- Paperback: 338 pages
- Publisher: TCJ Publishing (August 27, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0615671837
- ISBN-13: 978-0615671833
- SOURCE: I received this book in exchange for an honest review
- STARS: 5
- FLAMES: 1 (very little sexual content, more implied)
THE BLURB:
Meticulously researched and controversial in scope and imagination, And So It Was Written travels to a time when a Third Temple is built and the Ark of the Covenant holding the Ten Commandments is found. The year is 132 CE, and the proclaimed Jewish Messiah, Bar Kokhba, has defeated the Roman army and rules Judea. As the Romans prepare to reclaim Israel, the book follows two sets of brothers-one Roman and one Jewish-whose friendships, hatreds, and lives intertwine. For characters you will dream about, And So It Was Written is the ultimate treat. You will smell the spices in the markets, see the blood on the battlefields, rage with the injustice of brother against brother. From triumph to defeat, this is a saga of courage, conquest, familial loyalty, honor and love-showing man at his best and his worst.
Meticulously researched and controversial in scope and imagination, And So It Was Written travels to a time when a Third Temple is built and the Ark of the Covenant holding the Ten Commandments is found. The year is 132 CE, and the proclaimed Jewish Messiah, Bar Kokhba, has defeated the Roman army and rules Judea. As the Romans prepare to reclaim Israel, the book follows two sets of brothers-one Roman and one Jewish-whose friendships, hatreds, and lives intertwine. For characters you will dream about, And So It Was Written is the ultimate treat. You will smell the spices in the markets, see the blood on the battlefields, rage with the injustice of brother against brother. From triumph to defeat, this is a saga of courage, conquest, familial loyalty, honor and love-showing man at his best and his worst.
THE REVIEW:
I'd like to start by saying that I do not usually read religious books. In fact, I avoid them- like the plague. I don't want to have any religion pushed on me while I'm trying to enjoy a story. That being said, when Ellen approached me to review her book, I didn't hesitate. She sent me the blurb and some info and I agreed. Maybe it's because my mom was Jewish (thus making me Jewish in the religion) or maybe I just liked the story idea. Whatever the reason was, I was drawn to the book. The book itself is amazing! Ellen has done her research. I love the characters. You feel for the brothers, you feel their emotions as things happen. You feel for their parents- oh, how I wanted to hug their mom. This book take the reader through the wringer man. Oh, and Tillie! Why? It is so truthful and true, but hurts the reader's very soul! Ellen has done a fantastic job of using the right amount of religion/tradition in the book. It enhances the story without trying to detract from the story or push the Jewish tradition. There is a depth to the characters that isn't easily achieved and you want to know what happens to them. By the time you get to the end, you can only hope that everything turns out as it should! As an avid reader, I read a lot and books of this well-crafted, well-researched nature do not come along too often! I highly recommend it to anyone that is willing to read a book about a different culture and viewpoint (or maybe it's your traditions that you're reading about). It is an EXCELLENT read!
I'd like to start by saying that I do not usually read religious books. In fact, I avoid them- like the plague. I don't want to have any religion pushed on me while I'm trying to enjoy a story. That being said, when Ellen approached me to review her book, I didn't hesitate. She sent me the blurb and some info and I agreed. Maybe it's because my mom was Jewish (thus making me Jewish in the religion) or maybe I just liked the story idea. Whatever the reason was, I was drawn to the book. The book itself is amazing! Ellen has done her research. I love the characters. You feel for the brothers, you feel their emotions as things happen. You feel for their parents- oh, how I wanted to hug their mom. This book take the reader through the wringer man. Oh, and Tillie! Why? It is so truthful and true, but hurts the reader's very soul! Ellen has done a fantastic job of using the right amount of religion/tradition in the book. It enhances the story without trying to detract from the story or push the Jewish tradition. There is a depth to the characters that isn't easily achieved and you want to know what happens to them. By the time you get to the end, you can only hope that everything turns out as it should! As an avid reader, I read a lot and books of this well-crafted, well-researched nature do not come along too often! I highly recommend it to anyone that is willing to read a book about a different culture and viewpoint (or maybe it's your traditions that you're reading about). It is an EXCELLENT read!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Biography Ellen Brazer lives on South Beach. Her newest book, And So It Was Written was released September 2012. And So It Was Written premiered as a bestseller under Jewish Literature on Amazon.
Summary:
Meticulously researched and controversial in scope and imagination, And So It Was Written travels to a time when a Third Temple is built and the Ark of the Covenant holding the Ten Commandments is found. The year is 132 CE, and the proclaimed Jewish Messiah, Bar Kokhba, has defeated the Roman army and rules Judea. As the Romans prepare to reclaim Israel, the book follows two sets of brothers-one Roman and one Jewish-whose friendships, hatreds, and lives intertwine. For characters you will dream about, And So It Was Written is the ultimate treat. You will smell the spices in the markets, see the blood on the battlefields, rage with the injustice of brother against brother. From triumph to defeat, this is a saga of courage, conquest, familial loyalty, honor and love-showing man at his best and his worst.
Ellen's second book, Clouds Across the Sun is listed on Amazon under the top 10 Holocaust Related Novels.
Summary: Before the end of WWII, Hitler charged a group of his most trusted and brilliant comrades with a mission--educate your progeny and then elevate them to positions of power throughout the world. Steeped in fact and impeccably researched, Clouds Across the Sun is the story of just one of these children.
From Naples, Florida, New York City, and Washington D.C., to Israel and then the killing grounds of Vilnius, Poland (Lithuania) this story is one of great romance, discovery, redemption, and enlightenment as Jotto Wells discovers her Jewish soul and unravels the intrigue surrounding a plan to take over the government of the United States.
Two of Ellen's short stories were published in a Carnegie Mellon anthology.
Her novels are inspired by the people she has befriended over the years: Holocaust Survivors, a Russian Olympic Gold medalist, a founder of a Kibbutz in Northern Israel and a renowned psychiatrist who treated the children of Survivors, a professor who worked on transcribing the Dead Sea Scrolls, rabbis and physicians. These stories, coupled with extensive research are the backbone of her fictional characters.
Ellen's goal is to have readers see into the soul and mind of the Jewish people and she hopes that reading her books will do that. Ellen likes to hear from her readers and urges you to please contact her. She is available for speaking engagements. In the past 2 years Ellen has spoken throughout the country to more than 5,000 people. She has 30 events scheduled thus far beginning in October, 2012.
By popular demand, Ellen Brazer brought Hearts Of Fire back into print. That book received the Myrtle Wreath award from Hadassah. Visit her website http://ellenbrazer.com
Biography Ellen Brazer lives on South Beach. Her newest book, And So It Was Written was released September 2012. And So It Was Written premiered as a bestseller under Jewish Literature on Amazon.
Summary:
Meticulously researched and controversial in scope and imagination, And So It Was Written travels to a time when a Third Temple is built and the Ark of the Covenant holding the Ten Commandments is found. The year is 132 CE, and the proclaimed Jewish Messiah, Bar Kokhba, has defeated the Roman army and rules Judea. As the Romans prepare to reclaim Israel, the book follows two sets of brothers-one Roman and one Jewish-whose friendships, hatreds, and lives intertwine. For characters you will dream about, And So It Was Written is the ultimate treat. You will smell the spices in the markets, see the blood on the battlefields, rage with the injustice of brother against brother. From triumph to defeat, this is a saga of courage, conquest, familial loyalty, honor and love-showing man at his best and his worst.
Ellen's second book, Clouds Across the Sun is listed on Amazon under the top 10 Holocaust Related Novels.
Summary: Before the end of WWII, Hitler charged a group of his most trusted and brilliant comrades with a mission--educate your progeny and then elevate them to positions of power throughout the world. Steeped in fact and impeccably researched, Clouds Across the Sun is the story of just one of these children.
From Naples, Florida, New York City, and Washington D.C., to Israel and then the killing grounds of Vilnius, Poland (Lithuania) this story is one of great romance, discovery, redemption, and enlightenment as Jotto Wells discovers her Jewish soul and unravels the intrigue surrounding a plan to take over the government of the United States.
Two of Ellen's short stories were published in a Carnegie Mellon anthology.
Her novels are inspired by the people she has befriended over the years: Holocaust Survivors, a Russian Olympic Gold medalist, a founder of a Kibbutz in Northern Israel and a renowned psychiatrist who treated the children of Survivors, a professor who worked on transcribing the Dead Sea Scrolls, rabbis and physicians. These stories, coupled with extensive research are the backbone of her fictional characters.
Ellen's goal is to have readers see into the soul and mind of the Jewish people and she hopes that reading her books will do that. Ellen likes to hear from her readers and urges you to please contact her. She is available for speaking engagements. In the past 2 years Ellen has spoken throughout the country to more than 5,000 people. She has 30 events scheduled thus far beginning in October, 2012.
By popular demand, Ellen Brazer brought Hearts Of Fire back into print. That book received the Myrtle Wreath award from Hadassah. Visit her website http://ellenbrazer.com
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