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kathleenguthriewoods's review
5.0
Wow. Just wow.
The writing is gorgeous; at times it feels like a travelogue as you really get a sense of place. The story is devastating, yet I could not turn away.
The writing is gorgeous; at times it feels like a travelogue as you really get a sense of place. The story is devastating, yet I could not turn away.
tensy's review
4.0
Like a slow sunrise or sunset on the water, as depicted on the cover of Emuna Elon's novel, this story is an elegy to those who were lost in the Holocaust from Amsterdam and those who survived. This is also a book within a book, where the main character Yoel Blum, famous Israeli author, discovers something about his past that shocks and unmoors him so that he goes to Amsterdam to write about the past he never knew. Beautifully crafted with both stories, the real and imagined, overlapping as the novel reaches its inevitable conclusion.
juliebcooper's review
3.0
3.5 stars. This story is told in an unusual way: a book within a book/story within a story. Two time points mostly set in Amsterdam: the occupation years of WW2 and the present (which I was dying to figure out because the age of the current day protagonist Yoel, if we use the publication year of the book - 2016- as the general timeframe, makes him roughly 75…. An age which doesn’t seem to match the visual I had of him in the present day storyline. But that’s another matter entirely). In any case, as a few others have pointed out in their reviews, this started out slowly, and I almost gave up a few times but finally it picked up steam (or I got used to the style of writing) and the second half of the story was much more urgent and drew me in.
This is a very different story of Holocaust resistance, survival and trauma, based on research and interviews with Dutch Jews who survived.
This is a very different story of Holocaust resistance, survival and trauma, based on research and interviews with Dutch Jews who survived.
catrink's review against another edition
3.0
It's challenging to rate this book. I did start skimming parts of the book, yet I couldn't fully give up on it as I just had to know what the mystery of his identity was as it played out through deeply heart breaking events.
simoneclark's review
4.0
3.5 rounded up to 4. The book just didn't draw me in. Maybe it's because I read a fantastic WW2 right before that and my expectations and excitement were too high.
hippiechick56's review
2.0
it was slow and all over the place. It's one of those books that is trying to be literature yet is too full of itself. We need to remember WW2 but there are getting to be too many books on the subject. More quality and less quantity.
amyschreads's review
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? It's complicated
5.0
Phenomenal and unique.
doobyus's review against another edition
4.0
I didn’t know what to expect from this novel, and it took me a little to get going, but it was well worth the effort.
An emotional, intense, but ultimately enriching book. I became immersed in the story of Yoel’s late discovery of history, geographic and personal.
An emotional, intense, but ultimately enriching book. I became immersed in the story of Yoel’s late discovery of history, geographic and personal.
sci_mom's review
4.0
Disclaimer: Goodreads Giveaway
This book was not a fast and easy read...not even close. It was fascinating and sad. While it was hard to connect with Yoel, his lack of emotion was explained by the way people who experienced that period as children had issues with attachment. If it had not been for Bat-Ami and her naturally open and loving nature, Yoel also probably would not have had a family of his own. It took a while for me to get used to the writing style and appreciate the parallel narratives that were intertwined, but once I found the rhythm of it, I felt that it actually worked very well for this story.
This book was not a fast and easy read...not even close. It was fascinating and sad. While it was hard to connect with Yoel, his lack of emotion was explained by the way people who experienced that period as children had issues with attachment. If it had not been for Bat-Ami and her naturally open and loving nature, Yoel also probably would not have had a family of his own. It took a while for me to get used to the writing style and appreciate the parallel narratives that were intertwined, but once I found the rhythm of it, I felt that it actually worked very well for this story.
alliepeduto's review
3.0
DNF…I stopped after The First Journal because the writing wasn’t holding my interest. I’m curious if it’s due to the translation, but it felt a little choppy with transitions. This is why I wished I could appreciate more novels in their original languages, because I feel like it’s a me problem with this book. Still, I’m sure it’s an amazing work, just not for me.