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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
“Do you hear the pain carried on the wind? It is the cry of wasted lives. Who dares add to that cry? Who dares drain the world of its light? My Asher, my precious Asher, will you and I walk together now through the centuries?”
I’d want to read this book on the strength of that quote alone. Fortunately it lives up to it, and then some.
I’d want to read this book on the strength of that quote alone. Fortunately it lives up to it, and then some.
i will be touched forever by this book...one of my all time favorite books. it couldn't have come into my life at a better time. i loved it so much and it definitely made me think about a lot of things in my life more deeply. asher lev is truly a deep and complex character. go read it rn!!
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
Really one of the best books that I’ve read in a while. It encapsulates the burning and devouring nature of artistic desire with the demands and expectations of society. A really i spiring book that understands art just as well as it understands literature. I could have cried.
This is a book I picked up in Marlborough, NH, at a little used bookstore, also while on my New England vacation. I'd heard many people say how much they loved this book, so when I found it waiting for me on a step stool, I figured I'd take it with me.
I guess it was a coincidence that "Any Bitter Thing" had so many Catholic themes while "My Name is Asher Lev" portrays the life of a Hasidic Jew who loves to paint. So, with that little sidenote, let me tell you what I thought of the book.
I have to say that while I was charmed Chaim Potok's writing style, where everyone who's jewish seems to repeat what is said by another Jew, the message of the book is one I find hard to identify with. I found myself more aligned to Aryeh, Asher's father, than to Asher himself. Asher had this urge, I guess you could say, to paint, to study art, to learn about the artistic world that was very different from the world of Hasidism. He could not control it, and in the process he created magnificent art that unintentionally, but knowingly shocked and offended and hurt many of the people he loved. Now that is something I have a hard time understanding, so I'm a bit torn as to how to identify with the author's message. Asher had the chance to avoid causing this anguish, and you wonder if remaining uncompromising to what you think is necessary really justifies your actions.
What I loved about the book was the explanation of artists' motives and personality, some of the history of art, the spirituality of Hasidic Jews, the devotion to the Torah of the Lev family, the author's imagery and use of emotion.
The climax of the book is a tense, tense read, my friends. Not unlike the well-known train wreck you know is going to happen, but can't avoid watching. The last chapter of the book is fantastic.
I guess it was a coincidence that "Any Bitter Thing" had so many Catholic themes while "My Name is Asher Lev" portrays the life of a Hasidic Jew who loves to paint. So, with that little sidenote, let me tell you what I thought of the book.
I have to say that while I was charmed Chaim Potok's writing style, where everyone who's jewish seems to repeat what is said by another Jew, the message of the book is one I find hard to identify with. I found myself more aligned to Aryeh, Asher's father, than to Asher himself. Asher had this urge, I guess you could say, to paint, to study art, to learn about the artistic world that was very different from the world of Hasidism. He could not control it, and in the process he created magnificent art that unintentionally, but knowingly shocked and offended and hurt many of the people he loved. Now that is something I have a hard time understanding, so I'm a bit torn as to how to identify with the author's message. Asher had the chance to avoid causing this anguish, and you wonder if remaining uncompromising to what you think is necessary really justifies your actions.
What I loved about the book was the explanation of artists' motives and personality, some of the history of art, the spirituality of Hasidic Jews, the devotion to the Torah of the Lev family, the author's imagery and use of emotion.
The climax of the book is a tense, tense read, my friends. Not unlike the well-known train wreck you know is going to happen, but can't avoid watching. The last chapter of the book is fantastic.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Read this on the recommendation of my boss, and it didn't disappoint. I loved the way the novel was written and how Asher's feelings were portrayed through Potok's descriptions of his paintings. I was also fascinated with the way he handled dialogue throughout the novel. It's a rather sad, disappointing story, but one that feels all too real. "An artist is a person first. He is an individual. If there is no person, there is no artist."
challenging
emotional
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
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes