Heart of a Wife: The Diary of a Southern Jewish Woman by Helen Jacobus Apte

Heart of a Wife: The Diary of a Southern Jewish Woman Reviews

• 
  Sarah Patt

  This was an interesting read. I think Marcus D. Rosenbaum did a nice job recounting his grandmother's life by sharing her personal diary for the world to read. I liked his Acknowledgements, Introduction, "who's who" snip it, and his note on editing. At the very end, his Epilogue was well written too and Appendix B was very impressive; he included his grandmother's very long list of books she read and the short reviews she herself gave them. How apropos that I am reviewing her diary! ;) My ultimate favorite part was Appendix D: "The Truth About Grandma" by Helen Apte where she wrote down seven "clues" basically explaining how her grandson David is the best child in the whole wide world!!! The nicknames she gave him were priceless too! Overall, it was an endearing read.
• 
  Marija

  This is a woman I know I'd never have been friends with had I known her in person, but oddly enough I felt a kinship to through her diary. Why? I have the feeling she exuded a certain persona that was very different from her true essence.
  
  Apte was a socialite, married to a successful business man, who never had to work a day in her life. She was privileged, traveled extensively, met friends frequently for dinner and cocktails. Shoot me now, to live such a life.
  
  Still, still, she loved her quiet moments. She loved culture and literature. She was a heck of a good writer. And she suffered from depression. These are the nuggets I loved in her, and it kept me reading her diary until nearly the end. Toward the end, she decided to write about public events, mainly about World War II, and keep the personal off the page. Too bad. She was feisty and flirty, and I'd have loved to spend her last years with the personal.
  
  I appreciate the fact that her grandson, who was born after she had died, had the foresight to recognize the quality of writing in her diary and thus brought it to publication.
  
  
• 
  Betty

  This was a very personal diary and I wonder, if she had not dropped dead in a Miami department store, would she really have kept it for others to read. She mentions early on that her daughter would read it someday and it would have been a shame to have destroyed it. Her writing is clear and is more than just what she is feeling, but she writes in the context of the events of the time. Her grandson fills out her story with further background information, which greatly adds to the reading. I wouldn't have liked her, I don't think (vanity, thy name is woman), but it made for an interesting read.
• 
  Florence

  Helen Jacobus Apte, the author's grandmother, lived a life of privilege. She traveled, she had household help, she never had to work for a living, yet her diary is filled with complaints. Helen seemed to be obsessed with her appearance. She mentions her weight and her appearance frequently yet we never learn until the very end of her diary what her husband did to earn a living. It is curious that she claimed to adore her husband but kept mentioning flirtatious intrigues with male admirers. Well, we all have our flaws and I certainly would not want my diary to be read by anyone. I think she would have been horrified if she knew that her grandson had published it.
• 
  Katie

  My mom and I really liked this book and we enjoyed reading this woman's diary entries and learning about her life.