G1150 Book Review of The Third Daughter by Talia Carner

Name of Book: The third daughter

Author: Talia Carner

ISBN: 978-0-06-289688-9

Publisher: William Morrow

Type of book: Russia, prostitution, Argentina, shtetls, 1889-1897, south America, life, dancing, family, friends, tricked, Zwi Migdal, loyalty

Year it was published: 2019

Summary:

From the author of Jerusalem Maiden comes a remarkable story, inspired by little-known true events, about the thousands of young Jewish women who were trafficked into prostitution at the turn of the 20th century, and whose subjugation helped build Buenos Aires.

The turn of the 20th century finds fourteen-year-old Batya in the Russian countryside, fleeing   with her family endless pogroms. Desperate, her father leaps at the opportunity to marry Batya to a worldly, wealthy stranger who can guarantee his daughter an easy life and passage to America.

 Feeling like a princess in a fairytale, Batya leaves her old life behind as she is whisked away to a new world. But soon she discovers that she’s entered a waking nightmare. Her new “husband” does indeed bring her to America: Buenos Aires, a vibrant, growing city in which prostitution is not only legal but deeply embedded in the culture. And now Batya is one of thousands of women tricked and sold into the oldest profession in the world.

As the years pass, Batya forms deep bonds with her “sisters” in the brothel as well as some men who are both kind and cruel. Through it all, she holds onto one dream: to bring her family to America, where they will be safe from the anti-Semitism that plagues Russia. Just as Batya is becoming a known tango dancer,  she gets an unexpected but dangerous opportunity—to help bring down the criminal network that has enslaved so many young women and has been instrumental in developing Buenos Aires into   a major metropolis.

A powerful story of finding courage in the face of danger, and hope in the face of despair, The Third Daughter brings to life a dark period of Jewish history and gives a voice to victims whose truth deserves to finally be told.

Characters

While THE THIRD DAUGHTER was heavily peopled with various characters from Batya's family to her friends and family, I often feel that Batya truly stood out in the tale, outshining and out performing others. Batya is a loyal and devoted daughter to her family of parents and sister's, for she does whatever she can to help her family and often thinks and puts their needs high above hers. She is selfless and worries a lot about her chances to escape the life she is forced to endure. In addition to that she is also intelligent, a talented actress and a phenomenal dancer. There are other characters that play a role in her story such as her "husband" who is all too reminiscent of a peacock with an inferiority complex, her numerous friends such as Nettie and Rochel, the Madame and then Batya's suitors who demand she make a choice between her own needs and that of her family's.

Theme:

Don't judge others without knowing their stories

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative from Batya's point of view, and it moves in a linear line from the time her family survived a pogrom in 1889, to 1897. The novel not only gives attention to the function of shtetls in Pale of Settlement, but it also gives hints and discusses Argentina and prostitution at great length. For me the story was truly heartbreaking: especially how others treated  and judged prostitutes, and Batya in particular. Very often people in different cultures are seen as monolithic with nothing to stand out. But I am happy that TALIA CARNER has broken the mold with her tale.

Author Information:
(From the back of the book)

Talia Carner is teh former publisher of Savvy Woman magazine and a lecturer at international women's economic forums. This is her fifth novel.

Opinion:

The first time I came across the possibility of Jewish women as prostitutes was in Michael Gold's phenomenal novel titled JEWS WITHOUT MONEY. But I had nothing tangible to place on the barest of mentions about the Jewish women as prostitutes. THE THIRD DAUGHTER BY TALIA CARNER has given face and name to the organization, which is titled Zwi Migdal. I have previously read her amazing tale of my last year in Russia in HOTEL MOSCOW, and it was a tale truly full of grit, realism and goes deeper into the study of Jews living there at the time. HOTEL MOSCOW also features tension and worries, especially when communism disbanded. THE THIRD DAUGHTER contains different strengths from her predecessor: for one the character of Batya/ Esperanza is possibly the most heartbreaking I have ever come across. I also loved the details that were included when she talked about Batya's life in Russia, especially how well she painted the characters. While there is tension in terms of Batya's decision, I often feel that the novel isnt focused on romance, but instead is focused on family that characters built. I also appreciated that the novel uncovered an event that takes place outside of WW2, an event that apparently is all too important and relevant to ignore.     

This was given to me for a review

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)