I re-read this book after remembering liking it when I needed to read it in high-school.

It is an interesting read. Richler has a unique writing style. The reader begins to feel the nervous energy that seems to be coursing through Duddy (at least I did).

Through Duddy's adventures we see a certain time and place, but more importantly we see how the drive to achieve a singular goal can cause such problems, particularly at a young age when one isn't ready. Also we see them arise when the goal is partly driven from external sources which is the case for both Duddy and his brother. We also see how the need for acceptance, among ones family or friends, can lead the characters to take risky actions.

The version I read (ISBN: 077109972) has a really nice afterword by David Carpenter. ( )

I don't know why I waited so long to read Mordecai Richler's The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. This is a work of genius.

From a literary perspective, Richler's style is relentless, employing very little environmental description, choosing instead dialogue that scintillates. He cements plot with sharp, keen characters, an elegantly simplistic language. There isn't a scene, a phrase, a word out of place here.

From an entertainment perspective this a rocketing good read, with a beginning that seems slow to start and then suddenly launches off into the nervous, fidgeting, finagling world of huckster-Duddy. You detest his crass and insouciant behaviour. You weep for him when his tender underbelly is revealed. You are right there in the seedy world of 1950s Montreal.

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz will now have a place in our permanent library here at The Old Stone House. ( )

http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2...

As someone who professes to love Canadian literature, I have been a little embarrassed to admit that I have never read any Mordecai Richler. So when I had a chance to pick up a nice copy of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, I jumped. (I haven't even seen the movie.)

I can see why the book is as lauded as it is; however, I hate it when I finish a book and still dislike the main character as much as I did upon starting. Still, there's something about this book that grabs you, and I can understand why it's endured as it has. The writing is, of course, excellent, and Richler really did a good job of developing the story. Still, the characters were a little one-dimensional, and that's probably why I disliked Duddy as much as I did. I had no starting-ground in common with him from which I might attempt to try to put myself in his shoes.

That being said, I am looking forward to reading more Richler. ( )

Duddy's story of doing whatever he can to buy land around a lake in Quebec is not an easy or pleasant read. What makes this novel great is the layers which all the characters have -- none of them is flat or static. Duddy is a fallible character: he uses people, connives, and hurts to achieve what he considers success. His approach, though, makes it difficult for me as the reader to really like him or even want him to succeed. I don't really know if there is any character I really like (maybe Cuckoo), but their struggles and interactions are all very real and profoundly interwoven.
I don't love this book, but I understand why it's a Canadian classic and why Mordecai Richler is a Canadian icon. ( )

http://tinyurl.com/4azt5u

I wasn't so certain about picking this book to read. The most prevalent comment among other readers was that it was hard to love the character-- he's just such a slimy bastard, there isn't much to love about him.

That didn't seem to be the point to me, though. I thought it was a unique portrayal of Judaism and the Jewish people of that time and in that place (1950s Montreal). A lot about what they struggled against (racism on both sides, inadvertent or not), hoped for (a good life for their children) and settled for (bad marriages).

I'll confess to not understanding what Yvette sees in Duddy, if it isn't as he assumes because he is going places. And to not understanding why when it looks like he's heading in the right direction finally, he does the indescribably most slimy-bastard thing possible. There is no redeeming ending, but for an honest portrayal, I didn't expect one. ( )