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dobbydoo22's review against another edition
3.0
The title is a bit misleading, because there isn't much "relief" to be found in any of these short stories. Not a very uplifting read, but Englander's writing is very moving, and it gives a lot of insights into a culture that many people 1) are unfamiliar with and 2) tend to make assumptions about. Although the final story was my least favorite in terms of the plot and narrative, I found it the most fascinating, because it seemed feasible that it could actually be an autobiographical one, to whatever degree.
briandice's review against another edition
4.0
A solid inaugural book of short stories, all pieces written with Jewish orthodoxy as the centerpiece. I really like how Englander approached this subject matter from so many different angles; using horror and humor to bring home a point. The author isn't just taking the piss on his heritage, he's pointing his quill at all of humanity. "The Gilgul of Park Avenue" was a standout in the collection; the writing here was especially crisp and the four very distinct charcters in the story have their own voices portrayed beautifully.
swaggysydney's review against another edition
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
samana_ali's review against another edition
When the stories fail to have a plot and abundant unidimensional characters, you end up with a disaster at hand i.e. this book!
halschrieve's review against another edition
3.0
This short story collection about Hasidim in the new world and survivors of pogroms in the old is interesting and ambitious, though I have my doubts about the way the author approaches female characters and I wish he had been slightly more ambitious in terms of bringing up questions about racism in America/identity differences between liberal Jewish communities and Hasidic sects and interactions between the two in Israel and America. There are points where it feels like he is exotifying the Orthodox characters in his stories, and I was disappointed that the story he set in Israel wasn't more invested in fleshing out the internal lives and politics of the characters. Englander's best stories are those set in Europe which evoke Zweig and Kafka and explore fantastic potential for survival in the context of historical antisemitism. His modern settings lack the immediacy and the political tone of the historical ones and center on interpersonal and social issues rather than questions of nationalism , fascism and religious identity--or it seems that way to me. I am curious to see where future collections of his go in this regard.
itsbecksmidwest's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
quietmachine's review against another edition
4.0
I love good short stories, and these are great short stories.
randrenfrow's review against another edition
3.0
Best stories were, "The Twenty-seventh Man", "Reunion", and "The Gilgul of Park Avenue".
I'll write a better review in a bit, hopefully.
I'll write a better review in a bit, hopefully.
thirdcoast's review against another edition
4.0
Read this for part of a discussion group on campus, as Nathan Englander came to give a reading and work with students. Stories are a mix of humor and heartbreak. Really wonderful collection. A few favorite stories of mine were: The Twenty-seventh Man, The Tumblers, The Wig, The Gilgul of Park Avenue, Reb Kringle and the title story, For the Relief of Unbearable Urges.
aneumann's review against another edition
3.0
I'm really disappointed in this book after reading What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank which I loved. The stories in this started off good but got progressively worse until I was just reading the book to finish it without any enjoyment. It is really cool to see how far Englander's writing has come though.