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Brief review: The Rabbi of Lud by Stanley Elkin
I'm taking a break from reading and reviewing new books to catch up with some old ones on my TBR list. I'm also trying to improve my Hebrew and am currently reading and enjoying the Hebrew edition of Ya'akov Shabtai's unfinished last novel סוף דבר (published in English as Past Perfect).
In circumstances when I cannot read with my eyes I read with ( Read more... ) -
Book review: The Mandela Plot by Kenneth Bonert
"South African born Jewish-Canadian author Kenneth Bonert’s sophomore effort The Mandela Plot is a sequel to his multiple awards winning debut novel The Lion Seeker (also reviewed on NYJB) that continues the Helger family saga begun in the earlier volume in a rather dark combination coming of age story and political thriller. A concluding epilogue ( Read more... ) -
Book review: Late Beauty: Poems by Tuvia Ruebner
"Readers who devoured In the Illuminated Dark will welcome the additional poems in Late Beauty, and for readers unacquainted with Ruebner’s poetry Late Beauty provides a portal." -- From my review of Late Beauty: Selected Poems of Tuvia Ruebner translated from the Hebrew by Lisa Katz and Shahar Bram in New York Journal of Books.
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Book review: The Diamond Setter
"well written, masterfully translated by Jessica Cohen, and rewards rereading." -- From my review of The Diamond Setter by Moshe Sakal in New York Journal of Books
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Book review: Empty Set by Veronica Gerber Bicecci
"Veronica Gerber Bicecci’s debut novel, second book and her first translated into English, Empty Set (Conjunto vacío), has multiple dualities-the verbal and the visual, the analytic and the emotional, autobiography and fiction-that aspire to convey ineffable sums greater than their constituent parts." -- From my review of Empty Set by Veronica ( Read more... ) -
Book Review: Petty Business by Yirmi Pinkus
"Petty Business, the second of Yirmi Pinkus’ five novels and the first to be published in English, satirically portrays the life of a family of Tel Aviv store owners with both fondness and humor over one year-1989, a time in which neighborhood mom and pop stores were being put out of business by larger chain and department stores, just as the ( Read more... ) -
Book review: The Ruined House by Ruby Namdar
"One of the lessons this complicated book conveys is how difficult it is to achieve the golden mean, balancing a serious writer’s need for solitude to reduce distractions with the need to stay connected and involved with one’s family and loved ones on the one hand, and integrating knowledge and appreciation for global culture with an intimate ( Read more... )
