100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews

The Angel of Losses is a beautiful and unique mix of history, Jewish folklore and family.  I was originally interested in this book because I am familiar with the story of the Wandering Jew.  This story ended up being so much more. Right from the beginning Grandfather Eli tells his young granddaughters, Marjorie and Holly a beautiful but dark tale with no ending; I was hooked after that. 

Years later, Eli has passed on, but his stories about the mysterious White Rebbe have stuck with Marjorie.  She knows there is more to learn from him, if only she could find all the notebooks that his stories were written down in.  Along with her grandfather's stories, Marjorie is hard at work on a thesis project that might be connected.  Holly, the younger sister is married to Nathan, pregnant and converted to his religion, Judaism.  Marjorie and Nathan have never gotten along, causing a fallout between the sisters.  Once Holly's baby is born with a rare genetic disorder, Marjorie must find out what her grandfather had hidden for so long in order to save the baby and bring her family back together.  

My favorite parts of the book were Eli's stories.  These folktales were intriguing and elegantly written combining known folklore with Eli's character's own history and a bit of magical realism.  The way the stories were revealed throughout the book, slowly and not in order, made the reveal and their meaning all the more interesting.  Marjorie's character was the best for me.  She is by no means perfect in the beginning, but extremely easy to relate to. It is her journey to discovery that enables her to grow and eventually bring her family together.