A Castle in Brooklyn

A Novel

By: Shirley Russak Wachtel

Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Spanning decades, an unforgettable novel about reckoning with the past, the true nature of friendship, and the dream of finding home.

1944, Poland. Jacob Stein and Zalman Mendelson meet as boys under terrifying circumstances. They survive by miraculously escaping, but their shared past haunts and shapes their lives forever.

Years later, Zalman plows a future on a Minnesota farm. In Brooklyn, Jacob has a new life with his wife, Esther. When Zalman travels to New York City to reconnect, Jacob’s hopes for the future are becoming a reality. With Zalman’s help, they build a house for Jacob’s family and for Zalman, who decides to stay. Modest and light filled, inviting and warm with acceptance—for all of them, it’s a castle to call home.

Then an unforeseeable tragedy—and the grief, betrayals, and revelations in its wake—threatens to destroy what was once an unbreakable bond, and Esther finds herself at a crossroads. A Castle in Brooklyn is a moving and heartfelt immigration story about finding love and building a home and family while being haunted by a traumatic past.

©2023 Shirley Russak Wachtel (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved

Critic reviews

“This is a story about immigration, adaptation to new cultures, and…a chance to grapple with the traditional roles that women play…A solid choice for book clubs.”—Library Journal

“Wachtel [shows] how surviving the horrors of Nazi-occupied Poland…doesn’t guarantee a ‘happily ever after’ in America but may become a source of pride, strength, and reconciliation for the next generation.”—Historical Novels Review

“A Castle in Brooklyn is a story about love and endurance. It follows Jacob and Zalman as they survive 1944 Poland and make their way to America, to a dreamlike life that is shattered too soon. With deep empathy, Wachtel lays bare an incredible resilience and desire to live that will inspire readers and keep them turning the page. Magnificent.”—Rachel Barenbaum, author of A Bend in the Stars and Atomic Anna

Good story

enjoyable story. Narrator voice is boring. Did enjoy the story. Narration spoiled the story as he was boring, as I am not sure how to explain it.

Intense and interesting

It’s a story of a house. The people who built it, loved it, lived there, rented it and took care of it are intriguing, sad, melancholy, bittersweet and occasionally happy. But it’s a story of a house.

Wachtel weaves her story with many subplots and turns, but allows us to live in this house with each character. We smile We cry. We gasp. We hold our breath. But in the end we feel life’s fragility and the perishable nature at its essence.

Ockhan is excellent, allowing us to forget him and identify with his characters—the mark of a good narrator.

Boring and annoying narration

Boring, simplistic story. Might have been better to read but the narration was very annoying.

Melting Pot in Brooklyn

I enjoyed the book it was better than I anticipated I enjoyed the characters and thought they were separated very well but bought together gracefully

Incredibly sad and happy

This was a very long book because the story covered so many years. years of the lives of amazing but normal people. My heart cried, laughed and felt incredible love for the special people as their story unfolded. i highly recommend this book and this author.

Rather Boring Book

The story line was pretty good but contained some inaccuracies. Book could be much shorter and not drag out.

not what i really wanted

This story was very confusing I really did enjoy the first chapters, but then it was way too much about the drama between the two heroes in this story, Jacon, and Zalman is like they couldn't pass their own sadness and burdens.

Two great friends who are lighter after the war, Zalman is married now and he is living the fantasy of a happy family until a tragedy happens and that beauty comes to end, even the friendship that survives so much now is no way to be found.

it was heartbreaking at one point but at the end, I really felt incomplete with that end, I really feel like the main character was unable to get the happy ending or the happy time it was like nothing ever fixed what was broken. no matter the end I really feel like something was missing.

The narrations by P. J. Ochlan were good and I really enjoy how much the story grew at times with the narrator.

Loved it

I enjoyed the historical fiction and the ties to escaping the holocaust. Beautiful story and captivating themes.

The house that live built

The story begins with an immigrant building a house with his best friend.
The house lives through the many fazes of life as the people in the story.

Rambles too much

Story was good but for the added characters near the end, drifted away from the story too much