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verbosevespertine's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
boleary30's review against another edition
1.0
Not good, there are so many better books about the holocaust that you should skip this one and read fear of tulips, boy in the stripped pajamas or book thief.
lizlogan's review against another edition
3.0
This book was way more complicated than it needed to be. Although the idea was very interesting and the created mythos was pretty cool, the story was a bit of a chore to get through because it was so fantastical.
Book bingo: blue cover
Book bingo: blue cover
timbooksin's review against another edition
4.0
A good read. I enjoyed it considering my propensity to do so with historical fiction is very little. Especially well-rounded in its narrative, I found myself with deep closure at the end. I didn't understand every little detail, and I didn't have to to appreciate the richness of the story.
librariam10's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this up because I enjoy WWII fiction. I didn't read enough of the blurb to realize it was not a traditional historical fiction book. It's not that I didn't enjoy the writing and description that I've given the book 2 stars; it's simply because I don't care for zombie/vampire/ghost characters. Would this book be considered paranormal? Anyway, it just wasn't my personal cup of tea.
scarpuccia's review against another edition
5.0
I turned a corner with this. Always thought magical realism was no more my cup of tea than sappy romance but I loved this. To begin with I found the whimsicality with which the Holocaust was being treated discomforting. But that's not a bad thing. Reading about the Holocaust should be discomforting. Also, it was insanity on such a large scale that perhaps a novel has to be a bit insane itself to truly enter into the spirit.
Chaim Skibelski, a loveable old man who wouldn't be out of place in Nicole Krauss' History of Love, is shot along with his family and all the other Jews in his village. Instead of entering the World to Come he wakes up among the corpses and is forced to continue his existence on earth except as a living and mutilated corpse. Meanwhile, the moon has vanished from the sky. Rumour is, the Jews are responsible.
This is a fantastic feat of imagination and brilliantly written. There was a moment when I imagined Hitler reading it and couldn't help feeling he would have felt considerably belittled by its subtle mischief and brilliant humour. That's got to be a good thing, right?
Chaim Skibelski, a loveable old man who wouldn't be out of place in Nicole Krauss' History of Love, is shot along with his family and all the other Jews in his village. Instead of entering the World to Come he wakes up among the corpses and is forced to continue his existence on earth except as a living and mutilated corpse. Meanwhile, the moon has vanished from the sky. Rumour is, the Jews are responsible.
This is a fantastic feat of imagination and brilliantly written. There was a moment when I imagined Hitler reading it and couldn't help feeling he would have felt considerably belittled by its subtle mischief and brilliant humour. That's got to be a good thing, right?
psalmcat's review against another edition
5.0
A funny book about the Holocaust? A ghost story about a man shot by German soldiers? A fable about the disappearance and retrieval of the moon? The revenge of the dead Jew, which entails kicked the dismembered head of the soldier who shot him through the forest? All that, in one book?
The story starts with Chaim being shot and left, with the rest of the Jews in his Polish village, in a pit. He immediately climbs out and goes back to his house, where Polish peasants have moved in lock, stock and barrel. Once he realizes he's dead, he isn't particularly upset with the new 'owners,' although he wishes they took better care of his family's things.
In the course of the story, he finds his rabbi has become a crow, his spirit can't be calmed by petty revenge, he resurrects the rest of the dead villagers and commences a walk across Poland with them. They find a lovely hotel which seems like it may be The World to Come, but isn't. He almost meets his first wife, dead for 25 years, and with the help of two old Hasidic Jews, he digs up the moon after the fall of Communism and places it back in the sky where it belongs.
One of the most creative and funny books I've read in awhile. I love Chaim, but he makes me crazy. He loves his family--with whom he is all-too-briefly reunited, in spite of their being scattered across Poland at the beginning of the war--but they also make him crazy. In fact, this is a bit of the Exodus story retold. The central question--WHY? WHY US?--is never answered, but then how can it be?
Great book. One to read again perhaps.
The story starts with Chaim being shot and left, with the rest of the Jews in his Polish village, in a pit. He immediately climbs out and goes back to his house, where Polish peasants have moved in lock, stock and barrel. Once he realizes he's dead, he isn't particularly upset with the new 'owners,' although he wishes they took better care of his family's things.
In the course of the story, he finds his rabbi has become a crow, his spirit can't be calmed by petty revenge, he resurrects the rest of the dead villagers and commences a walk across Poland with them. They find a lovely hotel which seems like it may be The World to Come, but isn't. He almost meets his first wife, dead for 25 years, and with the help of two old Hasidic Jews, he digs up the moon after the fall of Communism and places it back in the sky where it belongs.
One of the most creative and funny books I've read in awhile. I love Chaim, but he makes me crazy. He loves his family--with whom he is all-too-briefly reunited, in spite of their being scattered across Poland at the beginning of the war--but they also make him crazy. In fact, this is a bit of the Exodus story retold. The central question--WHY? WHY US?--is never answered, but then how can it be?
Great book. One to read again perhaps.
sjberzon's review against another edition
4.0
The novel was wonderful for the first 3/4 and then took a relatively boring turn and lost all momentum.
meriwether's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5