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tschonfeld's review
2.0
The epistolary nature of this book was annoying, but made it a super quick read (I read 2/3 of it in an hour). The problem was the plot, if you can call it that. This is a novel about how a movie gets made. It has almost nothing to do with Moses, and no resemblance to Wouk's standard work. I give him credit for trying something different, but this was a dismal failure in my book.
susangiardina's review against another edition
3.0
I think it is remarkable that a vaunted 97 year old author, whom I admire beyond measure, would think to tell a tale entirely through electronic and other non-narrative means. Very ingenious. While I never expected to learn about the actual Lawgiver through this book, I did expect the story it did tell to have more meat to it. Instead it was a very brief story of silly back room Hollywood and various shallow characters. This particular format does not lend itself to character development, and the little there was came in a series of letters and emails between two women. The best part was at the end, when Wouk wrote about the love of his long life, Betty Sarah Wouk, who died last year. Beautiful. How wonderful the world would be if more could experience what they had. Alas, the book was not a great build-up to that.
moseslh's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure what to make of this book. Having just finished it, I can't honestly point to...much of anything in particular that I thought was excellent about it. The editing seemed sloppy, with odd digressions into algae-based fuel that lacked any clear material or symbolic relevance to the plot. I enjoyed many of the characters, but did not find any particular depth to them. Some bits felt corny. The book seemed to be building up to something and fell short.
And yet, somehow, I couldn't put it down. This was the first time in at least a year that I've read an entire book of this length in one sitting. Something about Wouk's reverence for Jewish text and the Moses story brought me back to my freshman year of college, at a lecture on "The Bible as Literature" by [a:Robert Alter|62157|Robert Alter|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1277828052p2/62157.jpg]. Alter was able to express the literary beauty of the Tanakh in a way that I had never before been able to grasp. Ever since, I've had a certain envy of those able to read the original Hebrew, grapple with its nuances, and engage in our great tradition of debate with commentators across the millennia about its interpretation. Wouk describes The Lawgiver in his epilogue as "a lighthearted novel about the impossibility of writing a novel about Moses." The awe that he imbues into this project channeled that same energy as Robert Alter and hooked me completely.
Wouk undoubtedly does some other things well here. I liked his use of the Dracula-style "diary clippings and letters" format (Wikipedia informs me that such books are called "epistolary novels"), although there was nothing particularly innovative about it, and the typewriter-style fonts seemed like odd choices for 21st century correspondence. His inclusion of himself as a prominent character was a clever touch, and likely provided much of the personal element that made his grappling with Moses shine through.
Overall, I loved reading this book, but I'm truly not sure who I'd recommend it to. What I do know is that, after a dry spell of several months, I'm excited about reading again and looking forward to my next trip to the library! (Perhaps I need some more novels by Jewish authors...)
And yet, somehow, I couldn't put it down. This was the first time in at least a year that I've read an entire book of this length in one sitting. Something about Wouk's reverence for Jewish text and the Moses story brought me back to my freshman year of college, at a lecture on "The Bible as Literature" by [a:Robert Alter|62157|Robert Alter|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1277828052p2/62157.jpg]. Alter was able to express the literary beauty of the Tanakh in a way that I had never before been able to grasp. Ever since, I've had a certain envy of those able to read the original Hebrew, grapple with its nuances, and engage in our great tradition of debate with commentators across the millennia about its interpretation. Wouk describes The Lawgiver in his epilogue as "a lighthearted novel about the impossibility of writing a novel about Moses." The awe that he imbues into this project channeled that same energy as Robert Alter and hooked me completely.
Wouk undoubtedly does some other things well here. I liked his use of the Dracula-style "diary clippings and letters" format (Wikipedia informs me that such books are called "epistolary novels"), although there was nothing particularly innovative about it, and the typewriter-style fonts seemed like odd choices for 21st century correspondence. His inclusion of himself as a prominent character was a clever touch, and likely provided much of the personal element that made his grappling with Moses shine through.
Overall, I loved reading this book, but I'm truly not sure who I'd recommend it to. What I do know is that, after a dry spell of several months, I'm excited about reading again and looking forward to my next trip to the library! (Perhaps I need some more novels by Jewish authors...)
leleroulant's review against another edition
5.0
I'm giving this book 5 stars because the author was 97 when this book was written. That kind of tenacity must be applauded. For my complete review check out my blog at
http://melsbooksandblatherings.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-lawgiver-by-herman-wouk.html
http://melsbooksandblatherings.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-lawgiver-by-herman-wouk.html
kahale's review against another edition
2.0
Herman Wouk describes the making of a movie about Moses in a fictional form.
melissarochelle's review against another edition
4.0
As I mentioned when I started reading this book, the name Herman Wouk didn't mean much to me. Yes, I have a goal to read all of the Pulitzer Prize winning novels, so the title of [b:The Caine Mutiny|368772|The Caine Mutiny|Herman Wouk|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344269921s/368772.jpg|1059565] is familiar to me. But when I look at the list, I see titles not authors. Even The Winds of War rings a bell, but as a movie (maybe on TV?). I read [b:The End of Your Life Book Club|13414676|The End of Your Life Book Club|Will Schwalbe|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333576665s/13414676.jpg|18713903] and [b:Marjorie Morningstar|14504|Marjorie Morningstar|Herman Wouk|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344264569s/14504.jpg|109591] is mentioned a few times, but again...title, not author, is what stuck with me.
So as you can see, I didn't pick this book up because of the 97-year-old author. Nope. It was because I heard it was an epistolary novel. After the great find that was [b:Where'd You Go, Bernadette|12611253|Where'd You Go, Bernadette|Maria Semple|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337700112s/12611253.jpg|17626728] earlier this year, I was very excited to find another novel told through emails, letters, Skype, texts, etc. I even learned a few things along the way -- Google was my friend more than once while reading [b:The Lawgiver|14546758|The Lawgiver|Herman Wouk|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347278960s/14546758.jpg|20189450]. (Uluru tents? Guadalupe Dunes? Bais Yaakov?)
You're in for a treat with this book. It's just great writing and a sweet story about a group of people attempting to make a movie about Moses. We learn about their lives, their loves, and their friendships. One character in particular is given a lot of attention: the screenwriter, Margo. And I laughed out loud more than once -- which surprised me because I wasn't expecting funny.
I also wasn't expecting tears, but those didn't come until the last page.
A great, fast-paced read.
So as you can see, I didn't pick this book up because of the 97-year-old author. Nope. It was because I heard it was an epistolary novel. After the great find that was [b:Where'd You Go, Bernadette|12611253|Where'd You Go, Bernadette|Maria Semple|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337700112s/12611253.jpg|17626728] earlier this year, I was very excited to find another novel told through emails, letters, Skype, texts, etc. I even learned a few things along the way -- Google was my friend more than once while reading [b:The Lawgiver|14546758|The Lawgiver|Herman Wouk|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347278960s/14546758.jpg|20189450]. (Uluru tents? Guadalupe Dunes? Bais Yaakov?)
You're in for a treat with this book. It's just great writing and a sweet story about a group of people attempting to make a movie about Moses. We learn about their lives, their loves, and their friendships. One character in particular is given a lot of attention: the screenwriter, Margo. And I laughed out loud more than once -- which surprised me because I wasn't expecting funny.
I also wasn't expecting tears, but those didn't come until the last page.
A great, fast-paced read.
boomt's review against another edition
1.0
Pompous, epistolary fiction. This might resonate with a reader who is more tuned in to, or part of the Hollywood culture. Could not finish it.
stacyroth's review against another edition
3.0
I won this book as a FirstRead.
This book was not quite what I expected - given the summary's claim that Wouk has always wanted to write a book about Moses, I expected the book actually to talk about Moses more often. However, this was a nice, light read. I enjoyed the format of the book, told through e-mails, faxes, etc.
This book was not quite what I expected - given the summary's claim that Wouk has always wanted to write a book about Moses, I expected the book actually to talk about Moses more often. However, this was a nice, light read. I enjoyed the format of the book, told through e-mails, faxes, etc.