’s a fast-paced novel that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last.
The book description gives a powerful preview: ‘She was a beautiful and happy young woman who lived a fairytale life. Shurka, her beloved husband and their two small children lived in a pretty house in a village in Poland, surrounded by a little garden with lilies. This was their life and nothing could harm it, or so they thought…
WWII broke out and though the happy family thought the Germans would never reach their idyllic village, they quickly understood they were wrong and their happiness came to a brutal end. The family had to flee their house and find shelter in a neighboring Ghetto where they realized that the Gestapo was taking Jews away on trucks every night, and they were never seen again.
The family decided to escape into the deep dark forest. There, surrounded by animals, they knew that this was their only chance to get away from the real beasts. They had no idea what would await them, but they knew that doing nothing was not an option if they wanted to survive…’
Surviving The Forest had every element a good story should have. A solid plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well-illustrated scenes that make you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book.
Captivating and commendable this work had me immersed from the beginning. Inspired by real events, it’s a well-crafted fiction interwoven with true-life historical drama. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There are plenty of attention-grabbing moments in this page turner that will take the reader on a truly compelling and mesmerizing journey!
It’s one of those books that comes along once in a while that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader! The result is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel, its brilliantly drawn characters driven by love and the will to survive.
I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. I would highly recommend this book. A well-deserved five stars from me.
Rating: really liked it
Surviving the Forest: A WW2 Historical Novel Based on a True Story of a Jewish Holocaust Survivor was written by Adiva Geffen. This novel is really more of a biography than fiction. The story of Sarah and how she managed to survive the Holocaust with her young daughter is true. The author heard the story from Sarah herself when Sarah was about 91. Of course, many of the details are made up. However, the story takes the reader to a different place than most novels or memoirs do, it takes us to the forest in Poland where many partisans hid and attacked the Nazis from. It also hid many refugees who were trying to survive. It was only through the help of others that anyone survived the forest. Without cooperation from everyone, none of the partisans or the families they protected would have survived. This novel gives a clear description of how this particular group handled being in the forest and having to move often.
I definitely recommend this book for anyone reading about the Holocaust.
Rating: really liked it
Truly Remarkable LifeI have read many books about the Holocaust. This was not like any of them in an area of which I knew little. I spent the whole day reading it. It grabbed me right away knowing it was a true story about a remarkable woman in a horrible time.
Rating: really liked it
Amazing! This book was absolutely incredible. The author did an amazing job of creating a smooth timeline full of so many events, both personal to the main characters and important historical details . Surviving the Forest is beautifully woven to read like a fairy tale, with rich details about life during this horrible time in history. It's a tragic and lovely story that I would highly recommend to anyone, not just history buffs.
Rating: really liked it
Stirring book to readTrue story of a persons ability to survive unbelievable odds. Hard to realize what the Jewish people went through. Interesting reading.
Rating: really liked it
Another excellent retelling of the Holocaust. Adiva does an excellent job in recreating and telling Sarah “Shurka” Shidlovsky’s story and her life in Poland before, during and after the war.
As a child, she was warned time and time again not to venture into the Parczew Forest. There was nothing but swamps, giant mosquitoes and evil spirits that thrived on consuming souls and eating small children. That would be enough information for me to stay out.
For hundred of years, the Poles, Gentiles and Jews had habituated in relative peace. All of the communities thrived and for the most part, accepted each other.
The invasion of Poland and few dollars or the lure of Vodka would change all that. Hitler’s constant raving about World Jewry would awaken dormant prejudices to an appalling level.
She lived a happy normal life in Wolka Zablocka. Her family were hard working farmers who took care of not only their family but many of their friends. She grew up, married, started her own family and looked forward to along happy life. On September 1st, 1939 that would start changing. Before the war stared people from Berlin and other German cities began crossing their paths with stories of horror and brutality towards their race. It was difficult for her and her family to fathom such depravity. The family decided that because of their isolation and small town they had nothing to fear. How many times have we read this from the survivors? Hitler never hid his aims or goals. It was in the laws he passed, the speeches he gave and newspapers. They believe they were indispensable to the war effort and no ill fortuned would befall them. They were wrong as were so many of their brethren.
When the reality of the horror was revealed and they were placed in a Ghetto, survival became the key note.
She and the family knew they had to leave the Ghetto and escape. But where? The only place that offered any type of security was Yehiel Greenspan and his partisan band in the Parczew Forrest. They spent at least two if not three years in the forest hiding and surviving the ravages of the NAZI regime and the local Polish Home Guard.
In the end, she would lose an infant, a husband and her entire family through raids, starvation and betrayal. Only she and her daughter Elena would live to see the Russians liberate them.
She will remarry but that doesn’t mean the danger has passed. Not at all. After the war pogroms were still taking place in Poland. Why? I have no idea. She never felt safe until she and her family had gotten to the American Zone of Occupation and began planning their trip to the promised land.
Another great story describing and defining how much adversity the human spirit can endure when faced with insurmountable odds.
The only thing that would have made this an outstanding work would have been a more definite timeline.
Five Stars
Rating: really liked it
Book of heroesThe people in the book only wanted to survive and keep their families safe. These survivors are true heroes. I couldn't believe how genius they were while hiding.
Rating: really liked it
I received a free Kindle copy of this book via the Goodreads Giveaways program and would like to thank anyone involved in that process.
This is a very moving story of the horrors many Jews and one family in particular faced during World War II in Poland. I knew of the Jewish refugees who hid in the Parczew forest but it was really interesting to read about the details of these people’s everyday lives in that situation. The story ultimately has a happy ending and the resilience of these people is astonishing to me. I don’t believe that I could have persevered and moved forward in the same way if I had been subjected to the things these people lived through.
This did have some minor typos and some confusing timeline jumping but overall this is an amazing and important story and I am grateful that I got the chance to read it.
Rating: really liked it
this was heartbreaking.. it was good but so sad in so many places. i enjoyed reading it
