Temple Israel book club participants, continuing in their predilection for historical fiction, have chosen A Bend in the Stars, by Rachel Birnbaum for their May 16 discussion selection.

A Bend in the Stars takes place in Russia in 1914 before World War I. The novel is about a female doctor in Russia, in 1914 before World War, and her fiancé, Yuri, a scientist racing the clock against Albert Einstein. A Bend in the Stars is a heart-stopping account of modern science’s greatest race amidst the chaos of World War I, and a love story as epic as the railways crossing Russia.

New York Journal of Books:
“Like the best historical fiction, Birnbaum’s novel not only shines a light on an overlooked historical moment, but also provides a new lens through which to review our own time.”

Copies are available at the Public Library and the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library and may be purchased online for $16.99. Everyone is welcome to attend the (via Zoom), whether or not you have read the book. If you would like to receive the link and are not on our email list, contact Linda Levy (levyollie@aol.com).