The Reluctant Conductor is a sweeping work of Jewish historical fiction that traces the unforgettable journey of a young Moldovan violinist whose dreams, and survival, are shaped by love, war, and faith. Set against the backdrop of Stalin's rise and Hitler's brutal invasion of the Soviet Union, this emotionally rich novel brings to life one family's resilience across continents and catastrophe.
Elazar, a gifted musician growing up in a shtetl in 1920s Moldova, longs for a future in music and love, but his loyalties, traditions, and a world on the brink of chaos complicate every choice. When forbidden love, cultural divides, and political oppression collide, Elazar and his family are forced into an epic exodus to Uzbekistan during World War II. What unfolds is a deeply human story of survival, courage, and the power of music to carry us through even the darkest days.
Ideal for readers of historical sagas, Jewish fiction, and character-driven war novels, The Reluctant Conductor is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring. Through lyrical prose, emotional depth, and sweeping historical scope, it tells a story not just of devastation, but of perseverance, identity, and hope.
Language
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
ISBN-13
979-8-9899124-1-4 (9798989912414)
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Schweitzer Classification
A recovering Catholic and fifth-generation native of Durango, Colo., author, screenwriter, playwright and former journalist Tim Turner, who lives in Los Angeles, is the founder and tsar of Bessarabian Publishing.The Reluctant Conductor, which he co-wrote with Moisey Gorbaty, is the first in a tetralogy of historical novels loosely based on the family and life of Moisey, whom he met at the gym in Hollywood in 2010.At the time, there were some 500,000 Russian speaking people in Los Angeles and Tim heard the language regularly at the gym. A language nerd-he's fluent in Spanish and French and has studied German, Italian and Czech-he was listening to Russian Berlitz tapes when Moisey sat down next to him in the locker room and Tim took off his headphones and said, "Доброе утро," which means "Good morning."Moisey's jaw dropped because in the 21 years he'd been in Los Angeles, no American had EVER attempted to speak Russian to him. "I'll teach you to speak Russian," said Moisey, who is Jewish and a graduate of the Moldovan Conservatory of Music, then added: "What do you do?""I'm a writer," Tim said."You should write my life story," Moisey said.Tim rolled his eyes and said: "Do you know how many times I've heard that?"After two years of studying Russian together, the two agreed that there was at least one book about Moisey living through the era of the USSR and then immigrating to the USA. They signed a collaborators agreement, started videotaping interviews of Moisey telling his family stories, and traveled together with Moisey's wife to Moldova and another trip to Rome to research Part 3.Tim has traveled extensively all over the world, including a trip to Moscow, Saint Petersburg and a cruise on the Baltic Sea. After a decade, multiple drafts, and now able to speak, read, write and touch type in Russian, Tim published The Reluctant Conductor on Nov. 9, 2023.
