Review\
Wonderful...Welcome to Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs with a Winnipeg twist. - Winnipeg Free Press\
Sandi Altner reminds me of a young Isaac Bashevis Singer. The flow is wonderful, from the poverty and hard lives of the family overseas and their dreams of reuniting with loved ones in London ... to the sale of Ravenscraig and the efforts of Willows to get into Winnipeg's high society. Excellent and gripping.
- CTV Montreal\
Ravenscraig provides a fascinating insight into early Jewish migration.
- Winnipeg Jewish Post and News\
Romance, scandal, and tragedy grip the lives of two families and threaten to destroy them both in Ravenscraig, by Sandi Krawchenko Altner. Winner of the 2012 Carol Shields Book Award, Ravenscraig, pitches rich against poor in the height of the immigration boom a century ago. Rupert Willows buries his cruel past and schemes his way to wealth and power when he buys his opulent home, Ravenscraig Hall. Zev Zigman, a devout Jew, mounts a desperate struggle to bring his family out of czarist Russia. At the center is the feisty Maisie, who hides her Jewish roots to enter the world of “The English” as a well-paid maid at Ravenscraig. Love, anger and determination fuel the treacherous journey ahead.\
From the Author\
I am a writer, Titanic fanatic, and former television news reporter with a keen interest in social history.
My first novel, Ravenscraig was first published in Canada by Heartland Associates, and was launched on November 29, 2011 to an amazing response in Winnipeg and the top spot in the bestseller list at McNally Robinson Booksellers. Ravenscraig was published in the Kindle Select Program by Franklin and Gallagher in August, 2012, for all sales outside of Canada.
Every time I tell someone about my book, it inevitably leads to their telling me about how their families came to Canada or the United States. It seems there is an ever growing interest in genealogy and family histories. I am writing a blog, called Ravenscraig, to share the stories and resources that I discovered in the many years of research I did for the writing of the novel Ravenscraig. This work was, and continues to be, a most gratifying journey that has helped me to learn where I came from, and who I am.
You will get a sense of the story by looking at the book trailer, which you will find here on Amazon as well as on my blog and on Goodreads. I love hearing from and responding to readers, so if you have questions, contact me!
Family history and stories about those early years in the "new country" have always been of great interest to me. My family is Ukrainian Canadian and I am a fifth generation descendent of the first group of Ukrainian pioneer families that came to Manitoba to farm in 1896. We are, to this day, "peasant stock" as my mother proudly claims. I have posted family pictures and a story about our history on the Ravenscraig blog.
I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, and enjoyed a long and exciting career in television and radio news in Calgary, Winnipeg and Montreal. I feel greatly privileged to have had a"front row seat", microphone in hand, to tell the stories of the newsmakers of the day, from homeless people, to captains of industry, to just plain decent people doing good things in the world. Well, and to be honest, to tell a great many stories about people who were not to be admired. Overall, I loved being in news and have a great respect for my friends who continue to work in the media.
I am also a Jew by choice, which came about, in large part, through my years of research into the history of Winnipeg's Jewish community and the natural path I found to study Judaism.
I invite your comments and questions on my blog. altnersandi.com

Categories:

• Romance
  • Billionaires & Millionaires