Anna & Solomon
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In 1897 a young man named Solomon fell in love with and married a beautiful young woman named Anna. They lived in Russia, which was dangerous at that time for a Jewish family, so Solomon moved to the United States, where he worked and saved until he had enough money to send Anna a ticket for the voyage across the ocean. But when Solomon went to meet Anna's ship, Anna's younger brother was waiting for him. Solomon took in her brother and worried and saved until he could send the money for Anna's passage again-but this time, Anna's older brother was waiting. When Solomon sent the money a third time and Anna's mother arrived, Solomon wondered if he would ever see his dear wife again. Elaine Snyder's Anna & Solomon is based on the true story of the author's grandparents' immigration.
A Margaret Ferguson Book
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Snyder is Bliss's mother-in-law, and together they've created a wonderful retelling of a family legend. "Once and not once upon a time, because this is a true story," writes Snyder, a young Jewish couple (Snyder's grandparents) were married in turn-of-the-century Vitebsk, Russia. The future looks bright: he's handsome and a sought-after house painter; she's a beauty with a head for numbers. But when a pogrom devastates Vitebsk's Jewish quarter, the couple knows they must leave for America. With only enough money for one passage, it's decided that Solomon will go first, work hard, and then send for Anna. How the couple's reunion is postponed again and again, then finally realized, is a story of selflessness, almost superhuman patience, and love conquering all. Bliss (Bailey at the Museum) is in wonderful form; instead of sentimental sepia scenes, he gives readers a sense of emotional immediacy and a much bigger picture. Anna and Solomon are the stars of this story, but they also embody millions of others, who yearned, strived, and gambled everything on the promise of a better life. Ages 4 8.
