One of the latest books that I just finished reading was far from my usual genre. It took me a few days to read but it was because I've been pretty busy.
Title: To Cross The Ocean
Author: Zehavit Tal-On
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Audience: Teens/Young Adults/Adults (no mature adult scenes)
Synopsis:
Have you ever felt that you'll never be able to fulfill your love?
Is it that simple?
Nettie, great-granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, goes to Poland along with the senior class of her high school, as many Israeli pupils do.
She prepares well for this coming-of-age trip, but nothing can prepare her for Eric, a young and mysterious European young man, that saves her from an unfortunate situation in Warsaw.
Meeting leads to meeting, and soon the relationship becomes very complicated as she falls in love with him without knowing who he is and where he's from. When she finally discovers his personal story, it becomes clear that their love is never to be fulfilled.
Or is it?
My Thoughts on This Book
I'll be honest with you guys--I wasn't sure I was going to be able to really get into this kind of book. Not that I don't like a good romance story from time to time. It was really the fact that it also dealt with a lot of history and the Holocaust. I just wasn't too sure what I was in for...
I made it halfway through the book and paused. I was confused. Nettie, the main character---there were so many points where I thought she was supposed to be a young child. I think it was her actions and some of the things she said. Then, she was called a "little girl" at different points. But, the synopsis did say she was a senior in high school. At some instances in the book, however, she did appear to be around that age.
She also seemed to fall oh so quickly for Eric, who was 6 years older than her.
Not really a good thing when you're in America. Not too many people would approve. I had to keep reminding myself that the story was taking place in an entire different country.
Anyway,
I put the age difference aside and just read on.
The story got better. Eventually it got to the point where I stopped everything else that I was doing and just sat on my bed and couldn't stop reading.
It became more exciting as Nettie and Eric began to see each other more and more.
There were a few strong messages in the book about racism and about being prejudice and how it can affect people's feelings about other people without actually getting to know one another.
Racism is still an issue today.
I've known so many people who have dealt with racism in their lives, and I've dealt with it as well. I've been judged by the color of my skin by a few people throughout my life. I am multi-racial so I do not have a particular race that I can identify with. I'm Spanish, African-American, Irish, and Cherokee.
I've had people tease me about the way I look and have had people look down on me before even getting to know the real me. It can be hurtful so I can understand what Nettie is talking about in the book.
We are all different on the outside, but still human beings on the inside.
Also, this book teaches that true love does exist and can make people do crazy things. Some people would cross the ocean just to be with the one that they love. It's a beautiful thing, really. Not everyone can relate, but both my husband and I would do it for one another in a heartbeat.
Love can make you see beyond someone's race, distance, and family history.
There is a surprising turn of events toward the end of the book that shocked me, but the book had a very good conclusion. I was very happy with it.
The book actually made me want to break out of my regular genre of horror novels and gave me the desire to read more contemporary romantic books.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for stopping by. I'd love to hear your thoughts...