Scan barcode
katemdixon's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Extremely timely read. I read this slower than I wanted to— I had lots of class readings I had to prioritize in between, so I didn’t get to spend much continuous time with this book, but I still found it deeply affecting, especially for this moment (February 2024).
In the final chapter:
“When Miriam saw for the first time a powerful man with one kick smashing a Palestinian door, it seemed to her that God himself was present at this and was nodding His head in consent. Miriam did not think about the frightened and helpless fedayeen, but about all of savage humanity, which one Jewish kick was finally calling to order… But for Miriam this was a deeply affecting scene, for she realized that she was participating in an absurdity, that *no kick dealt a Palestinian fedayeen will erase centuries of history or constitute reparation*” (271-272).
In the final chapter:
“When Miriam saw for the first time a powerful man with one kick smashing a Palestinian door, it seemed to her that God himself was present at this and was nodding His head in consent. Miriam did not think about the frightened and helpless fedayeen, but about all of savage humanity, which one Jewish kick was finally calling to order… But for Miriam this was a deeply affecting scene, for she realized that she was participating in an absurdity, that *no kick dealt a Palestinian fedayeen will erase centuries of history or constitute reparation*” (271-272).
janateresiinka's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
cricca's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
sloatsj's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting novel, set in Poland during WWII, and dealing with a handful of characters, gentile and Jewish. There was some playing with time that worked in an interesting way, mostly with the 3rd person narrator jumping into the future, telling you who lived or died.
Personally I felt the novel had a lot more potential than was realized - it could have been fleshed out a bit more. It kept its distance from its characters somehow. I never had the feeling they could be real, which is something I in general like to think when reading a novel.
It loses a star for the whore-with-a-heart-of-gold who appears very early. I never fall for that stupid shit.
It lose another one for emphasizing how Mrs Seidenman had blonde hair and blue eyes and that was her salvation, yet slapping a portrait of a woman with brown hair and brown eyes on the cover. Why bother?
Personally I felt the novel had a lot more potential than was realized - it could have been fleshed out a bit more. It kept its distance from its characters somehow. I never had the feeling they could be real, which is something I in general like to think when reading a novel.
It loses a star for the whore-with-a-heart-of-gold who appears very early. I never fall for that stupid shit.
It lose another one for emphasizing how Mrs Seidenman had blonde hair and blue eyes and that was her salvation, yet slapping a portrait of a woman with brown hair and brown eyes on the cover. Why bother?
willowbiblio's review against another edition
4.0
"She noticed the hell. But she said that even in hell one must stay one's course as long as it is possible to do so."
------
I found this to be a really interesting perspective on the Polish identity during WWII. Sczcypiorski found a way to weave together many disparate identities and create a community amongst those who were living through a deeply traumatic time in history. This ability to join concurrent storylines seamlessly is a hallmark of some of my favorite authors (Haruki Murakami as one example).
I enjoyed the flash forward for each character. It echoed the existential struggles they were facing with spirituality and if this was a design of God- sort of continued that omniscience that they were wrestling with the theory of. Sczcypiorski provided a scathing commentary on Polish non-Jews acceptance of occupation and willingness to turn away from the atrocities being committed just across the wall. However, he provided a few characters who risked everything they had left to try and reduce the harm occurring around them, told through the story of Mrs. Seidenman’s arrest. In this he seemed to say that not all was lost and even amongst the darkness there were lights. A telling quote in reference to Mrs. Seidenman “She noticed the hell. But she said that even in hell one must stay ones course as long as it is possible to do so.”
I took off a star because I got a little tired of Sczcypiorski’s tendency to make lists that lasted well over a page. Additionally, some of the existential woes got a bit sluggish and felt more representative of the author’s views than what that character would have been thinking. Overall a positive experience to read.
------
I found this to be a really interesting perspective on the Polish identity during WWII. Sczcypiorski found a way to weave together many disparate identities and create a community amongst those who were living through a deeply traumatic time in history. This ability to join concurrent storylines seamlessly is a hallmark of some of my favorite authors (Haruki Murakami as one example).
I enjoyed the flash forward for each character. It echoed the existential struggles they were facing with spirituality and if this was a design of God- sort of continued that omniscience that they were wrestling with the theory of. Sczcypiorski provided a scathing commentary on Polish non-Jews acceptance of occupation and willingness to turn away from the atrocities being committed just across the wall. However, he provided a few characters who risked everything they had left to try and reduce the harm occurring around them, told through the story of Mrs. Seidenman’s arrest. In this he seemed to say that not all was lost and even amongst the darkness there were lights. A telling quote in reference to Mrs. Seidenman “She noticed the hell. But she said that even in hell one must stay ones course as long as it is possible to do so.”
I took off a star because I got a little tired of Sczcypiorski’s tendency to make lists that lasted well over a page. Additionally, some of the existential woes got a bit sluggish and felt more representative of the author’s views than what that character would have been thinking. Overall a positive experience to read.
pagesofpins's review against another edition
4.0
We move from character to character in WW2 Warsaw, peripherally connected to a blonde, blue-eyed Jewish woman desperately trying to pass and avoid the ghetto. We are told who they are, what they choose to do in this crucial moment when choices and alliances matter so much, and how and when they eventually die. Some are thugs who do the only good thing they'll ever do. Some are respectable and honorable and moral citizens, only to commit horrible betrayals.
kwils217's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
2.5
ziki's review against another edition
4.0
essere ebrei? essere polacchi? essere vittime? essere carnefici? tutto questo e un po’ di più