Reviews

Mother for Dinner by Shalom Auslander

zellm's review against another edition

2.0

Interesting commentary but hard to follow with too many characters and no character development throughout the story. A "meh" 3-star read, minus one star for food poisoning/eating rotten meat.

raisinggraves's review against another edition

dark funny

3.0

franceschs's review against another edition

60% man's take on identity politics, 20% genuinely insightful comments, 20% actually funny jewish jokes

readacorn's review against another edition

5.0

Kurzmeinung / Leseerlebnis
Wow. Ich glaube nicht, dass ich jemals so etwas gelesen habe. Eine geniale Satire, die eine Bandbreite an Themen anspricht, unter anderem
Identität (Religion, Nationalität, Hautfarbe, sexuelle Orientierung, politische Gesinnung, Ernährungskonzepte bis hin zu
Grill-Vorlieben (Gas oder Kohle)), Tradition, Familie, Konsum, Zweifel und Trauer. Diese humorvolle und gleichzeitig tiefe Geschichte hat mich auf so vielen Ebenen erreicht. Ich habe es verschlungen und hoffe, dass es übersetzt wird, damit auch die deutsche Leserschaft hiervon zehren kann.

bersblue's review against another edition

4.0

3.75

joangittel's review against another edition

4.0

Please read this book. I need you to explain to me what it means and what it says about Jews as a people. If you were afraid to read Philip Roth because you thought it might reflect too much cultural neurosis, this book might not be the place to start. Hilariously funny, shocking, irreverent, I had to read this with one eye-closed and my hand over my face. I was afraid to see what was coming next. If you've heard Shalom Auslander on This American Life or The Moth, you should know what to expect. Don't take this too seriously. And if you read this, please let me know what it means.

gfairs's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

gina760's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lovegriefandgender's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

alicecook's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A great book about spoken history and identity. I really enjoyed this element of it, but didn’t necessarily enjoy the book overall.