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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
This book was a difficult one to push through. Maybe I am not emotionally adept to appreciate the writing but for me it was just pointless rambles of an emotional man. No fun at all.
Hmm, so I am still contemplating on what did this book or how did this book make me feel. It is definitely written in a way that is very different from what I have read so far. It is more like a lengthy, drawn monologue interspersed sporadically with a few dialogues. The premise is that a stand-up comedian walks on stage in a club in Netanya (a town in Israel) and then delivers his performance while narrating about his childhood, about the holocaust, about concentration camps, about living and dying and surviving and bullying, all in the presence of strangers and 2 of his long known people. It is a tiny book, but there was so much to unpack in this story. Mind you, there are no chapters, so it was a challenge to keep going with this book. I liked the writing style, it was flowy and kept me going even when I was a bit tired of the narration, and I liked the way the narrator talks about such heavy, dense themes in a lighter vein. The heavy undercurrents in the narration have been handled masterfully.
This is one of the most straightforwardly complicated build up of a stage performer. I never could've really expected a novel on such a plot. A beautiful try I must say. Though the transition from a sane to insane (or is it the other way around?) wasn't powerful enough to kindle the exact feelings expected from the audience at the time. It was a nice experience for me to travel through the story of a single man through his voice. I would have surely given 4 if the material was a tad bit more interesting and connecting. 3.5 anyway.
No wonder this book won the Man Booker Prize of 2017! Such a beautifully written book, funny and sad at the same time and a great balance. Truly a masterpiece!
This entire story takes place during the course of a two-hour show at a bar by a stand-up comedian. The audience wants to hear a steady stream of jokes, and there are plenty here--some good and some bad. When the comedian begins relating some unfunny stories about his life, some people in the audience begin to heckle him. The comedian tries to keep the audience from leaving. Desperately, the comedian tries to keep his cool, as he tells about earlier periods in his life. In particular, he talks about a traumatizing day in his life when he was 14 years old. The story becomes very emotional, as the comedian tries to keep from becoming unglued. He challenges the audience, making them feel like they should stay and hear the monologue, while at the same time tempting them to leave the bar.
Originally written in Hebrew, as the story takes place in Israel, and is translated expertly into English by Jessica Cohen.
This is a very intense story, and some people seem to like it, while others hate it. Some people see it as a commentary on Israeli society, but I think that the story could have happened anywhere, in any country. The personalities in the book, the humor, the intense reactions and love/hate relationships are universal.
Originally written in Hebrew, as the story takes place in Israel, and is translated expertly into English by Jessica Cohen.
This is a very intense story, and some people seem to like it, while others hate it. Some people see it as a commentary on Israeli society, but I think that the story could have happened anywhere, in any country. The personalities in the book, the humor, the intense reactions and love/hate relationships are universal.
slow-paced
Sorprendida de lo bueno que estuvo. Como siempre enfocándose en la humanidad y en las conexiones humanas (o la falta de), pero en una manera altamente original. Lo mejor es el cambio de tono que te agarra por sorpresa. Como calidad novelĂstica es un 10.
I understand why this book won the Man Booker Prize. The whole plot takes place at a comedy show, and David Grossman does an amazing job of making the reader feel the way the audience does. Unfortunately, most of the audience walks out, and I wanted to stop reading SO MANY TIMES. The only reason I didn't was that I was reading this book for a book club. Even at that, I would have stopped reading had Gadna not been a topic. Since I've been through Gadna, I wanted to read about Dov's experience there.
I'm so ready to hear what the rest of my book club thought.
I'm so ready to hear what the rest of my book club thought.