The Night of the Burning by Linda Press Wulf
I’m back. Just because I haven’t written anything here for a month does not mean that I have stopped reading. Now I just have to get caught up on the reviews.
It is unusual to have a book for children, and I would count this as a book for the preteen, set in such an unfamiliar period of history. The Night of the Burning is set in post-World War I Russia. The Jewish village where Devorah and Nechama live has been devastated by the war, mustard gas, influenza and finally the Cossacks burn the village to the ground. Only the two sisters survive and set off on an amazing journey.
The two sisters start off looking for relatives in other villages, but find that many of these places are also destroyed. Eventually they end up in an orphanage and in the care of South African philanthropist Isaac Ochberg who is recruiting 200 orphans for adoption by families in South Africa. Nechama is determined to go, and Devorah as the older sister, believes she must as well.
Even a week after finishing it, I am still undecided about this book. The story of their life in Europe and their struggle to escape the terror was riveting. But once the two girls arrived safely in South Africa, the book became a boring narrative about who’s family is best.
