bkish's review against another edition
5.0
extra extraordinary book by the great Israeli writer Amos Oz. This was recently translated to english by Nicholas deLange.
evvahoo's review against another edition
5.0
another brilliant book that I have read recently. I liked the way the characters were created, the stories behind each of them. the reader gets a profound insight into Israeli history and thoughts behind the relationship between Jews and Christians. it is also brilliantly written - incisive, concise but beautiful and poignant at times (never cheesy in the slightest though).
meritm's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I dont give a shit about Shmuel or Atalja (and even less about their [ew] relationship). I'm rating this 4 stars exclusively for my man Gershin, the politics and the theories about Judas. The other stuff is just mostly there to pretend that this is a fiction book. The topics debated are so interesting and both sides are represented really well (especially when it comes to recognizing that your child died in 'vain' i.e. in a war that did not solve anything). I've never thought about Judas before so that's nice I guess. Also the story keeps drawing parallels between Judas and the modern-day reality. It made me think back to Israel a lot, so I'm nostalgic now :(
ebenz99's review against another edition
4.0
Would recommend if you enjoyed any of the secondary story in “The Master and Margarita”
veelaughtland's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
Another Man Booker International 2017 book, and this one was the first that I had actually heard a lot about prior to the prize. So obviously I had very high expectations, which is more often than not a mistake. Ultimately, although I did like this book, I wasn't blown away, and doubt I would read it again.
We follow our main character Schmuel, who is in a problematic stage of life. His girlfriend has left him for her ex boyfriend who she has now married, his father is no longer able to fund his studies, and he is having negative thoughts about his Masters thesis and just the general point of it. So when he sees a notice on his university noticeboard looking for someone to sit and talk to an elderly invalid man, with full room, board, and a modest salary to do this job, he takes it up to pursue a more isolated, reflective life. He soon becomes sucked into the lives of not only the old man but also the mysterious older woman who also resides in the house.
Oz plays with some really interesting topics in this book - religion, politics, war, relationships, and my favourite, broody male protagonists. I really found the conversations on the subject of Judas, and the perception of Judas by Jews, to be really interesting, despite the fact that I usually don't enjoy books that are heavy on religious subjects. However, I did find that my interest waned a little towards the end - this isn't a plot-heavy book, and that's fine, but I wasn't particularly a fan of most of the characters. I also didn't really enjoy Oz's description of characters, particularly Schmuel, as it began to feel incredibly repetitive and unnecessary.
Overall this is worth checking out if the subject matter appeals to you, but if it wasn't for the MBI2017 prize, I probably wouldn't have chosen to pick it up.
Another Man Booker International 2017 book, and this one was the first that I had actually heard a lot about prior to the prize. So obviously I had very high expectations, which is more often than not a mistake. Ultimately, although I did like this book, I wasn't blown away, and doubt I would read it again.
We follow our main character Schmuel, who is in a problematic stage of life. His girlfriend has left him for her ex boyfriend who she has now married, his father is no longer able to fund his studies, and he is having negative thoughts about his Masters thesis and just the general point of it. So when he sees a notice on his university noticeboard looking for someone to sit and talk to an elderly invalid man, with full room, board, and a modest salary to do this job, he takes it up to pursue a more isolated, reflective life. He soon becomes sucked into the lives of not only the old man but also the mysterious older woman who also resides in the house.
Oz plays with some really interesting topics in this book - religion, politics, war, relationships, and my favourite, broody male protagonists. I really found the conversations on the subject of Judas, and the perception of Judas by Jews, to be really interesting, despite the fact that I usually don't enjoy books that are heavy on religious subjects. However, I did find that my interest waned a little towards the end - this isn't a plot-heavy book, and that's fine, but I wasn't particularly a fan of most of the characters. I also didn't really enjoy Oz's description of characters, particularly Schmuel, as it began to feel incredibly repetitive and unnecessary.
Overall this is worth checking out if the subject matter appeals to you, but if it wasn't for the MBI2017 prize, I probably wouldn't have chosen to pick it up.
not_a_real_wombat's review against another edition
4.0
I sure learned a bunch about Jerusalem and Israel around the 50s and 60s. The main character is an interesting individual, yet keeps being pushed around by his surroundings in a frustrating way. As for the supporting cast, why they act the way they do is a complete mystery for me at least half the time. I did not feel unhappy reading this, mostly because the way language is used, because now I read my text above I wonder why I kind of enjoyed this.
lisagray68's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to stop reading this several times because I had no connection with the characters per se. But it was a good education about the Zionist movement and the lead up to Israel becoming a nation-state.
nobodyatall's review against another edition
3.0
Very dense and heavy reading but also absorbing and enjoyable.
Got a bit too heavy to enjoy all the way through and started to drag a bit past about two thirds of the way through.
Got a bit too heavy to enjoy all the way through and started to drag a bit past about two thirds of the way through.