Scan barcode
calwhimsey's review
5.0
Isaac Bashevis Singer breathes humanity into biblical characters and events. He also makes everyday human lives seem almost biblical.
lauren_endnotes's review
4.0
A man (Singer?) goes to a public place - a park, a cafe, a cruise ship- starts up a conversation with a person in this place, and a fantastical story is born. This "device" is about 70% of the setup for each story in the collection. And it doesn't get boring. Are these stories true? They often feature a Yiddish writer in the first person, and some other person from a similar background. Sometimes they take place in Poland, or Argentina, or in New York. Sometimes they are about mythological creatures like demons or golems, or about a man leading a international double life, a homeless man with an incredible history, or a wife who has a lurid affair with her young nephew, some with mystical/kabbalistic overtones, and some as clear as day. They often end with a pithy "bring it home" quote.
This framing device draws the reader right in, making each story infinitely readable, like a juicy morsel of someone's private life and exploits.
This was my first full collection by Singer and I saw one critic described this collection as "undernourished", so I am curious to see what one of the other collections looks like - more "fat on their bones", perhaps? Since I enjoyed this one, I am curious to see how it could possibly get better. A 5-star for the ease of reading, while not entirely perfect (there are several "shockers" that one might not expect from the son of a rabbi), I really liked these short stories and will definitely be reading more Singer.
This framing device draws the reader right in, making each story infinitely readable, like a juicy morsel of someone's private life and exploits.
This was my first full collection by Singer and I saw one critic described this collection as "undernourished", so I am curious to see what one of the other collections looks like - more "fat on their bones", perhaps? Since I enjoyed this one, I am curious to see how it could possibly get better. A 5-star for the ease of reading, while not entirely perfect (there are several "shockers" that one might not expect from the son of a rabbi), I really liked these short stories and will definitely be reading more Singer.
More...