Reviews

Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemelman

lesserjoke's review

2.0

A disappointing follow-up to Friday the Rabbi Slept Late. It's still neat to see a Jewish author incorporating authentic lived details into mainstream fiction -- a rarity today, let alone back in 1966 -- but whereas the first novel generally either leaves these things to be understood by context or spells them out for the benefit of the Christian characters, this sequel is packed full of people explaining fairly basic concepts to folks who would clearly already know that information. It also bears a lot more unfortunate hallmarks of its era, from a frankly racist skepticism towards the ongoing Civil Rights Movement to disparaging remarks about patrilineal Jews and those who convert into the faith. (The actual mystery element is a little dull too, although that wasn't exactly a core strength of the series debut either.) The original volume was appealing enough that I might eventually return to give the next one a try, but I'm pretty thoroughly underwhelmed by this second attempt.

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lwalla01's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The second installment of the rabbi series. I listed to this with my partner so it took a very long time to read this. Overall, I didn’t like this as much as “Friday,” but still interesting. The ending was pretty abrupt, but the mystery was definitely more complex. I thought there were a lot of loose ends that didn’t make a lot of sense in the story. I definitely still enjoy the series. 

jdsutter's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

4.0

j_lange's review

4.0

Enjoyable cozy mystery. Nice to listen to in the dark January commute time during an insurrection and pandemic....in other words, this met my mental capacity just right.

saraberkeley927's review against another edition

4.0

well written, with interesting info about Judaism, Talmudic reasoning and George Guidal as narrator! although another reader said Jews believe in afterlife and petitionary prayer.

marcieh's review against another edition

funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The murder was unique. The Jewish laws regarding burial and cemeteries were interesting. Strong but petty power struggle between characters.

ljesica's review

3.0

Found this one in the dollar bin at the used book store and how could I pass it up!?! The cover is great and the main character is a rabbi detective! Yes please.

This one was actually interesting from a Jewish standpoint. I did learn a few things - I didn’t know it wasn’t kosher to bury a suicide in a Jewish cemetery.

It was a little slow in the beginning. An accidental death ruled suicide and then murder. And Temple politics definitely were their own character. And the book was written in the 60s so the civil rights movement was also mentioned which I thought was pretty cool. Overall this book was definitely worth the dollar I paid for it.

pitosalas's review

Didn't love it. I think I remember that my father liked this series but that was many years ago. Maybe it's dated. It was slow. I guess also it has a lot of mention of jewish ritual and tradition in a whodunit context, which is kind of interesting.

eososray's review

4.0

Was it suicide?? and should the Rabbi have buried him in the Jewish cemetery?? are the key questions in this mystery.

I like Rabbi Small and his reluctant but intellectual style. Thank goodness he has such a practical wife.

This series is turning out to be very good, the formula stays the same but the theology is new and keeps it interesting.

polyhy_14's review against another edition

informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5