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erinbottger 's review for:
This book is a total delight.
Meir Shalev offers great storytelling in the Jewish tradition about the early years of Palestinian pioneers and his particular family in a particular village of Nahalal. At the center of it all is much-loved Grandma Tonia, from Russian Ukraine in 1923 and her constant obsession with cleaning in a dusty and mud ridden Israeli farming village. Small in stature, she is mighty in authority and influence and establishes ground rules never to be breached. She does struggle with her husband, Aharon (ill-suited to farming and a determined socialist and Zionist) who wanders off from time to time to do something he is more comfortable doing.
The Vacuum Cleaner arrives from Tonia's brother-in-law Yeshayahu, a "capitalist" businessman in Los Angeles, and becomes her treasured "svieeperrr" for two weeks until she discovers that it harbors the unwanted dirt it has collected, would need to be cleaned from time to time, and has a defective valve that would fail at some point. All this leads her to banish it to a locked bathroom, and the legend grew and grew.
Shalev even gives the vacuum cleaner its own voice and character:
"The village comrades regarded the vacuum cleaner, and the vacuum cleaner stared back at them. What it saw was hardworking people, work clothes, and strong hands. Their appearance attested to lives of moderation, simple food, a clear path. There were such farmers, it knew, in its homeland of America, but back there such a life came from a lack of choice while here-- it understood at one-- this was a matter of choice, a goal. There they went to work with stooped backs and listless eyes, while here Jewish farmers stood proud in their convictions.
For an instant, the vacuum cleaner wished to withdraw, to return to its soft and pleasant cloth covering, to close itself into the cardboard box and seal itself beneath the beautiful American woman; it was meant for this woman, or someone like her, no matter if she was standing on her legs or upside down like a scallion. But then it caught sight of Grandma Tonia: no narrow hips, no painted lips, no manicured hands, no red and tempting smile. But she did not stand before it like some pillar of salt; instead, she uprooted herself from the members of her family and walked toward it. The vacuum cleaner had found its mistress and their covenant: together they would fight against dirt and dust."
Meanwhile, the book weaves together rollicking tales of Tonia's extended family, Shalev's mother (Tonia's daughter), and a life full of grit and humor with multiple versions of many of the stories. This book is filled with family warmth, portraits of assorted kin and memorable experiences in the Palestinian Mandate that evolved into the state of Israel.
I loved it and hope to read more in translation from this author.
Meir Shalev offers great storytelling in the Jewish tradition about the early years of Palestinian pioneers and his particular family in a particular village of Nahalal. At the center of it all is much-loved Grandma Tonia, from Russian Ukraine in 1923 and her constant obsession with cleaning in a dusty and mud ridden Israeli farming village. Small in stature, she is mighty in authority and influence and establishes ground rules never to be breached. She does struggle with her husband, Aharon (ill-suited to farming and a determined socialist and Zionist) who wanders off from time to time to do something he is more comfortable doing.
The Vacuum Cleaner arrives from Tonia's brother-in-law Yeshayahu, a "capitalist" businessman in Los Angeles, and becomes her treasured "svieeperrr" for two weeks until she discovers that it harbors the unwanted dirt it has collected, would need to be cleaned from time to time, and has a defective valve that would fail at some point. All this leads her to banish it to a locked bathroom, and the legend grew and grew.
Shalev even gives the vacuum cleaner its own voice and character:
"The village comrades regarded the vacuum cleaner, and the vacuum cleaner stared back at them. What it saw was hardworking people, work clothes, and strong hands. Their appearance attested to lives of moderation, simple food, a clear path. There were such farmers, it knew, in its homeland of America, but back there such a life came from a lack of choice while here-- it understood at one-- this was a matter of choice, a goal. There they went to work with stooped backs and listless eyes, while here Jewish farmers stood proud in their convictions.
For an instant, the vacuum cleaner wished to withdraw, to return to its soft and pleasant cloth covering, to close itself into the cardboard box and seal itself beneath the beautiful American woman; it was meant for this woman, or someone like her, no matter if she was standing on her legs or upside down like a scallion. But then it caught sight of Grandma Tonia: no narrow hips, no painted lips, no manicured hands, no red and tempting smile. But she did not stand before it like some pillar of salt; instead, she uprooted herself from the members of her family and walked toward it. The vacuum cleaner had found its mistress and their covenant: together they would fight against dirt and dust."
Meanwhile, the book weaves together rollicking tales of Tonia's extended family, Shalev's mother (Tonia's daughter), and a life full of grit and humor with multiple versions of many of the stories. This book is filled with family warmth, portraits of assorted kin and memorable experiences in the Palestinian Mandate that evolved into the state of Israel.
I loved it and hope to read more in translation from this author.