The Third Daughter - Large Print by Talia Carner (Paperback)

About the Book

The late 1800s find fourteen-year-old Batya in the Russian countryside, fleeing with her family endless pogroms. Desperate, her father leaps at the opportunity to marry Batya to a worldly, wealthy stranger who can guarantee his daughter an easy life and passage to America. Feeling like a princess in a fairytale, Batya leaves her old life behind as she is whisked away to a new world. But soon she discovers that she's entered a waking nightmare. Her new "husband" does indeed bring her to America: Buenos Aires, a vibrant, growing city in which prostitution is not only legal but deeply embedded in the culture. And now Batya is one of thousands of women tricked and sold into the oldest profession in the world. As the years pass, Batya forms deep bonds with her "sisters" in the brothel as well as some men who are both kind and cruel. Through it all, she holds onto one dream: to bring her family to America, where they will be safe from the anti-Semitism that plagues Russia? A powerful story of finding courage in the face of danger, and hope in the face of despair, The Third Daughter brings to life a dark period of Jewish history and gives a voice to victims whose truth deserves to finally be told."--

Book Synopsis

"In The Third Daughter, Talia Carner ably illuminates a little-known piece of history: the sex trafficking of young women from Russia to South America in the late 19th century. Thoroughly researched and vividly rendered, this is an important and unforgettable story of exploitation and empowerment that will leave you both shaken and inspired." --Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris

The turn of the 20th century finds fourteen-year-old Batya in the Russian countryside, fleeing with her family endless pogroms. Desperate, her father leaps at the opportunity to marry Batya to a worldly, wealthy stranger who can guarantee his daughter an easy life and passage to America.

Feeling like a princess in a fairytale, Batya leaves her old life behind as she is whisked away to a new world. But soon she discovers that she's entered a waking nightmare. Her new "husband" does indeed bring her to America: Buenos Aires, a vibrant, growing city in which prostitution is not only legal but deeply embedded in the culture. And now Batya is one of thousands of women tricked and sold into a brothel.

As the years pass, Batya forms deep bonds with her "sisters" in the house as well as some men who are both kind and cruel. Through it all, she holds onto one dream: to bring her family to America, where they will be safe from the anti-Semitism that plagues Russia. Just as Batya is becoming a known tango dancer, she gets an unexpected but dangerous opportunity--to help bring down the criminal network that has enslaved so many young women and has been instrumental in developing Buenos Aires into a major metropolis.

A powerful story of finding courage in the face of danger, and hope in the face of despair, The Third Daughter brings to life a dark period of Jewish history and gives a voice to victims whose truth deserves to finally be told.

Review Quotes

"Inspired by [Carner's] passion for justice for women worldwide...Recommended for its complex characters and a story based on a little-known part of history." - Library Journal
"Complex....A valuable contribution to our understanding of a difficult era." - Hadassah Magazine
"Talia Carner is a skillful and heartfelt storyteller who takes the reader on journey of the senses, into a world long forgotten. Her story of a woman who struggles and seeks the light is universal and inspiring. Read this book and savor."

- Jennifer Lauck, author of the New York Times bestseller Blackbird and Found: A Memoir
"Jerusalem Maiden is a novel but the reader feels that she has entered living, lost history. Once engaged, you cannot put this book down. Suddenly, you are in Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Paris in the years spanning 1911-1924. The details are so real, in terms of crowded living conditions, the harshness of Jewish life under the Ottoman Empire, the rising tide of Zionist politics--but the book also tells us how people dressed, what they ate, and about Sabbath joys and Torah discussions. Will Talia Carner's heroine, Esther, a preternaturally talented young artist born into an impoverished but ultra-religious Jewish family, dare to choose her own destiny: a life of art, passion, and personal happiness or will she instead fulfill her obligations both to God and to the family that forced her into an arranged marriage? Will Esther allow herself the right to love, something women today take for granted, but a hard-won right for religious women of previous generations? Will she honor her talent--she is on the threshold of fame in Paris-- or give it up, submit to the demands of family? Carner renders these issues heartbreakingly real."

- Phyllis Chesler, author of Women and Madness and Women of the Wall
"Talia Carner ably illuminates a little-known piece of history: the sex trafficking of young women from Russia to South America in the late 19th century. Thoroughly researched and vividly rendered, this is an important and unforgettable story of exploitation and empowerment that will leave you both shaken and inspired." - Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris
"Rich with historical detail and evocative prose, The Third Daughter by Talia Carner fictionalizes the shocking true history of young Jewish girls who were trafficked into prostitution in Buenos Aires. I was blown away by this impeccably researched and beautifully written novel. An unforgettable story of strength and survival." - Jillian Cantor, USA Today bestselling author of In Another Time
Praise for Jerusalem Maiden: "A fascinating look at a little-known culture and time. . . . Tuck Jerusalem Maiden in your beach bag."

- Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Talia Carner uses beautiful language, exquisite storytelling, and detailed research to transport the reader into the world of old Jerusalem. . . . This is a book to savor and discuss." - Jewish Book World
"Esther Kaminsky is a true heroine--talented, passionate, opinionated--and I wanted her to succeed on every page of this novel. But for me the truly marvellous thing about Jerusalem Maiden is how deeply Talia Carner is able to evoke Esther's faith and the complexity of the choices she faces. A beautiful and timely novel." - Margot Livesey, author of The House on Fortune Street and Eva Moves the Furniture