Customer Reviews

Seamstress

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In the early 1030s, as Hitler grasped his power tightly; the Jews began to be treated very unfairly. For years they had been considered "dirty", but their lives were about to become miserable. During the 1930s many Jews and others who would have hurt the Nazi beliefs, like homosexuals, Jehovah's Witness believers, and other "criminals", were put into concentration camps and basically not allowed to live.
The story of Seren Tuvel, a young, Jewish woman, is a story of courage and will to survive. Seren was always different from her family, for she had no intention of staying in the home her whole life. She left her family behind in a village in Romania and moved to Budapest to study while she was still a young teenager. In school, Seren was teased for being a Jew, though she did not look like a Jew. Seren had long, blonde hair and blue eyes, just like anyone native to the land she was living. When she was in Budapest, she quit school and became a seamstress. Soon, as Germany gained power, the Nazis slowly crept into her life, taking away her rights and some of her dignity, just because she was Jewish. It was not difficult for her to find jobs, like it was for other Jews, because Seren looked like a Gentile. As the war in Europe went on, her family dispersed to different places, like Israel or to different cities in Romania and Hungary, but the Jews soon would not be able to travel. Before long, Jewish men were taken into the labor force to support Hungary. Only weeks after that, the women were also forced to help support their enemy. Seren, her sister, and two friends met up at this point and would stay together to survive. They went through the work camps, leaning on each other for survival.
Seren Tuvel must have known how important her story of courage was, because just years after moving to America, she began to write her story. Seren (Sara) Tuvel-Bernstein wrote her memoir magnificently. Her leadership, love, and devotion to her loved ones, were revealed in such a precious manner that the reader cannot help but love her. Seren wrote, "I felt completely responsible for these three young girls[Seren's sister and two friends]; to me we were all sisters. I had to do everything in my power to enable us to remain alive." She revealed the truth in her own perspective and still showed some of the perspectives of the others around her, for example what her family and friends though of the events that had been happening.
A great strength shone through the book as Seren told the readers exactly what she had been through, although all of what she said was her interpretation of the event. She confessed her feelings about people, even a man named Samuel, with whom she did not have the feelings that he had for her. After he had told her his feelings and she told him something that made him very happy she wrote, "What in the world have I let myself in for now?" Seren let Samuel think that she had the same feelings for him, while, really, she had no intention of settling down with anyone. There were other instances where Seren told the reader her thoughts during all the horrible events in her life that she had not told many other people. Writing those confessions gave her memoir a strong truth and power.
Although Seren expressed how she felt easily, the people around her, especially the family members, were not well depicted. Two very important family members, her sisters Esther and Zipporah were some of the members that were somewhat confusing. Those two people were not easily recognizable in the beginning. Once the sisters got their share of being alone with Seren, they got their own distinct voice. They each should have gotten that closer to the beginning of the story.
The memoir of such a great survivor during the Holocaust is a fantastic book to read. A reader will see what Seren Tuvel and the other Jews went through and get close to really getting to know the author. Seren does not get gory and give too many horrifying details of anything that happened, but the readers see enough to really feel what the prisoners of the Nazis went through. The story is absolutely amazing! It is not fast-paced, but Seren keeps the reader hooked and shows what her life was like.

Like others, I could not put this book down. Seren's story was captivating--she was incredibly strong in the face of horror. The fact that she was not German and explains what happened to the Jews in Eastern Europe gave me a perspective I have not had. And, like other reviewers, I found her lack of bitterness amazing. This was the first Holocaust book I've read which made me understand that people had no idea what happened to members of their families. I knew it before; this time I felt it.

I read it in one sitting. This book really touched me as no other has. I'm a 'tough guy', but sobbed like a baby at one particular point...but I won't give it away! I've collected some great WWII biographies, and this one tops the list.

Seren Tuvel began her life as a carefree child growing up in a beautiful, peaceful part of Romania. Secure in her intelligence and in the love of her eight siblings and parents, the anti-Semitism that raged in Romania seemed nothing more than an annoyance to Seren and her family. After receiving a full scholarship to attend a prestigious gymnasium (high school) in Bucharest, Seren travels to her country's capital to city to quench her thirst for learning. This dream of gaining knowledge is abruptly ended, however, when Seren throws an inkwell in the face of one of her professors after he makes an anti-Jewish remark. She flees the school, begins work as a seamstress, and enjoys city life. Nazis invade Bucharest and the entire Romanian country; Seren feels that she can take care of herself. Yet soon this feeling of security fades and Seren decides that she must go back to her country home to escape the growing Jewish persecution in the city. Disaster meets her there as well when she and her father are rounded up in a horrifying night raid by the Nazis and sent to a federal prison, where they are falsely accused of being government spies. Seren is released from prison, yet as she receives word that her father is losing his mind, and realizes the destruction of Jewish life around her, she knows that her "journey" is far from over. Indeed, the pages of her story take us deep into the horrors of Auschwitz, and show us how somehow, Seren "rebuilt" her tortured life following the war.

In many ways, this Holocaust memoir is not extraordinary in its genre. However, in a few key ways, Seren's memoir is supremely effective and unforgettable. First, as I read "The Seamstress", I was amazed by the utter lack of bitterness in the book. Seren simply TELLS about the beatings, questionings, and other forms of torture she and family endured at the hands of the Nazis, and never tries to "play-up" a single horror in her life. After the war, it is apparent that Seren simply tries to recover, find her family memebers, and gain a job. She is happy with the husband that she has found, and tirelessly keeps up hope about her life. Wow! I was so amazed and inspired by the fact that Seren never once complained about the havoc the Nazis wreaked on her her life (although that would have been completely justified), and for that reason alone, I would never forget this book. Seren's intense loyalty to her sister, Esther, and friends, Ellen and Lily, in Auschwitz was also uplifting. I was awed by the way Seren insisted that she would be responsible for her friends at Auschwitz, and swore that she would never leave them, even to get food or clothing (which were virtually non-existent at Auschwitz). It seems that this memoir strove to show the high ideals and strong character that were developed in Seren during the Holocaust, and this characteristic of the book alone is enough to make this book a must-read and an inspiration for anyone.

This is the best book I have read about the halocaust. I could not put this book down. The hardships that the main character endured is more than I could ever imagine. The author told the story so vividly and there was never a dull moment in which the reader was bored or uninterested. I would highly recommend this book to everyone! I rate it as one of the best books I have had the pleasure to read.

This is the best book I have read about the halocaust. I could not put this book down. The hardships that the main character endured is more than I could ever imagine. The author told the story so vividly and there was never a dull moment in which the reader was bored or uninterested. I would highly recommend this book to everyone! I rate it as one of the best books I have had the pleasure to read.

This is the best book I have read about the halocaust. I could not put this book down. The hardships that the main character endured is more than I could ever imagine. The author told the story so vividly and there was never a dull moment in which the reader was bored or uninterested. I would highly recommend this book to everyone! I rate it as one of the best books I have had the pleasure to read.

When I was assigned to read a book for my Freshman English class, I decided to read about the Holocaust. When I picked out The Seamstress: A Memior of Survival, I could tell it was going to be a book I wouldn't be able to put down. After I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. To learn what Seren went through to survive makes me feel really lucky for where I am today. Myself being 15, knowing if I was in Seren's place I would be away from home , being a seamstress- I know I couldn't handle that. How Seren, Ellen, Lilly, and Ester stayed together through the torture of the SS guards, made them live longer. When things seemed as if they couldn't get any worse, they did. And to survive through something that horrible is amazing. And for her to retell her story, remembering those memories that had to take a lot. I feel more educated reading this book, learning what it was really like, but knowing I'll never really know what it was really like.

This book is amazing from beginning to end. Her style of writing allows the reader to 'really see' what she is describing whether it is people, places or actions. The story itself is unbelievable and how Seren survived is beyond belief. The way she looked after the small group of herself, her sister and the other young girls from Budapest is incredible. I have read many holocaust biographies but this one would most certainly be in the Top 10 along with Olga Lengyl, Alicia Appelman Jurman and Sara Przytk. Detail of the book can be read in the above editorial, all I am saying is READ IT!

I read this book last year and was unable to put it down. While I was on a trip, I refused to sleep until I read just a few more pages. The story is touching and should be read by people of all ages. It's a wonderful look into the horror that European Jews faced during the years of Nazi reign and terror.