Even those who consider themselves well-versed in Jewish history will feel surprised — even horrified — by the story told in Talia Carner’s new novel, The Third Daughter. Set in the late nineteenth century, it tells of a Jewish-run syndicate who systematically kidnapped young women from Eastern Europe for the purpose of selling them as prostitutes in Buenos Aires.

Carefully researched and meticulously novelized, Carner tells the story of Batya, the third of many daughters of a struggling Russian milkman. The story would be grim but for the powerful Jewish reaction to this shameful era in history. Philanthropic plans are made to buy ranches that will house and employ new Jewish émigrés en masse. Batya herself fights at the forefront of shutting down the bordellos of Buenos Aires, and of leading her ​“sisters” to freedom. Indeed, the vivid inner life of Carner’s protagonist is one of the best aspects of the book. Brave, resourceful, loyal and fierce, Batya is a Jewish heroine who shines brightly in this dark story. Like a Shabbat candle, she casts both light and healing over a troubled era.

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Novelist Talia Carner is formerly the publisher of Savvy Woman magazine and a lecturer at international women’s economic forums. She is a committed supporter of global human rights and has spearheaded projects centered on the subjects of female plight and women’s activism. Her five novels have been hailed for exposing society’s ills, the latest of which is The Third Daughter (HarperCollins, September 2019.)  Set in Buenos Aires in the late 1800s, it is the story of a Jewish girl caught in sex trafficking.
Talia Carner has given over 400 keynote speeches and presentations about the social issues behind her novels to civic, educational and religious organizations. She lives in New York and Florida.