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Lädt ... Good for the Jews (Michigan Literary Fiction Awards)von Debra Spark
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Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. This modernization of the Esther story left a lot to be desired. The writing was quite poor and the story extremely contrived. She was trying to show that anti-semitism exists even today in the liberal city of Madison, Wisconsin. ( ) Set in Madison, Wisconsin, Good for the Jews centers around Ellen Hirschorn and her cousin Mose (the man who raised her and her sister after her parents died in a car crash). The story follows the two through a critical time in their lives and the life of their community. In her early 20's, Ellen is embarking on her first relationship with Alex Decker, the superintendent of schools and 18 years her senior. Mose, after over a decade with the school system and many times celebrated as an excellent teacher, is facing a change in the school's leadership (a new principal) with the stubbornness of someone sure he is right. The two stories intersect in the school system and in the Jewish community. The story addresses questions around overt and covert anti-Semitism and discrimination. One of the ways the author does this is by presenting strong characters with strong opinions as polar opposites (Mose and the new principal) leaving Ellen to differentiate the two and find her truth, find her voice, and taking a stand for what is right. The mystery is revealed slowly and it kept me turning the pages. My only disappointment was with the ending. I thought Ms. Sparks could have revealed the final secrets in a less rushed, more thoughtful fashion. However, I deeply appreciated that she did not leave a lot of loose ends. She did tie the pieces together and let the reader see the full picture. All in all, a great read. Good for the Jews is a spirited, engaging novel set in the high school academic world of Madison, Wisconsin. When the charming – sometimes floundering – heroine, Ellen Hirschorn, becomes romantically involved with a much older man, she uses her new connections to help her guardian figure out whether he is the target of anti-Semitism. Spark presents an alluring cast of characters, each complete with enough quirks and foibles to make them absolutely realistic, if not entirely lovable. Spark does not shy away from showing the mixed-up muddle of people -- their thinking, their actions, or their politics. Lines such as 'The anti-Semitism of the left. If you're going to see it anywhere, I guess it would be here in Madison' demonstrate Spark's sharp eye for ironic contradictions. Nothing is black and white and none of her characters are totally sympathetic or unsympathetic. The ending is a little rushed, which is all the more disappointing because the rest of the book is so enjoyable. But Good for the Jews is still a great story with a lot more going on than in a typical novel of modern day manners. Also posted on Rose City Reader. Zeige 3 von 3 keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
". . . a smart, sprightly, sex-drenched, and neatly plotted novel . . ." ---Alan Cheuse, National Public Radio and the Chicago Tribune "Spark is at her sly, funny, and cutting best in her third novel, a clever and affecting variation on the biblical story of Esther." ---Booklist "Spark's prose is tight, funny, insightful and occasionally heartbreaking as it probes the current education system, the arts and society's ills." ---Publishers Weekly Good for the Jews is a smart, funny, sexy novel set in Madison, Wisconsin, during the Bush administration. Part mystery and part stranger-comes-to town story, Good for the Jews is loosely based on the biblical book of Esther. Like Esther, Debra Spark's characters deal with anti-Semitism and the way that powerful men---and the women who love them---negotiate bureaucracies. At the core of the story of right and wrong are young, attractive Ellen Hirschorn and her older cousin Mose, a high school teacher who thinks he knows, in fact, what is "good for the Jews"---and for Ellen, too. Their stories intertwine with those of the school superintendent, his ex-wife and son, and a new principal. Workplace treachery, the bonds of family, coming of age, and romantic relationships all take center stage as the characters negotiate the fallout from a puzzling fire. Spark's evocative writing style and sharp, understanding treatment of her diverse characters draw the reader into this surprising page-turner, a finalist for the 2009 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award. Debra Spark is the author of two previous novels, The Ghost of Bridgetown and Coconuts for the Saint, as well as Curious Attractions: Essays on Fiction Writing. She's been a fellow at Radcliffe College's Bunting Institute and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts award. Her short stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in publications including Food and Wine, Esquire, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Yankee. She is a professor at Colby College and teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. She lives with her husband and son in North Yarmouth, Maine. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999Klassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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