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tpsebast92's review against another edition
It had me hooked at first but I found myself reaching for other books instead of this one.
prernas's review against another edition
(only read the last bit but) first of all - how dare you
my heart hurts :(
but how poignantly & beautifully written, my gosh...
my heart hurts :(
but how poignantly & beautifully written, my gosh...
bericson13's review against another edition
4.0
I'm...still processing this. It was so full of detail, of life, of adventure, of challenging ideas and thoughts and traditions, and yet of growing up and growing old, and learning.
hekate24's review against another edition
4.0
2021 Popsugar Reading Challenge: A dark academia book.
Yep, not doing the Read Harder challenge this year. For whatever reason the Popsugar reading challenge spoke more to me this time around.
So, this was a pretty good first read of the year! There are definitely some things I would change. The women in this book are definitely the kind of tropes that seemingly only exist in a Bildungsroman centered around a young man, particularly the tragically beautiful and unobtainable Sophia. It almost made me smile at how apparently universal this fictional creation is, but then it would make me scowl at how often the book relegated all of them to the sidelines when big important stuff was happening. Likewise it had some fascinating stuff that never quite gelled. First and foremost is everything to do with Rabbi Bloom’s pedagogy. Evan’s charisma also never really translates which is close to a fatal error given the premise of the book.
All that aside ... clearly I enjoyed it. These are flaws I’ve let sink other books to three or even two stars, and yet this one is getting four stars. Maybe because I was thinking of this through the dark academia lens thanks to the reading challenge. And the world of this school - and it’s social scene - come across so vibrantly and vividly. Even if the characters didn’t always work for, the community it portrayed did. The vague sense of dread also really worked. I was always curious to see what would be around the next corner because things never quite went how I expected.
Also I’m not Jewish but I remember that weird mix of intense spirituality and alienation that can come with one’s teenage years and can’t really be repeated as a (supposedly) wiser adult. Unlike other readers I actually could buy that a bunch of perpetually intoxicated teens would eagerly discuss the nature of the divine together, sometimes in very dense ways. I certainly did a lot of that in youth group. Despite some of the narrative corner cutting, I did buy the themes underpinning this novel.
So, all in all a job well done and I’m curious to see what this author does next.
Yep, not doing the Read Harder challenge this year. For whatever reason the Popsugar reading challenge spoke more to me this time around.
So, this was a pretty good first read of the year! There are definitely some things I would change. The women in this book are definitely the kind of tropes that seemingly only exist in a Bildungsroman centered around a young man, particularly the tragically beautiful and unobtainable Sophia. It almost made me smile at how apparently universal this fictional creation is, but then it would make me scowl at how often the book relegated all of them to the sidelines when big important stuff was happening.
Spoiler
I think it was even more frustrating that the book seemed to .. kind of realize it? The part where Sophia started yelling that Ari put her on a pedestal was pretty fascinating. But it was too little too late. Kayla had a lot of potential, too, as did Rebecca. And yet none of them warranted a mention in the epilogue.All that aside ... clearly I enjoyed it. These are flaws I’ve let sink other books to three or even two stars, and yet this one is getting four stars. Maybe because I was thinking of this through the dark academia lens thanks to the reading challenge. And the world of this school - and it’s social scene - come across so vibrantly and vividly. Even if the characters didn’t always work for, the community it portrayed did. The vague sense of dread also really worked. I was always curious to see what would be around the next corner because things never quite went how I expected.
Also I’m not Jewish but I remember that weird mix of intense spirituality and alienation that can come with one’s teenage years and can’t really be repeated as a (supposedly) wiser adult. Unlike other readers I actually could buy that a bunch of perpetually intoxicated teens would eagerly discuss the nature of the divine together, sometimes in very dense ways. I certainly did a lot of that in youth group. Despite some of the narrative corner cutting, I did buy the themes underpinning this novel.
So, all in all a job well done and I’m curious to see what this author does next.
scheherararazade's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
saraklem's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, really satisfying. I won't do this book the injustice of comparing it to *cough* anything else, because it well and truly stands on its own.
Our narrator, Ari, is a fascinating character, having grown up in a strictly Jewish neighborhood and even more strict household. When a group of less-devout teens take him under their wing, we watch him grapple with his faith. In fact, we watch all of them grapple with their faith in different ways -- and it overwhelms the group to the point that something terrible happens. Or many things.
The characters are layered and the story is well thought-out. It's potentially too long. There are a *lot* of scenes that don't need to be there, and a *lot* of heady philosophical discussions. The latter should really be pared down, because it becomes easy to want to skim them, making it easy to miss the key references that tie the story together and make it brilliant. Still, it is really brilliant.
I recommend reading on Kindle if you're not familiar with yiddish/Jewish terminology -- I learned so much!
Our narrator, Ari, is a fascinating character, having grown up in a strictly Jewish neighborhood and even more strict household. When a group of less-devout teens take him under their wing, we watch him grapple with his faith. In fact, we watch all of them grapple with their faith in different ways -- and it overwhelms the group to the point that something terrible happens. Or many things.
The characters are layered and the story is well thought-out. It's potentially too long. There are a *lot* of scenes that don't need to be there, and a *lot* of heady philosophical discussions. The latter should really be pared down, because it becomes easy to want to skim them, making it easy to miss the key references that tie the story together and make it brilliant. Still, it is really brilliant.
I recommend reading on Kindle if you're not familiar with yiddish/Jewish terminology -- I learned so much!
mayamahdi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book does a great job of making you invested in the characters. Then it takes you places you didn’t expect to go. There’s a lot of philosophy in it - even for a person with a Bachelors in Philosophy. But all in all it’s a really great read about a religious kid being thrown into temptation and what it can do to you. As a non-Jewish person, I really enjoyed the book and learned a lot.
beaaa_books's review against another edition
4.0
One of the most interesting and thought-provoking books I've read.