The Escape Artist

By Judith Katz

Book Overview

"Katz lives up to her first novel's potential in this moving, funny, wholly original picaresque about a nice Jewish girl. . . . The pasts and common destiny of two remarkable women--related with perfect timing in Sofia's convincing Yiddish-tinged English--come together beautifully in this nicely crafted, emotionally satisfying, and well-researched historical fiction."--Publishers Weekly

"The Escape Artist, a brilliant work of historical fiction . . . fast-paced and gorgeously written novel" --Liberty Press

Set in the brothels and gangster dens of Jewish Buenos Aires at the beginning of the twentieth century, The Escape Artist catapults us into the lives of Sofia Teitelbaum and Hankus Lubarsky.

Sofia, a nice Jewish girl from Poland, is lured away from home by Tutsik Goldenberg, a wealthy traveling businessman who claims to be a lonely Argentine diamond merchant in search of a wife. Upon arriving in Buenos Aires, Tutsik dumps Sofia at his sister's brothel.

Hankus, also a nice Jewish girl from Poland, is passing as a man. Having escaped the pogroms of Poland that killed her family, she lives her life as a handsome and mysterious magician and escape artist.

When Tutsik spots the talented juggler and acrobat Hankus he envisions success as his manager, seeing Hankus as the means to get out from under his sister's thumb.

Sofia and Hankus fall in love and their attempts to walk the tightrope of love, freedom, and independence are quickly put to the test.

Sex, deception, magic, and love are the main ingredients of this tour de force novel by Lambda Literary Award winner Judith Katz. In The Escape Artist, Katz reveals that all human interactions consist of love and hate, deception and candor, altruism and self-interest. This is as true in our lives today as it was in an immigrant community at the turn of the last century.

Judith Katz is the author of two published novels, The Escape Artist and Running Fiercely Toward a High Thin Sound, which won a Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Fiction. She has received Bush Foundation, McKnight Foundation, and National Endowment fellowships for fiction.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1612940374
• ISBN13: 9781612940373
• Release Date: April 2013
• Publisher: Bywater Books
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

The Escape Artist

I could not put this book down. It is the best lesbian fiction to surface in a long time. Katz is creative and full of knowledge about the history of Jews in Poland and Argentina during the 40's. It is a powerful story about survival, artistry, and love. I recommend it to lesbians in particular, but everyone should enjoy this well-researched and well-written novel.

Good Story

One of my fellow students reviewed this book in my recent Modern Lesbian Literature. Her synopsis was so unusual, I ordered the book the next week and read it over the weekend.The story is written in an unusual style, with Sofia narrating events to both her lover, Hankus, and the reader. The story of how two young Polish Jews meet in an Argentine brothel is imaginative and holds the readers interest throughout. In a very few parts, the story gets tedious, but it doesn't last long. The ending was intuitive, but still good.In conclusion, a really good story and I have recommended it to several friends.

Clever Book - Very Readable

Set in the 1900's, young Jewish Lesbian, Sofia Teitelbaum, is taken from her parents home under false circumstances to a bordello in Argentina.Eventually she encounters a charismatic magician, Hankus Lubarsky, and realizes Hankus is a woman masquerading as a man.Interesting plot twists & turns develop as the two young lovers, Sofia & Hankus, outwit the Jewish gangsters who are trying to control and exploit both of them.The book is written in an interesting style, told mainly in the first person by Sofia, it has her relating the story to Hankus. The author also creates scenes that Sofia could not have witnessed personally, but she does so in a very believable way that causes no abrupt break in the storyline.I found the book quite interesting, and a bit different from the usual lesbian fiction novels I read.The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was because some of the plotting seemed a bit too lengthy to me before the results are reached,but over all, this is an excellent book, which I highly recommend

A well thought out, exciting, interesting read.

I really enjoyed reading this book. What an interesting trip from Poland to Argentina and all as a woman dressed as a man. In my friendship circle the vote is in and it is "Thumbs Up"!!!