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There are currently 19 member reviews
for Holding My Breath
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Theresa (Sierra Madre CA)
Sooooooo good!
I love this book- Holding my Breath. This book was well put in words!!! I instantly fell in love with all of the characters!! and it was VERY easy to get lost in their stories!!! I love this book and I'm sure I'll read it again!
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Meredith (New York NY)
Holding My Breath
This book ended up surprising me and I really enjoyed it a lot. I became engrossed with Beth and her family as she grew up and the different things that the family went through and experienced. The book had a similar vibe as "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" to me which is an amazing book as well. This is a book that you'll want to keep reading to find out what happens to each of the family members throughout their lives. Gives you a glimpse into a Jewish family in Canada and I like the fact that it was set there as most books I read are based in United States. I highly recommend it!
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Sandy (Fort Myers FL)
A captivating multi-generational story
This captivating, multi-generational story offers a glimpse into family life (albeit dysfunctional) in Jewish Canada in the 1950's and 60's. The women in the story are tough and strong and their characters are extremely well developed. In particular the narrator, one of the daughters, Beth, feels very real-to-life. You feel like she could literally walk off the page as she recounts her family story, capturing moments both happy and sad. I was totally drawn into both the story as well as the depiction of a place and time foreign to me.
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Kari (Oslo )
Holding My Breath - by Sidura Ludwig
I have always loved coming of age stories! I read a LOT of coming of age stories. This one, Holding My Breath, was great. I felt that I got to know all the characters very well, and they all seemed very real. Beth's narrative worked very well all the way through the book, it was really done in an entertaining and interesting way. It didn't matter at all that I really don't know much about Jewish culture or the time period the story took place in.However, this did not bother me at all, and I think that's a big part of why I liked this book so much. It was so easy to just feel like you were THERE with all the characters.
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Cecilia (Montclair NJ)
Holding My Breath
This is a remarkable coming-of-age story about a young girl growing up in a Jewish family in Canada during the 1950's and 1960's. It is very well-written, with interesting and believable characters. What resonated with me is how well it dealt with the conflicts in growing up during this time, especially the difference in expectations of the generation coming out of World War II and the next, growing up in the 60's. The development over the years in the relationship between the girl and her mother was very moving and very realistic. I look forward to reading future novels by this author.
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Talya (Medical Lake WA)
Holding my Breath
I can't believe this is a work of fiction. I felt like a member of Beth's family with the wonderful character descriptions in the novel. The family felt so real and you could tell that the author loved them with the amount of care she put into each character. I think any person that loves reading about family ties, strong women, or generation gaps in 1960's Canada would enjoy this book.
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Beth (Sioux Falls SD)
Holding My Breath
Canadian writer Sidura Ludwig has done a wonderful job with her first novel. I loved that it was set in Winnipeg, Manitoba - a city I have visited several times and always enjoyed.
This is not an action packed novel, but rather a character study of a family. The main character, Beth Levy, tells the stories of her family - parents, aunts, cousins- who live and work together in one of Winnipeg's Jewish neighborhoods. As Beth grows up, her perceptions of her family members change and thus add layers of complexity to their personalities. Ludwig has created people who seem extraordinarily real. I enjoyed every minute of my time with them.
