pandacat42's review against another edition
3.0
I believe as I read I should rate whether a book was somewhat vulgar or not. This one was alittle at parts. I should also note this book reminds me of something I might be forced to read for adiversity class. While I enjoyeyed it some I did skip a part because I didn't find it appropriate. I am one of those people who will skip over sexual scenes.
Anyway, there were some redeeming qualities to the book. I always enjoy stories where the main character has optimism and pushes through adversity with a good attitude. It is hard to read about mopey characters who do not care for life. I started getting fed up with the wife for that reason.
Anyway, there were some redeeming qualities to the book. I always enjoy stories where the main character has optimism and pushes through adversity with a good attitude. It is hard to read about mopey characters who do not care for life. I started getting fed up with the wife for that reason.
rlk7m's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't particularly like any of the characters, and that made it hard for me to care what happened. Parts of the writing were just dreadful and I found myself skimming the last 100 pages.
sophward's review against another edition
4.0
This book was adorable! It's about a Jewish man and his wife who move to England to escape Germany and the war. Jack Rosenblum wants nothing more than to become a true English Gentleman. It's such a sweet story and sometimes sad, as he faces discrimination from the English. I recommend this to anyone who loves being English or wishes they were... like me!
iamsammie27's review against another edition
*nothing to do with the book… I’m almost exclusively reading on my kindle
_dunno_'s review against another edition
3.0
Many years ago I read (or was told, cannot remember exactly) that if you emigrate to USA you can be an American sooner or later, while if you emigrate to England you can never be an Englishman.
Now, trying to save himself and his family, Mr. Rosenblum flees Berlin right before WWII and goes straight to London, to start a new life. But he doesn't just want to live there, he wants to be a proper gentleman. (He obviously hadn't read the thing I had). Therefore, he has a list of things to do in order to become one: learn and speak only English, buy English products, wear an English suit and hat, drive an English car, and last but not least, play golf.
The book is touchy and funny, too bad it has ups and downs. While Jack ticks the things on the list one by one, struggling to be accepted in the English society, his wife struggles on her own, fighting with the pain of knowing her family in Berlin was left facing the Holocaust.
P.S. I wish I owned muttie's recipe book.
Now, trying to save himself and his family, Mr. Rosenblum flees Berlin right before WWII and goes straight to London, to start a new life. But he doesn't just want to live there, he wants to be a proper gentleman. (He obviously hadn't read the thing I had). Therefore, he has a list of things to do in order to become one: learn and speak only English, buy English products, wear an English suit and hat, drive an English car, and last but not least, play golf.
The book is touchy and funny, too bad it has ups and downs. While Jack ticks the things on the list one by one, struggling to be accepted in the English society, his wife struggles on her own, fighting with the pain of knowing her family in Berlin was left facing the Holocaust.
P.S. I wish I owned muttie's recipe book.
staticdisplay's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure how this ended up on my to-read list. the story grew on me.
caroparr's review against another edition
3.0
Really 3 1/2 stars - went on too long but has a perfect ending. It reminded me strongly of the books by John Moore (The Brensham Trilogy), who wrote lyrically about the English countryside and of wild local characters with a whiff of magic about them. And if this sounds twee, I'm not describing them well.
geneticginger's review against another edition
3.0
A very good book. It describes the adventures of a Jew and his wife who are refugees from Germany during World War II. Jack is obsessed with building a golf course and becoming an Englishman and the book details that marvelously.
emilmoor's review against another edition
3.0
if i could give it 3.5 stars i would. i got a bit teary in parts and laughed in other parts. books like this make me appreciate the wonderful life i am able to live.
marlo_c's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a bit slow, but I enjoyed taking the time to wander through it. Jack refuses to acknowledge sadness or difficulties, and his wife, Sadie, refuses to be happy. Jack, a German Jew, wants more than anything to be an Englishman, and Sadie wants to remember her heritage and her family in Berlin. I enjoyed the story of marriage and belonging, and I loved the setting. At times funny and other times touching, it was always subtle.