‘The Lonely Tree is an exciting love story, with unforgettable characters and a thoughtful perspective of the history behind the emergence of Israel.’ - Bookish Magpie blog

‘Politis does a very good job bringing the raw drama of the times and place into bold relief. ... History lives and breathes and bleeds in these pages’ - Pam Spence in The Ohio Jewish Chronicle

‘In the end, freedom and security are defined differently by each character, and their paths to finding both make for a book well worth reading.’ - Historical Novel Society

‘Tonia Schulman is a strong young woman who uses inventiveness and hard work to get what she wants.’ - Review by aoli

‘Yael Politis has written an extremely moving portrait of a nation, her people, her enemies and the lives lived there.’ Lisa Johnson on her Seeking with all Yur Heart blog

‘The Lonely Tree is a breath of fresh air ... it has a lot of heart.’ - Gillian Polack on Bibliobuffet

‘Yael Politis has created an entirely believable heroine, who I warmed to and grew to care for.’ 

‘The writing is very eloquent and the story flowed beautifully.  The narrative is moving, with humour and pathos and is also very informative about a specific part of Jewish history.’

‘I would highly recommend this book.’ - Between the Pages blog & BookRabbit

‘The author’s writing style is excellent, it flows well and tells the story in such a way that it is immediately interesting.’

 

‘…Yael Politis is an excellent author who really knows how to make a story readable, this is a book that everyone should read at some point.’ - Curious Book Fans

 

‘The book is well written, with evocative descriptions, gripping action, well-realized characters, and authentic appeals to the emotions.’

 

‘It is a good read for people interested in family relationships, courtship, marriage, cultural identity, and the birth of the modern state of Israel.’ - Elma Schemenauer on her blog and goodreads

 

‘Politis’ style is restrained, economical and mostly understated. She is a remarkably unobtrusive author. I believe that you will find not a single dull paragraph in this entire work. It is a gripping insight into the psyche of several different kinds of person, a vivid account of the forces that drive both human idealism and human destructiveness.’ - Gold Dust magazine.

 

‘It is also a story about the importance of family that is, ... a badly needed reminder in our increasingly secular, disconnected world.’

 

‘... it is the story of a group of people who hate war and take up the sword only because their Arab neighbors refuse to let them live in peace, and a reminder that the most powerful weapon Israel has, is hope.’ - Aaron Hecht's blog.

 

‘The Lonely Tree, movingly written by rising author Yael Politis, is an important contribution to Jewish and Zionist literature.’ -  Jewish Tribune Canada

 

‘The Lonely Tree by Yael Politis is a sweeping tale set against the Jewish settlement of Palestine and the establishment of a Jewish state. ... This book is a great one for book clubs.’ -  Mother and Daughter Book Club

 

‘...I recommend this book..... at 443 pages, I finished this book in a couple of days...’ -  Valerie McInroe on her blog Life is a Patchwork Quilt.

 

The Lonely Tree won one the of YouWriteOn book of the Year 2009 awards.

 

‘The judging panel and YouWriteOn readers alike agreed that The Lonely Tree is really a great read, carrying the reader along with a unique and intelligent story...’ - Edward Smith, manager of YouWriteOn

 

'The historical setting, the atmosphere and dialogues are so authentic,... This is a mature, vivid story, great material for a motion picture.’ - Rivka Keren (Kati) on YouWriteOn

 

‘... writing is powerful, evocative and extremely moving. Tonia is wholly credible ... the reader is drawn into her world...’ - Ann Nibbs on You WriteOne

 

‘Tonia's character is very well drawn and the reader immediately empathises with her.’ - Elaine Hankin (EDH) on YouWriteOn

 

‘The tensions of living under constant fear in the Settlement is captured perfectly’ - Neil A Randall on YouWriteOn

 

‘I was riveted. I was right there in all the action...’ - Erich Orser (Squid) on YouWriteOn

 

‘...has a steady pace, perfect characterisation and the establishment of the settings can only come from personal experience.’ - Prue Batten (Taggie01) on YouWriteOn