The Lost Family is an extraordinary read, the kind of book that makes you sob and smile, the kind that gives you hope…. It is compassionate, masterful and disturbingly contemporary.”—Tatiana de Rosnay, bestselling author of Sarah’s KeyThe New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us creates a vivid portrait of marriage, family, and the haunting grief of World War II in this emotionally … family, and the haunting grief of World War II in this emotionally charged, beautifully rendered story that spans a generation, from the 1960s to the 1980s.
In 1965 Manhattan, patrons flock to Masha’s to savor its brisket bourguignon and impeccable service and to admire its dashing owner and head chef Peter Rashkin. With his movie-star good looks and tragic past, Peter, a survivor of Auschwitz, is the most eligible bachelor in town. But Peter does not care for the parade of eligible women who come to the restaurant hoping to catch his eye. He has resigned himself to a solitary life. Running Masha’s consumes him, as does his terrible guilt over surviving the horrors of the Nazi death camp while his wife, Masha—the restaurant’s namesake—and two young daughters perished.
Then exquisitely beautiful June Bouquet, an up-and-coming young model, appears at the restaurant, piercing Peter’s guard. Though she is twenty years his junior, the two begin a passionate, whirlwind courtship. When June unexpectedly becomes pregnant, Peter proposes, believing that beginning a new family with the woman he loves will allow him to let go of the horror of the past. But over the next twenty years, the indelible sadness of those memories will overshadow Peter, June, and their daughter Elsbeth, transforming them in shocking, heartbreaking, and unexpected ways.
Jenna Blum artfully brings to the page a husband devastated by a grief he cannot name, a frustrated wife struggling to compete with a ghost she cannot banish, and a daughter sensitive to the pain of both her own family and another lost before she was born. Spanning three cinematic decades, The Lost Family is a charming, funny, and elegantly bittersweet study of the repercussions of loss and love.
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THE LOST FAMILY is a gripping family saga tracing the impact of World War II through the generations of one family. The story is at times funny and charming, but also bittersweet and indescribably sad.
The protagonist, Peter Rashkin, was first introduced in a novella by Jenna Blum included in the book GRAND CENTRAL: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion, a compilation of stories by 10 bestselling authors all set in Grand Central Terminal on the same post-WWII day. It is in this story that we meet Peter working at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central. (As a point of interest, the other authors included in the book are Melanie Benjamin, Amanda Hodgkinson, Pam Jenoff, Sarah Jio, Sarah McCoy, Kristina McMorris, Alyson Richman, Erika Robuck and Karen White.)
“THE LOST FAMILY is touching, transformative and heartbreaking…. Jenna’s writing is entirely delicious!”
THE LOST FAMILY opens in 1965, about 20 years after Peter’s GRAND CENTRAL story. He remains a wounded soul, still haunted and mourning the family he lost in the war. His wife, Masha, and their two daughters are the unseen characters threading throughout the tale. It is not necessary to have read the novella to love and appreciate THE LOST FAMILY as the stories stand alone, though certainly his experiences in 1945 inform and influence his character and story later.
Blum says of Peter that “he was inspired by a survivor I had the immense privilege of interviewing for the Steven Spielberg Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. We know about the Nazi atrocities, but we rarely consider the next chapter: the survivor coming to a new country to rebuild — while coping with the memory of the loved ones he lost. And when a weeping reader told me that her husband, a survivor’s son, had grappled his whole life with his beloved father’s emotional distance, I knew I had to write about the effects of war on an entire family.”
THE LOST FAMILY is touching, transformative and heartbreaking. It takes the reader through three decades — 1965, 1975 and 1985 — with each told from one character’s viewpoint: first Peter, then his second wife, June Bouquet, and lastly their daughter, Elsbeth. In each part, in addition to the story, I thoroughly enjoyed the cultural tidbits, popular language and references of each era. I remember those tennis socks with the balls at the heels.
Jenna’s writing is entirely delicious! Besides being an author, she is an avid cook and creates and tests her own recipes used in the story. She even constructed whole menus for Peter’s restaurant, which she includes in the book. While writing THE LOST FAMILY, she was using ingredients from her garden, and at one point her agent asked if she was growing rosemary. Jenna responded that, yes, she had huge bushes of it. Her agent suspected this because nearly every recipe included the herb. Thanks to Jenna for that fun story shared at her book launch this month in Boston.
Book clubs and historical fiction fans, along with lovers of good storytelling, will not want to miss THE LOST FAMILY.
Excellent novel dramatizing the ways lives are affected through generations of pain and suffering as a result of the Holocaust and Nazi genocide of the Jewish People of Europe. Brilliant writing, excellent research of historical periods.
Jenna Blum is a master. I have insufficient words to express how wonderful (yep, sucky word) The Lost Family is. The structure, the words, the complete and robust characterization, the leitmotifs, the 80s references, and on and on. I want to see the photos. I want to know how the characters end up. I am just so full after reading this book. Truly an amazing book.
THE LOST FAMILY is definitely my favorite Jenna Blum book. Don’t get me wrong, I loved her other novels, but this one really grabbed me. It was a fantastic combination of heart, family, food and dark history. Blum is a masterful writer and a master of character development. I cared deeply about the world of Peter Rashkin and June Bouquet and the ghosts of the past that held the family in thrall. It’s a big book in its span of three decades and the historical research that Blum did to bring it to life is impeccable. It’s a novel of immigrants, a novel for foodies, a novel of family, a novel of beauty and a novel of love and loss. A novel you should definitely add to your TBR list ASAP.
Jenna Blum is one of my favorite authors, so it really hurt to give this book just two stars. It was a struggle for me to get into the book, and it was even harder for me to finish. I never really attached to any of the characters, and I found the dialogue between characters forced. It was such a disappointment as I was eagerly awaiting this books release. I would still look forward to the release of her fourth book.
How do I do this exquisite book justice? I will try. Peter Rashkin is the main character and a survivor of the horrors of Auschwitz. He is rescued by the allies and moves to the United States. Although his wife, Masha and his twin daughters do not survive the atrocities of WWII. He keeps them tightly wrapped in a cocoon within his heart. This is a story of loss, survival and love. In New York he meets June and his heart loves again. They have a daughter named Elsbeth. This is their story. Filled with pain Peter drowns his sorrow in work, putting everything he has into his restaurant. This has a long term, profound impact on his new family. The characters are richly detailed and come to life within the pages of this book. I laughed and I cried. My heart broke for them. With exquisite detail, Jenna Blum takes us on a journey of love and loss. How do you compete with the ghosts of the past? Can this family survive? Absolutely heart wrenching book. This book will capture your heart and leave you wondering, could anyone move on from what Peter endured? This is a beautiful story filled with pain and you will be honored to have read it. It moved me and it will move you too. You are there and to me, that is what makes someone a great author. This is a must read!
The Holocaust didn’t stop after the war ended or after the concentration camps were emptied–the children, wives and families of those caught in the Holocaust also bear the scars. THE LOST FAMILY presents a family enmeshed in the past and the present that you won’t be able to put down.
I adored THE LOST FAMILY when I read it in hardcover, and now it’s out in paperback–hooray! This beautiful, immersive page turner takes us through three time periods in the same family and shows the after-effects of the trauma of war on a man who lost his first family during WWII–a trauma that had ripple effects on his second wife and their daughter. The characters are so real, the writing fresh and engrossing and utterly fabulous. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
Great!!!!
Jenna Blum’s brilliant first novel, THOSE WHO SAVE US, is primarily set during the Holocaust and is an emotionally complex and riveting portrayal of people in the resistance–and the lengths to which people will go to survive and to save those they love. A primary character in this, her third full-length work, was first developed as a novella and appeared in GRAND CENTRAL, an anthology of novellas all of which are about World War II. In THE LOST FAMILY, she takes her character, Peter, a Holocaust survivor who ultimately makes it to the United States and builds a successful life as a restaurant owner and gourmet chef, and subtly, magnificently reveals both what happened to the wife and daughters he lost in Europe and how his guilt and silent, enduring love for them affects those in his reconstructed life as well as his ability to be whole again. For anyone interested in novels that portray the legacy of the Holocaust realistically and magnificently, I recommend this highly. The writing is strong, with original diction and crafted descriptions.
A New York restauranteur, still grieving the loss of his wife and twin daughters years prior in the Holocaust, falls in love with a woman who comes into his restaurant. They marry and have a daughter. This is the story of their life, the choices each makes, and the consequences that follow. The story is well written, realistic and could occur in just about any family for any number of reasons. While the story is a bit dark, the warm-hearted nature of the father was touching.
Quite a page turner
This is a wonderful novel about family and is so well written that it will stay with me long after the last page was read. Peter lost his wife and twin daughters to the concentraton camps in WWII. He has moved to NYC to try to start his life over but is unable to let go of his past and think about his future. He marries June, hoping that her youth and love of life will help him learn how to enjoy life. They have a child, Elsbeth, who should bring joy to both parents but they have difficulty letting go of their pasts. Is Peter going to lose his new family, too?
I loved the way the book was set up. The first section 1965 is told from Peter’s perspective, the second section, 1975 is told from June’s perspective and the last section, 1985 is told from Elsbeth’s. Using this technique, we get the deepest thoughts of all three main characters and learn to love them – flaws and all.
This is a wonderful well written book and my first book by Jenna Blum. I need to go back and read her earlier books now.
This book wove itself into me and I will keep it forever. This is an amazing story of a man who loses everything in World War 2 and must start completely over in America. It is a story of love and loss, a life unexpected, and ultimately a family saga. The characters are so well written you feel everything they feel and they will stay with you forever. They become part of you. I laughed and I cried. I loved everything about this book. I received an advanced readers copy from Edelweiss and Harper Collins. All opinions are my own.