Customer Reviews

The Widow's Son

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Told from the perspective of a 12 year old Jewish boy living in Skokie, Illinois, The Widow's Son is a compelling read. It is both melancholy and humorous. It is also filled with delightful memories of growing up in the 60's that truly reflect the perspective of the time and not our later, jaded, views of the past. Mr. Steinberg has a great literary talent for scene description and an excellent ear for voice. The feat of maintaining a consistent and engaging voice for Jeremy that conveys both innocence and wisdom is remarkable in itself, but even the more minor characters here have distinct and delightful voices of their own. Mr. Steinberg is a great and thoughtful writer. Donald J. Bingle, Author of Forced Conversion.

Although I purchased this book awhile ago, I just recently got to finish it. Poignant story of a boy's loss of his father and becoming a man. Told with sensitivity and humor, Steinberg invites the reader to share the emotions with his well written prose.
I spent my '60's in the Boston area, but Chicago didn't sound very different, and I enjoyed being taken back to a more innocent and kinder time in our society.
The Widow's Son is one such example.

The Widow's Son is a moving literary accomplishment. Mr. Steinberg has an amazing sense of humor in the face of sorrow. I many times found myself laughing and crying at the same time. I have recommended this book to many people, including my mother and they have all enjoyed as much as I have.

This book has a GREAT cover! And it is just a hint of what's in the pages and paragraphs inside this wonderful cover. The cover IS the essence of the book and you will not be disappointed. Jeremy's life during the year after he sees his father die is a compelling journey and you will not want to see it end. The writing is creative and original, real, true, accurate, touching, laughing, crying, 1960s, Jewish-culture-but-for-everybody type of story. And in the adventure are lessons, without being preachy, that may help folks who have lost loved ones too soon, or at all. Steinberg has crafted a story that captures the feelings and emotions of the 12 year old boy as his world suddenly must revolve on an entirely new axis.. A rare book, indeed.

The Widow's Son is a cleverly, descriptive coming-of-age novel. Steinburg's skillful writing takes us into the mind of a twelve-year-old boy as he struggles with his father's death. I couldn't help but smile or brush away a tear as I read this unique, incredibly poignant story that centered around Jeremy, his sister and younger brother. I was sad when it came to an end.

The Widow's Son is a touchingly, brilliant story as real as most of it's readers will ever find. I'm a member of the "dead-father's club", and Steinberg's depiction of the thoughts, fears, and emotions that are experienced by grieving children is on target every time. I usually breeze through books, but read this one very slowly...deliberately...and carefully. Steinberg reminded me of the feelings I had as a child, and put them into words more beautifully than I could have ever expressed. Anyone who lost thier dad at a too early age needs to read this book. It will make them laugh, it will touch their hearts, and it will make them cry - for the loss of youth that all "dead-father kids" experience.

The Widow's Son is a blend of humor, profound insight, and heartfelt emotion, all from the viewpoint of a 12-year-old boy whose father dies. It is filled with fresh, imaginative similes that are realistic to how a child this age would view the world and people around him. As I read the book there were times when I had to laugh out loud at the protagonist Jeremy's humorous descriptions and other times when I took a moment to stop and reflect, to ponder--even a moment to cry. It is deeply moving and not a book that any reader will ever forget.

Bruce Steinberg has written a really sensitive and beautiful book, and it was a joy to read. It was amazing how well he recreated the days of our childhood in the 1970s (I'm guessing we're close in age), from the shag carpeting, record players, and flower power stickers, to how it felt to be the odd kid out while waiting for the day camp bus! However, it is more than just his ability to set a scene--it's hi ability to capture the universality of being a boy struggling with the transition of becoming a man. Being a female, cannot comment on it from personal experience, but as the mother of a 13 year old and a 9 year old son, I can say that I paused many times while reading this book to reflect on my own sons and the turbulence that becoming a teenager has wreaked on all of our lives!! What I enjoyed most about the book was that it wasn't really about Jeremy's father dying, it was about everybody else living. Beautiful work, really I can't tell you how touching it was. I will look forward to future works from Steinberg. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

There is nothing better than a book that cannot be put down. This is funny and touching story about three children dealing with the death of the father they loved. The narrator, a 12 year old boy, struggles with his own grief while he tries to be "the man of the house." He watches his mother and sister become enveloped in their private sadness. Time, with the assistance of a marvelously hysterically depicted group of neighbors ( my favorites being Big Ben and Mr. Grossman), help to ease the pain. I laughed a lot--especially at the part where one neighbor's religion (or lack thereof) is called hooeyism---and cried many times. Steinberg captures the feelings and thoughts of a 12 year old perfectly. I cannot wait to lose another night's sleep with his next book!

The Widow's Son took me for a profoundly meaningful adventure back to the enthusiasm of my childhood in the late 1960's. Using both biography and fiction to weave an amazing fabric of a very special time, this author cleverly conjures up vivid memories of fragrances and faces of people we have all partially forgotten. Through the deep and heartbreaking void of losing his father at a young age, Jeremy (The Widow's Son) paints a detailed living color portrait of emotions, hope, fear and excitement and uses these vivid details to reach deeply into the reader's soul and recollection as he thoroughly brings back a place so many of us search for in our memories. As I took this dazzling journey through the pages I couldn't help but to stream tears and then, just a few paragraphs later, laugh out loud hoping no one was looking at me. I give The Widow's Son 5 stars. One star each for passion, compassion, honesty, love, and the final star is for sharing with me an experience I will delight in for many years to come.