Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a beautiful novel about the balance between our passions and the people we care about. The last two chapters had me weeping.
This is the first of my favorite re-reads where I've thought, "Huh, that was definitely so meaningful to me because of the time of life when I first read it." But I still love this story because it illustrates the tension of creating art while trying to be truthful, even if it is painful. And I love the education that Asher goes through, from a boy scribbling pictures to a man sketching the David. While the writing is very subdued and simple in a lot of ways and Asher himself is rather bland, how Asher's view of the world is described is a wonderful glimpse into (and behind) the eyes of an artist - how he sees light in a room, how he sees lines in the rain, how he obsesses over recreating the colors of a street. I think most artists can relate to this story, even if not Jewish, even if not geniuses who caused their parents to constantly gape in bewilderment (THAT gets a little overdone in the first half of the book, but it's forgivable).
reflective
slow-paced
Heartbreakingly beautiful book. I almost didn't finish it, because I didn't want it to end.
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
certified mommy issues book.
a kid from an important chabad family is blessed/cursed with artistic talent and becomes a famous artist compelled not to leave any work unfinished despite the pain he's causing people. it's about asher lev but it's really about his mother and it very quietly wound up to hit very hard.
a kid from an important chabad family is blessed/cursed with artistic talent and becomes a famous artist compelled not to leave any work unfinished despite the pain he's causing people. it's about asher lev but it's really about his mother and it very quietly wound up to hit very hard.
I had to read this book for one of my English classes in high school. Man, what a bore! It was so hard to get through (I actually do not remember if I ever did).
A little slow but I enjoyed it and it picks up toward the end. It's been a while since I read Potok but I think I liked "The Chosen" better.
challenging
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This has been a book I have never been able to get this story out of my head. It is very well written and I very much could understand the issues Asher Lev went through.