Circumference of Silence
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- Create Date：2021-07-22 02:19:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jacquie Herz
- ISBN：B0939FQB76
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Summary
It’s been a week since the funeral， and Mali is at her mother’s Manhattan apartment ready to pack it up—at least that’s what she thinks—until she discovers a manila envelope， propped up against the back of her mother’s desk， and filled with a mass of unsent letters。 Her mother’s handwriting on the lined notepaper is so familiar， and the slight German accent Mali hears ticking through her words， so haunting。
Mali reads the memories of her mother’s Jewish childhood in 1930s Berlin， then her life in war-torn London。 But when she comes to her mother’s account of her too-early marriage and the divorce that forced her to leave her young daughter in London and go to New York， Mali is thrust back into her own unhappy childhood， where that relentless ache for her absent mother， lodged like a stony pit inside her， must now be reconciled。
Mali reads the memories of her mother’s Jewish childhood in 1930s Berlin， then her life in war-torn London。 But when she comes to her mother’s account of her too-early marriage and the divorce that forced her to leave her young daughter in London and go to New York， Mali is thrust back into her own unhappy childhood， where that relentless ache for her absent mother， lodged like a stony pit inside her， must now be reconciled。
Reviews
Theresa
，
In The Circumference of Silence， Mali is cleaning out her mother’s Manhattan apartment when she comes across a pack of letters that her mother never sent。 In the letters her mother writes about her marriage and divorce， her absent mother and unhappy childhood， how she was forced to leave her daughter in London and return to New York。 I thought it was very well done。
Rachel
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A beautifully-written historical drama that follows a Jewish family across five generations beginning in Berlin in the 1930s and carrying through to the present day in New York City。 The story alternates between Mali in the present and Eva in the past， learned from her letters。 They bring into perspective the reasons why their relationship was so difficult when Mali was a child， not understanding why her mother wasn't there for her。 As well as the story of her mother's Jewish parents who lived t A beautifully-written historical drama that follows a Jewish family across five generations beginning in Berlin in the 1930s and carrying through to the present day in New York City。 The story alternates between Mali in the present and Eva in the past， learned from her letters。 They bring into perspective the reasons why their relationship was so difficult when Mali was a child， not understanding why her mother wasn't there for her。 As well as the story of her mother's Jewish parents who lived through the difficult years leading up to WWII and the reverberations of which still continue。 Based on a true story of the author's mother， the story begins in present New York and told in flashbacks as well as through a mother’s memoir left behind after her death。 The daughter learns from her mother’s writing the secrets that couldn’t be told and words of longing and love that couldn’t be said in life。 This is a heart-wrenching and emotional portrayal of mother-daughter relationships and how untold secrets shape those relationships for generations to come。 A heartbreaking story yet eye-opening， well-written and engrossing， both in the telling of the story of the Jewish people in Europe in the years leading up to the war。 。。。more
Brenda
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From the brilliant title to the poignant cover to the aching stories written inside， this beautiful multi-timeline book is gripping， moving， evocative and incredibly insightful。 The author's writing is introspective， keen， bright and thoughtful。 Simply said， this is an unputdownable book。 Mali makes a discovery which changes her life and causes her to question everything， including her relationship with her fascinating and unconventional mother。 But the discovery also leads her to answers which From the brilliant title to the poignant cover to the aching stories written inside， this beautiful multi-timeline book is gripping， moving， evocative and incredibly insightful。 The author's writing is introspective， keen， bright and thoughtful。 Simply said， this is an unputdownable book。 Mali makes a discovery which changes her life and causes her to question everything， including her relationship with her fascinating and unconventional mother。 But the discovery also leads her to answers which clarify lifelong haziness。 Mali's mother's diary is an important account of the past， her past。 The author injects real portions of history such as Kristallnacht and effects of war into the story。 "How would I have turned out if there had been no Hitler？" I've wondered what the world would have been had there been no Hitler and no Holocaust。 Yet the story is not overwhelmed by that side alone but to me is also a study in relationships and choices。 Readers are taken through different perspectives which are flawlessly written in parts which make a seamless whole。 Mali reflects and pieces her memories together and begins to understand the whys and whats as she learns about her background spanning the past few generations。I am usually not a literary fiction fan but this。。。this is incredible！ Am I ever glad I read it。 It would have been a shame to miss。 Literary fiction， Women's Fiction， General Fiction and Historical Fiction fans alike ought to read this book。 My sincere thank you to Black Rose Writing and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this crushing， lovely and wondrously-crafted book。 。。。more
Linda
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This is a story told through the letters of a dying mother to her adult daughter which she reads after her mother's death。 They bring into perspective the reasons why their relationship was so difficult when Mali was a child not understanding why her mother wasn't there for her。 And it's the story of her mother's Jewish parents who lived through the difficult years leading up to WWII。 The reverberations of which still continue。 This is a heartbreaking story。 Probably not one to read if you're al This is a story told through the letters of a dying mother to her adult daughter which she reads after her mother's death。 They bring into perspective the reasons why their relationship was so difficult when Mali was a child not understanding why her mother wasn't there for her。 And it's the story of her mother's Jewish parents who lived through the difficult years leading up to WWII。 The reverberations of which still continue。 This is a heartbreaking story。 Probably not one to read if you're already feeling sad。 But it is eye-opening， well-written， and engrossing， both in the telling of the story of the Jewish people in Europe in the years leading up to the war， and in Mali's story as she struggles to understand her mother's heart。 This is the first book I've read by this author。 I will read more。 And many thanks to Jacquie Herz for my copy。 Pub date is July 8， 2021。 。。。more
Sydney Long
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This book is captivating as it explores the relationships between mothers and daughters and how time and history have an impact them both as a family and as individuals。Shortly after her mother’s death， Mali begins to pack up her apartment。 When she stumbles upon an envelope with her name on it， old memories start to flash before her eyes。 As her mother shares memories of her childhood as a Jewish girl in WWII Berlin， Mali discovers how well she did and did not know her mother。 The letters raise This book is captivating as it explores the relationships between mothers and daughters and how time and history have an impact them both as a family and as individuals。Shortly after her mother’s death， Mali begins to pack up her apartment。 When she stumbles upon an envelope with her name on it， old memories start to flash before her eyes。 As her mother shares memories of her childhood as a Jewish girl in WWII Berlin， Mali discovers how well she did and did not know her mother。 The letters raise lots of questions for Mali and her own parenting。 More than anything， these letters give her a better understanding of her mother， the horrors she experienced， the challenges she had to overcome and her own fears about motherhood。 This book grabs a hold of you instantly。 It’s written with so much compassion that you can’t help but get sucked up into the memories and emotions。 While I felt it ended rather abruptly， I still give it 5 stars。 It’s a great weekend read that will tug at your heartstrings and make you want to go give your own mother a hug！Thanks to NetGalley， Black Rose Writing and Jacquie Hertz for allowing me to read this lovely story ahead of its publication date！ I hope my review helps folks looking for that good weekend read。 。。。more
Carla Suto
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CIRCUMFERENCE OF SILENCE by Jacquie Herz is a beautifully-written historical drama that follows a Jewish family across five generations beginning in Berlin in the 1930s and carrying through to the present day in New York City。 Mali is mourning the recent loss of her mother， Eva， and has come to Eva’s NYC apartment to sort and pack up her mother’s belongings。 While there， Mali discovers an envelope full of letters her mother wrote to her trying to explain how her life had unfolded and how she cam CIRCUMFERENCE OF SILENCE by Jacquie Herz is a beautifully-written historical drama that follows a Jewish family across five generations beginning in Berlin in the 1930s and carrying through to the present day in New York City。 Mali is mourning the recent loss of her mother， Eva， and has come to Eva’s NYC apartment to sort and pack up her mother’s belongings。 While there， Mali discovers an envelope full of letters her mother wrote to her trying to explain how her life had unfolded and how she came to be separated from Mali when Mali was just eight-years-old。 The letters reveal Eva’s memories of her childhood when she and her parents had to flee Berlin to escape Nazi persecution to their life as Jewish refugees in war-ravaged London。 Mali learns the details of her mother’s marriage at a young age to her father and the shocking circumstances of their bitter divorce。 The story alternates between Mali in the present and Eva in the past， learned from her letters。 This is a heart-wrenching and emotional portrayal of mother-daughter relationships and how untold secrets shape those relationships for generations to come。 I was totally immersed in this heartfelt story and I know it will stay with me for a long time。 I highly recommend CIRCUMFERENCE OF SILENCE and look forward to reading more from Jacquie Herz in the future。 Thank you to the author for sharing an early copy for me to read and review。 。。。more
Mickey
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A mother daughter narrative that encapsulates much sadness， love， and heartbreak， the story takes place in the present day when Mali goes to her recently deceased mother's apartment to clear out the late woman's belongings。 Mali discovers a trove of letters her mother had written to her and， enraptured， spends the day and much of the night reading them。 The contents of these letters， which are shared with readers， pull Mali back in time to her mother's younger days as a child escaping Nazi Germa A mother daughter narrative that encapsulates much sadness， love， and heartbreak， the story takes place in the present day when Mali goes to her recently deceased mother's apartment to clear out the late woman's belongings。 Mali discovers a trove of letters her mother had written to her and， enraptured， spends the day and much of the night reading them。 The contents of these letters， which are shared with readers， pull Mali back in time to her mother's younger days as a child escaping Nazi Germany， marrying young in England， and leaving her eight-year-old daughter behind to move to New York。 As Mali learns more details about her mother's past， she reflects on her own youth， the pain of separation from her mother and her still strong feelings of abandonment and loss。 The writing in Circumference of Silence is lyrical and captivating。 The personal story of each of the two women underlines the unimaginable suffering of Holocaust survivors， as well as their children， their children's children， and on into the next generations。 Never forget has become a passing on of a deep and abiding grief。 A haunting story that will linger long after you read it， which is， I would imagine， the author's intent。 。。。more
Carol Deegan
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This an excellent book！ I wasn’t too sure about it in the beginning pages， but once I realized what was going on， I was drawn in。 The story is about a family living through the Nazi reign， and the things they did to survive。 The telling of the story is done in a way I haven’t experienced before， and I really liked it。 Anyone who enjoys WW II historical fiction will want to read this book。 I received a copy of this book from the author。 All opinions expressed are my own。
Alexis Lynn Lewin
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A very interesting perspective on how events can impact not only individuals directly， but also the generations that follow。 Circumference of Silence was a very easy book to read。 It was difficult to put down。 The story fully immersed you into that moment。 A story that I believe needs to be told。 It’s a story that doesn’t dwell on the horrific events of the past， but rather helps the reader to better understand the human elements associated with those times。 I recognize that there are more paral A very interesting perspective on how events can impact not only individuals directly， but also the generations that follow。 Circumference of Silence was a very easy book to read。 It was difficult to put down。 The story fully immersed you into that moment。 A story that I believe needs to be told。 It’s a story that doesn’t dwell on the horrific events of the past， but rather helps the reader to better understand the human elements associated with those times。 I recognize that there are more parallels between those times and these times than we would like to acknowledge。 I consider stories such as these as ones to help bridge the gap of indifference and broaden our level of understanding。 。。。more
Patti Liszkay
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Hold onto your heart。Jacquie Herz’s splendidly-written historical drama “Circumference of Silence” tells the story of a Jewish family through four generations， beginning in 1930’s Berlin where they are victims of Nazi persecution on the eve of the Holocaust， to their escape and resettlement as refugees in London during World War II， to the chain of events that separates a grief-stricken mother from her young daughter and eventually reunites them in New York where life continues， as life does in Hold onto your heart。Jacquie Herz’s splendidly-written historical drama “Circumference of Silence” tells the story of a Jewish family through four generations， beginning in 1930’s Berlin where they are victims of Nazi persecution on the eve of the Holocaust， to their escape and resettlement as refugees in London during World War II， to the chain of events that separates a grief-stricken mother from her young daughter and eventually reunites them in New York where life continues， as life does in defiance of the past， and is renewed in each new generation。The story begins in the present in New York and is told in flashbacks of memory and through a memoir left behind by the mother after her death for the daughter， who learns from her mother’s writing the secrets that couldn’t be told as well as the words of longing and love that couldn’t be said in life。 “Circumference of Silence” is definitely a five-star ― and a five-Kleenex ―read。 。。。more
Sara
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I just have to say that once I picked up this novel I couldn’t put it down。 I especially resonated to Mali as a young child and how the forced departure of her mother tore them both apart。 It was so beautifully written that I was moved to tears。 Went into the shower and cried my eyes out！ You know something is really good when it gets to you like that。 I have had some similar childhood experiences to Mali so I’m sure that’s why it moved me so deeply。 Reading this novel I was reminded of the phra I just have to say that once I picked up this novel I couldn’t put it down。 I especially resonated to Mali as a young child and how the forced departure of her mother tore them both apart。 It was so beautifully written that I was moved to tears。 Went into the shower and cried my eyes out！ You know something is really good when it gets to you like that。 I have had some similar childhood experiences to Mali so I’m sure that’s why it moved me so deeply。 Reading this novel I was reminded of the phrase “writing from the heart。” This author certainly wrote from her heart！ ❤️ Congratulations on a beautiful work。 。。。more
Nikki Rivas
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This book is amazing！ The characters are so well written， and the details make the book hard to put down。 The story moves back and forth between present day and the past， and beautifully captures the mother daughter relationship！ I highly recommend this book！
Sasha Lauren
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Eva， a Jewish girl in Germany in the 1930s， experienced what no child should: her life and family were torn apart by the Nazis in those dark days proceeding World War II。 In Circumference Of Silence， based on a true story of the author's mother， Jacquie Herz tells Eva's story through letters and journal entries left for Eva's daughter， Mali， upon her death。Mali， who was separated from her mother as a child， is in her mother's apartment to wrap up loose ends。 She longs to know who her mother real Eva， a Jewish girl in Germany in the 1930s， experienced what no child should: her life and family were torn apart by the Nazis in those dark days proceeding World War II。 In Circumference Of Silence， based on a true story of the author's mother， Jacquie Herz tells Eva's story through letters and journal entries left for Eva's daughter， Mali， upon her death。Mali， who was separated from her mother as a child， is in her mother's apartment to wrap up loose ends。 She longs to know who her mother really was and is surprised by secrets and the silence that surrounded them。 Phone calls， falling rose pedals， a visit from her mother's neighbor in Manhattan and a special childhood companion， （one whose life Eva changed forever）， provide pieces of the puzzle Mali attempts to snap into place to form the frame of a picture she yearns to see in full。Jacquie's writing is clear， honest， delicate and bold; the stories intertwine in a dance that inspired a robust rememrance of the past Eva lived， yet likewise is rooted in the present struggles of Mali as she mourns her mother and discovers parts of her after she is gone。 The author has a gift with words that provide easy access into various environments， （war-torn Europe， London， and New York），and the emotions of the characters， flush with strengths， quirks， and intelligible imperfections。 I thought of this story during the days in between my morning readings; it would not leave me。Here is a bit of her marvelous storytelling -"Steamy grey smoke rises into the darkness from the power plants across the East River。 Speckles of reflected light jiggle in the rapidly moving currents of the water， as if a shaky hand points the light。 No stars shine in the sky， but it doesn’t matter。 The city needs no help， it sparkles all on its own。 More sirens screech from somewhere out of sight。 She watches a driver struggle with parallel parking up the street。 A dog barks。 A woman laughs。 A baby cries。 Brakes squeal as a car stops short for a red light。 Drumbeat sounds boom from another， then fade as the light changes to green， and vanish as the car speeds off。 Mali shivers and draws the blanket closer around her， burying her nose in its warmth。 She doesn’t want to go back in， not just yet。 She needs the cool night air and the space away from her mother’s haunting words to think。But out of the darkness， another night in her own life begins to take shape in her mind。" 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Circumference of Silence
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Circumference of Silence&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft