Reviews - My Name Is Asher Lev

512 reviews for:

My Name Is Asher Lev

Chaim Potok

4.2 AVERAGE

kisa_044's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

kirsten0929's review against another edition

5.0

[1972] Asher Lev is born in 1940’s Brooklyn, with an extraordinary artistic ability, a “gift” that is at odds with the Hasidic religious tradition that he and his family follow. Time passes beautifully through the seasons as we follow Asher from childhood into his twenties. We watch him come into his own as an artist with a single-mindedness that creates conflict within his family and his community and himself. So many big questions, mostly unanswerable, the kind that keep you up at night- what is art, what is family, what is religion, what is community, where does one leave off and the other begin, and where does our responsibility to such things lie. The writing is clean and clear but also interesting and oh so effective. The dialogue is minimal, the characters are simply crafted yet fully developed and consistent. This book unfolds slowly (maybe even a little too slowly, I thought at one point early on) and sucked me in without my even realizing it was happening. It finishes super strong and left me emotionally spent. I loved this book so much, it will stick with me for a long time. A definite reread.

kmsourada's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The tension between art and religious tradition is well teased out in this book and how that conflict can never be resolved.

Two thoughts that will stay with me:
- What does it mean to be true to oneself (what are you prepared to live by) while knowing the pain/hurt it will bring to those around you?
- That art, "a truth", represents darkness or light in the form of communication from the unique experiences of the artist through to the audiences interpretation via their own experiences.

See Chaim Potok's painting "Brooklyn Crucifixion" when you finish the book.

nemesislore's review against another edition

4.0

A riveting story of a young Jewish boy, Asher, with a gift for drawing, though his parents frown upon it. As he grows he notices more the distance between his faith tradition and his gift, and it brings him a lot of tension as those around him wonder if his gift is holy or evil. The story is melancholy, and instead of using the weather to mirror the emotional climate like many authors do, Potok manages to use Asher's art to convey his feelings. It's a very moving and emotional story.