Rating: 
Summary: I've recommended this book to so many people...
Review: ...and they've all thanked me. It's an easy book to love. Set in 19th century Poland in a Jewish shtetl, it's the interwoven stories of a group of women who were born and raised in the tight-knit village and have now grown into women, many with children of their own.
The central figure of the story, and of the village, is the local midwife and healer. Being a midwife myself, I was of course drawn to this character who held great appeal for me.
There's a quality of magical realism, almost like a fable, that sustains the book, and I found it captivating and very inspirational.
Lovely. Read it. You won't regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: a magical shtetl comes to life
Review: An excellent group of short stories, each told by a different member of a magical polish jewish shtetl in the late 1800's. The key is that the same year is retold by each townsperson, from their point of view. The stories intersect, and also diverge in very interesting ways. There's Hanna-Leah the butcher's wife, Misha the midwife who mysteriously (and without a husband) gets pregnant, Hershel the butcher, Alta-Fruma with her great-niece and nephew from America (their parents died in a new york city workhouse fire), Hayim the water-carrier (and artist), amoung others. It's a beautifully told snapshot of a town from long ago. While well done, near the end it gets a bit tiring, and I did skip one of the stories. But that didn't hurt my enjoyment at all, nor did it disallow me from understanding the final stories in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely, amazing first novel
Review: Excellent first novel! You can tell Nattel is more experienced with short stories, as I think that is how this novel ended up being structured. I loved the structure, going over the same present-time event from different characters' viewpoints, as well as delving into the past of each character. Does not indulge in too much shtetl-nostalgia, but doesn't flinch away from some of the horrors of living in the Pale of Settlement.I loved it! (If you're a reader that needs more traditional structure, you probably won't enjoy it as much)
Rating:
Summary: Marvelous
Review: I can't top some of the reviews, just wanted to add my congratulations for a most delightful and intricately woven book about life, sorrow and joy in a small Jewish shtetl. I hope Nattel writes another one soon!
Rating:
Summary: Deserves high praise
Review: I have just finished The River Midnight and cannot speak highly enough of it. What a wonderful book!
Set in 1894 in the fictitious Polish shtetl of Blaszka, the novel traces the events of this momentous year, as seen through the eyes of the local men and women. Ms Nattel is a very talented wordsmith, and the plot device of describing the same events several times through the eyes of different characters works very well indeed. There are some elements of magic in the novel which also enhance the story and work quite beautifully.
The novel gave me great insight into the customs and practice of Judaism common in Eastern Europe at that time in history, and I found that aspect of the story incredibly interesting. Whilst not being Jewish myself, the novel held my interest from page one, and is easily one of the best books, if not the best book, I have read this year. Totally recommended to one and all!!
Rating:
Summary: The lyrical shtetl
Review: I.B.Singer, Peretz, S.Aleichem, D.Bergelson, Mendele all have portrayed shtetl life, with a tragic, comical, historical, or religious perspective. L.Nattel in her debut as a novel writer has given us her lyrical, colorful interpretation of the shtetl life in a fictional village of Blaszka (Russian occupied Poland), at the end of the 19th century. At the core of the story there are four characters (the "vilda Hayas," or "wild creatures), all of them female. The strong, independent Misha, a midwife who challenges traditions but remains much respected and loved by the community; Hanna-Leah the childless butcher's wife; Faygela the dreamer who wishes to become a poet and becomes the mother of many, and Ziza-Sara who emigrates to New York and has an early death. Around this core there is a myriad of remarkable characters: Emma and her revolutionary ideas, the rabbi and his fear of fire, Hayim the water carrier, besides the ever-present angels and demons of Jewish folklore. Nattel has divided her novel by a "mekhitzah" (the walll that divides the men's section from the women's section in a traditional synagogue) and contrary to tradition women's perspective has precedence over the counterpart genre (excuse me, the "mama" comes first and then the "papa"). The final and third section is dedicated to Misha, the strongest character, the keeper of secrets who has become pregnant but who will not reveal who the father is. This structure is responsible for the novel's much criticized flaw: overlapping and repetition. The author integrates her vast knowledge of folklore, traditions, magic, and with an enjoyable sense of humor brings back a community life which is now part of history. Great historical events are not emphasized, there is no drama, it is a reading to be placidly enjoyed, the concern is with daily life, erotism and passions, friendships, understanding and misunderstandings amongst the characters, with some hints of magic realism which somehow seems out of place.
Rating:
Summary: The lyrical shtetl
Review: I.B.Singer, Peretz, S.Aleichem, D.Bergelson, Mendele all have portrayed shtetl life, with a tragic, comical, historical, or religious perspective. L.Nattel in her debut as a novel writer has given us her lyrical, colorful interpretation of the shtetl life in a fictional village of Blaszka (Russian occupied Poland), at the end of the 19th century. At the core of the story there are four characters (the "vilda Hayas," or "wild creatures), all of them female. The strong, independent Misha, a midwife who challenges traditions but remains much respected and loved by the community; Hanna-Leah the childless butcher's wife; Faygela the dreamer who wishes to become a poet and becomes the mother of many, and Ziza-Sara who emigrates to New York and has an early death. Around this core there is a myriad of remarkable characters: Emma and her revolutionary ideas, the rabbi and his fear of fire, Hayim the water carrier, besides the ever-present angels and demons of Jewish folklore. Nattel has divided her novel by a "mekhitzah" (the walll that divides the men's section from the women's section in a traditional synagogue) and contrary to tradition women's perspective has precedence over the counterpart genre (excuse me, the "mama" comes first and then the "papa"). The final and third section is dedicated to Misha, the strongest character, the keeper of secrets who has become pregnant but who will not reveal who the father is. This structure is responsible for the novel's much criticized flaw: overlapping and repetition. The author integrates her vast knowledge of folklore, traditions, magic, and with an enjoyable sense of humor brings back a community life which is now part of history. Great historical events are not emphasized, there is no drama, it is a reading to be placidly enjoyed, the concern is with daily life, erotism and passions, friendships, understanding and misunderstandings amongst the characters, with some hints of magic realism which somehow seems out of place.
Rating:
Summary: You will love this book from the first story to the last.
Review: Nattel has taken the life in a tiny Polish shtetl before the Holocaust (and one that we come to understand disappeared during that horrendous period) and presents it to the reader through the thoughts and feelings of the villagers, both men and women. In the first half of the book we are introduced to the original four wild girls, Misha, the midwife; Faygela, the mother of many and wife of the village baker; Hannah-Leah, the butcher's wife; and the children of Zisa-Sara who had left the shtetl with her husband, only to die in a sweatshop fire in New York City and leave her orphaned children to return to her native home. The tales told through these women and men of this imaginary town in Poland are sweet, magical, aggravating, heart-wrenching, startling, and just about every other adjective you can imagine. Nattel is a marvelous story-teller and the reader is caught up from the first page in the lives and loves of these simple and wonderful people. Of particular joy to me was the sprinkling of Yiddish that Nattel uses throughout the book - it not only gives the right flavor to the tales, but since many of the words are reminiscent of my childhood in a Jewish-oriented community, they are like old familiar friends. They add a somewhat funny, appropriate, accurate and tasty spice to the stories of the interactions, friendships, secrets and ties that these people have with one and other. This is a wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: A Unique Pleasure
Review: This book surprised me right from the start. I have never read anything by Lilian Nattel before, but I will try her again. I love the way she wrapped the story around the life of the village. Her method of telling the same story from the view point of many different people was flawless, and it is a gift to be able to tell that story through the eyes of both men and women without sounding contrite. This is a wonderful book to read, with a very important social message to tell us. Don't miss out; you'll truly enjoy reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Pleased....
Review: This is a book that has haunted me for several years now. I was just checking to see if Lilian Nettel had written another book yet, and am disappointed that I must continue to wait. The River Midnight has a unique set of characters, through whose various eyes we see the story as they see it. It is a reminder that reality is in the eye of the beholder, and that the same events can be seen quite differently by each person. I see one reviewer here didn't like the subtle touches of magic in the book, but I loved them -- The book doesn't become a fantasy, it just weaves in a few touches of the magic that some of us assume is part of life until we "grow out of it." I enjoyed the fact that these tiny tidbits were thrown into what is otherwise a historical novel about serious issues. Stereotypes -- in novels as in life -- are made to be broken! I felt very close to the characters and the writer, by the end of the novel. Ms. Nattel is a wonderful storyteller, and I was sad when this story ended. If anyone knows how to contact her, please tell her I'm anxiously awaiting the next book!
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