lortega's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
supkevs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mimirtells's review against another edition
3.0
3/5 Stars (%67/100)
This is review is about "The Magic Barrel" not the other stories in the book.
Leo Finkle is a bright young man studying to be a rabbi. He is so focused on his studies and cannot spend any time on other things. Someone suggest to him that he should get married via a matchmaker. He chooses the matchmaker Pinye Salzman, but he is a shady guy with mysteries.
At first, the story seems to appear as a quest to find love but it quickly turns into its roots once more: find your faith and believe in God. However, in the story, finding God and belief is through humans. Through relationships between humans and love one can discover God’s love. As we have seen in the story, it is not easy and it will not come without a hefty price. Leo himself does not even realise that he is in need of love. He wants to get married in order to find a bigger congregation.
After his interactions with Salzman, he realizes just how lonely he is and how much he needs Stella’s love. The story is also about Salzman’s unhappy life as he disowned his own daughter and works as a matchmaker. When you think about it, it is ironic that faith can only be found through love from a woman, something worldly. Therefore, I put this title (To Believe or To Live, the title of my essay) to emphasize that you cannot completely have both: you either choose belief and turn to God or you choose to live with love in this world. In any case, the story is more than what it seems. It is not only about love or faith.
This is review is about "The Magic Barrel" not the other stories in the book.
Leo Finkle is a bright young man studying to be a rabbi. He is so focused on his studies and cannot spend any time on other things. Someone suggest to him that he should get married via a matchmaker. He chooses the matchmaker Pinye Salzman, but he is a shady guy with mysteries.
At first, the story seems to appear as a quest to find love but it quickly turns into its roots once more: find your faith and believe in God. However, in the story, finding God and belief is through humans. Through relationships between humans and love one can discover God’s love. As we have seen in the story, it is not easy and it will not come without a hefty price. Leo himself does not even realise that he is in need of love. He wants to get married in order to find a bigger congregation.
After his interactions with Salzman, he realizes just how lonely he is and how much he needs Stella’s love. The story is also about Salzman’s unhappy life as he disowned his own daughter and works as a matchmaker. When you think about it, it is ironic that faith can only be found through love from a woman, something worldly. Therefore, I put this title (To Believe or To Live, the title of my essay) to emphasize that you cannot completely have both: you either choose belief and turn to God or you choose to live with love in this world. In any case, the story is more than what it seems. It is not only about love or faith.
bobbo49's review against another edition
5.0
Short stories, set in New York and Italy, about the struggles of life from the perspectives of a variety of working class immigrants. Beautifully written, powerfully told, wonderfully authentic.
cmsleaps's review against another edition
4.0
A brilliant collection of stories. "The Mourners" is especially haunting.
kscheffrahn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
blacklake's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. There is a Jewish element to most of them. Malamud is generous with his ideas and characters--I can easily imagine any one of these expanded to a novel, and I admire how he is able to resolve each story enough to mean something, but to leave it open-ended enough to keep me thinking. All I knew about the author was that he'd written "The Natural"--this book made me want to find out more.