"Rachel and Aleks" by Sylvia Smoller tells the story of Rachel Jonish, a young Jewish woman living with her family in the small Polish village of Zarki and Aleks Mischler, a political journalist turned government official. They marry and live a good life in Warsaw until Aleks loses his job amidst an increasingly anti-Semitic government. This starts a series of changes in their lives that sends Rachel to London and, eventually, into the arms of another man.

When WWII starts to heat up in Poland, Rachel leaves her lover to go back to her family, arriving just in time to flee the country. Rachel and Aleks eventually find their way to America where Rachel's lover re-enters her life and she must decide between the life she knows and the excitement of something new.

Author Sylvia Smoller has delivered a well-researched, historically accurate tale chronicling the growth of a young woman amidst the difficult period before and during WWII. She creates two very rich and interesting characters in Rachel and Aleks and isn't afraid to develop their flaws. These characters aren't perfect and that is a good thing because it makes the characters more believable and real. Though I had a hard time with the selfish aspects of both characters, I saw Rachel as a very strong woman and admired the way she managed to make the best out of the bad situations she and her family dealt with.

I enjoyed this book, especially the historical aspects of it, to the point where I looked up a couple of facts because I didn't realize they happened at that point in history. Seriously, the accuracy of this novel is impressive and Sylvia Smoller should be applauded for this well-written and engaging story. ( )

Rachel Jonish is a young Jewish woman living in Poland. After a couple of misguided attempts at love, she marries Aleks Mischler, an intelligent political journalist who encourages her to be independent. Although she now has the life she thought she wanted, something is missing. Then Rachel meets Roman, a rich and powerful businessman. He is the kind of man who would cherish her and take care of her with the kind of love she craves.

Hitler comes to power in Germany. When the Nazis invade Poland, Rachel and Aleks flee. In constant fear for their life, they take refuge in Russia and Japan before finding safety in America.

In America, Rachel and Aleks have to count pennies, barely surviving on government support. Aleks goes from one unsuccessful business venture to another while Rachel finds a profitable job selling lingerie to stores. They no longer have to count pennies. However, Rachel isn’t happy with her marriage; she wants Aleks to be able to take care of her, not the other way around. When Roman shows up again, Rachel will have to choose between Aleks, her husband, and Roman, her lover.

Rachel is someone readers can relate to. She’s made mistakes, fallen in love (both misguided and real), and been restless in her life. Rachel is a strong woman who thinks she knows what she wants. She’s independent and spirited. She has dreams of greatness. She wants to be around famous and influential people.

Rachel is also a character readers can learn from. When fleeing the Nazis, Aleks remarks several times that Rachel continually finds the good in any situation, making lemonade out of the lemons life gave her. She’s an optimist. Although fleeing for their lives, Rachel’s optimism keeps them going and keeps the story from dwelling on all that is bad about their situation. And later in America she manages to stay positive about their job prospects through the rough times.

While this book seemed to start slow, after a few chapters into it, I was hooked. I am a romantic, so this book really got me. While I may not agree with adultery, I was certainly able to empathize with Rachel’s dilemma between Aleks, with his intelligence and selflessness, and Roman, with his ruthless intensity. I had to know who Rachel was going to choose. Although she clearly wanted them both, which one did she want more? ( )