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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I know people typically love this book but I just couldn't get into it. I didn't like the main character and I think that had a lot to do with it. Abandoned for now.
This book introduced me to Jewish history and it was interesting, at least the parts that I could understand. I was more entertained with the love story. Call me shallow, but I enjoyed the fiction over the facts.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
While I enjoyed the stories of the main characters and learning about the creation of Israel as a nation there were a few times the author went deep into the history and politics. Would have preferred that the characters were woven into those passages more. While relevant, parts ended up reading like a textbook. I have Haj on my shelf to get some of the Arab perspective but will take a break from Uris before reading that one.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
dark
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was alright. I enjoyed learning about the camps on Cyprus, and Israel's fight for independence. However, I feel that I did not like this book as much as others may have because the middle was a bit boring, and also riddled with super strong bias. For example,
the Arabs are described as
-"sinister"
- a "clan of devils"
- "offended by the spirit of the Jews."
While the Jews
- performed "miracles" on the land, which had "lain in fruitless despair until the Jews rebuilt it"
An arab leader is described as "A vile underhanded schemer in a part of the world known for vile underhanded schemers"
While the Jews have "an army of restraint"
I mean come on! That kind of stuff just bugged me. Isn't that kind of dehumanizing language one of the same issues that the Jews faced? Stereotypes and dehumanization were precursors to the genocide of the Holocaust (and all genocides for that matter)
There's so much better Jewish literature out there.
the Arabs are described as
-"sinister"
- a "clan of devils"
- "offended by the spirit of the Jews."
While the Jews
- performed "miracles" on the land, which had "lain in fruitless despair until the Jews rebuilt it"
An arab leader is described as "A vile underhanded schemer in a part of the world known for vile underhanded schemers"
While the Jews have "an army of restraint"
I mean come on! That kind of stuff just bugged me. Isn't that kind of dehumanizing language one of the same issues that the Jews faced? Stereotypes and dehumanization were precursors to the genocide of the Holocaust (and all genocides for that matter)
There's so much better Jewish literature out there.
This book captures you right away with the characters and the reader ends up going on a journey of many histories and coming out with a greater understanding of Palestine.