When Desperate Choices Mean the Difference Between Life and Death - an Editorial Review of "Bright One"

Book Blurb:

When desperate choices mean the difference between life and death.

Inspired by true events, Bright One tells the story of Jetti Finkelthal, Lisajoy Sachs' great-grandmother. In Czernowitz, Romania, this young Jewish mother is forced to face impossible choices as the world begins to collapse around her. As antisemitism tightens its grip and war edges ever closer, Jetti holds fast to her daughter, Berta, with the fragile belief that love and courage might still carve a way through the darkness.

Heartened by her grandmother Berta's letters, photographs, and family oral histories, Sachs revives a story both intimate and universal-stitched with the fabric of daily life, the pull of memory, and the quiet heroism of women who refused to yield to despair. Told with vivid, sensory detail, the novel unfolds as if you are walking beside the characters, witnessing what they see and sharing what they feel.

Through Jetti's resilience and sacrifices, Bright One reveals the enduring strength of family ties and the shadow of trauma that lingers across generations. It is a story of survival, of loss, and of the unbreakable connection between mother and child.

For readers captivated by historical fiction that lingers long after the final page, Bright One offers a profoundly human portrait of love tested by history's darkest hours.

BOOK ONE of the BRIGHT ONE SERIES

"A touching tale not to be missed for fans of The Child Who Lived by Ellie Midwood and Sophie's Choice by Wiliam Styron." -- HFC Reviews

BOOK TWO, GOLDEN FLIGHT releasing Spring 2026.

Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/9B7u7nV

Author Bio: Visit the author's profile at www.historiumpress.com/lisajoy-sachs

Editorial Review:

Jetti and Berta are mother and daughter, inextricably linked by the most primal bond of all but each with their own challenges. “Bright One” by Lisajoy Sachs commences in Romania in the early 1900s. The pacing is measured – like a good reminisce with an old friend – and suited to the story, which doesn’t seem to cover much time, until, well, it’s late at night and somehow decades of a Jewish family’s life, loves and losses have been laid out on the page in seductive, compulsive paragraphs that speak of women but also of family and community and industry. The perspective of a young husband, returning from war to what should be a joyous homecoming, is unbearably poignant, and is no doubt the fate of many returning to a past life after the horrors of war.

“As Joel began his walk, a sudden wave of emotion overtook him, making his chest tighten and his vision blur with unshed tears. He blinked them away, and they immediately froze to his scruffy beard, like miniature icicles on tree branches. He pressed on, his boots crunching against the snow-covered cobblestones. His family was no longer here to greet him. They had fled to New York shortly after he left for the war, abandoning the home of his childhood and the warmth of their embrace. It was a pragmatic decision, one of survival, but the thought left him feeling untethered. Now, all he had to hold on to was the hope of finding the wife he had married three years ago.”

Throughout all of this Jetti is the heroine, the glue that holds her siblings together, or tries to, despite her personal heartbreak. But even a supportive family has tensions, and personalities, and, well, to use a modern word, issues. The eventual decision that Jetti and her brothers make for Berta is – challenging – for the modern reader and is all the more stark as this novel is based on the author’s own family history. But survival is the priority, even if it is at a formidable cost.

The style of writing is highly emotional and evocative of the times; “Bright One” is not one of those over-edited tersely written stories. The descriptive writing flows, even if Jetti’s various shades-of-blue dresses are somewhat over-emphasised. Some readers may prefer that, though, the image of a gorgeous blond young woman with her dreamy dresses and aqua ribbons and the braided hair drifting through her family mansion in a haze of opulence amply sets the scene and provides a contrast for the privations of what must be faced in the real world. Despite her wardrobe, Jetti has far from an easy life, and a much-needed core of steel.

“A shiver slipped down Jetti’s spine despite the warmth of the sun-drenched room. Her fingers drifted down, her palm instinctively finding the rise of the little promise growing within her. “I don’t know,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “But I think we’re about to find out.”

The air between them thickened with love, dread, and the shared understanding that the world around them was shifting in ways they weren’t ready to face.”

“Bright One” is completely immersive, and the deliberate focus on Jetti means she is the more compelling character. Berta is in her teenage years as this book draws to a close, and no doubt she will be central to the next book signalled by this author, one that will be eagerly awaited by this reviewer.

Throughout the novel, the characterization is pitch-perfect; Jetti has the historically-accurate level of agency where she mothers her siblings but still yields to her brothers. Life changing historical events crash onto the pages, reminding this reviewer yet again of the way horrific global developments shatter the lives of innocents. The mention of the Singer family is one of many moving references as their association becomes clear. Berta survives when so many did not have that chance; perhaps Jetti’s decision is more understandable after all.

“As the grandfather clock struck midnight, its deep chime reverberating through the halls of the mansion, Berta stirred in her bed, the resonant sound pulling her from the edge of sleep. At first, she thought she’d imagined it… the nutty aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the rich, sugary scent of chocolate babka. It was a combination she loved, evoking mornings filled with celebration and indulgence. But as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, reality set in. This was no morning, and the comforting smells seemed oddly misplaced in the late hour.”

“Bright One” by Lisajoy Sachs is a deeply emotional and evocative read set in an era where so many faced loss and impossible choices. The highlight is the heroine, Jetti, overcoming personal upheaval and tragedy, as she and her family persevere through some of modern history’s most turbulent times. Readers will need to keep tissues close at hand, particularly when the author’s own connection to the story is borne in mind. Jetti’s courage and sacrifice echo down the generations, and Book Two is keenly awaited.

*****

“Bright One” by Lisajoy Sachs receives 4 ½ stars from The Historical Fiction Company

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