Echo from Mount Royal
by Dave Riese
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Pub Date Jan 08 2015 | Archive Date Feb 03 2019
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Description
Imagine you are 18 and fall in love with a handsome, wealthy young man. Your romantic dreams have come true – except his family hates you!
Montreal, 1951. Rebecca Wiseman, 18, a bright college student, lives with her working-class parents. At a local dance, she meets a handsome young man, but has little hope of seeing him again. When Sol Gottesman tracks her down and asks her on a date, her joy mingles with disbelief when she learns he is the son of a wealthy businessman.
Sol takes her in a chauffeured Rolls-Royce to the most expensive restaurant in the city, introducing Rebecca to a world of upper-class wealth and privilege. Rebecca is head over heels in love and believes her life is perfect.
But despite Sol’s outward charm, he lacks self-confidence and is mistrustful. He reveals the simmering conflicts in his family and his fears that his brother plans to drive him out of the family business. Rebecca, headstrong but naïve; wants to protect Sol and help him to stand up to the pressure from his family.
Soon after their engagement, a shocking family secret of child abuse comes to the surface. Rebecca tries to convince Sol that her love and support is all he needs. Shortly before their wedding, Sol disappears. Rebecca’s search to discover what has happened to him becomes even more desperate when she realizes she is pregnant.
"A bittersweet story of love and loss set in one of the most colorful cities on the planet in its film-noirish heyday." - Peter Behrens, author of Law of Dreams and The O'Briens.
2016 Next Generation Indie Book Award: Winner in the General Fiction/Novel category
Advance Praise
Goodreads
David Stone 4 stars Apr 30, 2015
The Prologue of Dave Riese’s “Echo from Mount Royal” had me hooked…how many of us are old enough to be surprised by the history available on “The Net”, our history, photographs of our hometowns from bygone years, searches made for childhood friends who now have children and grandchildren of their own, or have left an obituary to explain a life well lived? Well, octogenarian Rebecca Weiss, the book’s protagonist, is surprised to find out that Montreal, circa 1951, was only a “click” away...
Interestingly, Dave Riese is not Jewish, but he writes this story using the voice of a young half-Jewish woman, Rebecca, who finds herself entering the world of Orthodox Judaism through a marriage proposal, a journey that may only physically cross a city, but is a momentous cultural leap. Having a Catholic father will pose a problem to Rebecca's courtship with her beau, Sol, in ways that she had never imagined...but the fact that her family is economically challenged relative to Sol's may prove to be that last straw in determining their future…
I have to extend kudos to Dave Riese, who after completing a career outside of literature, decided to write a first novel while in his mid-sixties. So, I’ll say “Mazel Tov” to this talented gentile, who was courageous enough to submit a novel into a historically rich category: Jewish Fiction.
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Readers' Favorite
It's a love story, a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and how the pattern of one's life can change dramatically in just a blink of an eye. For Rebecca, this dramatic change was almost her undoing, as she came to realize that, "One cannot escape life. Whatever happens, one must endure." Author Dave Riese has written a very moving romantic tragedy. . .The story is well paced as it grips the reader right from the beginning. A well-crafted story. – Emily-Jane Hills Orford
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Contemporary-Books.com
Echo from Mount Royal by Dave Riese is a sweeping saga about young Rebecca who finds herself head over heels in love with Sol, a boy from a wealthy family. . .Her tale is a reminder of the exhilarating joy first love can bring, and the deep scars it can leave behind.
Rebecca is a very likable character [who] thinks that love is more than enough to conquer complex issues such as class and religion. . .From the opening pages, I was hooked on her narrative. Sol is a very complicated character. . .He is mistrusting and has a very complicated relationship with his family. When disturbing family conflicts come to the surface, Rebecca tries her hardest to make him believe that her love and support is all he needs.
Full of vivid descriptions, crisp dialogue and a headstrong female protagonist at its center, this book left me emotionally exhausted but equally sad to see it end. – Malka Ahmed
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9781732091702 |
| PRICE | $2.99 (USD) |
Links
Featured Reviews
Cristie U, Book Trade Professional
This book was so much more than the typical love story. It captured the emotions and excitement of first love. I loved how the story was told via a Rebecca that is older. This was just so well written that I am going to seek out more from this author.
HELENA M, Educator
I received a copy of this book through Net Galley.
A very interesting story line,although I think thst dome of the characters could have been developeped further ,such as Ezra,and Jacqeline to make the story a super read,alghough I thought that the story finished a bit abruptly for the reader,it needed a bit more polishing out,but after saying that it was a good read and can be used as discusion points for a book club or classroom debate about how society was in the past.
Katherine A, Reviewer
I really like this novel and thank #netgalley for the opportunity to read it before publication.
I found myself drawn in from the first page to a world unlike any I had experienced or read before—Jewish Canada of the early fifties—which felt very true to the time. This story is told from the point of view of an old woman remembering her life as a young woman in college awakening to love, life and possibilities beyond what she is used to. I really like and felt for her character and most of the other characters too. Some were not nice but how they acted was understandable in the context of the story.
Read #echofrommountroyal for the joy of discovering another way of life in another time.
Dianne M, Reviewer
This love story which took place in the 50's had me hooked from the 1st.chapter.
It was almost impossible to put down,but sadly I was unable to read it in one sitting,as other chores kept me busy as well.
The story starts when a daughter wants her 81 yr.old mother to get a computer.As she knew nothing about the computer or even how to get on the net,the job is left to her 12 yr.old grandson to teach her.
He comes over,turns on the computer and she is able to look.up an old friend she had lost touch with and with that simple reaching out and with a prompt reply from the old friend,she drifts back to the 50's.
She was from a comfortable home but far from rich and she met and fell in love with a rich gentleman,at least his parents were.
They disliked her and her.family almost immediately and his brother was despicable in his treatment of her.
They let them go ahead and plan for their wedding and the groom's father even bought the bride's gown,all at his own insistence. Invitations were sent out,at least on the Bride's side?
They were given an apartment,furniture moved in and everything was ready for the wedding or was it?
To tell you more,would ruin the whole book and it's too good of a read to do that !
A huge thank you to,the author Dave Riese for writing "Echo from Mount Royal" and to Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read and review.
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