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queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: Death, suicidal thoughts/attempted suicide, death of a parent, enslavement
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker is book one in The Golem and the Jinni duology. This historical fiction/fantasy book was fascinating and very different from most of the fantasy I read. Though the story was good and intriguing, it was very slow with not much action, so keep that in mind if you pick up this book.
We follow a Jewish man as he commissions a shady guy to construct a golem to be his wife when he emigrates to New York. All he has asked for is a virtuous and curious woman. Though he isn't supposed to wake the golem until they reach the new world, he awakens her in the ship and then promptly dies, leaving the golem without a master. We follow the golem as she navigates life as a brand new being in New York City during the turn of the century.
We also follow a Jinni who has been accidentally released in a Syrian part of New York. The Jinni has no memory of how he came to be captured and bound and put into a flask, but starts working as a tin smith, because a being made of fire is excellent as that kind of work. We follow the golem and the Jinni as they both try to find their places in a world that neither of them are meant to be in. Eventually the two find each other, and become friends, one Jewish, one Syrian.
This was a great snapshot of New York City during the turn of the century and what it was like to be an immigrant at that time. It was fascinating seeing how these normal struggles interweaved with the specific troubles the golem and the Jinni each had: the golem hearing every single person's desires and fears and feeling compelled to do something about them; and the Jinni feeling closed in and trapped, unable to change form at his will and having consequences to his actions.
I love the development of the golem and the jinni's friendship. It was refreshing to read a story without romance. The Golem herself was asexual. I also loved the symbolism of their natures as it is connected to how they are both made. The Golem, made of earth, strong, proper, and virtuous, wanting only to help those around her without doing harm; the Jinni, made of fire, capricious, selfish, and intense. It was a great character study, and we got some povs from other supporting characters, Saleh Mahmoud being my favorite.
If you're a fan of historical fiction, found family, and stories of friendship, this is for you. If you're looking for lots of plot and action, this isn't it lol. It's a slow mover, but worth it.
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker is book one in The Golem and the Jinni duology. This historical fiction/fantasy book was fascinating and very different from most of the fantasy I read. Though the story was good and intriguing, it was very slow with not much action, so keep that in mind if you pick up this book.
We follow a Jewish man as he commissions a shady guy to construct a golem to be his wife when he emigrates to New York. All he has asked for is a virtuous and curious woman. Though he isn't supposed to wake the golem until they reach the new world, he awakens her in the ship and then promptly dies, leaving the golem without a master. We follow the golem as she navigates life as a brand new being in New York City during the turn of the century.
We also follow a Jinni who has been accidentally released in a Syrian part of New York. The Jinni has no memory of how he came to be captured and bound and put into a flask, but starts working as a tin smith, because a being made of fire is excellent as that kind of work. We follow the golem and the Jinni as they both try to find their places in a world that neither of them are meant to be in. Eventually the two find each other, and become friends, one Jewish, one Syrian.
This was a great snapshot of New York City during the turn of the century and what it was like to be an immigrant at that time. It was fascinating seeing how these normal struggles interweaved with the specific troubles the golem and the Jinni each had: the golem hearing every single person's desires and fears and feeling compelled to do something about them; and the Jinni feeling closed in and trapped, unable to change form at his will and having consequences to his actions.
I love the development of the golem and the jinni's friendship. It was refreshing to read a story without romance. The Golem herself was asexual. I also loved the symbolism of their natures as it is connected to how they are both made. The Golem, made of earth, strong, proper, and virtuous, wanting only to help those around her without doing harm; the Jinni, made of fire, capricious, selfish, and intense. It was a great character study, and we got some povs from other supporting characters, Saleh Mahmoud being my favorite.
If you're a fan of historical fiction, found family, and stories of friendship, this is for you. If you're looking for lots of plot and action, this isn't it lol. It's a slow mover, but worth it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Slavery
brassmonkey's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Body horror, Violence, Murder, and Confinement
Moderate: Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Medical content, and Sexism
Minor: Blood, Grief, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and Adult/minor relationship
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Racism, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Infidelity
paracosim's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
My man Saleh…love him
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual assault
tc_booksandmore's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
eruby's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book has everything I love in a book: fantasy rooted in real world mythology, a wonderfully written historical setting, and a touch of slow burn romance. I need more books like this in my life.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide attempt and Suicidal thoughts
stwriter92's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
I just finished reading this book this morning (I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep) and I would be lying if I said I wasn't clutching the book a bit too tightly during the last thirty or so pages.
Ms. Wecker writes in such a rich and beautiful way, truly breathing life into every single character she creates. Whilst reading this, I felt as if I were actually living in the story, roaming the streets of New York at night with the two uncanny protagonists (though I think that I would bore the Jinni and tire the Golem out quickly enough).
I've always had a thing for stories that start off with many different threads of a plot that has yet to achieve its full form. This book did exactly that. At the beginning, with so many characters introduced, I wasn't sure how they would all be connected to create a truly cohesive story of any sort. However, as the pieces of the puzzle began to click into place and the stories became more and more interwoven, I was able to fall into the discovery right along with the characters in question. The story itself follows the life of a Golem, a creature created from earth and mud to be an obedient and unquestioning servant, and a Jinni, a being of fire with a personality as capricious and dangerous as its source. The two become unlikely companions and soon find that their survival depends on the other.
The thing I loved most was the depth given to not just the characters but the settings of this story. I truly felt immersed in this story and would often lose track of time while reading because I had sunk so fully into the world that Ms. Wecker had created. Usually, when it comes to stories told from multiple points of view, I find myself favoring some over others and find the ones I do not favor to be tedious to get through. I did not have that experience here, however. Each character had a very definite purpose to the plot as well as to the development of other characters. It made me so happy to see that each character was fleshed out completely. Not a single one was left unfinished or undeveloped. Each character was complex and was given a backstory without the info-dumpy feeling that I usually get with the introduction of backstories. It was just so naturally done!
The only thing that is stopping me from giving it five stars (although it is definitely being added to my favorites) is that it did take a bit longer than I had expected to really get to the crux of the matter. Once it did, the ending seemed to happen all at once, which made me wonder why there was such a huge buildup. That isn't to say that the ending itself was unsatisfying. It just felt a bit rushed compared to the rest of the novel.
I do highly, highly, highly recommend this book, though. It was a fantastic reading experience and I'm going to see if I can go get my hands on the sequel as soon as possible!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Violence, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexism, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Medical content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Death of parent, Confinement, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content, Alcohol, and Self harm
pphector's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Minor: Antisemitism, Confinement, and Death
ehmannky's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
This book is beautiful and one of the best fantasy books I've read...ever. The book starts off slowly, lovingly building the world of late-19th century New York as experienced by Chava, a masterless golem, and Ahmad, a jinni bound with no knowledge of how he came to be so. Their interactions with their fellow characters are funny and poignant, and the stress of being an Other within a community of Others is spectacularly well done. I was enchanted by these characters. And then Wecker takes it to another level once Chava and Ahmad meet, becoming friends and then developing a deep love and attachment to one another. There's a dancing scene that may be the most romantic shit I've ever read? But! There's also the fear of discovery, learning empathy for fellow beings, finding the middle ground between prudence and spontaneity. While I deeply enjoyed the slower pacing and character-heavy focus of the first half of the novel, I could not put the book down after the second half begins. It's so good, I cannot recommend this book enough.
-
The second time I've read this and I love it even more. I felt this time that 1) I picked up on so much more of Ahmad's longing and damn, I am a sucker for that. And 2) I think I glossed over how much both Chava and Ahmad both grow so much in terms of taking responsibility for their actions. Whereas Ahmad refuses to care or accept responsibility until forced, Chava wants to push the responsibility for herself onto someone else. It's so good.
-
The second time I've read this and I love it even more. I felt this time that 1) I picked up on so much more of Ahmad's longing and damn, I am a sucker for that. And 2) I think I glossed over how much both Chava and Ahmad both grow so much in terms of taking responsibility for their actions. Whereas Ahmad refuses to care or accept responsibility until forced, Chava wants to push the responsibility for herself onto someone else. It's so good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Child death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
micallab's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-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? Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Grief, Death, and Death of parent
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