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cheyenneisreading's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
3.5
jeffnanni's review against another edition
5.0
Some of the best sentences I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
aoibhinnannwn's review against another edition
4.0
About a quarter into this book, I was ready to write it off as cliche. Marriage that's falling apart. Nagging wife. Three precocious children. But foer's writing is just. So. Beautiful. The first have left me feeling bored and a little cheated, but the second and third acts were just lovely. There were some lines here that definitely brought me to tears.
susiesmith96's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED this book - the characters are flawed and can be off-putting yet they are so very real and articulate. The dialogue reveals painful truths through sharp, witty comments. The dual storyline is disjointed at times but overall the book resembles life in many ways that a perfectly planned and executed book does not. The characters and plots are just as messy and serendipitous as real life. I think Foer connects his readers to the human experience in ways that other authors can’t.
kittoo's review against another edition
challenging
5.0
as someone has read a lot of foer books (four is a lot ok) this one is my favorite of his. dense and gripping and dramatic and tender. astonishing what one can do with language.
estherdb's review against another edition
3.0
I've good such mixed feelings concerning this book. Mixed feelings which I'll admit were mostly caused by the high expectations I had in regard to this novel. (And as we all know, high expectations are often the first step towards disappointment.)
Since "Everything Is Illuminated" and "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" (as well as Foer's "Eating Animals" and his art book "Tree of Codes") instantly became personal favourites, I had kind of expected the same thing to happen with "Here I Am". I wanted to like it SOOOOO much and kept convincing myself that it was going to be as great as the others, but unfortunately, it wasn't able to fill its predecessors' big shoes.
What I like about this book was the frankness, as well as the narrative concerning Jacob and Julia's slowly decaying and finally crumbling marriage. Also, I was intrigued by his depiction of everyday struggles (both with others and with oneself).
I loved how Foer describes the struggles, enigmas and mysteries of everyday life: "who am I, really? How do I define myself? Do my actions and my profession and family make me the person I am? Am I constantly the same person? What am I doing with my life? Could I be doing something more fulfilling and important? Do I matter? What should I do and what am I doing instead?"
Most of the events are narrated via third person narration, with a focalizer that constantly switches (from Jacob, over Sam, to Julia, etc.). As usually is the case with Foer, it's not uncommon for the characters to withhold information from one another (and at times even from themselves, unwilling to cope with reality in its entirety).
The novel contains a lot of dialogue, which I enjoyed immensely: miscommunication, strands of different communication topics floating within the same room (often missing their targets), snarky comments, etc. And yet the characters fail to really communicate with one another and tell each other what's on their mind (which is the main reason why Julia and Jacob's marriage is falling apart in the first place, they weren't able to let each other in anymore). Life is tragic, it's a constant battle with the self and others, a battle of simultaneously (desperately) trying to connect with others, trying to live up to one's personal potential and trying to figure out who you are (and being able to say "Here I am.").
I thought it interesting to see that the only part in which we get to experience a first person account of thoughts and events (focalized through Jacob) is part VII, The Bible. Which basically is an excerpt of the bible for Jacob's "life" tv show/play manuscript. It is ironic that we only get a direct account in a text which in itself is a reflection of real life (seeing that Jacob writes the Bible as a guideline for actors and directors who, one day, might work with his text). It's as if Jacob can only really face his life and thoughts when writing them down (and most likely, "rewriting" and editing them).
(Note: I did really enjoy the fact that the Bible allows you a sneak peak of what the future has in stall for the Blochs and how it intertwines past-present-future, which reminded me a little of "Everything Is Illuminated".)
The book offered me stuff to think about. And incited me to think about my own life and my vision of it.
What I didn't like, and which ultimately causes me to not love this novel, was the whole Israel and American Jewish identity crisis thing. (Which, unfortunately for me, makes up half of this freakin' brick of a book.) I don't know if it's me (and me being an atheist), but I really couldn't care less. I enjoyed the insight in the Jewish culture and the struggles of the American Jew to come to terms with his/her own past and identity in Foer's previous novels, but in "Here I Am", it simply was a little too much for me. I found myself simply not caring anymore. Yes, I realise that it was an important part of the characters' identities, but honestly, I felt like its importance was forced on me way too much. I hate to say that this book was "too Jewish" for me, but if I'm completely honest, it kind of was. I would've been way more interested to find out how Sam evolves and how his depending on Other Life changes (or doesn't). I could've done with a little more of Irv's snarkiness and cynicism. I would've enjoyed a little more insight in Max and Benjy. But instead, I got information on a fictional war. Oh well, better luck next time, I guess.
We've waited a long time for the most recent Foer, yet I am willing to wait even longer for a book that is "more satisfying" than this one. (If you ask me: more narrative, less religion.)
Since "Everything Is Illuminated" and "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" (as well as Foer's "Eating Animals" and his art book "Tree of Codes") instantly became personal favourites, I had kind of expected the same thing to happen with "Here I Am". I wanted to like it SOOOOO much and kept convincing myself that it was going to be as great as the others, but unfortunately, it wasn't able to fill its predecessors' big shoes.
What I like about this book was the frankness, as well as the narrative concerning Jacob and Julia's slowly decaying and finally crumbling marriage. Also, I was intrigued by his depiction of everyday struggles (both with others and with oneself).
I loved how Foer describes the struggles, enigmas and mysteries of everyday life: "who am I, really? How do I define myself? Do my actions and my profession and family make me the person I am? Am I constantly the same person? What am I doing with my life? Could I be doing something more fulfilling and important? Do I matter? What should I do and what am I doing instead?"
Most of the events are narrated via third person narration, with a focalizer that constantly switches (from Jacob, over Sam, to Julia, etc.). As usually is the case with Foer, it's not uncommon for the characters to withhold information from one another (and at times even from themselves, unwilling to cope with reality in its entirety).
Spoiler
Which is why, for instance, we only get to know quite late into the story that Isaac, in fact, committed suicide. A fact that not all characters know of. Or why the kids aren't told that Jacob has decided to "let" Argus "go" at the end of the novel.The novel contains a lot of dialogue, which I enjoyed immensely: miscommunication, strands of different communication topics floating within the same room (often missing their targets), snarky comments, etc. And yet the characters fail to really communicate with one another and tell each other what's on their mind (which is the main reason why Julia and Jacob's marriage is falling apart in the first place, they weren't able to let each other in anymore). Life is tragic, it's a constant battle with the self and others, a battle of simultaneously (desperately) trying to connect with others, trying to live up to one's personal potential and trying to figure out who you are (and being able to say "Here I am.").
I thought it interesting to see that the only part in which we get to experience a first person account of thoughts and events (focalized through Jacob) is part VII, The Bible. Which basically is an excerpt of the bible for Jacob's "life" tv show/play manuscript. It is ironic that we only get a direct account in a text which in itself is a reflection of real life (seeing that Jacob writes the Bible as a guideline for actors and directors who, one day, might work with his text). It's as if Jacob can only really face his life and thoughts when writing them down (and most likely, "rewriting" and editing them).
(Note: I did really enjoy the fact that the Bible allows you a sneak peak of what the future has in stall for the Blochs and how it intertwines past-present-future, which reminded me a little of "Everything Is Illuminated".)
The book offered me stuff to think about. And incited me to think about my own life and my vision of it.
What I didn't like, and which ultimately causes me to not love this novel, was the whole Israel and American Jewish identity crisis thing. (Which, unfortunately for me, makes up half of this freakin' brick of a book.) I don't know if it's me (and me being an atheist), but I really couldn't care less. I enjoyed the insight in the Jewish culture and the struggles of the American Jew to come to terms with his/her own past and identity in Foer's previous novels, but in "Here I Am", it simply was a little too much for me. I found myself simply not caring anymore. Yes, I realise that it was an important part of the characters' identities, but honestly, I felt like its importance was forced on me way too much. I hate to say that this book was "too Jewish" for me, but if I'm completely honest, it kind of was. I would've been way more interested to find out how Sam evolves and how his depending on Other Life changes (or doesn't). I could've done with a little more of Irv's snarkiness and cynicism. I would've enjoyed a little more insight in Max and Benjy. But instead, I got information on a fictional war. Oh well, better luck next time, I guess.
We've waited a long time for the most recent Foer, yet I am willing to wait even longer for a book that is "more satisfying" than this one. (If you ask me: more narrative, less religion.)
waybacknaveen's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
storymi's review against another edition
3.0
Een dik boek, dat je niet achter elkaar uitleest. Als ik het te snel wilde lezen, werd ik het zat. Het was fijner om er af en toe een paar scenes uit te lezen.
Het voelt tijdens het lezen niet echt alsof je een verhaal met een begin en einde leest, meer alsof je een paar weken meekijkt met een familie. Als je het vanuit de filmwereld zou bekijken: geen blockbuster, maar een documentaire. Intiem inkijkje in een gezin. Heel realistisch geschreven. Knap. Schrijver heeft veel inzicht in psychologische motieven van mensen: waarom doen we wat we doen. Hij laat haarscherp zien hoe we langs elkaar heen leven; hoe mensen proberen elkaar te bereiken, maar vaak misgrijpen.
Ik vond 't wel een mooie 'slow read'. Liked it. Drie sterren.
Het voelt tijdens het lezen niet echt alsof je een verhaal met een begin en einde leest, meer alsof je een paar weken meekijkt met een familie. Als je het vanuit de filmwereld zou bekijken: geen blockbuster, maar een documentaire. Intiem inkijkje in een gezin. Heel realistisch geschreven. Knap. Schrijver heeft veel inzicht in psychologische motieven van mensen: waarom doen we wat we doen. Hij laat haarscherp zien hoe we langs elkaar heen leven; hoe mensen proberen elkaar te bereiken, maar vaak misgrijpen.
Ik vond 't wel een mooie 'slow read'. Liked it. Drie sterren.