‘A Fist Around The Heart’ is the first novel by Heather Chisvin After doing a little research I believe that Heather drew from her own experiences. She is the daughter of a Russian immigrant that moved to Canada. The story is about two sisters who leave Russia and immigrate to Winnipeg.

The story begins in the late 1880's when the Jews were being persecuted in Russia. The novel covers just over 60 years, and it is obvious that the author did considerable historical research. I enjoyed learning about the California Perfume Company, womb veils, and ‘If Day’ in Winnipeg. Historical figures like Margaret Sanger make cameo appearances. However, it felt as if the scope of the book is too enormous. Unfortunately, there were too many incidents related and too many historical concepts pushed into the story that created a kind of haphazard story telling of this story.

The structure to the story is missing as it jumps back forth and all over the place in order to relate incidents. One is not sure exactly what time frame you are reading about until you have read in a paragraph or two. There is an interesting story here, but the telling is sometimes muddled. I just wish there were a less scattered structure so the novel’s potential could be better realized.

A well-written, poignant story about 2 Russian sisters, and the way they handled their new life in Winnipeg post-Bolshevik Russia. Anna is dealing with the mental illness of her sister, Esther, and trying to make a new life for herself. This is a book with a mystery that slowly unfolds. The story is well written descriptive and often sad. I recommend this book.

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Two sisters, Anna and Esther, escape the persecution of Jews when their mother decides to send them to Winnipeg with her wealthy employers.

I felt like the story had no true structure. It jumped back and forth so quickly, it was hard to follow. There were so many incidents related and too many historical concepts pushed into the story that created a jumbled telling of this tale.

2.75 confused stars rounded up to 3☆

A Fist Around the Heart follows two sisters who are sent away by their mother in order to keep them safe in a time of heightened anti-Semitism. Both sisters, though together as they grow up, have very different experiences while living with their new 'parents'. Esther develops a severe case of mental illness, while Anna attempts to forge relationships with countless men. In the present day, Anna discovers that Esther has died, and it has been ruled a suicide, yet Anna doesn't believe her sister was ever in a suicidal position. It's a tale which explores the way two sisters drifted apart, and an exploration of the role of women during the war.

A LOT happened in 240 pages, but it wasn't necessarily fast-paced. There wasn't really any action, just lots of mystery and uncovering secrets. I really did enjoy this. I think I'm developing a newfound appreciation for certain historical fiction. The story was a little confusing at times; it constantly jumped between memories and present day - there was no chronological order to the story, which made it a little hard to follow. The story was definitely interesting though. I felt quite emotional at times, and certain parts were definite shockers.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: suicide, mental health, rape

A great book with a heart-wrenching story.

I read a number of WWII era stories. In fact, it’s one of my favorite genres to read.

The story follows two sisters, Anna and Esther, from Russia who are sent to live in Canada. It goes through the war period and “If Day.” Some parts weren’t as developed as I expected or am used to finding in a historical novel. Things seem to wrap up a bit too quickly. There are some turns that keep pulling the reader back to the story, which is good, as it was occasionally difficult for me to stay connected to the story, especially in regard to Anna. Things jump around quite a bit, making the story feel a bit thrown together at times.

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn't required to leave a positive review.

A historical fiction novel reminding us the persecution of Jews was not only WW II, but also in Russia where this novel takes place. We are also reminded even as Jewish women were considered animals, soldiers had no issues with taking advantage of them, even children. The ramifications of this abuse lasts a lifetime. While the theme was excellent, the book itself felt like it stayed on top of the issues and didn't delve as deep as the author easily could have.

A well-written, poignant story about 2 Russian sisters, and the diverse way they handled a new life in Canada post-Bolshevik Russia. Anna is torn between handling the mental illness of her sister, Esther, and making a new life for herself. The many twists and turns in this novel are well done, making this one of my top reads for 2018.

I never had a sister but I always wished I had one because I always thought I wouldn't have to look outside for a best friend and an ally if I had a sister. The story revolves around two sisters Anna and Esther who born in Russia but sent to live in Winnipeg with the Count and Countess. Esther is elder to Anna, beautiful but emotionally disturbed. Anna is the younger one, tall, but stronger with independent ideas. Esther has her episodes now and then and Anna is always there to support her. Anna is shocked by Esther's sudden death. The bond between the two sisters is incredibly written. This is not the kind of bond I assumed of with my imaginary sister, but its very different. They are two different people but the sisterhood always brings them together. They are always there for each other whenever there is a significant incident in their lives. Anna's rebellious nature attracted me. She does what she likes. Anna and Esther both had troubled childhood when they were taken away from their parents, but they both did their part to the less fortunate by volunteering at various causes. The Count and the Countess were of great influence. Many other supporting characters like Vera, the police inspector, Nathaniel, Oscar are well written.

The books took me through the whole Great War period, the If Day and how Jews were affected during that time. I could say this is a historical book. I felt that the book ended too soon. I'm sure the author has her reasons. All in all, I enjoyed the book. I look forward to reading more books from Heather Chisvin.

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Good parts: This book touched on a good bit of history from the 1890s to the 1930s (in Russia and the US) without you even realizing it. I thought the author weaved it into the story so well; it didn’t feel like a forced history lesson. I also thought the main character’s sister (Esther) had an interesting story. Her character seemed much more developed, and I probably would have given it four stars had the book been more about her.

Not so great parts for me: I didn’t like Anna, the main character. While she was generous with strangers, she continually neglected her family (with a few rare exceptions)—and the book, in my opinion, never gave any good answer as to why.

Overall, I found the book to be interesting but just okay. I think with more development of Anna the book could have been great.

2.5 not quite sure stars

Two Jewish sisters arrive in Winnipeg escaping from the pogroms after Tsar Alexander was assassinated. They are raised by Count and Countess and Anna, the younger sister leaves for Manhattan at age fifteen and is pregnant by her boyfriend from Russia (how he comes to Canada is not clear). Ester, the older sister, stays in Winnipeg eventually marrying. Ester becomes pregnant an does not want the child so she has an abortion in New York with the help of her sister.

Ester is troubled, she is mentally ill because of things that had happened to her in Russia. This is found out eventually though the journals Ester keeps that trigger memories in Anna. Unfortunately Ester commits what looks to be suicide although that is explained in a kind of murky way as an out of body experience. These experiences seem to plague Ester throughout her life.

Anna leads a free wheeling type of life, becomes involved with Margaret Sanger, the Bolsheviks as she is mistakenly sent back to Russia. She returns to America(again how she does so with no money is puzzling)

The sisters relationship is spotty at best. They don't see one another nor seem to have contact for long periods of time. Anna seems to care for Ester when it is convenient for her to do so.

So unfortunately, even though there might have been a story within these pages, it is buried underneath much cloudy telling. The structure to the story is missing as it jumps back forth and all over to relate incidents. One is not sure exactly what time frame you are reading about until you have read into a paragraph or two. There were too many incidents related and too many historical concepts pushed into the story that created a kind of haphazard story telling unfortunately.

Thank you to Heather Chrisvin, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel.

Two Russian Jewish sisters were sent to Winnipeg during the Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire following the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881. Esther, the older sister, spends her entire life in Winnipeg, occasionally experiencing episodes of mental illness; Anna, younger by four years, moves to New York City and ends up being a women’s rights activist there. In 1942, Esther returns to Winnipeg when she learns her sister has died in an apparent suicide. Having difficulty believing Esther took her own life, Anna reads Esther’s journals and examines her own memories of key events which shaped her life and that of her sister.

The novel covers just over 60 years, and it is obvious that the author did considerable historical research. I enjoyed learning about the California Perfume Company, womb veils, and If Day in Winnipeg. Historical figures like Margaret Sanger make cameo appearances. Sometimes, however, it felt as if the scope of the book is too broad and the examination of historical events is rather superficial. Anna finds herself in St. Petersburg in 1918, about a year after the Russian Revolution, but little information is given about the Russian political situation; the reader is left to figure out Bolsheviks and Mensheviks and Chekists. (Would a Russian nobleman support Bolshevism? Anna, for example, attributes her Bolshevik sympathies to her stepfather, an émigré Russian Count? She tells a Bolshevik, “’If it weren’t for [Count Chernovski] I wouldn’t be who I am today. I wouldn’t be nearly as sympathetic to your cause’”?)

Anna is not always a credible character. When she arrives in Canada, she is 5 years old. When she is 9 or 10, she is already spending her time, “reading about Grace Greenwood and Nellie Bly; articles on workers’ rights and sexual freedom and the vote for women”? At that age she can read Harper’s New Monthly and Century Magazine in her second language? She is only 15 when she finds herself in a situation that has her moving to Manhattan? What a precocious young girl!

There are some other implausible events which irk. That Nathaniel, Anna’s neighbour and friend in Russia, remains her friend in Canada seems unlikely. He lives in the north end of Winnipeg, in New Jerusalem, and she lives in the west end, in Armstrong’s Point. How would they have found each other? And Anna, a young girl living in a sheltered world where “there were rules of etiquette for everything,” is just allowed to wander around the city with Nathaniel? The officer in charge of the investigation into Esther’s death tells Anna, “’I thought you might want to look around [Esther’s house] before the police team goes through. We’ll be restricting access to the property at that time.’” He lets her into Esther’s home even though he says, “’We don’t want anyone going in until the investigation is over’”? He even tells her, “’You can do whatever you want.’” I guess police investigative procedures were very different in 1942? And then there’s the evasion of a plot problem. When a friend uncovers Anna’s deep secret, she asks how he found out and he replies, “’Anna. Don’t ask me that. It took years.’” Oh please!

The relationship between the sisters is interesting. Anna looks after her older but more fragile sister for the longest time but eventually becomes torn between taking care of Esther and escaping her. That is the pattern that emerges throughout Anna’s adult life. She convinces herself not to worry about Esther and to focus on her own life. This type of behaviour is understandable though it doesn’t always make Anna an admirable character. Anna knows Esther’s diagnosis for about 20 years, yet allows a situation where “After an initial flurry of letters and phone calls, our correspondence got spotty again”?

There is an interesting story here, but the telling is sometimes muddled. The eventual explanation for Esther’s death is certainly original. I just wish there were a less scattered structure so the novel’s potential could be better realized.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

I could go to 3.5 stars. There was a section toward the end that kind of veered way off course for me, where Anna ends up in Russia and stays for months and I couldn't get with it/believe it too much so felt that took away from the story. Overall, a good story about the younger sister taking care of the older sister and her increasing mental health issues, but wanting to be independent and living her own free life at the same time. I also learned another new piece of Canadian history that I never learned in school - "If Day". It did mean a tragic end for Esther who's mental state could not handle witnessing that again, and it brought up too many horrific memories. This aspect of the story was very much in the shadows and I wish perhaps there was more to it - this was more of a story about Anna with Esther being on the periphery.

4 stars Thanks to NetGalley, author Heather Chisvin, and Second Story Press for a chance to read this ARC. Publishes 4/10/18.

Two sisters traveling to Canada with the Count and Countess, sent away from Russia by their Mother. The Count expecting the parents to soon follow, ends up adopting the girls, Esther and Anna, when their parent never make the trip. The story covers the next 25 years in their lives.

It settles between the current day and their back story, taking us through the death of a husband, the kidnapping of a baby, an accidental deportation back to Russia and the reasons behind the alleged suicide of one sister.

This book is a quick read - it moves right along and holds your interest. Reasons unfold as the story works through all the problems that the sisters experience. The story starts with what is alleged to be a suicide and ends with the realization of what actually happened.

Grateful to Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review. This was an interesting story about two Jewish sisters given by their mother to a count and countess for protection against rising persecution of Jews in 1930s Eastern Europe. They are taken to Notth America where the reader follows their adult lives. The time and place changes through the book worked quite well and it was interesting to compare the lives of the sisters. I felt the ending was wrapped up too briskly but will refrain from expanding on this so as not to ruin how the story ends.

Writing: 3 Characters: 3 Plot: 4

Quite the grand undertaking! This historical novel follows the fortunes of two young Jewish sisters who are sent to Winnipeg, Manitoba, from a Russian shtetl in order to escape the pogroms in 1881. Anna eventually makes her way to New York where, fiercely independent and with a strong social conscience, she becomes part of the birth control movement. Esther remains in Winnipeg, marries well, and yet continues to suffer from strange episodes of altered state and a (quite natural) obsessive fear of anti-Semitism. In 1942, where the “present day” is centered, Anna receives notice that Esther has died, apparently a suicide, just as she returned to Winnipeg from her last visit. Untangling this mystery, as well as the fog around their departure from Russia, is the loose driver of the book.

The story is intricate and rich — almost too rich as the narrative veers wildly between different time periods (and locations). There is a lot of history stuffed into their lives - particularly Anna’s as she participates in so many cultural trends over the 60 years. Historical episodes include the Bolshevik revolution, the assassination of Alexander II, the stock market collapse, the Dust Bowl, the birth of Avon, early feminism, bohemians, psychiatric methods, TB sanitariums, jazz music, the birth control movement, and “If Day,” a simulation of Nazi takeover in Winnipeg designed to help raise war funds held on Feb, 19, 1942.

While I wish the editing had been a bit tighter and the characters drawn with a little more depth, I found the story quite gripping and read it through pretty quickly. The descriptions of Winnipeg in particular were completely new to me, as were several of the stories from that time period in New York.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review "A Fist Around the Heart"
by Heather Chisvin. The story settles around sisters, Anna and Esther Grieve. The sisters are taken to Canada from Russia by their mother's employer. Raised as their own, The Count and Countess raise the girls in a privileged home, unlike their one bedroom home back home in Russia. The sisters grow up and both go down different paths. Esther suffers from mental illness and Anna is constantly dropping everything to care for her sister. While this historical fiction is quite good, I found myself wanting more at the end. I would have liked to get more detail into Anna's life, instead of the focus being on Esther. I would like to know what happened to their mother. Anna was such an interesting character and I really enjoyed her. I was sad when the book ended.

Heartbreaking novel about the aftereffects of Russian sisters who are survivors of the Holocaust.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel.

The pacing of this novel was perfect—in the wake of her sister's apparent suicide, an elderly woman retraces her sister's life, and examines her own in the process. The quiet curiousity of the narrator drove the plot, and the characters felt well-rounded.

This book was not exactly as how it was described. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, but it did not dwell on Anna going to Winnipeg to look into seeing if the “If Day” had caused her sister’s death. Yes, she did go to Winnipeg to try and prove her sister was not suicidal. The story begins when Esther and Anna are just past middle age and it retraces their lives back to young girls when their mother gave them away to the Count and the Countess for safekeeping. It gives a lot of background on Manhattan in the early 1900’s and I found the information on the California Perfume Company and how birth control was illegal to be very interesting.
The writing was great, I loved the story line and I became invested in Anna and Esther. Anna was a shrewd business woman throughout her life, completely independent and was very responsible. Esther on the other hand was very needy, challenged with mental illness and I think what we consider now, suffered from PTSD from early events in her life. I learned many things about this era and really enjoyed the book. The story is told by Anna and basically follows her life and choices she made.
I would highly recommend, it covers happenings during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s very well. It was a quick read, and I thank Net Galley and The Second Story Press for allowing me the opportunity to review.