kleedc73's review against another edition
4.0
This book is as much a work of art as it is a book about art and artists. The language flows like water and the sum is much bigger than its parts. The book is very simple from the flow of plot but is packed with complexity and emotion behind the scenes. The book centers around two main characters, an artist and an artists' model. The artist, Danzig, is German and the model is Israeli and both have dark histories surrounding the Holocaust/WWII and the historical animosities between their cultures. Despite this darkness, the two are drawn to one another as artist and muse and the chemistry awakens Danzig's lost passion for producing his own art. Both of the main characters are facially calm and closed off but have a world of emotional history behind their calm exterior. "Smooth waters run deep" is a good label for both. I didn't find either of them particularly loveable but they were totally compelling. I read this book in a single day; somehow I just couldn't put it down. The author did an excellent job of bringing art to life and also bringing a fresh perspective and new life to a difficult subject matter that has been addressed in a million ways already.
zilfworks's review against another edition
2.0
The book where nothing happens. Two people meet, remember some stuff that formed/changed them, and spend a day together. That's pretty much it. Just didn't do much for me. Felt more like an extended short story than a fully realized novel.
vgk's review against another edition
5.0
A near-perfect novel. Succinct but so immersive I could effortlessly access the inner world of each character. It explores inter-generational guilt, the legacy of war, identity, art, forgiveness and letting go. I loved it.
literaryfeline's review against another edition
3.0
I have never had the feeling of finishing a book and wanting to start over again right away and read it again cover to cover. Someone wrote that about Blue Nude, and so I set aside my reservations about the book and dived right in. I wanted to love it. I wanted to love the writing and the flow of the story. I wanted to love the characters. I did like Merav quite a bit. I wasn't sold on Danzig. And while that isn't always a problem, it was in this case. I never really connected with him. As the story progressed and more about his past was revealed, I did develop a sympathy for him. Even more so for his sister, Margot, who I came to love.
This is a difficult book to describe. It is at once a novel about two people struggling to reconcile their pasts and find peace within themselves and a novel about World War II, particularly the aftermath of the war and how it touched those who came directly after. Merav's grandmother had been a survivor of the Holocaust, eventually fleeing to Israel where Merav was born andraised. Danzig's father had been a German officer during the war, creating a shadow that would plague Danzig and his sister for the rest of their lives.
Danzig is a painter and art instructor. Merav is a nude model who poses for Danzig's class and awakes in him a spark of inspiration that has long been missing.
The writing was smooth and lyrical. There were several times, especially during Merav's sections when I felt the words roll over and through me, lingering and full of feeling. I also liked the format of the story--the nonlinear narratives and jumping from viewpoint to viewpoint, time period to time period. I was especially drawn to the sections of the book set in the past, particularly Merav's heartbreak and Danzig's own tragic childhood.
The war left behind many scars, as war often does. The Germans were left with much blood on their hands and how does a child reconcile that, once caught up in the fervor of nationalism? Can she? Rosner paints a vivid picture of the inner struggle of one family, while at the same time capturing the ingrained fear and mistrust of a people victimized, tortured and murdered at the hands of Germans. Danzig and Margot's story is directly tied to World War II, however Merav's is more indirectly impacted. It was an interesting juxtaposition.
Unfortunately, I never felt the book came together in a way I could truly appreciate. I know the characters found some of what they were looking for in the end, but I am not quite sure how they got there. I finished the novel feeling like I missed something important.
This is a difficult book to describe. It is at once a novel about two people struggling to reconcile their pasts and find peace within themselves and a novel about World War II, particularly the aftermath of the war and how it touched those who came directly after. Merav's grandmother had been a survivor of the Holocaust, eventually fleeing to Israel where Merav was born andraised. Danzig's father had been a German officer during the war, creating a shadow that would plague Danzig and his sister for the rest of their lives.
Danzig is a painter and art instructor. Merav is a nude model who poses for Danzig's class and awakes in him a spark of inspiration that has long been missing.
The writing was smooth and lyrical. There were several times, especially during Merav's sections when I felt the words roll over and through me, lingering and full of feeling. I also liked the format of the story--the nonlinear narratives and jumping from viewpoint to viewpoint, time period to time period. I was especially drawn to the sections of the book set in the past, particularly Merav's heartbreak and Danzig's own tragic childhood.
The war left behind many scars, as war often does. The Germans were left with much blood on their hands and how does a child reconcile that, once caught up in the fervor of nationalism? Can she? Rosner paints a vivid picture of the inner struggle of one family, while at the same time capturing the ingrained fear and mistrust of a people victimized, tortured and murdered at the hands of Germans. Danzig and Margot's story is directly tied to World War II, however Merav's is more indirectly impacted. It was an interesting juxtaposition.
Unfortunately, I never felt the book came together in a way I could truly appreciate. I know the characters found some of what they were looking for in the end, but I am not quite sure how they got there. I finished the novel feeling like I missed something important.
findbeauty_choosejoy's review against another edition
4.0
The line in the goodreads summary "moral implications of their relationship" is utter tosh. That implication of morality doesn't figure into this transformation book.
This is a book about the space in between roots and reaching personal realization...it's not about the realization itself. It's the thoughts that inform decision, not the decision; the history behind choice, not the choice itself... so if you are looking for clap-bang plot and conclusion this book will frustrate you. It has a different kind of closure.
That being said, the writing is limpid, fluid and exact at every need. It was worth my time.
This is a book about the space in between roots and reaching personal realization...it's not about the realization itself. It's the thoughts that inform decision, not the decision; the history behind choice, not the choice itself... so if you are looking for clap-bang plot and conclusion this book will frustrate you. It has a different kind of closure.
That being said, the writing is limpid, fluid and exact at every need. It was worth my time.
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