The Children's Dream

The Premonition

In a Jewish neighborhood in Poland the Aizenberg family lives with Herschel, his wife Naomi and their three girls Shoshana, Perle and Bluma. Perle and Bluma are twins and Shoshana is the eldest daughter.

Naomi has dreams that are premonitions of things to come, it runs in her family. Twins run in her family and only one twin has the dreams. When she has a recurring dream of soldiers with a red flag with a spider in the middle she is frightened. Herschel, her husband, does not believe in premonitions her tells her it is only a nightmare. When her daughter Perle begins having dreams about smoke stacks , creepy doctors and a red flag with a spider in the middle, Naomi is really worried that something is not right, something bad is coming.

Naomi has a terrible secret she is hiding from her husband, she has a secret love Eli. They meet in secret until her parents pass away and she is certain that God is punishing her for her disobedience. She does not love Herschel, he was an arranged marriage by her father. She love Eli, but she knows she must let him go. Herschel has secrets of his own. Can the two of them forgive each other and save their marriage?

No one in the Village suspects that in the near future Naomi's dreams will come true and that the Nazi's with the red flags with the spider in the middle will be marching down their streets.

This book had so much about the customs of the Jewish people and Hanukkah. I was interested in the food and the celebration. In fact, I was interested in all the food listed in the book and looked some of it up on Google to find out what it was.

It is also a story of communication or rather the lack of in a marriage. The strong husband is the boss and wife does what he says type of marriage. It is a story of the love between Naomi and her twin sister Miriam.

The process of an arranged marriage is discussed and whom is a suitable match and why. I found it quite interesting that the girls and the boys were not allowed to talk to each other before marriage was arranged.

This was a good first book of the series. I eagerly await the next book.

Thanks to Roberta Kagan for writing another great book, to The Book Whisperer for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.

I think this book should be titled ‘The Mother’s Dream’ more than ‘The Children’s Dream’ because the main dream in the story is the mother’s not the daughter’s. It is an incredible look at life in Poland for Orthodox families during the World Wars. But I find it incredible that with the father’s work in the city he didn’t hear anything about the rise of the Nazis in Germany and what they were saying against Jews.

Set mostly in the 1930s near Warsaw, this hauntingly evocative book is the first in the Auschwitz Twins Series and is as wonderful as this author's other works. The beautiful writing hooked me immediately and didn't let me go until the remarkable end. In fact, it still hasn't released me after finishing it. We read of sorrow, despair, love, torment and several relationships. My favourite is that of sisters Naomi and Miriam.

Naomi lives with her grim husband Hershel, to whom appearance, reputation and financial comfort mean everything. Though blessed with three daughters and a nice home she is unhappy in her arranged marriage and seeks affection in another man. Her guilt is overwhelming and she believes her hardships are an atonement for her sins. She and daughter Perle are burdened with foreboding and very lucid dreams about spidery flags, blood and smokestacks. But Naomi is not the only one with secrets. And life is starting to change all around them.

The Jewish culture has always intrigued me and I am always happy to learn more from Kagan's books. I really like the use of the vernacular and introduction of customs. The premise of this series is fascinating and the writing is intoxicating. My favourite books are not all about daisies and roses but real life. Some characters are likeable, others detestable, making a great mix! All are believable and convincing making for an engaging read.

Historical Fiction readers who prefer some oomph and grit in their reading, please do read this book...and Kagan's others. She is one of my happiest discoveries in the past two years and I read hundreds of books each year.

My sincere thank you to The Book Whisperer and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this achingly beautiful book. I am anxious to discover what will happen in Book #2!

An orthodox Jewish family living in Poland before WW2. A mother raising her 3 daughters while facing that she´ll never have a good relationship with the man she had to marry. A gift or curse of prophetic dreams that is in her blood. And horrible nightmares about soldiers and nazi flaggs hunting her and one of her daughters.
An amazing tale of surviving the day-to-day while trying to analyze dreams. The desperation of finding someone who would listen, or beg for it to be just nightmares. A combination of longing for happiness and facing the hard truths.
Yet if I'm being honest the thought of who is stronger in my mind right now is that I desperately need more of this story ...

Roberta has done it again!! I can't wait until the next book comes out. Naomi is the main mother in the book. She loves Eli but is married time Herschel. They live in Poland. Both Naomi and one of her twins have dreams, that they can see in the future. They both have had dreams about Nazi's, although they don't know what they are. . . yet.

A well written novel. Roberta Kagan has a way of writing that makes you feel you are right there with the characters. A heart breaking story of pre WWII, love, and all the other feelings that go along with her novels. Hope there will be a follow up book

Set in an Orthodox Jewish community in 1930s Warsaw, this book features a mother, Naomi and her daughter Pearle, who have terrible dreams that are actually premonitions. During the lead up to WWII, the both suffer from nightmares that foreshadow the coming Nazi invasion.

This poignant book provides an extensive look into life in the sheltered Jewish communities in Poland and their customs. You can tell how much research the author conducted while writing this book, and the details of the holidays they celebrate are especially fascinating. The characters often make poor choices, and I exclaimed out loud in frustration with them on more than one occasion. The book ends with a cliff hanger and leaves the reader eager to find out what happens in the sequel.

Many thanks to The Book Whisperer and Net Galley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.