The Sergeants' Tale [Paperback]

Bernice Rubens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

It is 1947, one year before the Israeli War of Independence, and Palestine is still under the British Mandate. However, young Israelis are flocking to the leadership of Menachim Begin and his Irgun terrorist movement in an attempt to overthrow their rulers. Two British sergeants are kidnapped by the Irgun. They will be executed unless there is a widespread amnesty for the Irgun freedom fighters—and so begins a hunt throughout Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the whole of Palestine to find and liberate the two innocent young men. Based on a true story, The Sergeants' Tale illuminates an historical episode, and also has enormous contemporary poignancy.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Rubens, a Welsh writer who won the Booker Prize in 1969 for The Elected Member, and who died in 2004, based her last novel on a true story about the kidnapping of two sergeants in the British occupation force in 1947 Palestine (just prior to the independence of Israel). This suspenseful tale opens a door onto the world of Jewish resistance to the British mandate and tells, in a most heartfelt way, how the two major Jewish resistance movements stood at odds. Both movements aimed for an independent Jewish state but disagreed over methods, with one supporting violence and the other opposed to it. The two kidnapped British soldiers are good friends, and, despite their reluctance as armed controllers in a foreign land, they decide to step into the intelligence branch, which is exactly how they get embroiled in a life-and-death situation. Rubens writes in a spare, controlled prose that nevertheless speaks volumes about the meaning of loyalty. Her novel will certainly resonate in today's terrorism-plagued world. Brad Hooper
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Review

“Her novel will certainly resonate in today’s terrorism-plagued world.“ -- Booklist

“This suspenseful tale opens a door onto the world of Jewish… in a most heartfelt way.“ -- Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 217 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0349117306
• ISBN-13: 978-0349117300
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,563,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)