A centenarian, Norman Schecter, a man that was born on the
first day of the 20th century and lived to see the onset of the 21st
century, is skillfully used to depict history, people and the humanity of a
generation within a slice of society by Eli Rill in his novel A Penny for the Violin Man.
This book is more than a period piece describing immigrants
from Europe settling into the neighborhoods of the boroughs of New York City. Eli Rill captures the emotions of the frugal lifestyle faced in the daily quest
to maintain their existence, integrity and obtain a better life. The book has a “ciba-emotion” to the story;
one yellowed by age, hardened by virtue and is pulled from memories only
obtained by living through such times. The literary segway of an anonymous man playing the violin in the
courtyard of tenement housing bringing joy to the residents in return for gratuities
is used poetically throughout the story.
Although the book trails the formation of the teacher’s union
in New York City during the early half of the 20th century, the
story has many tangents by Eli Rill’s use of diverse characters interacting
with the Schecters. Each is brought into
the story for a reason, some endure for just an incident and some remain
friends for a lifetime. The essence of book-time
flows in a tidal fashion, back and forth, with eddies and streams of
overlapping events, artfully transporting the reader into the mind of the
narrator. Flashing back from the
incomprehensible attack on the World Trade Center on that infamous day in
September 2001 to a pre-World War II time period, Eli Rill uses his cinematic
skills to craft the continuity of the storyline within his novel.
It’s blatantly
apparent, knowing the accomplishments and accolades of the author; the story is
about people of his past, his views of time and events, and his beliefs as he
weaves them into the tapestry of his factious character development. Changing only the character’s names and some
trite material facts but true to life in a historical sense, A Penny for the Violin Man will kindle
the memories of intellectual readers of the menschs
of our society. Just about every issue
and event of the past 100 years is touched upon with richly spirited dialogue
emphasizing the outspoken attitudes of the Jewish immigrants nestled in East
New York. Unforgettable characters
because of the familiarity they have to people we all have come in contact with
over the years and may even have as family members. People
remember the past differently and often one can say, “You write your history
book and I’ll write mine,” A Penny for
the Violin Man is Eli Rill’s version of history as seen through his eyes.
This book is highly recommended for those baby boomers that
know, or have known, people from this period. The time put forth in reading is a tribute to Eli Rill’s effort in his
noteworthy recapitulation of historical influences which not only shaped
society, but contributed to define his life.
Buy this book at Amazon.com
