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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
This book is a beautiful, tragic exploration of what it means to be an artist. Chaim Potok manages to immerse his readers into the Hasidic community without the need of lengthy explanations, footnotes, or a reference section--his context provided enough detail for me to understand unfamiliar words and ideas. Potok takes this detail to the next level, showing each character and his or her actions so thoroughly that he does not need to tell us what they're feeling, because we feel it ourselves. His voice is so strong and true to the character that no section feels as though it's an older man reflecting on his youth, but we get a sense of exactly what the narrator felt and thought at that time.
Beyond the rich writing, this book begs artists to reflect upon how they are to live and how their art will impact the lives of those they love. It's a difficult subject, but it is well worth the time and effort to address it.
Beyond the rich writing, this book begs artists to reflect upon how they are to live and how their art will impact the lives of those they love. It's a difficult subject, but it is well worth the time and effort to address it.
GOOD
"What do You want from me? I thought. I'm only a ten-year-old boy. Ten-year-old boys play in the streets; ten-year-old boys chase back and forth through the hallways of apartment houses; ten-year-old boys ride up and down elevators for afternoon entertainment; ten-year-old boys run after cars along New York Avenue. If You don't want me to use the gift, why did You give it to me? Or did it come to me from the Other Side? It was horrifying to think my gift may have been given to me by the source of evil and ugliness. How can evil and ugliness make a gift of beauty?" - 119
"'How should a father feel in such a matter, Asherel?' I did not know what to say, and so I said nothing. I had the impression I was not expected to respond. But how should I feel? I thought. Will he ask me how I feel? And why is it so dark outside?...
'Asherel, you have a gift. The gift cases you to think only of yourself and your own feelings. No one would care if these were normal times, Asherel.' ... When have times ever been normal for Jews? I thought." - 133
"Every great artist is a man who has freed himself from his family, his nation, his race. Every man who has shown the world the way to beauty, to true culture, ahs been a rebel, a 'universal' without patriotism, without home, who has found his people everywhere." - 203
"It pleases me that you have chosen not to abandon things that are meaningful to to you. I do not have many things that are meaningful to me. Except my doubts and fears. And my art... Asher Lev, sometimes I find your presence a little--upsetting. You carry with you too much of my own past. Come. Walk with me along the beach. We will look at your Hopper sunlight on the houses. You will contemplate God and I will contemplate futility." - 206
"What do You want from me? I thought. I'm only a ten-year-old boy. Ten-year-old boys play in the streets; ten-year-old boys chase back and forth through the hallways of apartment houses; ten-year-old boys ride up and down elevators for afternoon entertainment; ten-year-old boys run after cars along New York Avenue. If You don't want me to use the gift, why did You give it to me? Or did it come to me from the Other Side? It was horrifying to think my gift may have been given to me by the source of evil and ugliness. How can evil and ugliness make a gift of beauty?" - 119
"'How should a father feel in such a matter, Asherel?' I did not know what to say, and so I said nothing. I had the impression I was not expected to respond. But how should I feel? I thought. Will he ask me how I feel? And why is it so dark outside?...
'Asherel, you have a gift. The gift cases you to think only of yourself and your own feelings. No one would care if these were normal times, Asherel.' ... When have times ever been normal for Jews? I thought." - 133
"Every great artist is a man who has freed himself from his family, his nation, his race. Every man who has shown the world the way to beauty, to true culture, ahs been a rebel, a 'universal' without patriotism, without home, who has found his people everywhere." - 203
"It pleases me that you have chosen not to abandon things that are meaningful to to you. I do not have many things that are meaningful to me. Except my doubts and fears. And my art... Asher Lev, sometimes I find your presence a little--upsetting. You carry with you too much of my own past. Come. Walk with me along the beach. We will look at your Hopper sunlight on the houses. You will contemplate God and I will contemplate futility." - 206
so many concepts to think about unfold in the story of Asher Lev. The one I am toying with right now is the concept of perception. Who gets to decide which perception of a thing is correct? Why are we so unable allow one person to ascribe their own symbolism to something and not be offended by it.
MAGA hats, Confederate flags, Black face.
MAGA hats, Confederate flags, Black face.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Perhaps this book hasn’t stood the test of time? I found the characters interesting but the plot overly drawn-out. In fact I was convinced I wouldn’t read the next one in the series until the very last chapter which finally transmitted nail-biting, emotional tension. So I started the sequel, and now I’m thinking I probably shouldn’t have.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced