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Loading... Everything Is Illuminated (2002)by Jonathan Safran Foer
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» 28 more Jewish Books (29) Unread books (154) Magic Realism (85) Top Five Books of 2021 (488) Books Read in 2014 (1,062) Books Read in 2010 (73) 2000s decade (43) 1,001 BYMRBYD Concensus (305) Overdue Podcast (265) First Novels (79) Story Within a Story (26) Great American Novels (116) A Novel Cure (363) Books tagged favorites (300) My TBR (40) Summer Books (31) No current Talk conversations about this book. ![]() Mixed feelings about this novel. Overall, I liked it and would recommend it to any fan of literary fiction, Jewish history, history in general, and genealogy. It's very different from the film, which slices out at least one-half of the novel: the backstory. The film is a well-done "road movie" set in the Ukraine and following the three main characters, Alex, Alex's grandfather Sasha, and Jonathan, as they search for the elusive town of Trachimbrod. The novel, however, is less focused on the interaction among these three characters and their actual voyage. It jumps back and forth between the present day (post-search), told in letters between Alex and Jonathan, and the 1700s, leading up to the early 1940s, when the town's people were destroyed by Nazis. The most captivating character, in my opinion, was Alex. The letters he writes to Jonathan in his just-learning-English style are hilarious, insightful, heartbreaking. I adored him. Unfortunately, he is only present in about one-third of the novel. There were times when I was incredibly annoyed to have to leave the present day and continue with the 1700s backstory, which was just not as interesting. Much of the backstory seemed to rely on characters who were outlandishly quirky, but not in genuine or endearing ways, and Safran's endless sex scenes began to bore me and trivialize the rest of the story. I wanted the novel to focus on the three main characters, their enlightenment/illumination, and their relationship. But still, it's a great book and it deserves its accolades. One of my sons thought I would be interested in reading Everything is Illuminated; he was correct! While the story is fictional, and not autobiographic, the hame of the author, Jonathan Foer, and main character are the same. The story takes place in the context of Jonathan's trip to the Ukraine where he has gone to attempt to find his grandfather's shtetl, Trachimbrod, and to learn about his life there. in the mainJewish-American writer's attempt learn about his life. Jonathon, a young Jewish American has only a few maps and a photograph of a woman named Augustine, who is said to have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Jonathan's guide on his trip is Alex, a young Ukrainian man. They are both twenty-one. Their driver, Alex's grandfather, who claims to be blind, also brings his dog, "Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior" along on the trip. Alex's fractured English and cultural differences between him and Jonathon make many of their interactions both amusing and confounding. The trip to Trachimbrod becomes a cross-country odessey when Sammy Davis Junior Junior eats Jonathan's maps. no reviews | add a review
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Jonathan is a Jewish college student searching Europe for the one person he believes can explain his roots. Alex, a lover of all things American and unsurpassed butcher of the English language, is his lovable Ukrainian guide. On their quixotic quest, the two young men look for Augustine, a woman who might have saved Jonathan's grandfather from the Nazis. As past and present merge, hysterically funny moments collide with episodes of great tragedy -- and an unforgettable story of one family's extraordinary history unfolds. No library descriptions found. |
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![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
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