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Title: Someone to Run with by David Grossman, Vered Almog, Maya Gurantz ISBN: 0-7475-6207-5 Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Pub. Date: 2003 Format: Paperback |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (1 review)
Rating: 5
Summary: amazing book
Comment: This book has to be among the best I've ever read. Too bad that it was originally written in Hebrew, and no one outside of Israel has heard of it. In this country, many teenagers and adults have read it, all have heard of it, and everyone I know loved it. I'm saying this not because I think the popularity of a book is the only mark of its quality, but because Someone to Run With has absolutely no other reviews on this site and I feel as though I should write in the name of all the Hebrew speaking fans of the book, not just myself.
Anyway: I just can't find enough words to express how much I enjoyed reading the book, how heart warming it was, how deeply I sympathized with the characters, and how good it makes me feel to know it's there on the shelf, where I can pick it up to reread at any moment. So instead, I'll try to explain just what's so wonderful about it.
Most importantly, the characterization. Each of the main characters - Asaf and Tamar - is completely real and believable. I swear I still look for them on the street... The author spends a lot of time inside their heads, revealing their views on the world, their frustrations with themselves and those around them, their quirks, just everything... There are so many moments when I think, that could have been me. Asaf and Tamar are also completely lovable, despite their weaknesses, which pulled me into the story and caused me to follow it with almost as much personal involvement as if they had been my best friends. Secondary characters abound and are richly developed and fascinating. My favorite is Theodora, an old nun from the Islands of Greece, who has spent fifty years of her life locked in a church, waiting for a miracle. Her purpose in life is to welcome pilgrims from her Island to the Holy City of Jerusalem, but the island was destroyed by tidal waves decades earlier, and her devotion is futile. Despite a lifetime of loneliness, imprisonment and shattered hopes, Theodora is still a feisty old lady, wise, shrewd, entertaining and kindly, who thrives on her friendship with the young Tamar. To summarize, the book would be worth reading for the sake of the characters only, even if it had absolutely no plot.
But it has a plot, and a wonderful one. Teenagers especially will enjoy it, as the characters deal with problems like loneliness, low self esteem, peer pressure, and unsupportive friends and family. As the book progresses, they also discover a little bit of true friendship and love. Added onto this is an element of danger and suspense. Tamar is forced to venture alone into an underworld of drugs and crime, to rescue a mysterious guitarist named Shai. Asaf's story begins roughly a month after Tamar's, when the dog pound finds Tamar's intelligent yellow dog Dinka running loose in the city. Asaf is delegated to find her owners by attaching a leash and following her wherever she leads. (By the way, the author insists this is an actual method of finding dog-owners - he witnessed it and it inspired the book.) Dinka leads Asaf on a wild goose chase through the city, during which he meets fascinating oddball characters, discovers new things about himself and the reality in which he lives, and is gradually drawn into Tamar's story. I won't reveal any more plot details, to avoid spoiling the book.
A few last words: I read this book in Hebrew, and I really don't know how good the translation is. There are some phrases I can imagine would be quite difficult to convert to English, and would lose much of their meaning in the translation. Also, there are some elements of the story (like allusions to Hebrew songs) that only an Israeli will truly understand. However, I rate the book on par with any English book I've ever read, and being more than half American myself, I believe foreigners should be able to enjoy the story. Also, I've heard many people say that the beginning of the book is a little slow, though personally I disagree. Anyway, please hang on, don't lose patience with Asaf, and it'll be worth your while. This is an amazing book. Spectacular. Worthy of all the superlatives in the dictionary, as well as worldwide recognition. Anyone fortunate enough to read this review, take it seriously, and read the novel, will know they've made an amazing and rare discovery and hurry to share it with the world, just the way I have.
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Title: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown ISBN: 0385504209 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 18 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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