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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
It was good to read a book about friendship from the point of view of these boys. Their friendship is very sincere and deep.
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Cursing
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Seeing all the positive reviews make me almost want to go back and re-read this book. ALMOST. I was required to read this for summer reading going into my freshman year of high school. The first portion of the book was fun to read because it was interesting and about sports. After that, the rest 2/3rds of the book was pure torture. I remember it being so painstakingly long (or just seeming that way) and so uninteresting. The idea and concept of the book were great, I get that, but I literally wanted to gauge my eyes out reading this.
With that being said I also hated reading back then, only actually liking a couple books I was required to read. But this one and Oryx and Crake take the cake for being the 2 worst books I ever had to read in school.
Maybe someday I'll revisit it to see if it changes my mind....maybe.
With that being said I also hated reading back then, only actually liking a couple books I was required to read. But this one and Oryx and Crake take the cake for being the 2 worst books I ever had to read in school.
Maybe someday I'll revisit it to see if it changes my mind....maybe.
The accidental (literally) friendship between Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders is the centerpiece of this warm and wonderful novel. Danny, the son of a Hasidic Jewish Rabbi, and Reuven, also Jewish and the son of a scholar, make an unusual pair, and the well-woven story of their growing friendship is a gem of writing and wisdom for the reader. Each has something to learn from the other, and we learn along with them. I lsughed and cried, and was drawn into their little world as rarely happens in a novel. Most often, I feel that I am watching a scene from without, no matter how good the story, but Chaim Potok drew me in until I felt almost as if I were walking alongside Danny and Reuven, a third member of their friendship. I have since read many of his other books, and most were outstanding, but this one was extraordinarily so.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book was so beautifully written and it gave me such a good understanding of conservative jewish ideology and culture. it was also fascinating to see the jewish perspective of world war II and the creation of Israel/Palestine.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I first read The Chosen in undergrad. I say "read," but, realistically, I barely had time to skim it before it was due for class discussion. As I flipped through to glean what I could, I remember thinking: Wow, I should revisit this once the semester is done.
I didn't. Until this year, when it was picked up by one of my bookclubs, and I was more than happy to make a longer visit with Reuven and Danny and their world(s).
I can't believe it took me this long.
The Chosen is a stunning achievement, a loving and haunting look at the lives of two boys, their fathers, and divided sects of orthodox Judaism during the war years and beyond. Potok's writing is so lovely, so insightful, and so believable—human, in the most redemptive sense of the word—and the saga he creates for his readers is absolutely engrossing. I haven't stopped thinking about The Chosen, and I doubt I ever will.
I didn't. Until this year, when it was picked up by one of my bookclubs, and I was more than happy to make a longer visit with Reuven and Danny and their world(s).
I can't believe it took me this long.
The Chosen is a stunning achievement, a loving and haunting look at the lives of two boys, their fathers, and divided sects of orthodox Judaism during the war years and beyond. Potok's writing is so lovely, so insightful, and so believable—human, in the most redemptive sense of the word—and the saga he creates for his readers is absolutely engrossing. I haven't stopped thinking about The Chosen, and I doubt I ever will.