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Brothers
This immensely powerful novel follows four generations of the Bindel family as they fight for survivial in a hostile world. From imperial Russia in 1825 they head towards Western Europe, returning finally to modern Russia, where the persecution of the Jews continues. The Bindel family are knit by unbreakable bonds of love and loyalty, bonds which survive conscription into the Tsarist army in the 1830s, the Odessa pogrom of 1871, emigration to the Welsh valleys and Germany, the Nazis, the concentration camps, and the Gulags.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
11 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
Bernice Rubens
47Ìýbooks56ÌýfollowersBernice Rubens was born in Cardiff, Wales in July 1928. She began writing at the age of 35, when her children started nursery school. Her second novel, Madame Sousatzka (1962), was filmed by John Schlesinger filmed with Shirley MacLaine in the leading role in 1988. Her fourth novel, The Elected Member, won the 1970 Booker prize. She was shortlisted for the same prize again in 1978 for A Five Year Sentence. Her last novel, The Sergeantsâ€� Tale, was published in 2003. She was an honorary vice-president of International PEN and served as a Booker judge in 1986. Bernice Rubens died in 2004 aged 76.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 18, 2017
Wow!
What an amazing read! One of my top 10 of all time! Bernice Ruebens is a masterful storyteller indeed! Reading this book about these brothers, with their survival Jewish inheritance, today in 2017, this book still holds deep, relevant truths about real living and survival sacrifices made for the surviving generations of man that ring true for any and all who believe in the enduring legacy of family as a still living entity of value and of the story that lays the foundation for understanding for all of the proceeding generations.
This book begins in Czarist Russia, where these two "start-up " brothers, b/c of the bond they share, link together then survivors of ( I believe ) it is 6 total generations of brothers through the turmoil and pogroms, attempted annihilation of Jewry for centuries after. and chronicles poignantly, the struggle then to "be" Jewish in all the circumstances of each era for each person and their acceptance or chosen denial of it.
Like a true writer of one who understands a subject as Bernice demonstrates in her pain and coming to terms with the Judaism that each of her characters must choose to embrace or not be true to themselves in running from, Bernice captures the emotions behind this choice for the characters and the aspect of life that is never such an easy clear-cut decision in so many instances, as much as it is a slow awakening and coming to terms with one's trueness to self and who we are in the scope of our heritage, our family our events that shape and hurt, mature and deepen us into who we are destined to be.
My regret is that Ms. Ruebens is not longer with us, so that I cannot tell her personally what a marvelous writer she is. Certainly one of the greats, like Maureen McCulloch, Louisa May, Charles Dickens and Peal Buck, her place can easily be among these in my heart.
I will look for other Bernice Ruebens, but as I am writing a novel, it may be a while.
Nora
What an amazing read! One of my top 10 of all time! Bernice Ruebens is a masterful storyteller indeed! Reading this book about these brothers, with their survival Jewish inheritance, today in 2017, this book still holds deep, relevant truths about real living and survival sacrifices made for the surviving generations of man that ring true for any and all who believe in the enduring legacy of family as a still living entity of value and of the story that lays the foundation for understanding for all of the proceeding generations.
This book begins in Czarist Russia, where these two "start-up " brothers, b/c of the bond they share, link together then survivors of ( I believe ) it is 6 total generations of brothers through the turmoil and pogroms, attempted annihilation of Jewry for centuries after. and chronicles poignantly, the struggle then to "be" Jewish in all the circumstances of each era for each person and their acceptance or chosen denial of it.
Like a true writer of one who understands a subject as Bernice demonstrates in her pain and coming to terms with the Judaism that each of her characters must choose to embrace or not be true to themselves in running from, Bernice captures the emotions behind this choice for the characters and the aspect of life that is never such an easy clear-cut decision in so many instances, as much as it is a slow awakening and coming to terms with one's trueness to self and who we are in the scope of our heritage, our family our events that shape and hurt, mature and deepen us into who we are destined to be.
My regret is that Ms. Ruebens is not longer with us, so that I cannot tell her personally what a marvelous writer she is. Certainly one of the greats, like Maureen McCulloch, Louisa May, Charles Dickens and Peal Buck, her place can easily be among these in my heart.
I will look for other Bernice Ruebens, but as I am writing a novel, it may be a while.
Nora
March 9, 2014
A powerful book. Very well wriiten and unforgettable!
February 14, 2021
Wonderful, moving book. Sheds a lot of light on the depth of anti-semitism in world history while also being a compelling story of family and love.
July 30, 2016
Please read this book � I came across this book whilst browsing in the bookshop a few years ago and have subsequently many of Bernice Rubens� book.
The book tells the tragic and heart breaking story of several generations of the Jewish Bindel family
The books opens up in a Tsarist dominated Russia in 1820s. Although not biological brothers we learn they are milk brothers born on the same day, to the same family - Benjamin & Reuben
The book depicts the persecution of the Jewish people from the beginning of the nineteenth century until the latter part of the twentieth century. As 2 very young book both Benjamin and Reuben are forced into the Russian army, they both manage to cope with the army's extreme and brutal treatment of them, treatment which causes the death of many of their young fellow soldiers.
When the do return as adults due to the on-going pogroms the escape from Russia to Wales and a move to Germany where the family is persecuted by the Nazis a subsequent return to Russia where one family member is incarcerated in a Russian mental hospital for his dissident views.
For a book as large as it is and for a book to cover such a large timeframe over several generations, it doesn’t like go of its grip it has over you.
At times it can be really tough to read due to its emotional impact and the brutal discrimination faced by the families is almost soul destroying but this is storytelling at its best
The book tells the tragic and heart breaking story of several generations of the Jewish Bindel family
The books opens up in a Tsarist dominated Russia in 1820s. Although not biological brothers we learn they are milk brothers born on the same day, to the same family - Benjamin & Reuben
The book depicts the persecution of the Jewish people from the beginning of the nineteenth century until the latter part of the twentieth century. As 2 very young book both Benjamin and Reuben are forced into the Russian army, they both manage to cope with the army's extreme and brutal treatment of them, treatment which causes the death of many of their young fellow soldiers.
When the do return as adults due to the on-going pogroms the escape from Russia to Wales and a move to Germany where the family is persecuted by the Nazis a subsequent return to Russia where one family member is incarcerated in a Russian mental hospital for his dissident views.
For a book as large as it is and for a book to cover such a large timeframe over several generations, it doesn’t like go of its grip it has over you.
At times it can be really tough to read due to its emotional impact and the brutal discrimination faced by the families is almost soul destroying but this is storytelling at its best
November 10, 2023
Schrijfstijl: 4
Verhaal: 5
Verhaal: 5
August 7, 2011
Read this a few years ago and found it very moving. It is the examination across four generations of relationship, culture and a rediscovering of roots but I found the almost sensationalist approach to violence a drawback. By that I mean the persecution adn appalling violence perpetrated against jews by Russia pre and post revolution adn the obvious disgrace of Nazi Germany was and is well documented as it should be but Bernice Rubens overstepped the mark when she has even Nature rising up to continue the pogrom when one of the men is killed in a mining disaster in Wales. This is a lazy way, it seems to me, of tying up the loose lends of a story so as to enable the main characters to move back to Germany just in time for the Nazi's to kill a few more of them. I do not mean to belittle what is a very powerful novel and certainly don't mean to belttle the suffering of millions of people, that is my point; it seems almost as if Bernice Rubens, by her slaughtering right left and centre even those who are not liing in areas of anti-semitism , does just that. Creates an atmosphre where the reader could almost become immune to the horror because it is so universal
May 6, 2019
Possibly the toughest book I've ever read. This isn't because its not readable, because it very much is, but because its a relentless reminder of how consistently awful humans are to one another. I'm not sure I did myself any favours either by looking up, as I was reading, to see if the catastrophic events featured in the novel had any basis in reality. Unfortunately for my mental health almost all of them did.
June 2, 2020
A gripping and terrifying novel about the odyssey of four generations of the Bindel family from Odessa to Wales to Leipzig to Moscow and finally to Israel. It is quite relentless in its depiction of cruelty and inhumanity but also extremely moving in what it tells us about solidarity, love, and resilience.
August 29, 2019
A long book but so well-written that it remains utterly compelling the whole way through.
September 13, 2021
"There is no cause on earth worth dying for, no God worth one's dying breath, no country worth one's martyrdom, no principle worth one's sacrifice. Only in the name of love is death worthy. And friendship. Therefore make no friends. Friendship seduces sacrifice. Avoid it."
This inheritance is passed down from one generation of the Bindel family to the next, as they are continually prosecuted for their Jewish lineage. The theme of the book, therefore, is survival at all costs - and the perils that the Bindels go through are truly harrowing. From forced servitude in the Russian army, to the czar's murderous pogroms, to Nazi Germany concentration camps, and finally to the Soviet Union's restrictions and intolerance, the Bindel generations do all they can to live long enough to pass down the old incantation to their own children.
This book is a lot more sober, serious, and heartbreaking than other works I read by Rubens. Truly a masterpiece of resilience and the strength of familial love.
This inheritance is passed down from one generation of the Bindel family to the next, as they are continually prosecuted for their Jewish lineage. The theme of the book, therefore, is survival at all costs - and the perils that the Bindels go through are truly harrowing. From forced servitude in the Russian army, to the czar's murderous pogroms, to Nazi Germany concentration camps, and finally to the Soviet Union's restrictions and intolerance, the Bindel generations do all they can to live long enough to pass down the old incantation to their own children.
This book is a lot more sober, serious, and heartbreaking than other works I read by Rubens. Truly a masterpiece of resilience and the strength of familial love.
November 28, 2019
Très bon roman qui relate l'histoire du judaisme en Europe au fil du temps. Les mauvais traitements qu'ont subi les juifs pendant des siècles sont révoltants et je crois qu'il est important de se sensibiliser aux horreurs auxquelles ils ont été soumis. J'ai beaucoup aimé le style de Mme Rubens. Je n'avais jamais lu ses romans. Bref, une belle saga familiale qui m'a permis d'apprendre, c'est super!
October 8, 2021
I so thought I'd love this novel as I've enjoyed Rubens in the past. But after 150 pages of bleak, depressing story lines with no let up, I gave up. At some point we are told that, "The next years in the Bindel household were happy ones," but we aren't shown it; rather we just move on to the next tragedy. I was interested in finding out what happened to the family in the future but knew 1940s Germany was bound to feature towards the end and couldn't face it.
May 23, 2021
A very powerful and moving book about the struggle of Jews to survive and maintain their identity over many generations and in several countries.
This sentence resonated with me "He knew that finally places of settlement were only peripheral to the choice and commitment to identity "
This sentence resonated with me "He knew that finally places of settlement were only peripheral to the choice and commitment to identity "
June 17, 2024
Page 2 and the Jews are already cursing God. Blasphemy continues every other page from there. They think He requires THEIR forgiveness...never ever have there been a more entitled group of reprobates.
September 23, 2017
Approximate dates
March 4, 2020
I read it in Dutch, and it’s at times vert poorly translated. Which is a shame because the story in it self is a little bit ruined by it.
June 8, 2020
Mooi verhaald. Te lang voor mij op heden. Het joodse lijden, als thema van dit boek, voelde te vaak "bekend" en "opnieuw" aan.
August 14, 2021
This is a gripping book which covers some terrible events, including a pogrom, Nazi persecution and a Soviet 'psychiatric' hospital.
September 21, 2023
Een aangrijpend familieverhaal van verschillende generaties Bindel en hun overleven. Zo’n boek waarvan ik het jammer vind dat het uit is.
May 26, 2024
A wonderful history of four generations of a Jewish family. Moving, gripping and powerful
August 26, 2020
Intensa, profonda e ambientata in un periodo difficile.
Recensione completa qui
Recensione completa qui
April 5, 2014
Toen ik in groep twee zat, had ik een hele leuke kleuterjuf. Ze hield net zoveel van lezen als mijn moeder en ze leenden elkaar regelmatig mooie boeken. Eén keer was mijn moeder uitzonderlijk enthousiast over een boek van mijn juf. 'Als je later groot bent, moet je haar maar vragen of je het ook mag lenen,' zei ze tegen mij.
Toen ik achttien was, ging ik een keer bij mijn juf op bezoek. Het bijzondere boek kwam ter sprake en ik vroeg of ik het mocht lenen. Mijn juf zei dat dat mocht, en ze vertelde dat ze het niet vaak aan mensen leende. Het was namelijk haar lievelingsboek en het was al dertig jaar lang niet meer in druk. Ze had er jaren naar gezocht, tot ze uiteindelijk een afgeschreven exemplaar in de bibliotheek van Zoutkamp had gevonden.
Trots nam ik het boek van mijn juf mee naar huis, maar toen gebeurde er van alles in mijn leven en belandde ik in een enorme leesdip. Ik las een jaar lang nog amper een boek en toen ik eindelijk voorzichtig weer wat luchtige kost begon te lezen, durfde ik niet aan de dikke pil van mijn juf te beginnen. Tegen de tijd dat ik twintig was, waagde ik twee keer een poging, maar ik kwam nooit verder dan de eerste twintig bladzijden. Het verhaal sprak me gewoon niet aan. Ik durfde het boek echter ook niet ongelezen terug te geven, en dus bleef het maar in mijn kast staan.
Toen mijn moeder laatst langs kwam en ze het boek nog steeds in mijn kast zag staan, kreeg ik een uitbrander dat ik mijn juf zolang op haar lievelingsboek liet wachten. Ik besloot het boek een laatste kans te geven en dit keer door te zetten, ook al zou het begin dan misschien wat taai zijn. En o wat ben ik blij dat ik het heb gedaan! Na de eerste twintig bladzijden word je volledig meegezogen in het verhaal en zul je het boek niet meer aan de kant kunnen leggen voor het uit is.
De laatste jaren zijn er veel joodse familiegeschiedenissen uitgekomen, maar dit boek dateert al uit het begin van de jaren tachtig. De joods-Litouwse schrijfster Bernice Rubens schreef een fictief werk, maar baseerde zich daarbij wel op haar eigen familiegeschiedenis. Hierdoor weet ze op geweldige wijze de personages tot leven te wekken. Zelden heb ik zó meegevoeld met de karakters van een boek. Als lezer zit je volledig in de sfeer van het verhaal, of dat nou de pogrom van 1859 in Odessa is, het mijnwerkersleven op het Engelse platteland rond 1900, het concentratiekamp Auschwitz of de psychiatrische gevangenissen van de Sovjet-Unie. Ontzettend knap hoe een auteur zulke verschillende werelden stuk voor stuk zo realistisch kan beschrijven. Regelmatig moest ik het boek aan de kant leggen om een potje te huilen. Het is een prachtig verhaal dat je gegarandeerd nog lang bij zal blijven.
Toen ik achttien was, ging ik een keer bij mijn juf op bezoek. Het bijzondere boek kwam ter sprake en ik vroeg of ik het mocht lenen. Mijn juf zei dat dat mocht, en ze vertelde dat ze het niet vaak aan mensen leende. Het was namelijk haar lievelingsboek en het was al dertig jaar lang niet meer in druk. Ze had er jaren naar gezocht, tot ze uiteindelijk een afgeschreven exemplaar in de bibliotheek van Zoutkamp had gevonden.
Trots nam ik het boek van mijn juf mee naar huis, maar toen gebeurde er van alles in mijn leven en belandde ik in een enorme leesdip. Ik las een jaar lang nog amper een boek en toen ik eindelijk voorzichtig weer wat luchtige kost begon te lezen, durfde ik niet aan de dikke pil van mijn juf te beginnen. Tegen de tijd dat ik twintig was, waagde ik twee keer een poging, maar ik kwam nooit verder dan de eerste twintig bladzijden. Het verhaal sprak me gewoon niet aan. Ik durfde het boek echter ook niet ongelezen terug te geven, en dus bleef het maar in mijn kast staan.
Toen mijn moeder laatst langs kwam en ze het boek nog steeds in mijn kast zag staan, kreeg ik een uitbrander dat ik mijn juf zolang op haar lievelingsboek liet wachten. Ik besloot het boek een laatste kans te geven en dit keer door te zetten, ook al zou het begin dan misschien wat taai zijn. En o wat ben ik blij dat ik het heb gedaan! Na de eerste twintig bladzijden word je volledig meegezogen in het verhaal en zul je het boek niet meer aan de kant kunnen leggen voor het uit is.
De laatste jaren zijn er veel joodse familiegeschiedenissen uitgekomen, maar dit boek dateert al uit het begin van de jaren tachtig. De joods-Litouwse schrijfster Bernice Rubens schreef een fictief werk, maar baseerde zich daarbij wel op haar eigen familiegeschiedenis. Hierdoor weet ze op geweldige wijze de personages tot leven te wekken. Zelden heb ik zó meegevoeld met de karakters van een boek. Als lezer zit je volledig in de sfeer van het verhaal, of dat nou de pogrom van 1859 in Odessa is, het mijnwerkersleven op het Engelse platteland rond 1900, het concentratiekamp Auschwitz of de psychiatrische gevangenissen van de Sovjet-Unie. Ontzettend knap hoe een auteur zulke verschillende werelden stuk voor stuk zo realistisch kan beschrijven. Regelmatig moest ik het boek aan de kant leggen om een potje te huilen. Het is een prachtig verhaal dat je gegarandeerd nog lang bij zal blijven.
May 5, 2013
This book reminded me a lot of Last of the Just by Schwarz-Bart in that it was an epic saga about a European Jewish family� but, unfortunately, (and I feel bad for saying this) Brothers was not as good. It’s hard to criticize a book which tries so hard to memorialize such a hugely tragic era (Jewish Europe from mid-1700s to 1970s) because it just sounds insensitive. My problem was with the lack of artistry in the way this book was written. The plot was quite complex and there was a huge cast of characters with repeating names (thanks for the family tree in the beginning� couldn’t have done without). But the book just read like a shopping list of life events which repeated itself over and over: birth, childhood, bar mitzvah, immigration, marriage, parenthood, death. There wasn’t much that was human or memorable about the individual characters, and throughout the book I just found myself waiting for the next huge tragedy which was inevitably around the corner� kinda depressing.
February 11, 2013
This is a family saga relating what happens to multiple generations of the Bindel Family. Starting in Russia in the 1820's, in each generation there are a set of " brothers". Each generation has to overcome some adversity -- conscription into the Czar's army, pogroms, Hitler. They test their beliefs. Each generation is given their inheritance handed down verbally by the patriarch of the family, Jacob. They are instructed that it is their duty to survive. There is no ideal worth dying for. Each generation passes this down relating the family history. One would think that they would learn from their ancestors. Yet each generation repeats in some way what has happened in the past. Okay read.
December 17, 2015
Zonder twijfel het beste en mooiste boek dat ik de voorbije jaren gelezen heb. Prachtig plot, aangrijpende beschrijvingen, spannend en ontroerend en geschreven in een meeslepende vertelstijl. En in vele opzichten actueel!
'Er is op aarde geen zaak die waard is voor te sterven,' zei hij, 'geen God is iemands laatste adem waard, geen land iemands martelaarschap, geen principe iemands offer. Alleen in de naam van de liefde kan dood de moeite waard zijn. En in naam van de vriendschap' (pag. 58, als Jakob de melkbroers raad geeft)
'Er is op aarde geen zaak die waard is voor te sterven,' zei hij, 'geen God is iemands laatste adem waard, geen land iemands martelaarschap, geen principe iemands offer. Alleen in de naam van de liefde kan dood de moeite waard zijn. En in naam van de vriendschap' (pag. 58, als Jakob de melkbroers raad geeft)
May 18, 2018
This is one of those reads that stays with you a long time. I was really touched by the story-line, which I found impressive and interesting. The way Mrs. Rubens wove the stories of the brothers through time and each time its own circumstances. I love this book, it is deeply emotional and gives us an inside in the Jewish life in Russia in the 18th century and all the difficulties they had, same goes for the pre WWII period in England, than during WWII in Germany and the last period is in Russia again, full circle. A beautiful inside look at anti Semitism tendencies and how they cope with it.
January 15, 2015
Tells the story of six generations of one family. Tragic and moving. I found myself crying many times as each "story" came to an end.
The tale of the Bindel family reminds me of my own family's story - fleeing from the Nazis and emigrating to Israel and the US. Jews all over the world and throughout time have learned to do what they must to survive persecution. It's terrible that this still exists today. This book is a must read.
Never forget.
The tale of the Bindel family reminds me of my own family's story - fleeing from the Nazis and emigrating to Israel and the US. Jews all over the world and throughout time have learned to do what they must to survive persecution. It's terrible that this still exists today. This book is a must read.
Never forget.
September 24, 2016
This tells, so beautifully, the trials and tribulations of four generations of the Bindel family. Stretching from 1825 to 1980 it is at points unbearably sad, so it's not for everyone, but I love books that make me feel and this had me crying and laughing and hoping beyond hope for happiness for this family. It's epic and beautifully written and if you have capacity for sadness then take it on holiday and delve in, I doubt very much you'll regret it.
January 29, 2008
This book was published in the 60's, however I just heard of it. I would put this book in my all time best books category. A must read for anyone who care to understand why the Jewish people continue to survive. It starts from the Russia Pogroms throught the establishment of Israel as a country. WOW!
November 26, 2010
The story of generations of Jewish brothers as they live under the Czar and continue in the Diaspora to Germany and Isreal. A very strong book, with authentic voices, that elicits strong feelings. I found myself talking out loud to the characters!
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