Delighted to report that my critically-acclaimed novel A Break in the Chain: the early Kozminskys (Affirm Press, 2011) — sold out its first print run two or three years back and is now in the process of being reprinted. It will be available on Kindle shortly at www.amazon.com.au/books.
Meanwhile, if you would like to get hold of a real live copy, New Edition bookshop in Fremantle (9335 2383) and Crow Books in Vic Park (9472 9737) are the best bets in Perth at present.
In a tale of fortune, faith, love and betrayal, the story follows three generations of real-life Kozminskys from the heady days of the Victorian gold rush when Simon Kozminsky established the famous Melbourne jewellery house through to war-time London. The cover is a copy of a painting of my Irish grandmother Eileen Watkins whose marriage to Simon’s son, Isidore, caused a long-lasting rift in the family and shook the Jewish community of the day.
‘This has movie written all over it.’ Radio 3AW, Sydney
‘This is a warm, lively, empathetic novel full of fascinating social history’ Sydney Morning Herald ‘
At the core of the book is Judaism and what it means when affection strays beyond religious barriers. Tansley records the lives of her ancestors, not in dry prose but in an imaginative, fictive construct.’ The Sunday Age
‘An engaging story that will resonate with anyone who has ever witnessed the deep, astonishing antagonism to an interfaith relationship, and the permanent damage to family ties that such antagonism can cause.’ Bracha Rafael, Galus Australis
‘A bold and imaginative history, told with the dedication of the historian and the imaginative flair of the novelist…A well-written and gripping book and far more than the story of a migrant family…’Novelist and literary critic Alan Gold
A beautifully written imagining of three generations of her family.’ Herald Sun
‘Richly researched, splendidly illuminating. A Break in the Chain offers insider history, the private story beyond the public history, an emotionally dense and intriguing Australian story of high achievement, and of cultures and traditions in rich conflict.’ Writer and academic Michael Meehan
