The title is not what it implies or one may fear.
Instead, it totally draws readers into the cocky personality of young Tristan Brodsky,
his reactions to Judaism, and his lively and welcome father, Jacob.

Tristan evolves into a literary genius while his passive/aggressive behavior is allowed to dominate his family
until his grandson RISK/Tris makes many statements.

Parallel to their exchanges, a young Czech amateur photographer illegally enters the U.S. with a talented
crew of African American musicians on tour. Keeping her many secrets, she eventually starts to love Tris.

I'd change little except for the tedious "...potted ficus dying of thirst." If this is symbolic, it is long overused.
Also, what stopped Amalia from publishing books of poetry except her own timidity...? She could have been RISKY.
It's a further mystery why she is drawn away from Tristan to the hyper-controlling, rude, and just plain mean Mariko.
And likely Mariko would have tired of needy, crying Amalia long before Tristan.

And why did Nina's demeaning affair with Marcus and her deceptions to everyone drag on way too long...?
Yes, he is billed as a gentle and likely inventive lover...but what kind of lovers were the other guys -
Tristan?! Risk?! and Jacob?! ( )

Not quite one hot mess but not much to praise either. It badly needed an editor. There was something very macho about the whole story that I found very unappealing. ( )

I thought the title was especially intriguing, but after I have read the book, not sure that it is especially appropriate. The book is more about family relationships and the price one pays for one's art regardless of ethic or religious identity. I loved the first chapter-- the historical one. Thought the second chapter was interesting (Czech mother and daughter) but could see no relationship to the first, and almost quit with the third chapter (graffiti artists). However, I stuck with it and I'm glad I did.

Some of the events in the book I find a bit of a stretch but overall it fits together pretty well considering the diverse individuals coming together. I'm not an "artist" and I'm not Jewish, but could certainly relate to some of the marital struggles. Good to know that those are universal. Life, and certainly marriage, isn't easy so you might as well savor the good times when they appear and just work to weather the bad when those are around. ( )

Adam Mansbach (1976) schrijft over muziek en literatuur in The New York Times en The Boston Globe. Zijn roman Het einde van de joden vertelt de geschiedenis van de joodse familie Brodsky uit Praag die zich via een omweg vestigt in het Beloofde Land, de Verenigde Staten van Amerika. Assimilatie is al in Praag in gang gezet onder de dreiging van het antisemitisme. Tristan, de patriarch en schrijver vormt met zijn gezin het onderwerp van het eerste deel van het boek.

Vervolgens wordt afwisselend het verhaal van zijn dochter en kleinkind Trist Freedman die ook gaat schrijven, en via flash backs de familiegeschiedenis herschrijft om zelf naam en faam te maken. Het einde van de joden versmelt de liefde voor literatuur, het zoeken naar de waarde van het joods zijn, de trends van de voorbije decennia, van jazz, de Holocaust, de wederopbouw, hippies, graffiti en het ontwaken in een nieuw Millennium. Het einde van de joden kan wordt na een periode van 70 jaar ballingschap met vergeving en het Sjema Israël worden gekeerd. Een knap in elkaar gezette roman, die intrigeert, vernuftig kennis van zaken verweeft met haast stereotype beelden over joden en Amerikanen. ( )

In The End of the Jews, Adam Mansbach draws some interesting characters that kept me looking forward to picking up the book and spending more time with them. Tristan Brodsky represents the hope of his Jewish family for success and economic security amidst the backdrop of the depression in the Bronx. Brodksy is drawn to self-expression rather than a ‘profession’, to black culture, especially jazz and to the writing life. He becomes a controversial figure, rejecting some facets of Jewish culture while embracing others. He marries Amalia, a gifted poet, who over the years is forced to sublimate her ambitions and character in the service of her husband’s over weaning personality. Amalia has a complimentary character as well who has dedicated her entire adult life to the art of her “genius” jazz-man significant other.

Tristan’s grandson Tris in many ways represents an updated version of his grandfather. Tris is drawn to black culture as was his grandfather, in his era as represented by graffiti art, and hip-hop. Later, he turns to writing as a more orthodox and accepted mode of self expression.

The third character who is represented in most of the rest of the narrative structure, is Nina. Nina Hricek, the daughter of a Jewish woman has grown up in Soviet dominated Czechoslovakia and has discovered photography as her personal form of self-expression. When a touring American jazz group comes to Prague, Nina free lances to document their performances and connects with the group with whom she illegally flees the country.

Nina is the third character of Jewish heritage who is in one way or another drawn to black culture. A curious fact that Mansbach tries hard to make significant. Nina later takes up with Tris to bring the three main characters into the same orbit.

This novel was a pleasure to read, because the characters were well written, interesting and engaging. Their internal struggles and motivations compel the reader to care and want to find out how they end up. Mansbach though, means to have the actions of his characters tie together ‘themes’ to raise the “literary” level of his novel. Here is where he is much less successful. This hump he just didn’t get over. Consequently, for me Mansbach’s book was, while entertaining, only half-successful. ( )