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elianders's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
100pagesaday's review against another edition
3.0
The Myer family lives in Montreal’s Mile End neighborhood. The neighborhood is mostly made up of Hasidic Jews and a few random Hipsters. Father, David is a professor of Jewish Mysticism, but no longer believes since the passing of his wife. Samara, is thirteen and secretly planning her bat mitvah. Lev idolizes his older sister and has found a task by helping his neighbor Mr. Katz. Mr. Katz is attempting to build the Tree of Life out of toilet paper rolls, dental floss and green painted leaves.
There are a lot of things going on in this book concerning each family member as they go through cycles of hope, fear and loss. The writing is fantastically layered where details come out one by one. The characters are what truly make this story wonderful. Each character is searching for something, something to believe in, and something to hold on to. Samara and Lev have a great relationship and l love that when left to their own devices for dinner they make mac and cheese with M&M’s and pizza with gummy bears. As the Tree of Life infiltrates each of their lives, David, Sam and Lev have a chance at falling deeper. This story is wonderfully complex, one that you will have to sit with and think about. It combines science and religion, fantasy, heartbreak, family, and most of all, hope.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
There are a lot of things going on in this book concerning each family member as they go through cycles of hope, fear and loss. The writing is fantastically layered where details come out one by one. The characters are what truly make this story wonderful. Each character is searching for something, something to believe in, and something to hold on to. Samara and Lev have a great relationship and l love that when left to their own devices for dinner they make mac and cheese with M&M’s and pizza with gummy bears. As the Tree of Life infiltrates each of their lives, David, Sam and Lev have a chance at falling deeper. This story is wonderfully complex, one that you will have to sit with and think about. It combines science and religion, fantasy, heartbreak, family, and most of all, hope.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
ajkhn's review against another edition
4.0
There’s something really wonderful about how this book teeters at the edges of convention. I picked it up because I really enjoy Samuel’s work for The Forward and I wanted something that was relatively manageable. Which it was! It’s delicately written and a page-turner in the way I wanted for a commute. But it’s also not Jewish Literature in its strictest sense. It’s easy to read from a queer, brown, or postcolonial lens and the reader gets out of it more or less what they put in.
And I put in a lot, which I didn’t expect to when I first picked up the book in an airport. The characters are fully-formed without just sitting on reams of internal monologue, and Mile End is an identifiable place without being Wes Anderson’d to death. So what we get is a full book that’s still relatively light and comfortable to read.
It’s really good, basically. So you should read it.
And I put in a lot, which I didn’t expect to when I first picked up the book in an airport. The characters are fully-formed without just sitting on reams of internal monologue, and Mile End is an identifiable place without being Wes Anderson’d to death. So what we get is a full book that’s still relatively light and comfortable to read.
It’s really good, basically. So you should read it.
renaplays's review against another edition
4.0
Strange, difficult, unpredictable, thought-provoking, exasperating, meaningful. About words and silence and math - those fundamentals of education. About religion and family and spirituality that is inhumane at its most human. Helpful to have some understanding of the Tree of Life and the sephirot. A cautionary tale on many levels - on marriage, family, communications, spiritual quests, and life purpose. Haunting.
halloweenrose's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
scytale's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mrackover's review against another edition
2.0
While promising in many ways I felt that there were too many attempts and not enough accomplishments.
annabolson's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
livderesti's review against another edition
3.0
less about mile end and more about religion than i thought… also more gay
nukie19's review against another edition
4.0
I received an Advanced Review Copy of this book, but it sat on the shelf a bit before I found the time to read it. A very interesting story about a Jewish family and their relationships with each other and their faith. I appreciated the fact that the book didn't change narrators too much, but simply shifted the perspective of the story a bit.