Reviews

To the End of the Land by David Grossman

andrewspink's review against another edition

This book had no chapters and no structure.  It rambled on, jumping all over the place in time, with few clues for the reader about what was going on and not really any plot. A pity. It wa  recommended by De Volkskrant as a way to understand Israel, so I had hoped for more. 

sarah_dietrich's review against another edition

5.0

David Grossman has created something amazing in To the End of the Land. I don't know if I understand everything that he's doing here, but I can tell that it is amazing. Grossman tells us the story of Ora, unable to come to terms with her son Ofer's army duty. Ora is incredibly written, full of life, she leaps off the page. This book explains how parents feel about protecting their children in a way that I can't articulate - Ora's feelings are raw, visceral, urgent. This book is also about grief - Ora's grief for Ofer's childhood, for his innocence, for his potential death. The message about war is more complicated. Grossman obviously condemns war, but it is not clear whether he sees a post-war future being possible for Israel.

moogen's review

4.0

Exquisitely written but so very, very slow

elippow's review

lapantofola83's review against another edition

5.0

Ovviamente un capolavoro, ma ti lascia uno strano turbamento. Una scrittura lirica, una storia che prima di tutto è introspettiva, un libro che lascia il segno.

mamalemma's review against another edition

4.0

This is a very emotionally heavy book, and not at all an easy read. I haven’t fully decided whether I liked it or not, but I’m glad that I read it, though the subject matter has weighed so heavily on me during the reading that it actually impacted my daily life. It’s set in war-torn Israel, and war is a character in and of itself — a life-force turning and shaping the land and her people. (To be fair, I suspect that’s less an accomplishment of the author than the horrible truth about the Middle East.) But ultimately, it’s about relationships and family — very specifically, the dynamics of a single woman among her men: husband, lover, friend, sons. It’s the feeling of “otherness” she exists within; how they need her and love her, yet sense that she is a weakness they must abolish, so they push her away. It’s a rather extraordinary achievement that the author has pulled off — I had to double check a couple of times to be certain this complicated, truthful leading lady was written by a man.

Ultimately, there is a lot on which to chew here. The ending is left wide open for interpretation, and the sorrow never truly abated. On the plus side, I learned a ton about the country of Israel, and what life there must be like for Jew and Palestinian alike. As voracious a reader as I am, this is my first Middle East fiction and my world View was definitely expanded. This is not a book I would casually recommend, but I have friends to whom I would definitely recommend the book.

r_morais's review

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

5.0

becks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.25

wretchedtheo's review

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

bettyvd's review against another edition

4.0

Dit heb ik gelezen met het oog op een mogelijke deelname aan een leesgroep. Nu maar hopen dat de bespreking evenveel plezier geeft als het boek.
Voor mij is dit in de eerste plaats een roman over het ouderschap en dat is geweldig want het perspectief van een ouder wordt niet vaak verhaald. Bovendien belicht het dit perspectief in de context van een maatschappij in oorlog. Grossman vertelt hier zoals gewoonlijk op een dicht-op-het-vel manier, schakelt moeiteloos over van interne gedachtenstromen naar gebeurtenissen.
Al bijna naar het eind komt er spijtig genoeg een passage die voor mij compleet ongeloofwaardig was... benieuwd wat anderen er van vinden!
Een dikke turf die ik dik wil aanbevelen.