Mr Rosenblum's List
Solomons, NatashaIn 1937 when the Rosenblum family flee Germany they are given a pamphlet, 'While you are in England: Helpful Information and Friendly Guidance for every Refugee'. And so begins Jack Rosenblum's list of what it takes to be a perfect English gentleman. Diligently working his way through the list he is stumped by his final goal of joining a golf club. Undaunted by rejection he sets out to build his own golf course in Dorset. This deceptively simple story deals with the big issues of cultural identity, assimilation and prejudice. It is a warm and entertaining read with serious undertones.
Comments from Groups
Quirky and charming with many twists and turns, both sad and hopeful. Loved the book. Wellington 27 A modern day fairytale with some real characters. Matamata 001 Most loved it for its funny but touching incidents about adjusting to a new country. Auckland 55 Underlying sad truths, but a delightful fable like story as it progressed. Auckland 27 An easy read. Auckland 174 Excellent discussion, enjoyed the references to baking (see recipe on last page), the significance of one's name as a link to family and history and the sadness of feeling it needs to be changed in order to assimilate. Palmerston North 6 Most liked the book, but a couple found Mr Rosenblum's character annoying, with his single minded attitude to building the golf course. The book created discussion about how we treat new-comers to our own small community, and how sometimes snap judgements are made about different cultures etc. West Otago 001 Our members found this read, although a little odd, an entertaining read with very good life lessons involved along the way. Nelson 050 Our group thoroughly enjoyed the book - an excellent first novel. We all plan to look for further titles by this author. Nelson 009 One of our group found the book tedious - one liked only the cover! We who found it amusing thought it a lightweight read; the characters believable although the obsession Mr Rosenblum allowed to dominate his life didn't quite square with the astute business man he was. Auckland 088 We found this a whimsical book, but at times quite sad as the past influences were always present. We thought the descriptions of the Dorset countryside were delightful...Tauranga 018 Everyone agreed: a totally charming novel! A great holiday read. Our most 'erudite' member said, " I wouldn't normally be bothered reading this, but did so and thoroughly enjoyed it". Good discussion of difficulties immigrants face in new countries - especially pre war for Jewish people. Lots of humorous/ poignant events. Napier 023 There was quite a mixed reaction to this book, but most of us found it quite charming. The descriptive passages were very well written, and the development of the main characters, Jack and Sadie, very sensitively treated. Especially Jack, who was quite unique, honest and so eager to be accepted as one of the locals. In retrospect it had almost a fairytale quality, and most of the group would recommend the book. Upper Hutt 002 An enchanting insight into southern English country life laced with humour and sometimes sadness. The storyline reflects how immigrants have to deal with fitting into their new country, reluctantly losing their own cultural identity. The group members enjoyed the read. Checking on woolly pigs, the computer reports they were a dying breed of pig, once again slowly building up in numbers! Katikati 001
Pages
311
311
Year
+201
+201
Reviews
28-11-2023
Mixed reviews, most didnt read.
09-11-2023
We enjoyed this book very much - a mixture of humour and sadness written extremely well, with a touch of magic!
26-07-2023
We all loved this delightful read.
08-11-2022
The book provoked a great discussion about cultural identity and the pressure to assimilate, especially to those of us born to immigrant parents! We felt it dragged unnecessarily over the construction of the golf course but found Sadie's efforts to cope interesting.
01-11-2021
The whole group loved this book. Thanks.
21-10-2020
Enjoyable and light-hearted with serious undertones. Generated good discussion.
25-10-2019
All of our group thoroughly enjoyed this book. Delightful, innocent, very refreshing, and a good chuckle. Whilst the golf course dominated the story, it was a good light read. Really poignant with so many messages and subtleties throughout. The eccentricity of Mr Rose-in-Bloom and his attempts to be the perfect English gentleman was entertaining.
26-04-2019
Delightful. Really good read. An interesting journey through the years of difficult times in marriage, as refugees, fitting in and prejudice.
26-04-2019
Good writing. Quirky, and an insight into the challenge of assimilating into a new culture.
06-03-2019
An easy read enjoyed by all. Our discussion was lengthy with lots of laughter about Mr Rosenblum's attempts at becoming an Englishman. We all sympathised with his wife, and would have enjoyed sampling her cooking.
06-03-2019
Delightful book! Some members thought it was sad, some laugh out loud funny, but we all enjoyed it.
06-03-2019
A charming book while also thought-provoking. Enjoyed by all.
06-03-2019
A really enjoyable read, we all agreed. Quite a good discussion about modern immigration/refugees. We agreed that learning the local language is very important. We loved the writing about the countryside.
06-03-2019
We LOVED this book. Truly odd characters. It generated great discussions on Judaism, war, the English.....
06-03-2019
Most enjoyed this book. An easy read. One disappointed there was no actual list!
06-03-2019
A good read with good revelations about the challenges people face when moving to a different culture. It also highlighted the conflicts people have about immersion versus preservation of their own culture. Very moving in parts.