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The Invisible Wall

by (Ballantine Books)

(1,563 reviews)

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This wonderfully charming memoir, written when the author was 93, vibrantly brings to life an all-but-forgotten time and place. It is a moving tale of working-class life, and of the boundaries that can be overcome by love.

"There are places that I have never forgotten. A little cobbled street in a smoky mill town in the North of England has haunted me for the greater part of my life. It was inevitable that I should write about it and the people who lived on both sides of its 'Invisible Wall.' "

The narrow street where Harry Bernstein grew up, in a small English mill town, was seemingly unremarkable. It was identical to countless other streets in countless other working-class neighborhoods of the early 1900s, except for the "invisible wall" that ran down its center, dividing Jewish families on one side from Christian families on the other. Only a few feet of cobblestones separated Jews from Gentiles, but socially, it they were miles apart.

On the eve of World War I, Harry's family struggles to make ends meet. His father earns little money at the Jewish tailoring shop and brings home even less, preferring to spend his wages drinking and gambling. Harry's mother, devoted to her children and fiercely resilient, survives on her dreams: new shoes that might secure Harry's admission to a fancy school; that her daughter might marry the local rabbi; that the entire family might one day be whisked off to the paradise of America.

Then Harry's older sister, Lily, does the unthinkable: She falls in love with Arthur, a Christian boy from across the street.

When Harry unwittingly discovers their secret affair, he must choose between the morals he's been taught all his life, his loyalty to his selfless mother, and what he knows to be true in his own heart.

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Price Summary

  • We started tracking this book on January 19, 2011.
  • This book was $9.29 when we started tracking it.
  • The price of this book has changed 222 times in the past 5,303 days.
  • The current price of this book is $14.99 last checked 21 hours ago.
  • This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is $4.99.
  • The lowest price to date was $1.99 last reached on September 30, 2019.
  • This book has been $1.99 2 times since we started tracking it.
  • The highest price to date was $14.99 last reached on July 14, 2025.
  • This book has been $14.99 9 times since we started tracking it.
  • This book is currently at its highest price since we started tracking it.

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Additional Info

  • Publication Date: March 20, 2007
  • Text-to-Speech: Disabled
  • Lending: Disabled
  • Print Length: 340 Pages
  • File Size: 10 KB

We last verified the price of this book about 21 hours ago. At that time, the price was $14.99. This price is subject to change. The price displayed on the Amazon.com website at the time of purchase is the price you will pay for this book. Please confirm the price before making any purchases.