in 1950, Eva and Sol Greenfield receive a telegram from the Department of the Army informing then that their son, Ben, in missing in action in Korea. The effect of the telegram is devastating. Eva, an orthodox Jewish woman, goes to a fortune teller in Coney Island for comfort. "In A Cold Open Field" explores the developing relationship between the two women, as Eva desperately needs to deny the death of her child and the fortune teller takes advantage of Eva's need for her own gain. "In A Cold Open Field" was a finalist for the Drue Heinz Literature Prize. "Library Journal" said about this book: "Klass's evocation of Brooklyn in the Fifties in wonderfully effective..."
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Eva Greenfield and her husband Sol, Orthodox Jews living in Brooklyn, became parents late in life, long after they had resigned themselves to childlessness. But their son, Ben, has always been difficult. Impatient to begin the acquisitive American lifestyle, he drops out of high school, enlists in the army, and at age 17 is sent to fight in the Korean War. The Greenfields haven't received a letter from Ben in months, and Sol is certain the boy has been killed. Eva refuses to believe this and in desperation seeks the guidance of Princess Zoe, a gypsy fortune teller who eventually extorts thousands of dollars from her to "guarantee" Ben's safe return. Surprising even herself, Eva conceals the loss from her husband, contacts the police, and participates in the gypsy's arrest. Klass's evocation of Brooklyn in the Fifties is wonderfully effective, but her crooked gypsies and benevolent Irish cops are straight from central casting. For larger fiction collections with an interest in Jewish Brooklyn.?Edward B. St. John, Loyola Law Sch., Los Angeles
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
This Drue Heinz Literature Prize finalist poignantly details a devout woman's flagrantly unorthodox response to the news that her only son is missing in action. More novella than novel, not just in length but preoccupation, this perfectly calibrated story is as much a memorable portrait of grief as a touching example of the infinitely varied ways the human heart responds to loss. On May 13, 1951, Mother's Day, Momma Greenfield leaves husband Sol and their Williamsburg apartment and heads for Coney Island. She's a devout Orthodox Jew who's always thought Coney Island a wicked and ungodly place, but now she goes there in search of someone who can tell her the truth. Her only son Ben is missing in action in Korea, and while Sol is resigned to their son's possible death, Momma is not. The misspelled sign GYPSY PRINCESS ZOE: ASTRALAGY READINGS in an encouragingly clean window entices her in, and, inside, the exotically dressed Zoe seems to know exactly why Momma is there. Comforted by Zoe's sympathetic response and amazing clairvoyance, she readily agrees to help the woman bring Ben back. Zoe is a superb con artist, and her stratagems, while easing Momma's pain, are expensive. Over a period of weeks she insists that Momma bring her thousands of dollars, a chicken, and a suit of new clothes so that the necessary rituals can be observed, and Momma, her grief assuaged by her faith in Zoe, and certain that Ben is coming home, happily complies. Meanwhile, Sol is worried by Momma's increasingly bizarre behavior and reactions--she refuses to mourn when they learn that Ben is indeed dead--but can do nothing. Only when Zoe is unmasked as a crook does Momma finally accept the truth that her son is gone and must be appropriately mourned. Klass (A Perpetual Surprise, 1991, etc.) delivers a moving story, though not quite big enough to fill out a novel's more expansive lineaments. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
admiration for sheila klass's work,
By Ruth Daigon (CORTE MADERA, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: In a Cold Open Field: A Novel (Hardcover)
I have been a fan of Sheila Solomon Klass for overr 30 years. We first met in Greenwich Village. I listened to her hilarious stories and thought "If she could only translate the spoken words...the stories she told so well (the language, the pace, the warmth, the humor) into written words, she would be more than successful. And she has done just just that according to the long list of her publications. "In A Cold Open Field" is a triumph for Sheila Solomon Klass. She combines all the strengths and virtues of her previous novels... her understanding, sympathy and ability to describe beautifully the human condition whether it occurs in Brooklyn, India or back in the early days of the america West. Her latest novel about the gypsy who cheats the mother of her hard-earned savings is hilarious and tragic all at the same time. I picked up the book and didn't put it down until the last page. Sheila Solomon Klass has given me many hours of pleasure, sustenance and fun.. thank you Sheila.. Ruth Daigon
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