marshmallowbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Reading this book left me with the thought that it had a major impression on me ... and I need to ponder further on exactly what that impression is and the full meaning behind it.
jbmorgan86's review against another edition
4.0
I thought I knew quite a bit about Judaism. After all, I have an M.A. Hebrew Bible. While reading The Chosen I realized that I know a lot about biblical-era Judaism but very little about modern day Judaism.
The Chosen takes place in Brooklyn during WWII. Two baseball teams face off against one another. One is made up of Orthodox Jewish teenagers and the other is made up of Hasidic Jewish teenagers. The protagonist, Rueven, sustains a serious injury at the hands of one of the Hasidic boys, Danny.
Over the course of the novel, the two boys end up being friends and come to age together. They are different in that one is Orthodox and the other is Hasidic, but they are the same in that they are both brilliant young men who are destined to be scholars. Their fathers push them to befriend each other and learn from one another.
The novel touches on the themes of fatherhood, compassion, and communication.
The story was beautiful. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is because the exposition is a bit heavy handed at times. At some point, I will likely read the sequel, The Promise.
The Chosen takes place in Brooklyn during WWII. Two baseball teams face off against one another. One is made up of Orthodox Jewish teenagers and the other is made up of Hasidic Jewish teenagers. The protagonist, Rueven, sustains a serious injury at the hands of one of the Hasidic boys, Danny.
Over the course of the novel, the two boys end up being friends and come to age together. They are different in that one is Orthodox and the other is Hasidic, but they are the same in that they are both brilliant young men who are destined to be scholars. Their fathers push them to befriend each other and learn from one another.
The novel touches on the themes of fatherhood, compassion, and communication.
The story was beautiful. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is because the exposition is a bit heavy handed at times. At some point, I will likely read the sequel, The Promise.
ghosty_mcghosterson's review against another edition
2.0
This book personally to me was too slow with not that much happening but I learned a lot about different branches of the Jewish faith so I don't regret reading it
portlandcat's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fantastic book - why isn’t it on any of the “must read” lists? I saw it while watching Des Hommes et des Dieux and picked it up out of curiosity. Very glad that I did.
emmykyhil's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
finalgirlfall's review against another edition
5.0
she was forever teasing danny and me and referrring to us as david and jonathan.reb potok…!! <3
sam_antics's review against another edition
1.0
Ahhhhh, what to say about this book? When the main character wasn't talking or learning about his bff/bf he was talking or learning about Jewish history. There were paragraphs that went on for pages, and it read more like a history lesson than a novel. Also there was a strong lack of female characters which I attribute to the author who said he didn't write female characters because he feared finding the feminine characteristics in himself. I am aware that he later wrote a book with a female protagonist (Davita's Harp) so I guess you can't run from gay thoughts forever (congrats, Mr. Potok!). But anyway, hated this book so I suggest skipping it unless you're really into Jewish history or you like stories with only male characters.
loveathena98's review against another edition
5.0
Usually the books I have to read for school are just okay, a little bit slow going,but have good character development.This book fit all of those requirements and more. The intenisty of the baseball game, the smooth passage of time through all of the large events for American Jewery, and the deep bond between Danny and Reuven hooked me and made me binge read this thing last night. I LOVED it.