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Where the Desert Meets the Sea
An illuminating and heart-stirring historical novel set in post-WWII Palestine, where the boundaries of love and friendship are challenged by the intractable conflicts of war.
Jerusalem, 1947: Judith, a young Jewish survivor of the Dachau concentration camp, arrives in Mandatory Palestine, seeking refuge with her only remaining relative, her uncle. When she learns that he has died, she tries to take her own life in despair.
After awakening in the hospital, Judith learns that Hana, a Muslim Arab nurse, has saved her life by donating her own blood. While the two women develop a fragile bond, each can’t help but be drawn deeper into the political machinations tearing the country apart. After witnessing the repeated attacks inflicted on the Jews, Judith makes the life-changing decision to join the Zionist fight for Jerusalem. And Hana’s star-crossed love for Dr. David Cohen, an American Jew out of his element and working only to save lives, will put her own life in danger.
Then the political situation worsens. When tensions erupt, a shocking act of violence threatens Judith and Hana’s friendship—and the destinies of everyone they love.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 573 reviews
April 8, 2019
The history is correct, but the story told through these fictional characters is very bland and melodramatic. It flip flops all over with hyper hot-headed Arabs and Jews massacring each other while the British smoke cigarettes and ignore the mess that they have created by their 31 year Mandate in Palestine. Israel's history is complicated, and deserves to be told in a more balanced story where the people are more than paper dolls wanting to survive. In this book, everyone is the "bad guy" and that's just not how it was.
August 7, 2019
This historical fiction novel is told chronologically about post-WWII Palestine. The dates are vastly important in order to comprehend the extend of what happened in so little time to each of the characters. The characters are concentrated around a young Arab woman, Hanna, and a young Jewish woman, Judith, with every character in the story being connected to either Hanna or Judith. However, the conflict is told from many of the characters P.O.V. (not just from Hanna and Judith). I especially enjoyed the different character viewpoints and found the author did a great job describing the Middle Eastern conflict of Jerusalem through many different sets of eyes.
The author shows a variation of answers to the question–Who does Jerusalem belong to?–through these different points of view. It doesn’t singularly revolve around just one or two characters. That is probably the most spectacular thing about this story, is to experience the Middle Eastern conflict from different angles.
This book is filled with a lot of history, but also language and culture. The author incorporates Hebrew, Arabic, and Yiddish words/phrases. Because of this, I recommend reading it on a Kindle so that you can translate quickly.
This is extremely action-packed. So much so, that sometimes certain details were left out that help move the story along. Things such as sensory imagery and directional surroundings. Because there was so much action, things like this were left out quite frequently. It sometimes caused the flow of the story to be broken. There was so much information provided that literary devices were also left out. This also caused the first part of the book to be difficult to get through. It skips around, especially in the first half. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
The author shows a variation of answers to the question–Who does Jerusalem belong to?–through these different points of view. It doesn’t singularly revolve around just one or two characters. That is probably the most spectacular thing about this story, is to experience the Middle Eastern conflict from different angles.
This book is filled with a lot of history, but also language and culture. The author incorporates Hebrew, Arabic, and Yiddish words/phrases. Because of this, I recommend reading it on a Kindle so that you can translate quickly.
This is extremely action-packed. So much so, that sometimes certain details were left out that help move the story along. Things such as sensory imagery and directional surroundings. Because there was so much action, things like this were left out quite frequently. It sometimes caused the flow of the story to be broken. There was so much information provided that literary devices were also left out. This also caused the first part of the book to be difficult to get through. It skips around, especially in the first half. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
November 12, 2021
[ 1.5 stars ]
I wanted to love this book SO BAD but it fell so flat for me. It covers the narrative of the emergence of Israel as a state, which is something so rarely covered in historical fiction. The subject matter itself was incredibly interesting to me but I think I would've rather just read a non-fiction book about this time rather than this.
My biggest problem with this book was the writing. I understand that this is a translation so I'm not sure exactly how that effects the writing. However, what I read was choppy, and all over the place. There was no fluidity, it randomly jumped from perspective to perspective with no indication or warning. I had such a hard time keeping track of the myriad of characters thrown into the plot. Speaking of the characters, they were one dimensional and had absolutely no depth. I had only a slight interest in about two of the characters who were somewhat fleshed out. Many character's personalities were also poorly planned, they quickly changed their fundamental beliefs for the sake of the story line.
In addition this book was very biased. While it claims not to be the author clearly shows a preference and resolves the stories of the Jews while leaving stories unresolved for the Arab characters. I saw Judith and Hana as equals on either sides of the violence, when comparing the stories of these two characters who should've been equal you can clearly see the bias. A much more effective approach to this book would've been following just these two characters and the way their lives aligned to expose the equality between the two sides rather than creating a further divide. The abundance of perspectives added nothing to this book except confusion. I can see the effort the author was trying to make by including so many different narratives but ultimately it was executed poorly.
I wanted to love this book SO BAD but it fell so flat for me. It covers the narrative of the emergence of Israel as a state, which is something so rarely covered in historical fiction. The subject matter itself was incredibly interesting to me but I think I would've rather just read a non-fiction book about this time rather than this.
My biggest problem with this book was the writing. I understand that this is a translation so I'm not sure exactly how that effects the writing. However, what I read was choppy, and all over the place. There was no fluidity, it randomly jumped from perspective to perspective with no indication or warning. I had such a hard time keeping track of the myriad of characters thrown into the plot. Speaking of the characters, they were one dimensional and had absolutely no depth. I had only a slight interest in about two of the characters who were somewhat fleshed out. Many character's personalities were also poorly planned, they quickly changed their fundamental beliefs for the sake of the story line.
In addition this book was very biased. While it claims not to be the author clearly shows a preference and resolves the stories of the Jews while leaving stories unresolved for the Arab characters. I saw Judith and Hana as equals on either sides of the violence, when comparing the stories of these two characters who should've been equal you can clearly see the bias. A much more effective approach to this book would've been following just these two characters and the way their lives aligned to expose the equality between the two sides rather than creating a further divide. The abundance of perspectives added nothing to this book except confusion. I can see the effort the author was trying to make by including so many different narratives but ultimately it was executed poorly.
May 31, 2019
The time setting for this novel is just after WW II, and the freed Jews from the concentration camps are trying to get to their historic homeland, the Holy Land. As the Jews arrive, they become embroiled in age old disagreements over territory. It is the story of the wars between the Jews and Arabs, as they fight over Palestine and Jerusalem, after the State of Israel is established in 1947. Needless to say it is a bloody story of massacres, terrorism, pillage and rape. No mercy was shown, no quarter given, by either side.
The British military occupied the area, but did little to intervene inn the fighting, other than try to prevent the Jews’ arrival. They had suffered their own losses over the years since their arrival in the 1920’s. Their mandate was to modernize the area, but were at the same time, protecting their oil interests in the middle east. The British left in 1948.
It is a powerful story worth reading.
The British military occupied the area, but did little to intervene inn the fighting, other than try to prevent the Jews’ arrival. They had suffered their own losses over the years since their arrival in the 1920’s. Their mandate was to modernize the area, but were at the same time, protecting their oil interests in the middle east. The British left in 1948.
It is a powerful story worth reading.
May 1, 2019
Got this one for free through Amazon First Reads as one of this month's selections, and, first and foremost, it was worth every penny I paid for it. (Sorry, I couldn't resist. But it is what it is, and most months I find that the allure of free books just isn't that alluring, particularly because we have an excellent public library..... But, having said that, I have enjoyed a few of the freebies I've obtained this way....)
It was a relatively quick read, and a few of the characters were at least somewhat compelling, and I don't regret reading it, but it wasn't particularly memorable or uniquely well crafted (in my opinion).
As historical fiction goes, it might be informative to someone unfamiliar with the post-WWII creation and early conflict surrounding the new State of Israel, which, of course, was a tumultuous period. But, well, for anyone who read Leon Uris' 1958 classic Exodus, it seems like a poor (thin?) substitute. Granted, Exodus is significantly more one-sided (e.g., pro-Israel), at least as I recall it, and this author tries (to my mind, rather unsuccessfully) to be a bit more even handed or balanced, ... but ... nah, I'm guessing not many readers find this one to be "fair" or "balanced" view (which, granted, is a tall order). Also, to be fair, Exodus weighs in at twice the length, so it's not a fair comparison... but, still. For more modern Israeli fiction, I recommend Amos Oz (who recently passed away), and, if you're only going to read one serious book about Israel, my all-time favorite is Havlevi's sublime non-fictional chronicle, Like Dreamers, which picks up the story a half-generation after this book's story line. Now, that's an excellent (and complex) book, well worth reading.
I'll never know whether my frustrations with the (largely) pedestrian (flat?) prose was the author's intent or the interpreter's vision, but, not many passages sang to me. Still, having said that, the pages turned quickly, and the story amused me through a couple of short flights, ... so I'm not complaining.
Reviewer's visual side note: when I saw the cover of this book, I couldn't resist, so I posted a picture on my profile page that's basically the same shot that's on the cover (without the two women, of course). https://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/... ... I spent an hour at the overlook above the Mount of Olives cemetery, with the sun setting, looking across at the Old City. Frustratingly, even though I had my tripod, the evening I was there, it was incredibly windy, so it ended up being more of a production than I'd planned. But, hey, the shot still came out quite nicely.... So, check it out!
It was a relatively quick read, and a few of the characters were at least somewhat compelling, and I don't regret reading it, but it wasn't particularly memorable or uniquely well crafted (in my opinion).
As historical fiction goes, it might be informative to someone unfamiliar with the post-WWII creation and early conflict surrounding the new State of Israel, which, of course, was a tumultuous period. But, well, for anyone who read Leon Uris' 1958 classic Exodus, it seems like a poor (thin?) substitute. Granted, Exodus is significantly more one-sided (e.g., pro-Israel), at least as I recall it, and this author tries (to my mind, rather unsuccessfully) to be a bit more even handed or balanced, ... but ... nah, I'm guessing not many readers find this one to be "fair" or "balanced" view (which, granted, is a tall order). Also, to be fair, Exodus weighs in at twice the length, so it's not a fair comparison... but, still. For more modern Israeli fiction, I recommend Amos Oz (who recently passed away), and, if you're only going to read one serious book about Israel, my all-time favorite is Havlevi's sublime non-fictional chronicle, Like Dreamers, which picks up the story a half-generation after this book's story line. Now, that's an excellent (and complex) book, well worth reading.
I'll never know whether my frustrations with the (largely) pedestrian (flat?) prose was the author's intent or the interpreter's vision, but, not many passages sang to me. Still, having said that, the pages turned quickly, and the story amused me through a couple of short flights, ... so I'm not complaining.
Reviewer's visual side note: when I saw the cover of this book, I couldn't resist, so I posted a picture on my profile page that's basically the same shot that's on the cover (without the two women, of course). https://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/... ... I spent an hour at the overlook above the Mount of Olives cemetery, with the sun setting, looking across at the Old City. Frustratingly, even though I had my tripod, the evening I was there, it was incredibly windy, so it ended up being more of a production than I'd planned. But, hey, the shot still came out quite nicely.... So, check it out!
November 3, 2023
Historical fiction set in 1947-1948 in Palestine at the time just before and during the establishment of the State of Israel. There are many characters in this novel, representing Jewish, Arab, and British perspectives. It starts with Judith, a Jewish survivor of the deathcamps, and Hana, an Arab Muslim nurse at the local hospital, who become friends after one provides blood for a transfusion needed by the other. The Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem serves everyone, and it becomes the center of the novel, where all injured people are treated regardless of heritage.
The author attempts an impartial narrative, which I think is the reason for so many characters and points of view. Unfortunately, this approach results in a fragmented narrative. The book starts off well. Where it did not quite work for me is the lack of depth. I think the context needed to be established in more detail. There is lots of “action” and “romance,” and the romantic plotlines felt thrown in. I wish the characters had acted with more consistency. It is a book where the author’s puppet strings show a bit too clearly. I liked it but have read other books that provide a better depiction of the region and its conflicts.
The author attempts an impartial narrative, which I think is the reason for so many characters and points of view. Unfortunately, this approach results in a fragmented narrative. The book starts off well. Where it did not quite work for me is the lack of depth. I think the context needed to be established in more detail. There is lots of “action” and “romance,” and the romantic plotlines felt thrown in. I wish the characters had acted with more consistency. It is a book where the author’s puppet strings show a bit too clearly. I liked it but have read other books that provide a better depiction of the region and its conflicts.
August 18, 2020
Werner Sonne set out to write a novel about the state of the Holy Land and the Arab Israeli conflict following WWII, with Britain's pullout of the area, and the Jewish resettlement. He wanted to write a book that did not take sides, favoring neither Palestinians, Jews, nor British, who in my estimation were the real instigators of much of the conflict that took place.
In Sonne's attempt to remain neutral, he filled the story with far to many characters I hesitated to become invested in, because they were bound to die a tragic death. Too many.
I have read at least a half dozen books about this period lately, but for some reason, I held "Where the Desert Meets the Sea" at arm's length.
Maybe this is a subject we cannot remain neutral about. Perhaps there was, and is too much wrong done on all sides, and too many lives lost "in God's name" to tell this story without prejudice.
In Sonne's attempt to remain neutral, he filled the story with far to many characters I hesitated to become invested in, because they were bound to die a tragic death. Too many.
I have read at least a half dozen books about this period lately, but for some reason, I held "Where the Desert Meets the Sea" at arm's length.
Maybe this is a subject we cannot remain neutral about. Perhaps there was, and is too much wrong done on all sides, and too many lives lost "in God's name" to tell this story without prejudice.
April 8, 2021
Exceptional, I hate to admit this but as an American, sometimes we are ignorant to the plight of what is going on in other parts of the world and sadly our schools do not reach about such events in history unless they are widely publicized.
I came across this book thru my daily Email recommendations, I don't read historical fiction very often but this book captured my attention from the beginning and held it. I really enjoyed the authors note at the end where she explains her thorough research. I even wrote down two of the other books that she referenced for further reading.
I rarely leave reviews, but I highly recommend this book especially on Audible.
I came across this book thru my daily Email recommendations, I don't read historical fiction very often but this book captured my attention from the beginning and held it. I really enjoyed the authors note at the end where she explains her thorough research. I even wrote down two of the other books that she referenced for further reading.
I rarely leave reviews, but I highly recommend this book especially on Audible.
May 10, 2022
Disappointed. This was less than meh for me. There are too many characters with too many side stories, and not enough history. The synopsis leads the reader to expect a lot, and this just does not deliver, sadly. I feel like I stumbled through a rough draft.
The author's notes are interesting. Afterwards, I still feel like the mark was missed. I didn't sign up for a convoluted love story between cultural, historical, and religious people and families. As the author explained what she wanted, I found myself saying me too.
I don't know how this was brought to my attention. The audiobook is on Scribd and it is six long hours. In addition, there are no accents (German? Israeli? Palestine?).
I'm giving two stars. There was time and effort around historical events that are still happening today. My hope future readers will explore on their own (a map). There is a story to be told.
The author's notes are interesting. Afterwards, I still feel like the mark was missed. I didn't sign up for a convoluted love story between cultural, historical, and religious people and families. As the author explained what she wanted, I found myself saying me too.
I don't know how this was brought to my attention. The audiobook is on Scribd and it is six long hours. In addition, there are no accents (German? Israeli? Palestine?).
I'm giving two stars. There was time and effort around historical events that are still happening today. My hope future readers will explore on their own (a map). There is a story to be told.
April 5, 2019
Boring Book
The dialog is stilted and the characters are not realistic. I would rather read a straight history book accounting of this time instead of this boring set of characters and setting.
The dialog is stilted and the characters are not realistic. I would rather read a straight history book accounting of this time instead of this boring set of characters and setting.
May 5, 2019
I wanted to like it. I usually love historic fiction. But the characters are poorly developed. I didn’t really feel connected to them or cared much what happened. Also the story flops around a lot. Very unsatisfying.
May 1, 2019
The Social Studies documentary films about the Creation of Isreal encouraged me to read more about the Creation of Isreal.
This book is about the Israeli-Arab conflict ongoing in the 1940s-1950s. I learned how wars surrounding culture and religion incited many and changed their lives forever.
One of the most fascinating character developments in this story is about a British soldier born Jewish.
He was born Jew, but he owes his life to the British.
"It was they who raised and brought him up, it was the British uniform he'd worn with pride for many years. "
He was sent to Israel to enforce "order" to the Jewish and the Arabs. He watched as the British shoved and drove away Jews from Palestine. He watched as his fellow soldiers and co-workers shipped Jews back to the crowded inhabiting camps in Europe.
He was born Jew. But now he has to force his own people back to desolate places.
He was born Jew. But he never once practiced his religion with devotion.
The war of Arabs, Jews, and the British in Palestine was a war of discovering. Instead of killing his own people, his own blood; this officer decided to quit. To quit enforcing laws and cruel restrictions upon his kin, the Jewish people. The war allowed this officer to find his roots, and fight for a faith he was born into and came to devote to.
The war was a time of discovering, but on the other hand, it was also a time of hostility and animosity.
Hanna, an Arab; loved her husband.
Who was a Jew.
Hana, a nurse, loved her co-workers at the hospitals.
Who were Jews.
Hana, a soon-to-be mother Arab;
is pregnant with a child. A child half Jew and half Arab.
Because of the war, one by one, her family were abused and killed by Jews. Jews, who were her beloved co-workers. Because of the war, Hana's husband was knocked dead. By an Arab relative.
Hana is caught in the middle of a communal disaster as she watches the people she loves destroy each other. She is forced to choose a side. To keep loving the Jews who were also the murderers of her family, or obey her Arab culture and leave Jerusalem forever. Hana is left devastated as she watches everything she loved--Jerusalem and their people, crumbling to ruins.
Only after I read this book, I realized what religion and culture mean. Sometimes, it is a feeling of discovering and belonging. Other times, it is a burden of decision and will.
This book is about the Israeli-Arab conflict ongoing in the 1940s-1950s. I learned how wars surrounding culture and religion incited many and changed their lives forever.
One of the most fascinating character developments in this story is about a British soldier born Jewish.
He was born Jew, but he owes his life to the British.
"It was they who raised and brought him up, it was the British uniform he'd worn with pride for many years. "
He was sent to Israel to enforce "order" to the Jewish and the Arabs. He watched as the British shoved and drove away Jews from Palestine. He watched as his fellow soldiers and co-workers shipped Jews back to the crowded inhabiting camps in Europe.
He was born Jew. But now he has to force his own people back to desolate places.
He was born Jew. But he never once practiced his religion with devotion.
The war of Arabs, Jews, and the British in Palestine was a war of discovering. Instead of killing his own people, his own blood; this officer decided to quit. To quit enforcing laws and cruel restrictions upon his kin, the Jewish people. The war allowed this officer to find his roots, and fight for a faith he was born into and came to devote to.
The war was a time of discovering, but on the other hand, it was also a time of hostility and animosity.
Hanna, an Arab; loved her husband.
Who was a Jew.
Hana, a nurse, loved her co-workers at the hospitals.
Who were Jews.
Hana, a soon-to-be mother Arab;
is pregnant with a child. A child half Jew and half Arab.
Because of the war, one by one, her family were abused and killed by Jews. Jews, who were her beloved co-workers. Because of the war, Hana's husband was knocked dead. By an Arab relative.
Hana is caught in the middle of a communal disaster as she watches the people she loves destroy each other. She is forced to choose a side. To keep loving the Jews who were also the murderers of her family, or obey her Arab culture and leave Jerusalem forever. Hana is left devastated as she watches everything she loved--Jerusalem and their people, crumbling to ruins.
Only after I read this book, I realized what religion and culture mean. Sometimes, it is a feeling of discovering and belonging. Other times, it is a burden of decision and will.
January 8, 2020
Some books are hard to rate and even harder to review. Such is the case with this book for me.
I've given it 3 stars. This has to do with jagged edges. Missing pieces. A little too much moving and not enough staying. I wanted just a bit more from each character I was introduced to.
There was depth but just not enough. Beautiful descriptions and I bookmarked pages to go back to; but, the bookmarks were mainly done within the first half of this book. I was left feeling as though there was more that needed to be said. More history to be given. Loose ends I didn't feel were complete. A bit of chaos; and, yet, I suppose that's the living within war and its aftermath. Picking up the pieces of whatever is left and carrying on. What else is there to do?
This book was well paced. A bit confusing in parts; unless, you're blessed with being able to keep names and storylines straight right from the first time you meet someone new.
Having never really ventured into this part of the Israeli and Palestinian history before I found it to be informative. A good read overall, and a bur in my saddle that will be spurring me on to delve in deeper, elsewhere, on my own.
In parts, this book should have broken me. Broken my heart right open. Split it in two. However, the emotions that should have swelled up into an ocean wall of water, waiting to crash down and overwhelm, never were given a chance to fully rise to the occasion. It's not lack of empathy but a story that failed to deeply entrench me into the lives of those I was reading about. I was right there with them. There was anticipation, premonition, fear, shock, but when it came to the sadness it was as if I didn't have any tears to cry. I would've preferred tears.
This book is by no means a waste of time; just not timeless. Despite it's flaws, it still manages to say and detail much within its compact pages. It's written well enough to compel one forward. The end simply wasn't the end and so I'm off to learn, discover, and uncover more.
For better or worse, I've been left wistful. Wistful, and now speechless, until I live another day to read and write again...
I've given it 3 stars. This has to do with jagged edges. Missing pieces. A little too much moving and not enough staying. I wanted just a bit more from each character I was introduced to.
There was depth but just not enough. Beautiful descriptions and I bookmarked pages to go back to; but, the bookmarks were mainly done within the first half of this book. I was left feeling as though there was more that needed to be said. More history to be given. Loose ends I didn't feel were complete. A bit of chaos; and, yet, I suppose that's the living within war and its aftermath. Picking up the pieces of whatever is left and carrying on. What else is there to do?
This book was well paced. A bit confusing in parts; unless, you're blessed with being able to keep names and storylines straight right from the first time you meet someone new.
Having never really ventured into this part of the Israeli and Palestinian history before I found it to be informative. A good read overall, and a bur in my saddle that will be spurring me on to delve in deeper, elsewhere, on my own.
In parts, this book should have broken me. Broken my heart right open. Split it in two. However, the emotions that should have swelled up into an ocean wall of water, waiting to crash down and overwhelm, never were given a chance to fully rise to the occasion. It's not lack of empathy but a story that failed to deeply entrench me into the lives of those I was reading about. I was right there with them. There was anticipation, premonition, fear, shock, but when it came to the sadness it was as if I didn't have any tears to cry. I would've preferred tears.
This book is by no means a waste of time; just not timeless. Despite it's flaws, it still manages to say and detail much within its compact pages. It's written well enough to compel one forward. The end simply wasn't the end and so I'm off to learn, discover, and uncover more.
For better or worse, I've been left wistful. Wistful, and now speechless, until I live another day to read and write again...
April 28, 2022
U couldn't continue a novel or try to finish it if you don't care to find out what happens to the characters.
The design of the wrap gave me a feel that this is going to be a aesthetic, beautiful, emotional war novel, and i really really wanted to love it so bad but it turned out to be mediocre after the first few chapters.
And i didn't, couldn't finish it.
The design of the wrap gave me a feel that this is going to be a aesthetic, beautiful, emotional war novel, and i really really wanted to love it so bad but it turned out to be mediocre after the first few chapters.
And i didn't, couldn't finish it.
April 23, 2019
While this book does a good job of showing multiple perspectives surrounding the birth of Israel, the switch between the characters isn’t very well done at all. The characters are flat, and I just didn’t enjoy this book, which kills me because this area of history appeals so highly to me.
February 18, 2023
2.5 stars rounded up. Here are the positives, I was glad to be immersed in this historical time period as Israel was about to become a state and feeling the complexities around that as well as the harsh environment of making that possible. However, there were too many characters and they were not nuanced enough for me for me to connect with them in a real way. The romances in the story just did not add anything either. Additionally, I will note that the audiobook version has several mispronunciations in Hebrew of words, places and names that distracts from the reading experience that could have easily been researched to find out how to say them properly. The writing or possibly the translation was choppy and did not draw me in. I was glad to read about this time period, but it just fell flat for me.
July 27, 2019
This ww2 era is my fav genre to read. This one had a great story but so many characters to follow that it was a little confusing until after 50% in.
June 5, 2022
The only thing this book did for me was to give me a better understanding of why there is a war on in this part of the world. It’s told in a fictional account with actual dates and some atrocities. I found it difficult at times to differentiate between the characters as the story of their lives just didn’t grab my attention. It’s a very sad story, what war isn’t, and everyone suffers no matter the side one is on.
October 20, 2019
It all started with the wrecks of armored trucks. “They remain there today, silent witnesses to how desperate the struggle for the Holy City of three religions was in 1948...Those wrecks got me curious. I wanted to know their story.”
“This book is a novel. It does not attempt to take sides, but rather portrays the human face of this historic drama – in all its many facets.” The lead characters are women and offer a refreshingly female perspective on the history of the Jewish Palesinian conflict. Instead of Blood Brothers, Sonne’s novel features the attempted reconciliation between Blood Sisters. Judith, a Jewish woman returning from a German concentration camp, receives a blood transfusion from an Arab nurse Hana, who is working at the interethnic Hadassah Hospital. The women trade places later in the novel when Hana is stabbed by her Arab fiance Youssef and Judith offers her blood to save Hana’s life. Hana (predictably) falls in love with Jewish Doctor David Cohen and the novel culminates in Judith’s marriage to Jewish political activist and soldier Uri. Yet, while seemingly based on the dual perspectives of Jewish and Arab heroines, Hana’s former fiance is vilified as an Islamic radical jihadist while her love interest draws her toward Israeli sympathy, and Judith ultimately receives more space on the pages. The characters grapple not only with ethnic tensions but with religious differences and the role of faith in conflict:
“This is supposed to be a new and modern country we’re fighting for, where you can choose to be religious or not. Where there’s no one always telling you how to live, whether with God or without...I’m supposed to put myself in the hands of God? We can’t be man and wife without him being there? I wonder where God was when I was in Dachau. Our God, not to mention the Christian God the Nazis claim to believe in. The God that allowed my mother to be gassed. Where was he? Looks like the Arabs are now looking after their God and ours and the Christians’ as well. Over there just a mile from here, they’re now in control of the Old City and all the important shrines along with it. Here in the New City? You could say we’re godless.”
Although the main characters in this novel are fictional, the story is situated in a concrete historical framework. “Within the medieval walls of the old city stirred the shrines of the three world religions: the Christian church of the holy sepulcher, the Muslim dome of the rock as well as the all access mosque, and the Jewish Wailing Wall, and who stones the great Jewish temple had one stood. It leads up to the two major massacres in the battle for Jerusalem – the attack on the Arab village of Deir Yassin outside the city gates and the attack on the doctors and nurses of Hadassah Hospital.”
“In all the bitter disputes in the seventy years since the founding of the State of Israel, one institution has shown that it may be possible for those involved to view people as humans first and foremost, and to make the issues of nationality, religion, and ethnicity secondary. The Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, founded by and largely maintained by Jews from the United States, was then and remains now an island of humanity amid a sea of mistrust and hostility. Peaceful coexistence is achievable. The Arab and Jewish doctors, nurses and staff at Hadassah hospital demonstrate this day after day, courageously and unswervingly. In recalling this shining example, and showing that hope is possible even in the Middle East, this book hopes to make a current contribution as well.”
Having spent the past summer teaching English in Palestine, I left with more questions than when I’d arrived. I have consumed many nonfiction sources in my attempt to process and grapple with the Israeli-Palestinian tension I witnessed firsthand. However, Sonne’s When the Desert Meets the Sea was the first historical fiction novel I discovered on the topic. Sonne’s novel brilliantly picked me up by my imagination, suspended my judgment, and settled me into the hearts and lives of two women on opposite sides of the divide and suggested the possibility of peace through health care. His is an important work that I recommend to all readers of historical and current events.
“This book is a novel. It does not attempt to take sides, but rather portrays the human face of this historic drama – in all its many facets.” The lead characters are women and offer a refreshingly female perspective on the history of the Jewish Palesinian conflict. Instead of Blood Brothers, Sonne’s novel features the attempted reconciliation between Blood Sisters. Judith, a Jewish woman returning from a German concentration camp, receives a blood transfusion from an Arab nurse Hana, who is working at the interethnic Hadassah Hospital. The women trade places later in the novel when Hana is stabbed by her Arab fiance Youssef and Judith offers her blood to save Hana’s life. Hana (predictably) falls in love with Jewish Doctor David Cohen and the novel culminates in Judith’s marriage to Jewish political activist and soldier Uri. Yet, while seemingly based on the dual perspectives of Jewish and Arab heroines, Hana’s former fiance is vilified as an Islamic radical jihadist while her love interest draws her toward Israeli sympathy, and Judith ultimately receives more space on the pages. The characters grapple not only with ethnic tensions but with religious differences and the role of faith in conflict:
“This is supposed to be a new and modern country we’re fighting for, where you can choose to be religious or not. Where there’s no one always telling you how to live, whether with God or without...I’m supposed to put myself in the hands of God? We can’t be man and wife without him being there? I wonder where God was when I was in Dachau. Our God, not to mention the Christian God the Nazis claim to believe in. The God that allowed my mother to be gassed. Where was he? Looks like the Arabs are now looking after their God and ours and the Christians’ as well. Over there just a mile from here, they’re now in control of the Old City and all the important shrines along with it. Here in the New City? You could say we’re godless.”
Although the main characters in this novel are fictional, the story is situated in a concrete historical framework. “Within the medieval walls of the old city stirred the shrines of the three world religions: the Christian church of the holy sepulcher, the Muslim dome of the rock as well as the all access mosque, and the Jewish Wailing Wall, and who stones the great Jewish temple had one stood. It leads up to the two major massacres in the battle for Jerusalem – the attack on the Arab village of Deir Yassin outside the city gates and the attack on the doctors and nurses of Hadassah Hospital.”
“In all the bitter disputes in the seventy years since the founding of the State of Israel, one institution has shown that it may be possible for those involved to view people as humans first and foremost, and to make the issues of nationality, religion, and ethnicity secondary. The Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, founded by and largely maintained by Jews from the United States, was then and remains now an island of humanity amid a sea of mistrust and hostility. Peaceful coexistence is achievable. The Arab and Jewish doctors, nurses and staff at Hadassah hospital demonstrate this day after day, courageously and unswervingly. In recalling this shining example, and showing that hope is possible even in the Middle East, this book hopes to make a current contribution as well.”
Having spent the past summer teaching English in Palestine, I left with more questions than when I’d arrived. I have consumed many nonfiction sources in my attempt to process and grapple with the Israeli-Palestinian tension I witnessed firsthand. However, Sonne’s When the Desert Meets the Sea was the first historical fiction novel I discovered on the topic. Sonne’s novel brilliantly picked me up by my imagination, suspended my judgment, and settled me into the hearts and lives of two women on opposite sides of the divide and suggested the possibility of peace through health care. His is an important work that I recommend to all readers of historical and current events.
July 26, 2019
Where The Desert Meets The Sea is a WWII novel set in Palestine where the war has created conflict in a country where fleeing Jews want their own space and the Arabs don’t want their land taken over.
This book follows both Judith and Hana.
Judith is a Jewish survivor fleeing from a concentration camp and looking for her grandfather who resides in the Arab-filled country.
Hana is an Arab nurse who is frightful in this time of turmoil and is also in the midst of trying to get out of an arranged marriage because she’s fallen in love with an American doctor.
The story started off fast and I was sucked in, but it started to slow down and get bogged down with information. It originally just followed Hana and Judith, but more characters were added throughout sections, which led to confusion in spots and a lot of concentration to follow the storyline.
Overall the book was very detailed about the effects of WWII in this part of the world, something I haven’t yet read, but it was slow and boring in the majority of the book for me which really took away from the potential greatness of the novel.
This book follows both Judith and Hana.
Judith is a Jewish survivor fleeing from a concentration camp and looking for her grandfather who resides in the Arab-filled country.
Hana is an Arab nurse who is frightful in this time of turmoil and is also in the midst of trying to get out of an arranged marriage because she’s fallen in love with an American doctor.
The story started off fast and I was sucked in, but it started to slow down and get bogged down with information. It originally just followed Hana and Judith, but more characters were added throughout sections, which led to confusion in spots and a lot of concentration to follow the storyline.
Overall the book was very detailed about the effects of WWII in this part of the world, something I haven’t yet read, but it was slow and boring in the majority of the book for me which really took away from the potential greatness of the novel.
August 10, 2021
I had to step back and think about how I felt about this novel. The historical background, following WWll was a definite heartbreaker but, also put the current state of affairs into perspective from the Jewish people's point of view. Sadly this is a conflict as old as time it's self. I loved the human side, the love story's which float in the background in-spite of cultural beliefs
April 11, 2019
A topic I had limited understand of, but will read more about in the future
I believe that a historical fiction should want you to dive deeper into the non fictional history in which the story is set. Two books that come readily to mind, that did exactly this for me, were "Killer Angeles" (aka Gettysburg) regarding the life of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and "Black Forest, White Rose". Add this book to that list.
I believe that a historical fiction should want you to dive deeper into the non fictional history in which the story is set. Two books that come readily to mind, that did exactly this for me, were "Killer Angeles" (aka Gettysburg) regarding the life of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and "Black Forest, White Rose". Add this book to that list.
May 19, 2019
Priced correctly (a freebie from Amazon). Flat characters, overly dramatic but then again it was historical fiction regarding the Mid-East and the creation of Israel, so perhaps maybe some of the drama was warranted. I did learn more about the British involvement in Palestine. So, while not the worst Amazon first read, certainly not the best.
April 27, 2019
German author Werner Sonne provides the viewpoints of both Jews and Arabs in his insightful novel, “Where the Desert meets the Sea.” Filled with perceptive information, Sonne’s book takes the reader into the despair and passion that is endemic in this epic struggle that has long involved German Jews, former Nazis, Jews fighting for an independence, and Arabs vowing to take back their land.
It is a complicated battle with many different factors influencing the ideologies on all sides. Sonne manages to explain many of the elements that have affected the passions and, after some difficult reading, I have a better idea of what’s at issue. To completely understand it is probably not a realistic goal and Sonne has not addressed all the discrepancies. But the effort was noble and I enjoyed my journey.
A distraught young Jewish woman who survived Dachau arrives in Palestine seeking refuge with her uncle only to find he has died. In despair, she tries to take her own life but is saved through a blood donation from an Arab nurse. They establish a tenuous relationship that, over time, has some rough moments. The nurse has a radical Arab fiancé but falls in love with a Jewish doctor. The Jewish woman becomes a warrior for the Jewish Palmach. In November of 1947, when the United Nations adopts a Partition Plan for Palestine, violence erupts and all their lives are radically altered.
The author is obsessed with Israel and the Jews. That’s not unusual among postwar Germans. Sonne considers his family to be “normal,” with some relatives opposed to the Nazis, although his father was an active soldier for six years. He bears no personal guilt for the Holocaust but his question of “How could this happen?” is always with him. In writing about the conflict in the Middle East, he similarly has questions but “…tries to do justice to both sides.”
There are perpetrators and victims on both sides with some people loving peace and others who do not want it. He has entered touchy territory here, equating the Palestinians who fled their homes in 1948 with the ethnic Germans pushed out of their Nazi-occupied lands after World War II. The reasons are not necessarily comparable but the results are the same. Their homes have been lost and realistically will never be reacquired. Arabs, of course, are not willing to accept this. Sonne wants his book to “show the many facets…of this historical drama.”
His story has made me more familiar with the period and, despite the complicated story he employed, I was entertained and educated. That’s what I believe reading is all about and the author did his job in accomplishing that for me.
May 25, 2019
This book was not on my A list to read but because it was about the disruption in the middle east between Palestine and Israel I decided to give it a try. So glad I did. It was well written and factual. It was about how this turmoil affected both Israel and Palestine citizens who each only wanted to keep control of Jerusalem. While Judith a Jew was in the hospital she became friends with a very caring nurse, Hanna, from Palestine. As Hanna was working in a Jewish hospital she fell in love with a Jewish doctor. Their relationship was very strained as the war began and follows her path as she gets involved with the conflict of the 2 nations. Judith ends up joining the fight on the Jewish side and her story is equally disturbing. I found the book very intriguing and emotional.
May 3, 2019
Incredibly biased.
In the authors note he says this is intended to be an unbiased novel. That intention absolutely was not made into reality. While there are “nice Arab characters” they are just the ones who sympathize with the Jewish characters. Most of the Arabs are characterized as crazed fighters, while most of the Jewish characters are portrayed as reasonable and likeable. This book relies on negative Arab stereotypes and does NOT provide an unbiased look at the events before, during and after ‘48. Also it just wasn’t written well. This book made me angry.
In the authors note he says this is intended to be an unbiased novel. That intention absolutely was not made into reality. While there are “nice Arab characters” they are just the ones who sympathize with the Jewish characters. Most of the Arabs are characterized as crazed fighters, while most of the Jewish characters are portrayed as reasonable and likeable. This book relies on negative Arab stereotypes and does NOT provide an unbiased look at the events before, during and after ‘48. Also it just wasn’t written well. This book made me angry.
December 15, 2019
The author has done a good deal of research into this book, a novel set during the formation of the Israeli nation. The author attempts to portray two sides equally. Much made of the Arab nurse and Jewish-American doctor falling in love. And then the intense feelings between a Jewish-German character and a key paramilitary figure. Intense love all around that survives anything.
Perfect for a movie script with cardboard characters.
Perfect for a movie script with cardboard characters.
April 24, 2019
Interesting Read
Great to get an idea about the conflict that has been going on since WWII. The author did a great job of capturing how there is no real right or wrong when it comes to war.
Great to get an idea about the conflict that has been going on since WWII. The author did a great job of capturing how there is no real right or wrong when it comes to war.
May 16, 2020
This historical novel tells about the two major massacres in the battle for Jerusalem - the attack on the Arab village of Deir Yassin outside the city gates & the attack on the staff of Hadassah Hospital.
Having visited Palestine, Israel and Jordan in 2018, the hostility between the people of this area are
still quite strong and it is a tragedy that they cannot adapt to living together with tolerance rather than violence.
"We Jews in Europe, we just learned firsthand what violence means," Judith blurted.
"We were victims. Must we now be perpetrators? Shouldn't we be the very ones who are most committed to finding a peaceful solution?"
"The Jews! They wanted more every day. They were building their fortified villages everywhere, spreading out, occupying ancient Arabic Land, acting like their new masters. They wanted their own state, with Jerusalem as their capital. Jerusalem, the third-holiest Muslim city. Al-Quds! What madness! God would not allow it. Never!"
Abdi; Qader as-Huseini, "We're going to block the road to Jerusalem. We're going to starve the Jews out."
What more had to happen for it to be clear to everyone that Jews and Arabs could never, ever coexist equally. Not in Palestine. Not in Jerusalem....
Within the medieval walls of the Old City stood the shrines of the three world religions: The Christian Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Muslim Done of the Rock as well as the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Jewish Wailing Wall on whose stones the great Jewish Temple had once Stood.
Having visited Palestine, Israel and Jordan in 2018, the hostility between the people of this area are
still quite strong and it is a tragedy that they cannot adapt to living together with tolerance rather than violence.
"We Jews in Europe, we just learned firsthand what violence means," Judith blurted.
"We were victims. Must we now be perpetrators? Shouldn't we be the very ones who are most committed to finding a peaceful solution?"
"The Jews! They wanted more every day. They were building their fortified villages everywhere, spreading out, occupying ancient Arabic Land, acting like their new masters. They wanted their own state, with Jerusalem as their capital. Jerusalem, the third-holiest Muslim city. Al-Quds! What madness! God would not allow it. Never!"
Abdi; Qader as-Huseini, "We're going to block the road to Jerusalem. We're going to starve the Jews out."
What more had to happen for it to be clear to everyone that Jews and Arabs could never, ever coexist equally. Not in Palestine. Not in Jerusalem....
Within the medieval walls of the Old City stood the shrines of the three world religions: The Christian Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Muslim Done of the Rock as well as the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Jewish Wailing Wall on whose stones the great Jewish Temple had once Stood.
August 4, 2022
Hauntingly, Yet Simply, Beautiful Story
I was woefully under informed about the formation of the nation of Israel. I'm sure this book tells a bare fraction of the whole story, but it has awakened a hunger in me to more fully understand this electrically charged period of time. All three sides represented in this book (unless you count each Arabic faction present in the conflict) were wonderfully portrayed and given as good a representation of their feelings concerning the struggle as the scope of the book could give. The author really gives some exciting scares concerning several of the characters, with some ending well and others, well, mostly just ending. My only wish is that Youssef could have met with some comeuppance for his many heinous deeds. Still, I will look for more stories from this author and hope the stories started here may even continue.
I was woefully under informed about the formation of the nation of Israel. I'm sure this book tells a bare fraction of the whole story, but it has awakened a hunger in me to more fully understand this electrically charged period of time. All three sides represented in this book (unless you count each Arabic faction present in the conflict) were wonderfully portrayed and given as good a representation of their feelings concerning the struggle as the scope of the book could give. The author really gives some exciting scares concerning several of the characters, with some ending well and others, well, mostly just ending. My only wish is that Youssef could have met with some comeuppance for his many heinous deeds. Still, I will look for more stories from this author and hope the stories started here may even continue.
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