The author of Eli’s Promise did it again ... loved his most recent book, that grabbed me from the start!

I have read all of ( historical fiction) books and they have been unputdownable!
I would highly recommend his newest book!

3 people found this helpful

Balson saves us from the full horror

mostly through the shifts in time. We are not forced to suffer as he did (along with so many others) in real time. He gives us respites by jumping ahead in time, so we know that at least this or that person survived. The betrayals and deaths come up slowly, with breathing space, rather than inexorably goose-stepping into our homes in the middle of the night. The horror is still there, but we are saved from its full force. But it is also about how we as people sit back and allow small wrongs to continue, until finally, there is no end to the inhumanity, and we don't understand how we could have arrived here.

The ending is a bit unsatisfying for those of us who want retribution and justice. Maybe that is the point. Horrible true life becomes a beautiful tale.

The narration is superb, voices and accents, all wonderful.

3 people found this helpful

Better than expected

I have read and listened to numerous books on stories of WWII and the nazi infiltration. This one was surprisingly different in the way the story was told.
Lots of flash back and flash way way back. At times a bit confusing but only for a moment and the chapter titles help a lot.
The narrator was awesome. I think this made the book even better.
Give it a try you won’t be disappointed.

2 people found this helpful

Superb

As always, Ronald Balson’s historical fiction storyline captivated me from beginning to end. Adding to the brilliant writing of Ronald Balson is the impeccable narration of Fred Berman, who is without a doubt the best narrator I have ever heard! Each character - male AND female absolutely sound like different people are speaking thanks to his pure talent. Highly recommend this book!!

2 people found this helpful

Balson Never Disappoints

You will love Eli and his drive to survive and move forward on his promise.

1 person found this helpful

Another Winner

This is the 6th book by Balson that I've read and it's the best one. I read many books about WWII. Balson and Pam Jenoff are my favorite writers. First, I love the character Eli. Nothing takes place in the concentration camp except the liberation of Eli and his son at the very beginning. The rest of the book is divided among the first 3 years of the war in Poland, after the war in an American displaced persons camp in Bavaria, and in 1960's Chicago. There's a bit of mystery to follow and Balson's characters are likable and believable. This is the first WWII book I've read that goes into detail about life in the displaced person's camps. Reading about the relationships that formed in the American camp was thought provoking.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a good read whether you're into WWII books or not. One of my Jewish friends is almost finished with it and she loves it as much as I do.

1 person found this helpful

Balson never disappoints

Very consistently with all his other books, this one is beautifully written and captivating. The narrator is consistently excellent as well. Thank you for a beautiful book and performance.

Boring, Disappointing after author's other books

I was so disappointed after really enjoying Berman's other books: Once we were Brothers, Karolina's Twins, etc. Eli's Promise droned on and on with a weak plot and thinly developed characters. Much of the descriptions of geographical locations seemed like "filler."

Captivating story

Such a great story and the reader did a fantastic job narrating it. Accidentally tore through this book in 2-days.

awesome

I loved it. it was really hard to pause it i needed too. I thought the narrative was excellent