An inspiring story that fell a little short....i found myself struggling to really get invested in it.

While I liked this book overall, there were parts of it that just fell a little flat to me. Two of the characters are not even introduced until 3/4ths of the way through, so there's no time to form any sort of connection to them. With who I would consider the three "main" characters, there is also long passages of time that quickly pass by. I just found myself not really caring about about any of them.

Objectively, this book was very well written and not too long, so if you're looking for a quick read this may be for you. It just wasn't a fave of mine, and one that I probably won't think about again.

I grabbed this when it was available in the read now section of Netgalley and I just couldn’t get into it. Didn’t like the writing style. Very disappointed because I thought I would love it from the description.

This book, from the first few pages, drew me in and held me captive long after I finished. It's not perfectly written and has flaws, but the story and the trajectory of the lives of the characters were told in a way that felt so believable and likely relatable to so many other stories of immigrant families post-WWII through the present day. This is really a family saga. There is tragedy - multiple times over - but realistic tragedy that so many families have had to face in this world. I cried multiple times, but I couldn't put the book down. I would say that I loved the first 80% of the book. I was a bit annoyed with the introduction of new characters toward the end, but these characters' stories also helped tell the history of familial tragedy / trauma of American families in the later half of the 20th century. I'm glad I read it and I would recommend it to fans of 20th century historical fiction / post-WWII historical fiction, immigrant stories. There are a few trigger warnings to be aware of - Holocaust violence and atrocities, war and associated violence, loss of a child, Japanese internment in the US, animal cruelty. I did feel all of these issues were handled with appropriate sensitivity.

Thank you to #NetGalley the author and the publisher.

Another good historical book. I've read so many of them lately that they tend to blur together but this one stood out because it was about Jacob and Zalman who ended up building their "Castle in Brooklyn" where Jacob and his wife Esther lived for years. Zalman lived with them for a while after being coerced from where he was living on a farm in Minnesota. It was his house as well since he thought up the blueprints and they built it together.

The almost ending was sort of mishmosh to me with all the tenants after Esther moves to FL, but in the end it all comes together.

A Castle in Brooklyn by Shirley Russak Wachtel is an intriguing tale about friendship, love, marriage, parenthood, tragedy, and grief that spans decades. The novel is centered around two male friends, Jacob and Zalman, but there’s a strong focus on Jacob’s wife, Esther as well. I was drawn to Esther’s storyline the most, and found myself really looking forward to her chapters. This story is highly character-driven, yet the plot is very steady and eventful. A heartbreaking incident occurs around the halfway point that really sucked me into the lives of these characters. The sadness of the tragic event acts as a turning point for the three of them, and the reader is a witness to their loss, grief, and eventual healing as they move forward. I must say that the ending confused me a little. A lot of new characters were introduced, and I was unsure of the role they’d all play in the conclusion of the story. But in the end, it all made sense, and everything was tied together nicely. Unfortunately, I had to knock my rating down because of this. The writing of this particular section just didn’t work for me at all, and I would have preferred more about the three main characters instead. Other than that, I think all historical fiction fans will appreciate this novel. I give it 3.5/5 stars!

A story that spans decades of love and loss. It might just break your own heart.

There are multiple storylines, but it centers around a few main characters - Jacob, Esther, and Zalman. Jacob and Zalman escaped Poland during WWII and remained fast friends for most of their life. There is an incident that tears them apart, but you'll have to read the book to find out what exactly. They went different ways once they reached America, but they stayed in touch the best they could. Once Jacob married Esther, Zalman moved to New York and remained with them for many years. It was an interesting dynamic to watch how they interacted with each other.

The story is also about a house. The house was built by Jacob for Esther, and Zalman designed it. It was where they lived and created many memories. It was also where they dealt with some harshness that life threw at them. The house knew love, joy, pain, and sadness. There were many memories that were fondly remembered and others that broke hearts. It was interesting when the house was rented in later years how it was appreciated and then not appreciated by the tenants.

This story spans approximately 70 years, and I enjoyed the jumps back and forth in time because it gave me more information to understand Jacob and Zalman's past in Poland. It added layers to the characters that we couldn't understand until they told their story. Each of the characters in this story had their own issues to deal with that many of us might experience in our own lives.

I enjoyed this book and give it 4 paws up.

A heartwarming tale of two friends who found each other during the holocaust. The story is full of warmth, love, hope and kindness in the beginning. However, I felt it lost its essence in the second half of the book. The story felt dragged and boring. None of the characters got the ending they deserved and their stories felt incomplete.

Spanning many decades, and beginning in 1944 war torn Poland , a Castle in Brooklyn, is both historical fiction and a coming of age story. Jacob,is a Jewish war orphan hiding in a Polish barn where he meets he future best friend Zalman, only 12 years of age, also Jewish hiding from the Nazis. Both boys both , become confidantes, survive the extermination of six million Jews and emigrate to the U S A.
The basis of this story is heartbreaking in its origins while uplifting in hope for the future. It is Jacob’s fervent wish to build a home and a family in his new country. With the help of his best friend, this wish becomes a reality.
Life is never a smooth road. Through times of joy, times of unthinkable tragedy Jacob and his family face life on life’s terms. The book addresses important social and emotional issues. What does it mean to be a husband, wife, friend ? What are the boundaries we must never cross? How does the past affect us? Do the secrets we keep help or hurt our relationships?
The writing is lovely and very easy to read. I. flew through the pages eager to get to the end. Much as I enjoyed this book I wish the author had eliminated some of the drama at the end that wasn’t an integral part of the story and served as a distraction to the flow of the book.
Nonetheless, I liked this book a lot and recommend it to lovers of historical fiction taking place in mid twentieth century replete with housewives and a Brooklyn that still has land on which to build one’s castle.
My thanks to # NetGalley and publisher LittleA for an advance copy of this book.

Surviving the brutality of the Holocaust in WWII, these two friends immigrate to the United States towards new lives. Poignant and sensitively written, recommended reading.

When a young man seeks a hiding place in a barn in Poland during wartime, he meets another young man hiding there. Jacob, the older of the two, and Zalman form a friendship that will follow them through the war and to America. Zalman is ever the talker in his youth, but Jacob doesn't talk about his past. Instead, he tells stories of the house he longs to build.

Years later, the opportunity finally arises for Jacob to build his dream house - and there's no one better he can turn to to help him build it than Zalman. When Jacob sends for him, Zalman comes to help, designing and overseeing much of the building of the house.

Above all, this is the story of a house and the people who live in it, the lifetimes and days that they pass through in it, the love and hardships they share. For me, I would have liked to see the story slow down and focus more on the details of the characters lives. There was so much more I would have liked to see. Instead, it felt like time was speeding by, and we were left with some good moments, laughter and happiness, and so many broken pieces.

This is also the type of book that I would really like to discuss with other people. Maybe they would have a more positive experience with this book than I did, To see which parts stand out to them, and find if through different points of view I might find something that I had missed. Perhaps a great choice for book club discussions!

I wanted the entire novel to focus more on what was at the beginning - the pacing felt off and I lost interest the closer we got to present-time throughout the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

A historical fiction novel set across multiple decades. It centers around Jacob and Zalman who form an unlikely bond. Years later, Zalman helps Jacob build his "castle" in Brooklyn and tragedy occurs. I struggled to get into this one. I think the prologue could've been a glimpse into the future instead of just Jacob thinking about building his home. I think that would've helped hook me more as a reader.

A Castle in Brooklyn is a book about survival, dreams, tragedy, friendship and family. I was very engaged in the first half but less so as the story continued, especially as I approached the end which seemed forced.

A Castle in Brooklyn is a historical fiction story about two young Polish Holocaust survivors, Jacob Stein and Zalman Mendelson. Jacob is hiding in a barn, one night he’s woken by a noise, and he's worried it's the Germans. Zalman Mendelson is twelve years old, his family live in the nearby town of Raczki, when soldiers arrive at his house, he follows his dad’s instructions, Zalman hides and then he needs to find somewhere safe.

Jacob has lost track of time and he has no idea how long he has been staying in the barn, he doesn’t realise how lonely he is until Zalman arrives, and they spend a lot of their time talking, eighteen year old Jacob dreams of building a house and having a family. The boys are found, along with other Jewish people who have been in hiding and the group are marched into the forest. Jacob doesn’t want Zalman to end up in an unmarked grave, he’s given him a reason to fight to survive and somehow they manage to escape.

At the end of the war, the two young men are living in a displaced persons camp and they travel to America. Zalman moves to Minnesota, to work on a farm and he doesn’t want to live in a big city. Jacob stays in New York, twice a week he attends night school after working in a factory during the day and he meets Esther Itzkowitz. They marry, Esther’s father owns a real estate company, and Jacob starts working for his father-in-law. Jacob is busy, Zalman returns and helps Esther with overseeing the building of the couples house in Brooklyn and when it's completed he moves in with them.

Jacob and Zalman suffered dreadfully during the war and witnessed awful atrocities, both have nightmares and Jacob refuses to speak about his family and what happened to them. Unfortunately a terrible tragedy occurs, this causes friction between Jacob and Zalman and sadly Esther is caught in the middle.

I received a copy of A Castle in Brooklyn by Shirley Russak Wachtel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and the authors parents were survivors of the Holocaust. Over 80,000 Jewish immigrants moved America after the end of the Second World War, and she was inspired by them to write her novel. I think the book was too long, the last half of the narrative dragged for me and I wish someone had pointed this out to Ms. Wachtel. A stunning cover, such a promising idea for a story about loss, survival, friendship, immigration, denial, misunderstandings and three stars from me.

A story about the evolution of friendship, a house, a home, and the outcomes.
Jacob and Zalman survived WWII and then immigrated to the US fir a fresh start. Zalman helped Jacob build his dream house in Brooklyn and then lived there for many years.
Part of the story I guessed and the rest was easy to fill in.
A house can become a home, mostly through its inhabitants.
It’s a time,y, compelling story.

I really enjoyed how well Shirley Russak Wachtel wrote this, it was what I was hoping for in a immigration story. I really felt for the characters and I wanted all of the best for them. It was written in a great way and kept me invested in what was going on. I enjoyed the time-period used and getting to understand what was going on. The characters worked well and I'm glad I got to read this. It was a strong entry in this type of book and I'm glad it was so well done.

"Esther had decided to give up her dreams of running the family business. She’d encouraged Jacob to take over, let him be the man. And in the end, everyone had believed that she wanted nothing more than to make a home for her new husband. Everyone but herself. But now, as she listened to Sally’s cries, saw the circles beneath her eyes deepen, Esther wished her mother had something else to occupy her time besides a sick husband. And she hoped that the same fate would not await her."

Shirley Russak Wachtel’s debut novel, A Castle In Brooklyn, is a beautifully constructed story following two young men, Salman and Jacob, across six decades from Poland to America. She reveals how the experience in their teens with the Nazis influenced almost every aspect of their future.

I appreciated the reminder that their survival, both present and future, depended on their honesty and trust in each other. In addition to an examination of what makes a house a home and what constitutes ‘family,’ I also appreciated her focus on what ‘being there’ for another really entails. If we aren’t willing to unpack the baggage and deal with the fallout, we aren’t really a support for a needy friend.

While the beginning was focused and compelling, the narrative slowly meandered through the following decades and my interest waned slightly along the way. Regardless, this is a heartfelt debut story about the weaving together of dreams, disappointments, and three hearts.

I was gifted this copy by Little A and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This book is so beautifully written. It’s about two mens survival and determination during WW2, it’s about joy and family, good friends, love and heartbreak. It’s about the one house that ties it all together and makes you realize the world is not such a large place after all, and that eventually you will always find your way home.
A Castle in Brooklyn is a story of two boys who become friends during the war and the journey of their immigration to the US. The book narrates through decades that tells the story of their friendship, loyalty, tragedy, love and building a house that they can call home.