"A compelling work with a wistful longing for days of childhood innocence. A poignant and eloquent reflection on tradition, family, friendship, and tragedy."
-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
*Chosen one of the BEST BOOKS of 2021 by KIRKUS REVIEWS*
" Astonishingly good debut novel. From the moment I began reading the first chapter of Prairie Sonata, I realized that Sandy was a writer of immense talent. Her descriptive language was breathtakingly beautiful… so evocative that I could picture her scenes as vividly as if I were right there with her characters. Prairie Sonata can fit into so many different categories of fiction that it will appeal to readers of all ages."
-Jewish Post & News
" Rabin has crafted a moving, delicate novel … Her lyrical words …paint a masterpiece that not only exemplifies Jewish culture, but also the weariness and recovery of the human spirit. Her prose is beautiful, and the book reads like a painting. … It is a delight to read. Although post-WWII books are plentiful, one that encompasses the unique culture and social etiquette of Jewish life in a rural Canadian prairie is not as common. The authentic relationship between an emotionally worn teacher and an enthusiastic, curious student makes for a new experience for the reader. Rabin's characters brilliantly come to life. The reader will feel their pain, their sorrow, their joy, and their excitement."
-BookLife Prize (9.5/10)
"Music, literature, art, and life combine with the horrors of history in this compelling, compassionate novel... Like Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, the overwhelming power of this narrative reopens the wounds of past crimes as we enter new realms of horrific events, something reflected upon in the story’s coda as an older Mira wonders if the world will ever be a safe, sane place. With powerful control of the language, narrative, plot, and dialogue, this story will have readers pondering on the beauty and the agony of life; past, present, and future."
-Readers' Favorite (5 stars)
"A beautifully written story of heartbreak and sorrow, of growing consciousness and coming of age. The sentences burst with lyricism. The musical analogies took me to a higher plane. I was buoyed by the rhythm of the relationships, the symphony of the seasons. I sat down to read a few pages the other morning and was finally "forced" to put it down at midnight, mostly because my husband had to get up in the morning to work. But I got up at 4:00 a.m. and finished it."
-Harriet Zaidman, author of City on Strike
"This is Shefrin Rabin's first novel, and it is a triumph of style and form."
-Forward
"Prairie Sonata is a truly extraordinary book on so many levels... It is lyrical but not falsely sentimental, a story recounted in the voice of a reflective and incisive adult. Characters are authentic: good people, usually well-intentioned, but with quirks and flaws, and yes, secrets. Prairie Sonata takes the reader on a journey back in time.
Highly recommended."
-Canadian Review of Materials
Next Generation Indie Award: Best e-book
Finalist: General Fiction
Winner of the 2021 Independent Press Award for Best Young Adult Fiction
New York City Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite
"A compelling work with a wistful longing for days of childhood innocence. A poignant and eloquent reflection on tradition, family, friendship, and tragedy."
-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
*Chosen one of the BEST BOOKS of 2021 by KIRKUS REVIEWS*
" Astonishingly good debut novel. From the moment I began reading the first chapter of Prairie Sonata, I realized that Sandy was a writer of immense talent. Her descriptive language was breathtakingly beautiful… so evocative that I could picture her scenes as vividly as if I were right there with her characters. Prairie Sonata can fit into so many different categories of fiction that it will appeal to readers of all ages."
-Jewish Post & News
" Rabin has crafted a moving, delicate novel … Her lyrical words …paint a masterpiece that not only exemplifies Jewish culture, but also the weariness and recovery of the human spirit. Her prose is beautiful, and the book reads like a painting. … It is a delight to read. Although post-WWII books are plentiful, one that encompasses the unique culture and social etiquette of Jewish life in a rural Canadian prairie is not as common. The authentic relationship between an emotionally worn teacher and an enthusiastic, curious student makes for a new experience for the reader. Rabin's characters brilliantly come to life. The reader will feel their pain, their sorrow, their joy, and their excitement."
-BookLife Prize (9.5/10)
"Music, literature, art, and life combine with the horrors of history in this compelling, compassionate novel... Like Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, the overwhelming power of this narrative reopens the wounds of past crimes as we enter new realms of horrific events, something reflected upon in the story’s coda as an older Mira wonders if the world will ever be a safe, sane place. With powerful control of the language, narrative, plot, and dialogue, this story will have readers pondering on the beauty and the agony of life; past, present, and future."
-Readers' Favorite (5 stars)
"A beautifully written story of heartbreak and sorrow, of growing consciousness and coming of age. The sentences burst with lyricism. The musical analogies took me to a higher plane. I was buoyed by the rhythm of the relationships, the symphony of the seasons. I sat down to read a few pages the other morning and was finally "forced" to put it down at midnight, mostly because my husband had to get up in the morning to work. But I got up at 4:00 a.m. and finished it."
-Harriet Zaidman, author of City on Strike
"This is Shefrin Rabin's first novel, and it is a triumph of style and form."
-Forward
"Prairie Sonata is a truly extraordinary book on so many levels... It is lyrical but not falsely sentimental, a story recounted in the voice of a reflective and incisive adult. Characters are authentic: good people, usually well-intentioned, but with quirks and flaws, and yes, secrets. Prairie Sonata takes the reader on a journey back in time.
Highly recommended."
-Canadian Review of Materials
Next Generation Indie Award: Best e-book
Finalist: General Fiction
Winner of the 2021 Independent Press Award for Best Young Adult Fiction
New York City Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite
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Richly textured and lyrically written, Prairie Sonata is the story of Mira Adler and her journey from innocence to experience. Mira grows up in post World War II Canada, in a close-knit Manitoba community founded by secular Jews from Eastern Europe. At the heart of her journey is the friendship that she develops with her teacher, Chaver B, a recent immigrant from Prague who is mysterious and intriguing and who Mira believes harbours a painful secret. Chaver B becomes deeply intwined in Mira’s life, and their relationship evolves, especially after he offers to teach her to play the violin.
Little by little, Mira chips away at Chaver B’s past and soon comes to the shocking realization of what brought him to Manitoba. What she learns about his history both outrages and saddens her, yet she cannot stop herself from uncovering the truth about his life. While Chaver B attempts to reconcile his feelings of guilt, Mira struggles to understand a world that seems to be vastly different from the nurturing and seemingly untroubled one in which she grows up. And despite what she learns about Chaver B, herself, and the world around her, when she is older, Mira yearns for the chance to go back to her childhood. A coming-of-age story about music, love, friendship, community, and religion, Prairie Sonata is a riveting tale that will resonate with and captivate the reader. |
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Meet the Author
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Sandy Shefrin Rabin grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in a community much like Mira’s. She holds both a B.A. in English and an M.D. degree from the University of Manitoba. She completed an Internal Medicine residency at McGill University and her Neurology residency at the New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan. She currently practices Neurology in Marin County, near San Francisco.
Sandy has written for the Marin Independent Journal and has been published in several medical journals. She lives in Mill Valley, California, with her husband and has three sons. Prairie Sonata is her first novel. If you are interested in discussion questions for book clubs or classrooms, please contact the author below. |
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