Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

6 reviews

meganpbell's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.75

Fans of Good Omens’ Aziraphale and Crowley will find so much to love about another angel-demon odd couple, Uriel and Little Ash! Warm-hearted, whimsical, and wise, this queer, Jewish historical fantasy follows these two unlikely partners in pursuit of performing a mitzvah for a lost girl from their tiny shtetl in the Old Country all the way to Ellis Island and a Lower East Side full of immigrants, strikers, radicals, and many newfound friends!
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tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
One of the rare books that made me wish I got along better with audiobooks. It has the cadence and flow of a folk tale or fable and would probably be lovely to hear. That's not to say that reading the printed book wasn't a delight, because it was. I just would've loved to have it in my ears as well as my eyes. It's a love letter to the Jewish immigrants to the US in the late 1800s and early 1900s and the fierce, devoted, rabble-rousing spirt they brought with them. I can never get enough of those - especially the ones written with as much warmth, heart, and spirit as this one is.
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puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

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hopeful fast-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

5.0

I love this book so much I can’t talk about it because my thoughts inevitably devolve into unintelligible noise. From the first page (figuratively, because I read the audiobook) it was like the story vibrated at the same frequency as my brain.

It’s a fundamentally queer, neurodivergent and Jewish story with love, kindness and humour at its core. I want to read it a thousand more times!
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displacedcactus's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
What an absolutely delightful read! This book is very Jewish and sweetly queer. While pogroms are mentioned and there are instances of antisemitism, it is overall a very hopeful and even joyful read, I think, with characters trying to do good (with maybe a little wickedness on the side if they're a demon). It definitely has similar vibes to Good Omens, but on a smaller scale and of course as I said, very Jewish as opposed to Christian. Note: There is a glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish terminology in the back. I was able to figure out most of the ones I didn't know by context, but this could be very helpful if you're not really familiar with Jewish culture.

I read this on a trip and I have to say it's just really fun to read a book where characters are traveling while I'm traveling -- especially when we were both going to NY. But I'm glad I took a plane instead of riding steerage in a boat.
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betweentheshelves's review

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adventurous hopeful 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

4.5

This is different than a lot of YA that's out there, which is both a good and bad thing. It has a bit of a slow start, which means it might take more for its audience to latch onto the story. But let me tell you. Once it gets going, it's such a great, interesting, emotional, engaging story.

The comp title for this is Good Omens, which is a pretty good comparison in overall feel. An angel and a demon partnering together to sort of solve a mystery. However, this book is heavily based in Jewish culture and mythology, which gives it another edge.

The queerness in this book is pretty subtle, which I actually don't mind. It feels authentic and I'm glad they didn't really make a big deal of it in the story. I loved Uriel and Ash's evolving relationship, it was probably my favorite thing about the book overall.
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mar's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I can't think of a way to describe this book other than an Absolute Delight. Warm, charming and deeply human - despite neither of the protagonists being one - and wonderfully Jewish and queer. The characters sneak into your heart when you're not looking, the writing is fun and whimsical, and despite the light-hearted tone the book handles difficult topics (such as the struggles faced by Jewish immigrants in America) with tactfulness and grace. Also, Uriel's use of it/its pronouns and Little Ash's chronic pain in particular mean So much to me, and I don't think I'll ever get over the moment of a character realizing their queerness being compared to "standing at Sinai, receiving the word of Heaven" 😭😭😭 There's just so much gentleness and intimacy within this story, I know I'll be returning to it as a comfort read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
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