"They Never Saw It Coming", by Roberta Kagan

Book #2 in “A Jewish Family Saga”

1930’s Berlin

The story in very few words:

After spending 19 years of her life in America with a spineless and boring husband Goldie nearing forty returns home to Berlin where she reconnects with her childhood friend Leni, a free spirit who guides Goldie into a life of debauchery. While at the other end of the Atlantic, Sam, her son, is thriving with the Jewish mob in Manhattan. When he receives word that something has happened to his mother, he sets out with his father to Germany.

My thoughts:

We have two stories: one in Germany and the other in Manhattan. We go back and for between the pond....Two different styles of living.

While the events leading up to WW11 are part of the story the lifestyle in Berlin at the time is well played out: such as the cabaret and the free spirited people. At first I was intrigued and was looking forward to Goldie’s behaviour but what she did turned out to be very repetitive and rather on the dull side. Although we have a lot of debauchery such as excess drinking, swearing, drugs and sex galore but making this interesting or even captivating is the big question: maybe for some yes and others no. There are a lot of irresponsible people in this book. While on the other side of the pond we are deep into the mop crime world: robbing and killings and kidnapping.... Till the two world merges and comes crashing down....

I am a fan of the author and have read a few of her books but this one as a weak storyline and is not the quality writing style of her later books. It typically deals with the daily events in the lives of the same group of characters: a real soap-opera.

Of course this story ends in a cliff-hanger to open the door to book#3...