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lisalikesdogs's review against another edition
5.0
Would follow JSF to the ends of the earth. I loved this book and never wanted it to end. I have never felt such a profound connection with characters I should have nothing in common with.
rodeorocks13's review against another edition
2.0
I received an advanced copy in exchange for a review.
Here I am is suppose to be about a family that's falling apart and take place over 3 weeks mean while are war is taking place over seas.
Sometimes I thought I was reading a book about a family falling apart, other times it felt like I was reading erotica. The characters seemed to repeat the same exact scene just different points of view. The book could have been shorter and covered the same without feeling like it was dragging. Maybe I just had my hopes to high I just couldn't enjoy this book. I have heard how great his other books were and was really excited to read here i am.
Here I am is suppose to be about a family that's falling apart and take place over 3 weeks mean while are war is taking place over seas.
Sometimes I thought I was reading a book about a family falling apart, other times it felt like I was reading erotica. The characters seemed to repeat the same exact scene just different points of view. The book could have been shorter and covered the same without feeling like it was dragging. Maybe I just had my hopes to high I just couldn't enjoy this book. I have heard how great his other books were and was really excited to read here i am.
lindseyzank's review against another edition
3.0
I did not enjoy this novel as much as Safran Foer’s others that I’ve read but there were many meaningful takeaways for me. He plays around with genre and often blends script writing into a more traditional fiction narrative format. I appreciate the cleverness and intellectual nature of Safran Foer’s writing. He creates a dynamic cast of characters all in the same family and develops tension, resentment, but also deep love between them very well. I could feel how raw and vulnerable, especially the mother/father (Julia/Jacob), the characters were feeling at this time in their lives. The whole story had an oppressive, regretful tone that made me think about the fact that I only have one life and made me ask myself what I plan to do with it so that I don’t get to the end and regret choices I’ve made or how I’ve treated others. The exploration of Jewish and Israeli politics and identity was enlightening, although a little bit heavy-handed for someone who didn’t already know much. I also think the novel was too long; cutting about 100 pages would have made the larger story arc sharper and more focused. The final scene completely gutted me...so many emotions! I’m still a Safran Foer fan in terms of writing but the overall story in this novel wasn’t nearly as memorable to me as his other books.
kittykotzmiauw's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
klarastan's review against another edition
1.0
Utterly baffling.
Also, a doorknob? Really? Has the author met/known any actual women before?
Also, a doorknob? Really? Has the author met/known any actual women before?
pearloz's review against another edition
4.0
A lesser JSF, I found the writing itself the most compelling aspect of the book; the characters were all upper-middle-class and super-duper clever, even the kids were all precociously above-average--they all seemed like caricatures after a time; the plot--separation/divorce amid death of family and death of history and death of Israel (?)--was so besides the point, I almost wonder why it was included at all--to add another dimension to his Woody Allen-ness? Anyhow, a slighter JSF is still an above-average book, but I was really hoping for more.
pino_sabatelli's review against another edition
1.0
Seicentosessanta interminabili pagine di selvagge pratiche di onanismo mentale.
Raramente ho letto un libro così pretenzioso, fasullo e brutto.
Tanto ho amato "Molto forte, incredibilmente vicino", quanto ho detestato questo.
Raramente ho letto un libro così pretenzioso, fasullo e brutto.
Tanto ho amato "Molto forte, incredibilmente vicino", quanto ho detestato questo.
manaledi's review against another edition
5.0
This book made me feel more Jewish than I do on a day to day basis and I appreciated the nuance and commentary and analysis of what it means to be an American Jew. That aside, I think the family-marriage aspect of this book was much stronger than the geopolitical crisis aspect.
pineconek's review against another edition
5.0
I understand all the criticisms of Foer and I love him nevertheless. I grew up in an Eastern European family that immigrated to North America and deeply affected by the holocaust and everything that followed. Our entire social circle was comprised of these types of families. I see myself (and them) in this book - tackling themes of trauma, memory, identity, love, family history, loyalty... I'm not sure if I'd love this book if I didn't relate so completely to it.