Kantika

By: Elizabeth Graver

Narrated by: Gail Shalan

A kaleidoscopic portrait of one family’s displacement across four countries, Kantika—“song” in Ladino—follows the joys and losses of Rebecca Cohen, feisty daughter of the Sephardic elite of early 20th-century Istanbul. When the Cohens lose their wealth and are forced to move to Barcelona and start anew, Rebecca fashions a life and self from what comes her way—a failed marriage, the need to earn a living, but also passion, pleasure, and motherhood. Moving from Spain to Cuba to New York for an arranged second marriage, she faces her greatest challenge—her disabled stepdaughter, Luna, whose feistiness equals her own and whose challenges pit new family against old.

Exploring identity, place, and exile, Kantika also reveals how the female body—in work, art, and love—serves as a site of both suffering and joy. A haunting, inspiring meditation on the tenacity of women, this lush, lyrical novel from Elizabeth Graver celebrates the insistence on seizing beauty and grabbing hold of one’s one and only life.

©2023 Elizabeth Graver (P)2023 Dreamscape Media

Reminds me of Chaim Potok

I loved the cultural aspects and the character building. The story takes off when Luna enters the narrative and “sings.” Beautifully written. I prefer a little more action and stronger emphasis on plot, but the story is a good one and the final chapters do reach a satisfying climax. Well done. Very much worth the time and effort. The use of French, Spanish, etc., were masterful and the reader didn’t miss a beat. Virtuoso performance. It has been a while since I read Potok, but the cultural milieu put me very much in mind of his writing.

Beautiful story. Excellent narration.

Beautiful story. Excellent narration. Kantika follows multiple generations and weaves in Jewish culture, immigration, and beauty.

Outstanding performance of a beautiful book

The performer is to be complemented for her performance,, which enhances the author's writing. Highly recommended.

Wonderful history

Loved the book and listening to the narrator. A beautiful story of a mother and daughter, resilience, hope and commitment to providing a better life. Last chapter explores jealousy vs. riding above the feeling to kindness.

Unusual topic

Loved characters in the story, particularly the lead character. I couldn’t put this down. I hope there is a sequel.

Coping with the world as a Jew before&during WWII

(As posted in Goodreads)
We had our book club meeting on this book last night; afterwards, I really didn't know how to rate it. It's a good book- well written and full of geography and history, but overall I personally didn't enjoy it as much as most of the rest of the group. I would give it three stars, but my book club overall rates of four stars.
It was an interesting story of a family who started in Turkey and moved around to Spain, Cuba, and eventually the US during pre-world War Two through the war and beyond. They were a Jewish family with limited options, and they had many trials and challenges.
Overall, it was interesting to see their approach to the challenges and the different characters approaches to life in general. I enjoyed the book, but it didn't grab me in that special way (whatever that might mean). I was not in agreement with the majority, probably mostly because it really was a good book

A beautiful family story

Well narrated and sung. I enjoyed every moment, though it’s not my family’s story, it’s so lovely, it will be enjoyed by all.

Fabulous book group read

Our book group loved Kantika and found it provoked excellent discussions. The author’s interweaving of family history, research and fiction was artful and created a vibrance to the story with lots of layers to discuss. The experience of migration and otherness touched us all. It was intriguing to see Sephardic life close up when most of us were more familiar with Ashkenazy culture. A poignant feast that sparked fun discussions!

Learning about the Ladino Jewish culture in early 1900s

Fair story, definitely not suspenseful. Learned about Ladino Jewish family life in Spain and US in early 1900 to 1945.

Much too slow

The story moves slowly with too much description and then jumps ahead in time. I had trouble staying interested.