Reading 1001 discussion

How did you experience the book? Was it a page turner? Did it take a while to get going?

I hate to say it but I was bored almost the entire time I was reading it.

I liked the book- it read like a novel to me. I was a little bored early on when he was talking about all of the ancestors. I liked the intertwining of history with his life.

It was a slow read but an informative read and one that will stick with me as I am very much interested in the Jewish nation/people.

I am really enjoying it (I'm almost done). There were moments when I felt a little bored for the most part I found it to be very interesting and I liked the combination of non-fiction narrative (around the war and political situation in Israel) with personal stories that made it read more like a work of fiction.

It was a slow read but one that will also stick with me.

I am relieved that others found it a slow read because I was constantly digressing to fill in gaps in my knowledge about Jews in Eastern Europe in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Where was Rovno? (now it is Rivne in the Ukraine). Could Jews really be barred from universities in Poland (yes) and were words such as shlet, cholent, effendi and midrashic Yiddish or Hebrew? (Yiddish - and I needed a definition for that, too). I remembered Galicia as a place not in Northern Spain from the Good Soldier Svek, but I needed to look it up again. Then there were all the familiar names from Israel and the Bible, but I needed to check them geographically. And then there were the jackals on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Really? I enjoyed the exposure of my ignorance and found the reading interesting. Has anyone added all the references to 1001 books yet? However, I was ready to divert my attention to other things until Oz skilfully increased the tension and curiosity surrounding his mother's suicide and I needed to race to the end.

I took my time with this book since I have been reading 2 books at once the entire month. I really enjoyed this book, all of it. The beginning ancestor part did not bore me but reinforced what I had learned from The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss which also had roots in Eastern Europe. I loved how Oz gives you glimpses of the future early on in the book. His life story seemed to flow with such grace that I forgot I was reading non-fiction. My heart ached for the pain this family went through. I enjoyed each chapter that I read and wanted to read more.

I loved it. From page 1. I was never bored. I thought the history added texture to story of his growing up in Jerusalem and the stories of his growing up, of his parents and neighbors in Jerusalem and those that died in Europe added meaning to history of the emigration of Askenazim to Palestine.

John wrote: "I loved it. From page 1. I was never bored. I thought the history added texture to story of his growing up in Jerusalem and the stories of his growing up, of his parents and neighbors in Jerusalem ..."

I couldn't agree with you more John. You are making me want to read this book again:)

I agree with Diane. John summed this book up in a few sentences.