Gratitude: A Novel [Hardcover]

Joseph Kertes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2009

March 1944: War’s darkest period descends upon Hungary’s Jews. By the time it ends in January 1945, over half a million Jews will have been murdered. Gratitude tells the story of that period, through the eyes of the wealthy Beck family, whose lives and loves are saved and lost. At the center of it all is Paul Beck, a young lawyer whose chance meeting with a visiting Swede, Raoul Wallenberg, may alter the inevitability of the Jews’ fate. Like The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, Gratitude captures forever the pain and passion of one’s family precious moment in time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kertes digs into the experiences of a family of wealthy Hungarian Jews in the darkest moments of WWII in his proficient latest. An ensemble piece, the novel's main character is Paul Beck, a lawyer stripped of his profession who takes great risks to protect his family, including posing as a Swedish diplomat to stop a train taking his family to a concentration camp. His politician father is executed, his dentist brother hides for several months in his assistant's home, and his sister mourns the disappearance of her lover. Eventually, the tide begins to turn as the Russians arrive, though the Russian presence presents a new set of problems. Kertes leavens the grim material with a few lighter scenes of the Becks trying to make the most of a horrible situation, which goes a long way to making them an endearing and memorable group, while the author's straightforward style moves the story along at a healthy clip. (Oct.)
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About the Author

JOSEPH KERTES was born in Hungary but escaped with his family to Canada after the revolution of 1956. The founder of Humber College’s distinguished creative writing and comedy programs, he is currently Humber’s dean of creative and performing arts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1 edition (October 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312585950
• ISBN-13: 978-0312585952
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,146,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Compellingly Fresh Take on History We Thought We Knew, November 15, 2009

By 

A. Sileika "Hard Core Reader" (Toronto) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gratitude: A Novel (Hardcover)

Gratitude is a remarkable addition to the writing about the second world war and the holocaust. More than that, it is a piercing analysis of human psychology.

We all know who the enemy was and we all know how many suffered, but what we so rarely have seen in writing on this subject is the complexity of human emotion and motivation. In this novel, victims are not saints by virtue of their suffering - they are human beings who stay complicated as they are made to suffer.

The novel can be praised for its family story and its depiction of a place we know so little about - Hungary in the Second World War was a kind of sideshow for most Westerners - most important of all, though, is what it tells us about how people act under pressure, both for good and for ill.

This is a very worthy read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read book, November 19, 2009

By 

Andreas Budi "Andreas Budi" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Gratitude: A Novel (Hardcover)

Gratitude is one of the most moving books I have ever read. You would not think there could be another book that could say something entirely new about Jews and the Holocaust. Amazingly, Gratitude does. Dispensing with the stereotypes that too often pass for characters, Gratitude is one of the very best books about Jews during this period, which is saying a lot, given its stiff competition. Gratitude is also a spellbinding read. You cannot put it down! Of all the novels that have come out in the past year, this one is easily among the top five.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must read, November 16, 2009

By 

Madeleine Matte "bookslave" (Etobicoke, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gratitude: A Novel (Hardcover)

Gratitude is the best book about WWII and its horrific effects on the human condition that I have ever read. Bravo Joseph Kertes - and thank you for writing about a difficult subject with such honesty, clarity, and compassion.