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gadicohen93's review
4.0
Listened to this one. The beginning was quite well-done — all the anecdotes ring true and still feel relevant, even after four decades. Israel has bottled up many of the same zeitgeists. Some of his political opinions felt stale, or had aged quite badly, and I wonder if he would still see the country and its motivating sociopolitical substratum through the same rose-eyed spectacles. Interesting to hear about his meetings with various professors, with Rabin, with Kissinger. Though Bellow did feel like very much an outsider, someone who's read a few books on the subject, rather than an expert opinion. A pleasant listen.
olgaokhrimenko's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.5
mmazelli's review
4.0
I enjoyed this first person account of Bellow’s time in Israel. Most notable was the level of angst present in this account and the realization that not much has changed in the 40 years since it was written. Israelis and Palestinians struggle to survive and the world struggles to understand what peace is. This account is filled with anecdotes of a young Henry Kissinger and Teddy Kollek and intimate descriptions of the Old City and Israel at large.
charlie_bevis's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Very interesting to read about the history of Israel and the nation's deep fear of attack. It was informative in my understanding of modern Israel.
avitalgadcykman's review against another edition
4.0
I had no idea Saul Bellow was a warm Jew who cherished Israel until reading this book. He tells about his visit, meetings and impressions. Very interesting.
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