Description
The Tailor’s Daughter by Lois Baer Barr does more than transport readers to an earlier time. The novel immerses us in a rich, sometimes, strife-filled day to day tale of life we can all relate to. Immigration, the Great Depression, a life-altering flood, and the impact of war all shape the story of the Toplansky family who just want what we all want, their part of The American Dream.
Praise for The Tailor’s Daughter
“Bess, the daughter of ‘The singing tailor,’ grows up in 1920s Louisville, haunted by the echoes of the old country, while yearning to fit into America. This lovely, lyrical novel brims with the details of a lost world: It is a coming-of-age tale, an ode to the power of music, and an exploration of what is lost—and gained—in the process of assimilation. An instant classic.”
—Amin Ahmad, author of This is Not Your Country
“The Tailor’s Daughter renders the experiences of the Toplansky family in exquisite detail, as they seek to make their home in Louisville, where those who are different are not always welcomed. The Toplanskys survive the Great Depression and the 1937 Flood of the Ohio River only to face personal tragedy. The family’s grit, grace, and humor make this novel a winning read for lovers of historical fiction. Lois Baer Barr is a skilled storyteller, whose prose is full of heart.”
—Ellen Birkett Morris, author of Lost Girls and Beware the Tall Grass, winner of the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence
“Inspired by the lives of the author’s elder family members, this novel spans the interwar years between the First and Second World Wars. As relatives from war-scarred Poland arrive in the United States, the family at the core of this novel rebuilds a sense of belonging and community, one interaction at a time, overcoming despair by the focus on the daily joys and sorrows that are the birthright of us all. On the horizon looms yet another war with existential consequences, but human lives cannot merely serve as the interstices that separate the bookends of history. Life is not determined; it is lived. This novel is a timely reminder to us all of the wisdom in the classic Jewish salutation, ‘L’chaim.” To life!’”
—Michael O’Connor, Co-Founder, Managing Director, and volunteer Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America (“FORA”)
“Beautifully moving, warm, and uplifting, The Tailor’s Daughter is about the power of love, compassion in the face of frustration, and the courage to start over. The novel is also a timely reminder of the wisdom in the classic Jewish tradition: “L’chaim” (to life) and “Tikkun Olam” (repairing the world).”
—from a review by Dr. Tian Zhang in Valley Voices: A Literary Review, Vol 24:1
Cristina Zabalaga –
Lois Baer Barr expertly guides readers through the lives of the Toplansky family, Jewish immigrants settling in Louisville, Kentucky, from 1919 to 1943. The characters feel vivid, relatable, and genuinely human, their personal struggles resonating universally. The Tailor’s Daughter is a tale of love, resilience, and loss. Barr gives voice to multiple characters, incorporating Yiddish, which enriches the language’s texture. The journey of Bess, a gifted pianist facing economic, cultural, and identity challenges, is particularly compelling and heartfelt.
Cynthia Hahn –
Lois Barr’s authentic narrative voice comes through clearly and adds much to the oral quality of the reading experience, lending a ring of truth and authenticity to her work. I highly recommend both her narrative as well as her poetic work. Barr’s writing affords us intimate glimpses into the lives of others, both separated from us by time and lived experience, but also connected to us through the way the stories are told.
Judith Joseph –
The Tailor’s Daughter pulled me right in to the life of the Toplansky family. The author created vivid, memorable characters who were realistic– likable, sometimes very funny, but not saintly. I found myself thinking about them the day after finishing the book, wondering how they were doing, wanting to know more. I particularly enjoyed the struggles and triumphs of Bess, the gutsy intelligent young girl who contends with the challenges of trying to fit in socially while helping her family stay afloat. The depictions of two-faced antics by snobby mean girls and wolfish adolescent boys on the make were true to life, whether in the 1930’s or today. This is a great book for adults and also younger readers.
Rachel Gottlieb (verified owner) –
The Tailor’s daughter is such a beautiful book. The characters are so true to life that you feel their presence in the room and you feel as you know them. I love this book. If you’re looking for a book that will transport you, this is it.
Judith MK Kaufman (verified owner) –
The stories I have read about Jewish immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries tended to focus on those who settled in New York. Lois Baer Barr’s wonderful new novel is about a family of immigrants from Poland who settle in Louisville, Kentucky. Based on the author’s own family history, The Tailor’s Daughter is more than the story of Polish Jews learning to adjust to a new land and a new language; it is about persistence in the face of challenge, knowing where to accommodate and where to draw the lines of tradition; it is about making life choices. All of the characters make major choices in their lives: After a few backsliding moments, Sol manages to give up gambling, and focuses on his business, his family, and his beautiful cantorial voice. Mollie makes the decision to move the family back to Louisville from Indianapolis after Sol’s passing. When he learns about the war in Europe, Calvin immediately announces he will join the military. Bess, also eager to serve, attends nursing school so that she, too, can be part of the war effort. And with all that changes, there is always Bubby Adel reminding her family of the importance of their heritage and traditions.
There is much comfort in reading the immigrant stories of others. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about this family, one which, in some ways, reflected much of my own family’s story, and in others showed me how all of our stories are unique.
Julie Isaacson –
Lois Baer Barr’s novel, The Tailor’s Daughter, left me feeling a medley of balance. She created an embrace of the love and challenges of the Tolpansky family, while re-creating a sense of my own family. The author adeptly brought rich conversation, blended between English and Yiddish so seamlessly, I could hear my family speaking in their voices. She developed her characters in such a textured way, that I cared about every one of them, with their own perspectives, delicate roles in the family, from the elders to the children. Every sense was savored in the story line and scenes. Of particular note were the depiction of the flooding and how it impacted various members of the community. The evidence of the family’s work ethic, their values and coming of age tales were descriptive and personal. Every aspect of this novel was real and authentic. Tears came in many forms–joy and loss. Brava, Lois Baer Barr, for your beautiful and generous novel.
Marion Kaplan –
Most novels give you a glimpse into a different world. This one places you directly inside that world, its Yiddish-English language, its foods, its happiness and sadness. Lois Baer Barr situates us directly in the time and the places that her heartwarming novel depicts. We smell steerage as Jewish immigrants makes their way to the US, we feel the heat of a sweltering summer inside a tenement in Kentucky, and we hear a sweet tenor voice of the immigrant tailor and the piano artistry of his daughter. The family tries to “make it” in America, working hard, interacting with neighbors, and hiring Black help in the shop and at home while navigating racism and antisemitism. In sum, just as the heroine doesn’t “play the ‘Soldier’s March’ by Shumann. She was the ‘Soldier’s March,’” readers don’t simply observe these lives, they live with them.