Somehow this was all too preposterous for me, which is ridiculous because Howard Jacobson is always preposterous and that's what I love about him. Maybe I'll try it again some day.

Another disappointment. This could've been really good but it didn't really go anywhere and it took a long time not to get there. A book about a young man with a conceit about himself which I thought proved unfounded. One of the biggest frustrations with this book was the use of many words in another language either Yiddish or Polish or maybe German or maybe something else I don't know. I don't have a problem with writers using the occasional word from another language if it clarifies their meaning. But in this case they were used so prolifically that it made some sentences completely unreadable and not understandable. I couldn't understand the point of using language like this if it clouds the meaning instead of enlightening it. And no appendix or glossary to help out either

I think in essence the book came down to 2 things, A nostalgic reminiscence of childhood which was entertaining but repetitive. And a study of someone growing up with an idea or expectation about themselves that doesn't materialise. The latter part could've been interesting if explore deeply enough but I think it reflected the overall superficiality of this entire book. ( )

Coming of age story of Oliver Walzer, descended from Jews who emigrated from Poland to Manchester and who eked out a living by their wits. Oliver is shy as a young boy and comes out of his shell by becoming a ping pong player extraordinaire and befriending his teammates who teach him of life. Narrated by Oliver who seems to always thwart himself, the bright star that refuses to shine - in fact insures that it won't shine. the story is laced with lots of Yiddish slang, a good bit of it not for polite company. ( )

Si ride a crepapelle! ( )

Terrific ending to a funny and heartfelt story is somewhat marred by the pervasive use of Manchester slang and Yiddish throughout this book, usually without translation, although some key Yiddish terms are defined. It was fun at first to look up the Yiddish terms or to get meaning inferred by context, but then it just became tedious. (I did learn how to swear pretty well in Yiddish, and that's fun.)
Overall, I just wish that Jacobson would have made his book more accessible to us Yanks and the rest of the English-speaking world -maybe with a glossary of terms? Anyway, parts of this books are hilarious, and the ending really touched me. ( )