Contemporary Jewish Fiction with Cynthia Good
Presented by: The Schwartz/Reisman Centre for Adult Jewish Learning
2 dates: Thursdays, May 16 & 23, 10:30 am
We look forward to in-person (and online) learning and the opportunity for in-depth study. Join us for our usual lively discussion around two novels with important Jewish content and profound explorations of fate, love and the universe.
My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor
This suspenseful and beautifully written novel is based on the life of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, who, along with his allies, saved thousands of people, from his headquarters in the Vatican. They concealed at least 4,000 escapees, mainly Allied soldiers and Jews, in flats, farms and convents around Rome, all organized from within the Vatican. With its remarkable setting, its mounting tension and its compelling characters My Father’s House welcomes us to explore themes of pride, faith, loyalty, war and heroism. Cynthia will share a powerpoint of the real people of this novel, from Father Hugh himself, to his colourful associates, to his nemesis, based on the head of German police and security services in Rome, Herbert Kappler.
“For all its thrills, however, My Father’s House is primarily—and triumphantly—an intimate drama that illuminates both the fragility and the wonder of unlikely human connections forged in adversity and, in some cases, enduring for a lifetime.”
-The Wall Street Journal
