Back To Jerusalem

by Jan Surasky

Overview

In the 1970s New York farm girl Jenny Thompson ignores the love of her gentle Mennonite neighbor Jake Martin whose friendship she has cherished to comply with her bitter, overbearing social-climbing mother’s wishes for her to marry the richest and most popular boy in town. When her marriage ends in divorce she takes her toddler son to New York city where she finds success in business and the art world. When fate intervenes to reconnect her with Jake, now a high-powered lawyer, two decades later she must choose between heady success and the only love she has ever known.

Beautifully and lyrically written against a backdrop of country dogwoods and meadows and the excitement of fast-paced city life Back to Jerusalem is a vivid and passionate illustration of the complexities of second chances.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780988277250
Publisher:	Sandalwood Press
Publication date:	08/08/2023
Pages:	331
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.93(d)

About the Author

Jan Surasky is a former writer for a San Francisco daily newspaper. Her many articles and short stories have been published in national and regional magazines and newspapers. Her award-winning novels include Rage Against the Dying Light, Back to Jerusalem, and The Lilac Bush is Blooming. She lives in upstate New York.

Editorial Reviews

"An enduring love story...of soul mates, of friends, and of the safety of home."

Hollywood Book Reviews

"Incredibly warm and welcoming, clearly the product of a sensitive heart...presents the culture of the 1970s with honestly and frankness."

Portland Book Review

An absolutely beautiful novel... a masterpiece of idyllic scenes...a reminder that "wherever you go, whatever you do, home is forever embedded in your spirit, and in your soul."

Pacific Book Review

"A sweeping, fast read...a beautiful story...simple yet powerful...Recommended.

The US Review of Books

"Forbidden love and long-held secrets abound . . . a quiet but moving story of one woman's reclaiming her life.”  —Kirkus Reviews


 "Incredibly warm and welcoming, clearly the product of a sensitive heart."  —Portland Book Review


"Surasky has crafted a beautiful story that is simple yet powerful; a sweeping fast read”  —The US Review of Books

From the Publisher

Forbidden love and long-held secrets abound in Surasky's (Rage Against the Dying Light, 2012) compelling coming-of-age novel.

For Jenny Thompson, the 1970s are merely the years in which she's grown up; the freedom the time period offered women has not reached her rural home of Jerusalem, N.Y. Jenny has been brought up on a strict diet of values: marry young, marry well and stay away from outsiders. But she strikes up a friendship with the struggling Mennonite boy next door, Jake Martin, who wants to put himself through law school so as to follow his idealistic passions. But all Jenny's mother can see is his shabby upbringing and how little he can provide for Jenny, so the friendship remains hidden, blossoming eventually into love on Jake's part. But Jenny doesn't return his feelings and opts instead to follow her mother's insistence; she dates Bud, the golden boy of the town whose family's wealth and influence are known and admired. Jenny soon learns, though, that following a script doesn't always lead to happiness, and her traditional marriage suits her mother far more than it does Jenny. The marriage breaks down, and Jenny is now a single mother, living on her own in New York, where she learns about talents that she hadn't pursued and becomes a successful businesswoman and artist. But loneliness beckons, and Jenny turns to dating, despairing that no man connects with her or makes her feel the way Jake did. Eventually, Jake resurfaces in New York, and Jenny learns the beauty that comes with a second chance. Artfully portrayed with vivid descriptions, Jenny's growth makes her an intensely likable, realistic character. Her rebellion against her mother's prejudice adds an additional layer to this romantic novel that helps deepen and enrich the complexity of the central relationship. Jenny's story not only echoes the archetypal tales of forbidden love, but it also illustrates the dangers of intolerance.

A quiet but moving story of one woman's reclaiming her life.

Kirkus Reviews