Family Drama
1800s
Russia /New York
“Inspired by real
events chronicled by a journalist for The World News, Elizabeth Cochrane (pen
name, Nellie Bly), in 1887. Klara Gelfman’s life in Kiev was serene until she
turned nineteen. That’s when Russia’s Tsar Alexander II was assassinated, and a
vicious propaganda campaign spread that blamed the Jews for his death. Klara
and her family became victims of the many pogroms breaking out throughout
Russia. None were so violent as what hit Kiev in 1881. It was there that
Klara’s family was torn asunder and her world changed forever. This is the story of what happens to this
traumatized, orphaned, young Jewish woman when she escapes Russia and crosses
an ocean to arrive on the rough streets of New York City able to speak only a
few words of English. There, in the land of the free, Klara’s life is thrown
into turmoil when she is mistaken for a drunken prostitute. Mistreated by those
entrusted to protect her—the police, a judge, doctors, and nurses—she is
condemned to an unrelenting hellscape when she is incorrectly and involuntarily
committed to a lunatic asylum. At a time
when women had no political, economic or professional rights, comes a story
where corruption by the powerful was as overt and commonplace as was garbage on
the New York City streets.”
Ms Mahurin
writes with vivid emotion, bringing her characters to life in such a way that
we are totally immersed in their living nightmares, tragedies, traumas, hopes
and dreams.
Some scenes, so
emotionally and realistically written were as emotionally hard to read, for the
inhumanity dispersed to those who cannot defend themselves was more than
shocking, but there were good, kind people trying their best to do good, kind
things amongst the the sordid environment of the lunatic
asylum.
Do not be
put off by the unpleasantness of such though, for Ms Mahurin’s characters also have their dignity and they walk
through the pages of this brilliantly written novel with heads high.
This is a
skilfully written story of the dark nature of people, and of the determination
of others to survive, no matter what. Not a light ‘romantic’ read by any means, but it is one based on the
compilation of true stories of several
women who faced abuse, humiliation, starvation and other such horrors with immense courage. Read
the book, it is a tribute of support to the women of the past who suffered
terribly, and to those who tried, in their own way, to help them.
© Ellen Hill
Thank you, Helen, for this very thoughtful, honest review of my book. I'm grateful for you time and feedback.
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