I truly enjoyed reading this story about such a strong woman. Perseverance at its finest! I was sorry to learn a week after she had been in South Miami that I missed Elizabeth Graver's presentation.

“Kantika” by Elizabeth Graver is a dazzling Sephardic multigenerational saga that spans continents and generations. The novel follows the joys and losses of Rebecca Cohen, a feisty daughter of the Sephardic elite in early 20th-century Istanbul. When the Cohens lose their wealth and move to Barcelona, Rebecca forges a life from what comes her way—failed marriages, the need to earn a living, passion, pleasure, and motherhood. Her journey takes her from Spain to Cuba and finally to New York for an arranged second marriage. Amidst displacement and endurance, the novel explores identity, place, and exile. The female body, in work, art, and love, serves as a site of both suffering and joy. A haunting meditation on women’s tenacity, “Kantika” celebrates seizing beauty and embracing life.

Although this was an epic effort and an epic novel in scope it took me forever to read it and was not something I would recommend.
The writing was cumbersome and the story was slow.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest revew

If you liked Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, you need to try Kantika! Kantika was an incredible reading experience. I was sucked into this multigenerational story that follows a Sephardic Jewish family from Turkey to Spain to America and beyond. Graver has a mesmerizingly poetic, quite personal way of writing her characters, and I felt everything with them. Kantika explores Jewishness, the reality of being strangers in a foreign land, what women must sacrifice and might gain through that sacrifice, life lost and love found, wounds inflicted and healed.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Gail Shalan, and it was an ideal way to read Kantika. Gail did a superb job with the narration.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an audioARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for letting me listen to this audiobook. This Story had a good premise but sadly it just didn`t work for me. I just couldn`t get in to the story, i kept being lost.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a fascinating read. A bit slow to start, but it was interesting to get a glimpse into Rebecca and her family's lives. I would have liked a little more before it ended but overall a good, and educational, read. The narrator was perfect.

Kantika is a multigenerational saga about the Cohen family and their displacement across four countries. It specifically follows Rebecca Cohen and the joys she experiences in the face of many challenges and losses.

I’ve seen some amazing reviews for Kantika, but I really struggled to follow the story. The writing was extremely detailed which was beautiful to listen to, but it made me feel confused about the plot. Kantika is a historical fiction novel based on the author’s family history which is special and unique. I think readers who enjoy slow-paced, character-driven books with very descriptive writing will enjoy this one.

I have been curious about the history and culture of the Sephardic Jews for some time. Kantika, (which means song in the Ladino dialect) by Elizabeth Graver explored those themes and so much more. It was a multigenerational saga that began in Istanbul during the early twentieth century. Author, Elizabeth Graver, transported her readers from Istanbul to Barcelona, Spain, to Havana, Cuba and finally to New York as the Cohen family moved, evolved, assimilated as best they could and adjusted to their new circumstances with each new move.

Rebecca Cohen grew up in a loving family in Istanbul. Her father was respected and he provided his family with a wealthy lifestyle. Although ReBecca and her sister and brothers were brought up observing the Sabbath and the various Jewish traditions and holidays, they all attended a Catholic school. Hard times hit Istanbul and Jewish families began to leave. Rebecca’s best friend and her family went to America and settled in New York. More than anything, ReBecca wanted her family to follow her best friend’s family to America but it was not to be. Rebecca’s father had no interest in moving until he lost all his wealth. By that time, Rebecca’s father was offered only one destination. His family was displaced to Barcelona, Spain. Generations ago, Spain had persecuted the Jews and ousted them from their country. Now here they were returning to a country that had hated them and made them flee all those years ago. Rebecca’s father was forced to accept a menial labor position as the custodian of the synagogue. The family would live in the synagogue and her father would take care of its upkeep. Rebecca’s father was so embarrassed by the turn his life had taken but he was offered no other choice but to accept this decision and abide by its terms. The Cohen family packed up what they could manage to take with them and began a new life in Barcelona.

Life in Barcelona was not easy and the family had a hard time adjusting to their new life. Rebecca secured work as a seamstress. Before long, ReBecca met a Jewish man and they were married. They had two sons together. Her marriage was not a happy one though. Her husband often abandoned her for long periods of time. Rebecca discovered that her husband was not very smart and that he lied to her on several occasions. After only a few years of marriage, ReBecca found herself a widow. She was forced to move back in with her parents. Rebecca’s mother helped her with the care of her sons so Rebecca could venture out and earn money. She had become a very adept seamstress so she tried to find a job using those skills. In order to secure a job, ReBecca was forced to use an alias name and wear simple and unassuming clothing.

Upon Rebecca’s oldest sister’s urging, ReBecca entertained an arranged marriage proposal. Rebecca was to travel from Barcelona to Havana to meet her potential new husband. She would travel alone and leave her sons with her mother. If the potential husband was to Rebecca’s liking, her sons would follow her to America accompanied by her mother. If the new husband was not satisfactory, Rebecca would return to Barcelona. The new suitor had been her best friend’s husband until she died giving birth to her daughter. Rebecca ended up choosing to marry and moved to New York with her new husband. Her biggest and most significant challenge was about to be presented to Rebecca. Before marrying, Rebecca’s new husband had told her that his daughter had been born disabled. However, she never imagined to what degree that meant. When Rebecca was initially introduced to Luna she was overwhelmed with anxiety and uncertainty. Would Luna and Rebecca warm to each other? How would they change and impact each other’s lives?

Kantika was the first book that I had the pleasure of reading by Elizabeth Graver. I listened to the audiobook that was very well narrated by Gail Shalan. Elizabeth Graver based her novel, Kantika, on her own Grandmother Rebecca’s life and journey that ultimately brought her to America. Rebecca Cohen proved to be a strong Sephardic Turkish woman who endured much but was able to rise above and overcome her fears, difficulties and challenges. Kantika was about family, a sense of belonging, home, love, exile, displacement, and enduring the difficult times. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Kantika and recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media LLC for allowing me to listen to Kantika by Elizabeth Graver through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Gail Shalan
Content: 3.5 stars ~ Narration: 4.5 stars

Kantika is a multigenerational saga about the Cohen family that starts in Istanbul in the early 20th century. Their family, with many other Sephardic Jews, ran from their hometown in Spain a few generations ago. Now the Cohen family is wealthy and lives in Istanbul. But life soon is not as it used to be - they lose their wealth and decide to migrate to Spain again. The daughter, Rebbeca Cohen, is still an unmarried young woman when they move, so she goes with them.

Further on, we track Rebecca’s journey from Spain to Cuba and later to New York. Also, we learn about her struggles and desires. We get to know her children and some of their journeys.

The story of Kantika is inspired by the life story of Elizabeth Graver's grandmother Rebecca and her journey that brought her to America.

This was my first encounter with the story of Sephardic Jews. For me, the story was educational because I didn’t know anything about their past. But I constantly felt like something was missing in this story. I think some more depth would be better. This way, the reader could get attached to the characters more. It would be a very long historical fiction, but family sagas often are.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story of Kantika, and I would recommend this (audio)book to those interested in the history of Sephardic Jews.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for the ALC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

This book was just eh for me. It didn’t truly hold my attention but I didn’t necessarily hate it either. It did leave me wondering throughout and there were a few story lines that could’ve been left out or explained better.

Beautiful cover, evolving storyline #kantika by @elizabeth.graver narrated by @grshalan #jewishfamily #strongwoman #educatedwoman #displaced #widowed #stepparents #parenting #disability #progress #turkiye #spain #cuba #newyork #myeyespreferaudiobooks🎧 #dreamscapemedia #NetGalley

Kantika is a multi-generational family saga that covers the first half of the 20th century. The Cohen family is Turkish and Jewish, and is comfortable in Constantinople (now Istanbul) in the early years of the 20th century as the book opens. World War I changes everything. The Cohens are Sephardim, their ancestors having fled Spain during the Inquisition, centuries before. Their story is an engaging one with interesting characters and, although I’m fairly knowledgeable about 20th century history and Jewish history in particular, I still learned a lot about this culture and how they lived (different from my own Ashkenazic/East European Jewish background). The book follows members of the family from Turkey to Spain, to Cuba and ultimately to New York City. Kantika is based on the experiences of the author’s family, which made it even more interesting to me.

The individual family members were well-drawn individuals, with Rebecca being the main character throughout the book. Her step-daughter, Luna, was particularly interesting, as she was born with disabilities. How Rebecca worked with her and her coming-of-age were vividly described. In my opinion the ending just kind of fizzled out, but overall, this was an engaging and interesting book.

The audiobook’s narrator, Gail Shalan, did a fabulous job with all the various accents and languages spoken. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I recently found this book while scanning the new release audiobook section on Netgalley and I'm so glad I did. While I had heard of the author previously, I had yet to read their writing. What a spectacular introduction this was!

Kantika is a multi-generational story about a Jewish family that spans a large chunk of time and several continents. We initially follow Rebecca, who comes from a well to do family in Istanbul. After financial difficulties, the family moves to Barcelona and further difficulties see Rebecca sent to New York (via Cuba) for a arranged second marriage. Rebecca finds herself with her hands full due to her young disabled step daughter who has previously been coddled and protected from the outside world.

First of all, I enjoyed Rebecca and Luna both as characters immensely. They are both stubborn and strong, but in different ways. I saw them as sort of parallels of each other and I think that's why Rebecca is so determined to help Luna succeed. All of the other characters were well done too, but Rebecca and Luna and their relationship really shines in particular/

I loved how this book discussed so many important topics. It covered immigration to the US in a way that was factual to the time, but also still resonates with modern day. It talked about the rising antisemitism across Europe and the fears that came with it. It talked about sexuality and the importance of honesty between romantic partners. It talked about the way we set expectations for people based on our perception of their abilities. I'm sure there were quite a few other important themes, but those were just a couple that stood out. This book was genuinely packed with meaning.

I'll admit that I was nervous when I saw how much time and how many places this book spanned, but my nerves were all for nothing. This was an extraordinarily ambitious project, but Graver managed it well. I never felt like the book dragged or got clunky. It included enough detail and time in each location to allow the reader to settle in.

One other thing that was a bonus for me was the inclusion of language. I have not had the chance to hear Ladino before, but as a fluent Spanish speaker, I found it easy to understand the phrases and songs written in Ladino. The differences in pronunciations and occasional unfamiliar words were so interesting and I could see all the ties into modern Spanish. I don't know if this would be quite so interesting for someone who does not speak Spanish, but I was pretty fascinated.

If I am nitpicking, the only real critique I have is that the first half of the book is perhaps a bit slower than the second half, but I personally did not see that as a problem. I enjoyed taking my time to understand who Rebecca was, what was going on, and the challenges she faced.

All in all, if you are a fan of character focused novels, multi-generational sagas and/or historical fiction, I highly recommend this book. I will certainly be on the lookout for books by Elizabeth Graver in the future.

As for the narration of the audiobook, I found it really well done. I can only base this comment on my fluency in Spanish and my understanding of how Ladino is different, but I thought the narrator sounded very good when pronouncing words in Ladino. It is not an easy task to switch back and forth between languages, but the narrator did it flawlessly. I also thought she brought all of the characters to life quite well. If you are a fan of audiobooks, I'd definitely recommend the audiobook version if only to hear the proper pronunciation.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Elizabeth Graver, and Metropolian Books for this Audio- ARC. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.

A beautiful multigenerational story about the Cohen family and their life having to hide their Judaism. I thought this was so beautifully written and I loved reading from the perspective of Rebecca and seeing her travels across the world. I also felt like I really learned a lot about Judaism and the challenges and heartbreaks families can/have faced especially in WW2. I do think this started of at a very slow pace but I understand the author had to lay out the family dynamics which takes a while, however it is worth sticking with it for a beautifully heart-breaking story with amazing and vivid descriptions that will teach you about different cultures, religions and history.

Thank you again to Net Galley for a copy of this audiobook. The story follows Rebecca Cohen and her life story living originally in Turkey, to her move to Spain pre-WW2, and then eventually to America. It was a monumental novel that had multiple perspectives and a lot of details. While I enjoyed the rich descriptions and events, I felt the book dragged in the middle and the ending felt abrupt (I can't win haha). I really enjoyed each of the characters and particularly enjoyed her step-daughter Luna who I suspected had a type of polio that Rebecca helps her overcome to some degrees. Learning about the Jewish history in Turkey and in Spain was fascinating and I appreciated the historical summaries along the way. I enjoyed this and I think next time I would get a physical copy of the book instead of audiobook. The narrator was fabulous in every way and I found her voice so soothing and easy to listen to. Overall well done.

Thank you Net Galley and Metropolitan Books for this copy!

3.5

This book was pleasant enough but not my thing at the end of the day.

I listened to an ARC of the audio version read by Gail Shalan. My only tiny bugbear about this was the male voices who all sounded as though they were talking through their teeth. Otherwise it was a good, clear, often impassioned reading that I enjoyed. I recognise how hard it is for men to do women's voices and vice versa.

The book for me for a little short of great though. The story, I've read, is based on the author's family, so it's hard to critique actual family history. It simply felt rushed. I would have been happier with longer spent on each section. The section in the US was interesting and the children's parts were more compelling than the adults.

However it was the end that really disappointed me. It was as though the author simply got tired of writing whereas I wanted to know what happened next. This feels like it could have done being a two part or even three part historical fiction.

The very first thing that struck me about this novel was how effortlessly lyrical the prose was, and how brilliantly Gail Shalan's narration brought it to life. This multigenerational saga follows a Jewish family through several moves, including Turkey, Spain, Cuba, and the United States, and over several years. There are many challenges including antisemitism, betrayal, death, disability, displacement, and war, but there are joys as well as they find love and community in new places. Many historical fiction novels are quite bleak, but in this one Elizabeth Graver does a great job of balancing between the sweet and the bitter.

(I'll be honest, I'm more of a historical fantasy or historical romance reader than straight up historical fiction, hence the four star rating. I bet many historical fiction enthusiasts will give this a resounding five stars!)

Quick confession: Kantika by Elizabeth Graver was almost a DNF for me. Yup, I contemplated throwing in the towel around the 40% mark, but something told me to keep going. To be perfectly honest, the first half of this novel is a bit of a snoozefest. Don’t get me wrong—the writing is gorgeous, the characters are vibrant, the plot is steady from start to finish—but it took a really long time to grab (and hold) my attention. I fully understand that the author needed to introduce the family, and set up the storyline, so that can be time consuming. It also runs the risk of losing the reader, and allowing them to check out. When I start to zone out, lose focus, and have to rewind the audiobook multiple times, that’s generally a red flag. Thankfully, once the story really zeroed in on Rebecca, her adulthood, and move from Spain, to Cuba, and then New York, I was 100% invested and totally hooked.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Multigenerational sagas
- Immigration stories
- Complex family dramas
- Themes of marriage & motherhood
- Historical fiction
- Jewish representation

Overall, I’m SO glad that I listened to that little book fairy sitting on my shoulder, telling me to push through. Otherwise, I would have missed out on good one! Kantika is out now, and I give it 4/5 stars!

This is the beautiful story of the love and losses of the Cohen Family. The Cohen family is happily living in Turkey when they lose their fortune. Rebecca's father packs up the family, and they move to Spain. While in Spain, the family resides in a small home, and the father is the caretaker of the small local synagogue. The family hides their Judaism, and the local temple has no markers to indicate its presence. Rebecca, the feisty daughter of the bride, finds work as a seamstress and creates her own business. The story of the Cohen family is narrated from Rebecca's perspective, and we learn a lot about her life experiences and her family's. I could write so much about Kantika and the affairs of the Cohen, but I'll leave that to other readers. It is a lovely story and emphasizes the experiences of Sephardic Jews in the early to late twentieth century. I recommend Kantika to readers that enjoy family sagas and Jewish culture.

Kantika
by Elizabeth Graver
An eye opening story of the Sephardic Jews. Their recovery, return and repatriation to Spain. Only to lead to a secondary expulsion by Spain in the light of the Antisemitism of Spain in the years before World War 2. The difficult circumstances of the people in Constantinople, Spain and finally America. The book looks into the difficulty of religion, racism, feminisms, and disabilities during this difficult times. Its a heartbreaking story of gains and losses, life and death for a young woman who has to find her place and connection to the world. I felt that the story is one I haven't heard. That the themes and ideology is important for current discussions about history, racisms and religious intolerance. The double bladed sword of family, country, and politics. The book is a great story to bring the students the view point of Jews, and the environment of Europe before world war 2 and American immigration.