Gypsy Tears: Loving a Holocaust Survivor [Hardcover]

Cora Schwartz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2007

A beautifully written and important first novel by Cora Schwartz, based on the true story of her life living with a holocaust survivor. In a magical and haunting style, Ms. Schwartz weaves an intense love story that answers the question asked so many times since her husband s death: What was it really like living with a holocaust survivor? As Ms. Schwartz carries us along in a grand sweep through Yugoslavia, Russia and Romania in the 1960s, the depth of her relationship with Rudy becomes a tragic work of art as she allows us a peek into the soul of a holocaust victim in an artful and deeply moving way. The timeliness of this cannot be overstated now when there are those who deny the holocaust happened.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This racy tale of love, sex, and cross-cultural mysteries is reminiscent of the enigmatic relationships in Goethe's 1809 novel Elective Affinities. Autobiography and biography are mixed in often luridly gripping encounters between our Bronx-raised Jewish author and her Ukraine-raised Jewish lover, the hard-drinking, gambling, erratic but strangely steady, Nazi camp survivor, Rudy. Their "elective affinity" for each other [happens] against all the odds of differences in background and outlook . . . Even without Ms. Schwartz's breathless story telling, her Gypsy Tears would be a cliff-hanger --H. David Kirk, Author of Shared Fate and Adoptive Kinship

Cora Schwartz has written a provocative novel of unforgettable faces and locales that will deeply move even the most diehard cynic. She lures her compelling characters to crawl under the reader's skin and settle in for a long winter's nap. I will be remembering Rudy for a long time to come. --Linda Bergman, Bergman Entertainment

Do read it. It will be a powerful experience and at the same time a great treat! Maurice Friedman, Author of Abraham Joshua Heschel and Elie Wiesel: You Are My Witnesses --Maurice Friedman, Author of Abraham Joshua Heschel and Elie Wiesel: You Are My Witnesses

About the Author

Cora Schwartz is a photo journalist and behavioral psychologist who lives and writes in South Fallsburg, New York. Her essays and short stories have been published in journals and periodicals. Her book, The Forgotten Few, was written and photographed to fulfill a promise she made to her husband, Rudy, to bring humanitarian aid to the remaining survivors in Mogelov. Ms. Schwartz also owns and operates a retreat in upstate New York for writers. It was founded in the spirit of a Ukrainian writer, Olga Kobylianska, who is considered one of the first feminists in Eastern Europe.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hobblebush Books; 1st edition (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976089696
• ISBN-13: 978-0976089698
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,805,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Congradulations Ms. Schwartz on a fantastic first book!!!!!, September 8, 2007

By 

Bonnie Schreier, My Retreat "bonnie hoefner" (ocala,fla) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gypsy Tears: Loving a Holocaust Survivor (Hardcover)

"Wow! I consider myself well-read but this is the first time I can remember that I missed a whole night's sleep reading a book. I feel like someone lead me deep into the soul of this survivor Rudy. My feelings were so mixed with regard to the Holocaust, until now. All the damage that was done seemed to be embodied in this one person. Wonderful writing style, and this was her first book? Can't wait to see the quel. I recommend this page-turner to everyone but it should especially be used in schools to educate children on what man can do to man. Thank you Ms. Schwartz!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Poignantly Beautiful, March 25, 2008

By 

TheMagus (Terra Firma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gypsy Tears: Loving a Holocaust Survivor (Hardcover)

Gypsy Tears is a lovely book in every possible way despite its being about a Holocaust survivor. In that respect it is the antithesis of Sobibor. It was beautiful to read and it is not fiction.

In this book the Holocaust lies in the background. It has everything to do with Rudy, one of the main characters. There is some question as to whether Rudy was a Gypsy or Jewish; both groups were horribly persecuted by the Nazis. The author, Cora Schwartz, was Rudy's lover and, finally, wife. She is also the mother of his child.

With Rudy's story, Ms. Schwartz describes poignantly the suffering caused by survivor's guilt. Rudy lost most of his family in the camps, despite having escaped with his mother for a short period. Cora loved Rudy with a pure and unqualified love yet could not help him to forget. The book follows the couple several times back to the Ukraine and Rudy's original home. The period is the seventies and the Ukraine wants independence from the U.S.S.R. There are severe privations and, after Rudy's death, Cora has continued to bring aid to the Holocaust survivors in the Ukraine. Ms. Schwartz has another book, The Forgotten Few, which has proven so poignant in portraying the plight of these people that it is used as a teaching aid in some schools.

This story, while true, ventures into myth at times. There are a lot of coincidences which Gypsies accept nonchalantly as does Cora's interpreter. It is a bit difficult at times to separate fact from fantasy, or at least it appears that way. It is ultimately a beautiful story. Ms. Schwartz is working on a sequel.

As for the book itself, as an artifact, I have rarely seen such a lovely product. Hobblebush is an independent publisher and they have done a superb job with the paper, the cover, the cover pages, etc. It is reminiscent of books published in Europe where they take their publishing seriously and books are to be cherished, not just read.