Barbara Pokras’ Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz introduces us to Natalie Holtzman, a young graphic designer who, quite literally, "runs into" the remarkable Golde Moskowitz, an elderly widow, and the two begin an amazing journey of self-discovery!
In this pair of moving, gracefully poignant novellas, sisters Pokras and Yariv explore the world of the elderly with deft humor and heart-wrenching detail.
Barbara Pokras’ Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz introduces us to the remarkable Golde Moskowitz, an elderly Russian widow living alone with her memories. In Golde’s world, "signs" are everywhere, the dead converse with the living and dreams are real. Natalie Holtzman, a thirty-six-yearold graphic artist longing for connection, fills her world with work and with Artie, her commitment-wary boyfriend. One sweltering summer morning, Natalie, on her way to work, quite literally "runs into" her and the lives of both women are forever changed.
Yariv’s The Caregiver unfolds in a series of stories, revealing the inner workings of Sunset Hills, a fictional upscale assisted-living facility in Hollywood. Narrated by Ofelia Hernandez, a young Latina caregiver, the stories capture both the mundane routines and the absurdities of the residents’ lives. With deep empathy and subtle humor, Yariv crafts intimate portraits of characters whose passion, intensity, and intelligence are only magnified with age.
Excerpt
(From "Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz")
“It shouldn’t be so terrible, just a few things I need.” Golde knew if she didn’t take the empty cans with her, she wouldn’t remember. So many things to remember, achh! And so hot! You wouldn’t think the heat would be so bad, you’d think the heat could warm the bones, make the arthritis feel better. But no, can you believe it? The heat was as bad as the cold!
Golde rinsed the the little empty can from the peas, and scrubbed the tin from the sardines so it shouldn’t smell like fish. She cut off the label from the empty wax paper box, and threw the rest in the trash. And the little jar of Alka-seltzer with only one tablet left, that, too, she stuffed in her pocketbook along with the old TV Guide, so she wouldn’t forget to get the new one.
“Okay,” she thought, as she looked around the apartment and wrapped the strap of the pocketbook three times around her wrist so no one on the street could grab it from her. “I think I got it all.” And with that Golde left, early in the morning, to do a little shopping. She locked the door from the inside and the outside, and then she checked it twice, so no one should break in, and went back to check it again when she got to the sidewalk just to be sure. And what would happen next, you wouldn’t believe
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Professional Reviews
The Jewish Week Feb. 19, 2010
"Feeding Mrs, Moskowitz and The Caregiver" by Barbara Pokras and Fran Pokras Yariv (Syracuse, April), a novella and a set of linked stories by two sisters, are each written with gentle humor about caring for the elderly. The first involves two lonely women who come together after a car accident, and the other is set in an assisted living facility.
Book Views by Alan Caruba
http://bookviewsbyalancaruba.blogspot.co
As someone who was the caregiver for two aging parents, both of whom lived into their nineties, I
found Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz and the The Caregiver: Two Stories by Barbara Pokras and Fran Pokras Yariv ($19.95, Syracuse University Press,
softcover) a delightful experience. It is a candid and humorous look at aging. With 4.3 million Americans now taking on the role of caregivers to loved ones, there are plenty of stories to tell and share. The book is two novellas in which we meet Golde Moskowitz, an elderly Russian-born widow living alone with her memories and, in the second we visit a fictional upscale assisted-living facility in Hollywood and learn about it through the eyes of Ofelia Hernandez, a young Latina caregiver who relates the lives of those living there. It is well worth reading whether one is a caregiver or not, aging or not. This is a slice of life worth visiting.
Story Circle Book Reviews
http://www.storycirclebookreviews.org/reviews/feeding.shtml
Imagine this. A dumpy elderly widow, Mrs. Moskowitz, who has trouble remembering everyday needs heads out of her apartment for a little grocery shopping. A neurotic young woman, Natalie, obsessing with guilt about how she didn't attend to her mother before her mother's death hurries to work. They collide and a fairy tale is born. A happy fairy tale. Other characters include an insurance adjuster and a painter or two. Barbara Pokras, a film editor in another life, has written a charming, totally unbelievable tale with hilarious yet realistic dialog both out loud and within the thought process. The women by themselves could be our neighbors. It is the situations which are outlandish. A delightful read.
Fran Pokras Yariv, sister of Barbara Pokras, creates a more serious character, Ofelia, in The Caregiver. If I'm ever in a situation which calls for a caregiver, I want Ofelia. She is compassionate, thoughtful and efficient in her work as a private caregiver in the Sunset Hills Retirement Community. She minces no words in her journal and her conversations with the staff about the management treatment of the guests. She treats her charge, Mrs. Breur with dignity and care. Her dealings with the daughter- in- charge is more like walking on eggs.
In this longer novella, we meet several of the other inhabitants of Sunset Hills, who strive to remain interesting individuals while skirting numerous rules and regulations. As in her sister's novella, conversations are natural and often hilarious. It takes very little time for the reader to join the retiree/staff team against the management team. I know that independent living facilities can and often are outstanding in their care of their residents, but not in this situation.
Both authors shine in their depiction of aging human beings as fighters in the "not dead yet" crusade. Hurrah for fiction which illustrates some positive aspects of aging.
Soldier's Gap is a non-traditional mystery with literary elements. The high school principal is brutally murdered, but Deputy Sheriff Dave Jenkins's search for meaning and love is a much more significant theme.
"Murder isn't usually this fun
Determined to confront the hazy memories of his troubled youth, Oliver Matthews, a retired detective and confirmed bachelor, returns to the picturesque town of Henley-on-Thames for the first time in years.
Soldier's Gap is a non-traditional mystery with literary elements. The high school principal is brutally murdered, but Deputy Sheriff Dave Jenkins's search for meaning and love is a much more significant theme.
"Murder isn't usually this fun
