What do readers think of Holding My Breath by Sidura Ludwig? Write your own review.

By the time I reached the second chapter (yes, the first was a little slow, almost turned me off), I was caught up in the dynamics of this very engrossing family. The pull of tradition against the modern was by turns familiar and new to me. The setting, Winnipeg starting mid-1940's was a perfect setting to tell the story of a Jewish-Canadian family in transition. The narrator, who is the only daughter of the couple being married at the start of the book, looks at her family and the world around her as I might have, had I been as observant. Although it relates the happenings in a Jewish family, the story could have been about any ethnicity of the time....I highly recommend this book to all those who love family tales.

I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a chance to read about a culture I know very little about. I thought the relationships and the differences between the women in this family were well explored. It was good to see the growth that Beth went through from childhood to adulthood and how she came about making the right choice for herself.

I really enjoyed "Holding My Breath". I was trying to read it during a very busy couple of weeks, but I thought about it a lot while I was away from it. The characters seemed like real people to me, and I think the author did a nice job showing how growing up during changing social times can make for conflicting values. I'd love to know what happens to the characters after the book ended. I would recommend this book to others, and I think it would make a good book for book club discussion.

I liked this book a lot...the problem is I wanted to love it a lot. The first chapter was so well written and compelling that my expectations might have been too high. I thought the characters, who had acted consistently throughout the story changed too rapidly in the book's rather rushed ending. The unique setting was fresh and made this coming of age story worthy. Good...not great.

This book is enjoyable if you are interested in family dynamics, how childhood events and cultural issues shape who you are. I was able to read it quickly and get involved in the characters. It is told from the perspective of a child, and ends as this child approaches adulthood. The concepts touched upon are serious, death and grief, career choice, family dynamics, and more. Sidura Ludwig deals with these issues seriously and deeply. At times I became confused about what time in the person's life is being discussed. She often jumps from the past to the future, and that can be hard to follow. Still, I would recommend this book if you are interested in Canadian Jewish family-life in the 1960's.

Holding My Breath is a coming of age story set in Winnepeg's North End, spanning from the 1950’s and into the 70’s. Told from the perspective of Beth Levy, the book chronicles the life of a young Jewish woman struggling to find her identity and the delicate balance between living up to family expectations while trying to follow one’s dreams.

Ludwig provides the reader with insight into the suffocating sense of duty and responsibility placed upon the shoulders of a young woman growing up in a Jewish community (or any community, perhaps) during that time period. Rather than following her dreams of studying astronomy, Beth is encouraged to stay in Winnepeg and take over the family business and, above all else, become a wife and mother.

Ludwig succeeds in providing a sense of place about the insular world that Beth inhabits, revolving around her home, her aunt’s apartment and the family pharmacy. The cast of women in Beth’s life are well developed.

There were a few areas, however, that could have deserved further development. As the only Jew on a softball team, Beth strives to make sure her last name is not placed on the team t-shirt. This was the first and only mention of Beth being in any way self conscious about her Jewish heritage. I was left wandering about the significance of this episode in the story as a whole.

But, all in all, a solid debut novel. I look forward to reading more from Sidura Ludwig.

Overall, this was an OK novel. The author did a great job in capturing the essence of this family. The characters and storyline seemed realistic as if the reader was invited into to take a personal glimpse into real lives. However, I steadily became frustrated and disappointed by the lack of development of the characters and the story. I felt like pieces were missing that weren't shared and needed to be shared about these people. Also, I found myself wanting to learn more about the culture and religious practices that were so much a part of their lives but not fully explained to an outsider such as myself. The book had lots of potential that was not attained to increase it's enjoyment.

Holding My Breath seemed to me 18 chapters of randomness. The different characters are described in sometimes creative and fun detail, but the characters do not merge together to tell a defining story. The women struggle with depression, and relationships and how to find "their" happiness and their solutions are told too briefly and too easily. There was never a real connection to any of the characters as they never truly opened up in the book. I would have a hard time telling a friend to read the book.