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sjgrodsky's review against another edition
1.0
A dated, whitewashed love song to the founding generation. And boring.
bkeving_74's review against another edition
3.0
Enlightening fictional account of Israel's nationhood in the 20th century
On the positive side, for one who has always had an interest in Israel this book provided an interesting account of historical events that brought about Israel's rebirth among the nations. I only gave it 3 stars because I view Israel from a religious point of view and it seemed a majority of the fictional matters were antireligious in nature. I can't help but think that this nation's rebirth was closely intertwined with the Jewish faith.
On the positive side, for one who has always had an interest in Israel this book provided an interesting account of historical events that brought about Israel's rebirth among the nations. I only gave it 3 stars because I view Israel from a religious point of view and it seemed a majority of the fictional matters were antireligious in nature. I can't help but think that this nation's rebirth was closely intertwined with the Jewish faith.
krism's review against another edition
3.0
Historical fiction about Israel from its War of Independence in 1948 to the Six Day War in 1967. I've travelled in Israel and met Israeli army officers and that made the history aspect of the book particularly interesting to me. The country's early history is complex because so many other nations played a role, and the book does a good job of explaining the various relationships. I liked reading about real people- David Ben-Gurion, Moshe Dayan, Ariel Sharon, and more. I learned about Mickey Marcus, an American colonel who became Isreal's first general. The fiction part of the book tied everything together, but it wasn't great. All the men were handsome and brave, and all the women were beautiful and smart. Very stereotyped and predictable. Years ago, I read Leon Uris's The Exodus and I remember liking it more.
beingshort's review against another edition
5.0
A classic! Also a must read for students on the modern/post war era.
beingshort's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
joestewart's review against another edition
4.0
Wouk has done a nice job of simplifying and condensing the history of the early years of Israel. What I found surprising was the significant influence that Russia has had on the Middle East. Granted, I am apparently uneducated on this topic, but nonetheless I am surprised by the effort that Russia has put into influencing events in the Middle East as well as the outcomes they have achieved. I’ll read the next in the series though I might take a break
john_raine's review against another edition
4.0
It is hard not to compare this to Exodus in my mind. Not as good as Exodus but still pretty good.