The Red Magician

I received an advance reading copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

YA fantasy that really works well. I can certainly see why it received awards as this short novel does what few of this type are able to do. Magical Realism is a tricky genre. Embraced by masters such as Borges and Garcia Marquez, it often comes off muddy and confusing in the hands of lesser writers. The fantasy elements predominate and the storyline bears little or no resemblance to the real world; or the realistic takes center stage and the fantasy elements feel either out of place, or tacked almost as an after-thought. Not so with The Red Magician--both the fantasy and the realistic elements seamlessly weave into the story, yet even more is going on show more here.

I would put this novella up there with The Book Thief and Maus as great YA treatments of the horror of the Holocaust. There are scenes here that evoked memories for me of the great Elie Wiesel trilogy. The horrible beyond comprehension image of families separated by a gesture from the Angel of Death---right leads to death, left to undeath in the camps—which is worse? Even in the end, liberation of the body does not also liberate the spirit. The crippling effects of survivor guilt are felt for the remainder of one’s life.

A wonderful story of magic, and folklore. A harrowing, yet complex, tale of evil. All painted in colors of deep Jewish tradition and history. Heartbreaking characters. Inescapable truths. Unforgettable. show less

Here, Goldstein brings the feel of the mythopoeic into a WWII story.

Kisci is a young Jewish girl who's never been outside her insular, rural community. She longs to experience the wider world, and when a red-haired traveler comes to town, he captures her imagination, even though his warnings of doom are nothing anyone wants to hear. The local rabbi insists that the traveler is an enemy, and works himself up to a raging vendetta against him, ignoring evil omens... and the source of the real threat.

However, soon enough, the outside world will encroach on Kisci's village in a way that none of her neighbors could believe. War is on the way...

Traditional Jewish folklore is prominent, with the myth of the Wandering Jew and the legend of the show more Golem woven into the narrative. The format of the story is a familiar fantasy: the battle between two powerful wizards. But, while crafting a fairy tale; the story deals with historical horrors with a delicate yet moving touch.

Recommended: this story is a bit what I expected Jane Yolen's 'Briar Rose' (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10632913) to be like.

I've only previously read one other book by Goldstein, and I much preferred this one. (I'm glad that, when deciding to read this, I actually hadn't remembered that I'd read it - I might not have chosen to, and I would've missed out!)

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read this novel. As always, my opinions are my own. show less

This is the story of Kicsi, an Eastern European Jew, and Vörös, a magician trying to save her village from the Nazis. I've had a heavy interest in Holocaust stories ever since I read The Diary of Anne Frank in middle school. I accidentally bought two copies of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak because the blurb on the back made me want to start reading immediately. So, when I read the synopsis for The Red Magician by Lisa Goldstein, on Netgalley, I requested it right away.

Unfortunately, I can only give this book four stars. Everything about it is great, but it didn't grab me emotionally. I never shed a tear for any of the characters. I even questioned if perhaps I'd become desensitized to these types of stories, though I know I haven't. show more I still don't know what is missing from this book to explain why I didn't ugly cry the way I did over The Book Thief, as well as so many other stories that take place during WWII.

I still recommend reading this book, though. As I've already said, it's a great book. The plot, pacing, and quality of writing are all excellent. It would be a good choice to couple with The Diary of Anne Frank in middle school English classes. show less

But it doesn't take courage to die. That's easy. It takes courage to live.

I had never heard of this book before I saw it on NetGalley. It won the National Book Award and Open Road Media is now publishing it in ebook format. I love reading books that take place in WWII and I can't really remember reading many that have some sci-fi or fantasy aspects to them, so this was like a new spin to a theme that I love reading about.

I love that this book included pronunciations of certain character names. My pronunciations would have been way off without it and it made reading this book easier as I didn't have to stumble over the names. As far as the characters themselves are concerned there was one that really stuck out for me and that was show more Vörös. I liked him throughout the book and was constantly curious about him (almost as curious as Kicsi was in the beginning). There were times when I felt so bad for Kicsi but there weren't many times when I really liked her that much. Her personality went from one extreme in the beginning to another towards the end. Her journey was heartbreaking but I didn't really manage to connect with her the way that I connected with Vörös.

I liked that this book had a great balance between the fantasy aspects and the horrors that are WWII. I was definitely interested in reading about both and was glad to see that neither of them really hogged the storyline from the other. I would definitely recommend this book if you want to read about WWII but like some fantasy as well. Thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Media for the galley. show less

Kicsi is a young girl on the cusp of becoming a teenager. She lives in a small village full of family and is a devout Hebrew. The man with the most authority in their village seems to be their local rabbi, who seems more interested in maintaining is own power and sense of worth than actually helping the community. This is evident from the way he deals with the local school that insists on teaching the children Hebrew. Upset that the school refuses to stop their instruction, and upset that the families refuse to leave the school, the rabbi places a curse on the school. Apparently, being a very wise Jewish leader means you are also a magician in this world as we see the same is true when a stranger named Voros comes to town. Voros is a show more red haired magician who is wise and well versed in Hebrew lore. He lifts the curse placed by the rabbi, but gains him as an enemy. In the backdrop of all of this is WW2 which soon comes to the forefront when soldiers appear at Kicsi’s door.

Readers go into it thinking the red magician will be the main character, or the focus, yet they might be disappointed to find that it is Kicsi that runs the story. She propels all of the events and Voros, the magician, is merely a secondary character that appears when Kicsi’s need is great, almost like a deux ex machina. This was a very interesting book, though the cover makes it seem much more mysterious than it is, and the synopsis makes it sound much more action packed than it is. The Red Magician is a solid, well written book that should do very well with the ten to fifteen year old crowd. It’s a superficial introductory look into the horrors of the Holocaust which have been muted for the target audience.

//I received this title for free in exchange for an honest review//
The Red Magician Review was originally published on By Lulu with Love show less

A book with a weird tone -- at times seeming an adult fable, at times a children's book, at times something else. Started promisingly, and then petered out. I ended up skimming, and as a result it's entirely possible I am judging too harshly. As a general rule, however, books that deal moral/emotional high explosive need to take exquisite care. More care than was taken here.

Some vivid moments -- the dream of the man with no teeth, for example...

4.12.07

The Red Magician is a young adult fantasy/magical realism novel by Lisa Goldstein, which won the National/American Book Award in 1983.

Plot:
Kicsi grows up in a primarily Jewish village in Hungary in the 40s. One day, a stranger comes along with bright red hair and immediately becomes a rival of the local rabbi because both are magicians. The stranger – Vörös – warns of danger coming to the village but the rabbi refuses to listen to him. Kicsi falls in love with Vörös and is caught between the lines.

The book spans Kicsi’s entire adolescence and shows the grim reality of World War II and the concentration camps, by casting a bit of magic around it. It’s an interesting, quick read and one which can be very engaging, especially show more for younger kids (10-12).

Read more about it at my blog: http://kalafudra.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/the-red-magician-lisa-goldstein/ show less