Mosaic

By: Diane Armstrong

Narrated by: Deidre Rubenstein

This remarkable true story begins in the Polish city of Krakow in 1890 and spans one hundred years and four continents. God blessed Lieba and the devout Jewish patriarch Daniel Baldinger with eleven children, and this richly textured portrait follows their lives down the decades, through the terrifying years of the Holocaust, to the present. Lives that personify the struggles and hopes of our century.

Mosaic is compelling storytelling at its best: from the fascinating detail of Polish-Jewish culture and the rivalries and dramas of family life, to its moving account of lives torn apart by war and persecution, this an extraordinary story of a family, and of one woman's journey to reclaim her heritage.

©1998 Diane Armstrong (P)2009 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

"A compelling family history of extraordinary people out against some of the most frightening events of our century. I was thrilled and deeply moved." (Joseph Heller)

"A vivid, heart-warming, family memoir. The plot and her characters move along in a fast-paced, tightly-woven narrative." (Publishers Weekly)

What a well written story to be so long

The story kept my interest for all those hours. That’s hard to do. The people became personal to me and I was so saddened at their fate especially the authors mother . I didn’t realize that the nazis weren’t totally responsible for the Jewish demise but Catholics and regular polish citizens and those people of the Ukraine and even I to the 1990’s was anti Semitic sentiment no wonder the Jews never felt safe I want to read more from Diane Armstrong. I wish I could have seen pictures and seen a family tree. A lot of characters to keep up with

Compelling story in recreated history

What did you love best about Mosaic?

This book tells the story of an extended family through generations, bringing the horrors of the Holocaust into focus, and telling the stories from a different point of view, including that of survivors.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Too many.

Any additional comments?

This was so good, I look forward to listening to it again.

Absolutely excellent!

I've read and seen other stories of the Holocaust, but this one excels. It has so many details, it makes you feel you actually knew the members of her family. One caution though, if you're struggling with depression, this is not the book to read right now. The subject matter is very difficult and heart-rending, although it's written very well. She actually came up with words for the thoughts that went thru my head when MY mother died, at the time her mother passed away - things that rang so true, I was in tears while listening - and I very seldom cry when it comes to books.

I have one suggestion - there are so many people in her family that I went into Google Books, hoping to find some kind of family tree from her book, and it was there! Just do a search on "Mosaic" in Google Books - I downloaded it, printed it out, and kept it in my car so I could glance at it every so often if I was wondering who she was talking about. It really helped, especially because of the foreign names and because some of the family members actually had the same name.

I found out a few years ago that I'm Jewish and that some of my family members died in the Holocaust. Because of this book, I now feel that I can identify with what some of them must have experienced during those awful years. Highly recommended!

Should be read by all high school students

This was an amazing piece of literature. In story form it provides a history of what happened to many Jews in Poland during WWll. A must read.

Fascinating

Where does Mosaic rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Mosaic ranks at the top of my audible listens. I have heard over 250 books. My tastes usually run to sci-fi, espionage,and history.
This book is for anyone who has family from eastern europe whose history is lost in the terrors of WW II, has had family who fought to free the world from Nazi insanity, or is interested in following a Jewish family thru 4 generations and two world wars.
There are times when the names run together but this is a minor inconvenience.
The narrator is clear and speaks with emotion.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The first genertion children have the most depth especially th first son.

Have you listened to any of Deidre Rubenstein’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first experience with Diedra Rubenstein who was excellent.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

This could be an HBO series of 5-15 episodes.

Any additional comments?

I felt as if the story integrated into my being.

The best book of the year so far

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

By buying this book I have read the best book . Learned so much about the second world war and all the different countries in Europe that were effected .
The people especialy , I hope we never ever experience any thing like it again .
Thank you DIANE ARMSTRONG for this book .

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mosaic?

All of it .

Which scene was your favorite?

Yes .

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me relaise how cruel people can be when they are controled by a dictator .

Any additional comments?

I have allready recommended this book to many of my friends .

Spectacular story

A deeply moving account of triumph under harrowing and heartbreaking times. One of the finest nonfiction works I've ever encountered. Despite the hardships and horrors, a family lives and testifies to the power of love, family, survival. Highly recommended for its' breadth of emotion, fabulous narration and stunning account of victory.

Excellent!

I go through about 3-4 audio books a month and I rarely write reviews, but for this book I will take the time. Diane, with her thoughtful words tells a complex multi-generational tale of a large Jewish family and its slow decent into the horrifying years that the madman Hitler ruled part of Europe.

To tell the story of so many characters is difficult but Diane seems to do it with ease and congruency. Her story telling ability had me not wanting to turn off the radio. I found myself driving around the outskirts of my neighborhood for a few more minutes to hear what happens next.

The accented Deidre Rubenstein does an excellent job of narrating this journey of a family rich in character, the sad fate of some and the brave journey of those who kept moving forward and lived to tell about it.

I found this to be a beautifully and interesting told story of an important and very scary time we should never forget, if nothing else, so it does not happen again. It seems to not understand this history only allows the door to open for history to repeat itself, perhaps with a different culture and a slightly different bent. Diane captures the time and the moments magnificently.

insightful human story

i am about the same age and family history as the author and similar lived experience. Yet this story grabbed me and absorbed me into its timeless universal human aspects as well as its fascinating events. May be one of the most important literary works of the century. Marvelously performed! A gem!

Mosaic

This is an amazing book that is perfectly narrated. The story is captivating and important I'm almost to the end and I want it to go on!