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lilcoop71's review
3.0
Probably more like 3.5 but ultimately I don't think this one will stay with me.
lalaexni19's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful book about being a parent, particularly a mother.
lisakimmence3's review against another edition
2.0
Okay, I am definitely not the popular opinion here but I just didn't like this one. I picked this up after seeing it listed on the NY Times best 100 books of 2018. I should have known something was wrong with the list after discovering they did not have Circe, by Madeline Miller, anywhere on it when, in my humble opinion, it belonged in the top spot.
Eternal Life tells the story of Rachel, who has lived for 2000 years; she is cursed with eternal life after vowing to God, while a young girl in Jerusalem, that she would sacrifice her death in exchange for something she desperately wanted.
The premise of a woman having lived 2000 years, and continuing to live, was very interesting to me as I thought I would go through all of the different experiences she had and the historical events that she had lived through and witnessed. I read How to Stop Time last year, a story about a man who ages 1 year to everyone else's 15, and loved it. I thought this book would be similar in story telling but I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead of taking us through all the different eras of Rachel's life, and the events that happened to her, we go back and forth between her early years in Jerusalem to present day, all the while learning about all the children and grandchildren Rachel had and subsequently watched die. And.....that's about it. Oh, yeah, and there is another guy, Elazar, who is also cursed with eternal life and spends his time in the book, sneaking visits with Rachel in tunnels, claiming his undying love for her while she continues to fall back into his arms at the same time being angry and cursing him.
This book was very lackluster and underwhelming. I was completely bored while reading it and not invested in any of the characters. There's only so much I can take of a brooding woman going on about all the children she's bred and buried. I don't know, if it's going to continually break you after watching your children die, wouldn't you stop breeding at, say, 1000 years as opposed to continuing on with the self-inflicted heartache for an additional 1000? But, given as how Rachel, for all of her long years on the earth, is just as naive and immature as when we first meet her, I guess it makes sense. I mean, how can you have a character not have any growth at all in 2000 years of life? I don't understand.
Fortunately this book is very short, only 233 pages; but it's a torturous 233 pages to get through. The thing that bugs is the writing was absolutely beautiful and had the author really given this book some depth, (why is Elazar TELLING me he watched 12 sons get gassed to death as opposed to taking me there and SHOWING me?) and had she fleshed out the book and took the time needed to bring us through these different periods of time, I believe I would have enjoyed this a lot more than I did. All I can say now is I am so relieved to have gotten to that 233rd page today and finally was able to close this book and move on to something else that I hopefully won't be suffering through. My least favorite read, so far, this year and not something I would recommend.
Eternal Life tells the story of Rachel, who has lived for 2000 years; she is cursed with eternal life after vowing to God, while a young girl in Jerusalem, that she would sacrifice her death in exchange for something she desperately wanted.
The premise of a woman having lived 2000 years, and continuing to live, was very interesting to me as I thought I would go through all of the different experiences she had and the historical events that she had lived through and witnessed. I read How to Stop Time last year, a story about a man who ages 1 year to everyone else's 15, and loved it. I thought this book would be similar in story telling but I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead of taking us through all the different eras of Rachel's life, and the events that happened to her, we go back and forth between her early years in Jerusalem to present day, all the while learning about all the children and grandchildren Rachel had and subsequently watched die. And.....that's about it. Oh, yeah, and there is another guy, Elazar, who is also cursed with eternal life and spends his time in the book, sneaking visits with Rachel in tunnels, claiming his undying love for her while she continues to fall back into his arms at the same time being angry and cursing him.
This book was very lackluster and underwhelming. I was completely bored while reading it and not invested in any of the characters. There's only so much I can take of a brooding woman going on about all the children she's bred and buried. I don't know, if it's going to continually break you after watching your children die, wouldn't you stop breeding at, say, 1000 years as opposed to continuing on with the self-inflicted heartache for an additional 1000? But, given as how Rachel, for all of her long years on the earth, is just as naive and immature as when we first meet her, I guess it makes sense. I mean, how can you have a character not have any growth at all in 2000 years of life? I don't understand.
Fortunately this book is very short, only 233 pages; but it's a torturous 233 pages to get through. The thing that bugs is the writing was absolutely beautiful and had the author really given this book some depth, (why is Elazar TELLING me he watched 12 sons get gassed to death as opposed to taking me there and SHOWING me?) and had she fleshed out the book and took the time needed to bring us through these different periods of time, I believe I would have enjoyed this a lot more than I did. All I can say now is I am so relieved to have gotten to that 233rd page today and finally was able to close this book and move on to something else that I hopefully won't be suffering through. My least favorite read, so far, this year and not something I would recommend.
dude_watchin_with_the_brontes's review
4.0
Whole reading this book, I described the premise to a friend as "it's the story of an immortal woman whose main problem is that she's a heterosexual woman," and having finished the book, I stand by that.
This isn't a dig against hetero women. Rachel's problem seems to be that, after 2000 years, that's still ALL she is. She's a wife, a lover, and a mother, but in terms of her own personal interests or pursuits- nothing. We don't see a single friendship, and the only female-female relationship we see is with a granddaughter- daughter of a son, of course.
That being said, I was completely caught up in the story. It's a fascinating premise, and it was nice to see it from a Jewish perspective. I would recommend the book as a captivating story, and as an inadvertent cautionary tale for straight women.
This isn't a dig against hetero women. Rachel's problem seems to be that, after 2000 years, that's still ALL she is. She's a wife, a lover, and a mother, but in terms of her own personal interests or pursuits- nothing. We don't see a single friendship, and the only female-female relationship we see is with a granddaughter- daughter of a son, of course.
That being said, I was completely caught up in the story. It's a fascinating premise, and it was nice to see it from a Jewish perspective. I would recommend the book as a captivating story, and as an inadvertent cautionary tale for straight women.
ewormuth's review
5.0
Probably the last five-star book I'll read this year. I recently read Horn's People Love Dead Jews -- a harsh title, certainly, but you'll understand when you read it. So I was moved to pick up one of her novels -- Eternal Life. The story gripped me from page one, and I found it very hard to put down. Rachel and Elazar's story is implausible, yes, but Horn writes it with such deep affection that it rings completely true, and the book's spiritual content is beautiful. The theme of dying/not dying caused plenty of reflection on my part. I highly recommend this book.
jessbooks4's review against another edition
4.0
I was intrigued by the premise, but I wish Rachel did more with her life/lives than marry, raise children, repeat. It makes sense given her original time, but after 2000 years, I wish she had grown to do more than that, but I suppose that says something about her and the purpose of her eternal life. I enjoyed the book overall.
dejahentendu's review against another edition
3.0
Sweet, slice of life story exploring the difficulties of not being able to die and having a permanent boomerang booty-call. The booty-call cum stalker isn't explored a ton, certainly not by modern standards, but Rachel was born more or less around 400 BCE.
klarastan's review
5.0
Wow. Wow this book. Horn beautifully weaves together scifi and Jewish teachings and thoughts on immortality and the meaning of life to create an absolutely incredible book. The description of the destruction of the Temple had me in tears. The ending had me in tears. The pain and joy that Rachel experiences had me in tears. Please read this book.
mhgrier's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So, so good! So good. Dara Horn’s language, her mastery at blending history and fiction and Talmud make this a deeply enjoyable read.