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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
This is wonderful on so many different levels. The characters and perspectives are very different than what I usually read. The religious element was fascinating. The family influence on the main characters and the choices they make as a result...I'm still mulling that over several months later.
WOW. I have no words. This was really, really good. It's one of those "character study" books that doesn't exactly have a plot, but the characters are so complex that you're glued to every page anyway. I was really attached to Reuven and Danny by the ending, which I felt VERY deeply. And the writing style was fantastic too!
It is a wonderful story and Potok is an incredible man.
emotional
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Silence is the main theme throughout this book, and hearing the heart through such silence. This single theme makes the somewhat simple yet moving story even heavier with meaning. I look forward to rereading this novel and studying it for such, especially within Danny and Reuven's relationship.
This is my favorite of Potok's novels, though Davita's Harp would be a close second.
Though it's a full-length novel, this book has some qualities of a short story form, which give it its unique tone and slightly spartan storytelling style.
The book tells the story of two Jewish boys growing up in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1940s and 1950s. Though they come from different branches of Orthodox Judaism, the two boys become close friends. Their friendship endures through the intense years of adolescence, the political upheavals of World War II and its aftermath, and the postwar Zionist movement, which had devastating effects on the boys' friendship.
Though The Chosen could be any average coming-of-age story, the beautiful writing and its slightly spartan voice sets it apart from the pack. Additionally, the themes of faith, religion, and politics draw the two main characters into adulthood, and into the landscape of post-WW II America.
Though it's a full-length novel, this book has some qualities of a short story form, which give it its unique tone and slightly spartan storytelling style.
The book tells the story of two Jewish boys growing up in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1940s and 1950s. Though they come from different branches of Orthodox Judaism, the two boys become close friends. Their friendship endures through the intense years of adolescence, the political upheavals of World War II and its aftermath, and the postwar Zionist movement, which had devastating effects on the boys' friendship.
Though The Chosen could be any average coming-of-age story, the beautiful writing and its slightly spartan voice sets it apart from the pack. Additionally, the themes of faith, religion, and politics draw the two main characters into adulthood, and into the landscape of post-WW II America.
4.75*
Surprisingly, I liked it a lot. I could relate to the themes, and unlike many people say the religion does not interfere with the more important messages; if anything, it gave me greater empathy for people I considered "pretty unlike myself"
Surprisingly, I liked it a lot. I could relate to the themes, and unlike many people say the religion does not interfere with the more important messages; if anything, it gave me greater empathy for people I considered "pretty unlike myself"