Official Review: Béla's Letters" by Jeff Ingber

jessh74 · Post by **jessh74** » 08 Apr 2016, 23:03

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Béla's Letters" by Jeff Ingber.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Béla’s Letters by Jeff Ingber is a historical novel that takes place primarily during the first half of the twentieth century, during World War II. The book is structured around a collection of letters that Béla Ingber, the author’s father, received during his lifetime and is based on true events, written from Béla’s perspective.

Prior to the outbreak of World War II, the Ingber family lived in Munkács, Czechoslovakia. The population of Munkács was nearly half Jewish before the war. As the war progressed, the Ingber family faced anti-Semitism, labor camps, the loss of family members and friends, and deportation to Auschwitz. The story follows Béla from his teen years prior to the war’s outbreak through the war and its aftermath, including the search for surviving family members and immigration to the United States.

I found this book both heartbreaking and beautiful. It’s a story of one Jewish family during World War II, and it’s a story of love. The Ingbers seemed to be a close family who cared for one another. They were pulled apart by the war, yet stayed in contact as much as they could. In the middle of this turmoil, Béla still managed to find love with a woman he would eventually marry. After the war, they found refuge in the United States where they struggled with a new culture and language, continued with life, and remembered those who were no longer with them.

The amount of research done for this book must have been incredible. There is a lot of detail about the settings, including Munkács and Budapest, as well as the war itself and what life really must have been like for Béla and his family. There is such detail and humanity in the characters that I almost feel as though I met them and felt their losses. It was interesting to read this personal perspective not only about the devastation of the war and Holocaust, but also about how the family was affected by the events leading up to it, the eventual deportation of the Jewish families from their homes and how the survivors coped in the decades after the war ended. This story is well-written and the letters are a wonderful way to weave together the span of events at a steady pace and illustrate pieces of the writers’ lives and their love for one another.

I also liked that, as someone who has little knowledge about Jewish customs and celebrations, I didn’t have much problem understanding them in the book—they were either explained or well-illustrated in the scenes. I thought that the family’s continued observance of their holidays and customs throughout the persecution and horror showed resilience and faith.

I rate Béla’s Letters by Jeff Ingber 4 out of 4 stars. I thought the writing was wonderful and that the story and the letters themselves were fascinating. There were many times when I didn’t want to put this book down. I would recommend Béla’s Letters to anyone who likes historical fiction or is interested in the history of WWII and the Holocaust. This is the kind of human story everyone should read. I will be recommending it to my friends and family.

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Béla 's Letters
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Swiftmover07 · Post by **Swiftmover07** » 11 Apr 2016, 23:36

lovely review! The book definitely sounds moving and inspiring.

Post by **bookowlie** » 12 Apr 2016, 10:43

Nice, insightful review! I have been reading more historical fiction in the past year or two. This one sounds very interesting.

jessh74 · Post by **jessh74** » 12 Apr 2016, 12:31

Thank you! This one is definitely worth the read. I've always been interested in things related to WWII, and this made everything come alive for me.

PashaRu · Post by **PashaRu** » 12 Apr 2016, 18:31

Thanks for a great review. I almost chose this book myself (I ended up choosing another WWII historical fiction novel, which I loved!), and your positive review makes me want to read it. And congratulations to the author for a 4-star review!

Rachaelamb1 · Post by **Rachaelamb1** » 13 Apr 2016, 09:43

I have always been interested in WWII as well. This sounds like an excellent book. Thank you for the review!

Heidi M Simone · Post by **Heidi M Simone** » 18 Apr 2016, 08:06

Such an insightful review, jessh74. This sounds like such a fascinating and inspiring read. I have been intrigued by WWII, specifically the Holocaust since I first heard of this time in history when I was a little girl reading Number the Stars.
Congratulations to the author for writing such a powerful story and receiving such a positive review!

kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 18 Apr 2016, 08:12

Sounds like a very interesting, touching and moving book. I saw the movie Schindler's List and I have the impression that this is a personal account of someone who had miraculously survived the ordeal. I hope I would have a chance to read this book. Great job on the review. Congratulations to Jeff Ingber.

jessh74 · Post by **jessh74** » 20 Apr 2016, 18:45

PashaRu--was the one you chose Death Steppe? (I was just looking at your review page.) It sounds like a good one if so, I may have to check it out!

Thanks for the positive feedback on the review from all! I found that this book was a bit different from some of the other historical fiction about WWII that I have read, as well as the history I have been taught, in that the story is built around a part of Eastern Europe I haven't heard as much about. I'm not sure if it's just me, but a lot of the books I have read and things I learned in school have a perspective from either England, North America, or parts of Western Europe, so it was nice to have that focus on experiences from Czechoslovakia and the history in that region, as well as their family story.

dina s · Post by **dina s** » 08 May 2016, 10:06

great review to let us know the insight to this book

gali · Post by **gali** » 08 May 2016, 10:15

Sounds like an important and inspiring book! I am glad that Béla has survived and even managed to find love in the middle all of the horror.

Congratulations to the author on the great review!

Heidi M Simone · Post by **Heidi M Simone** » 08 May 2016, 10:21

Already commented, but I cannot express how much I am excited to read this book. WWII is a time period that has always intrigued, and I love to learn and think about different aspects about this part of history. Thank you for the great review and thank you to the author for writing such a great book!

Rachaelamb1 · Post by **Rachaelamb1** » 08 May 2016, 10:27

I don't think I have ever read a WWII book that takes place in Czechoslovakia either. I am sure this book offers historical insights since it is coming from a different perspective.