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The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel
Scritto da Helene Wecker
Narrato da George Guidall
Azioni libro
Inizia ad ascoltare- Editore:
- HarperAudio
- Pubblicato:
- Apr 23, 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780062263056
- Formato:
- Audiolibro
Nota dell'editore
Descrizione
Helene Wecker's dazzling debut novel tells the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 New York. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York Harbor. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.
Struggling to make their way in this strange new place, the Golem and the Jinni try to fit in with their neighbors while masking their true natures. Surrounding them is a community of immigrants: the coffeehouse owner Maryam Faddoul, a pillar of wisdom and support for her Syrian neighbors; the solitary ice cream maker Saleh, a damaged man cursed by tragedy; the kind and caring Rabbi Meyer and his beleaguered nephew, Michael, whose Sheltering House receives newly arrived Jewish men; the adventurous young socialite Sophia Winston; and the enigmatic Joseph Schall, a dangerous man driven by ferocious ambition and esoteric wisdom.
Meeting by chance, the two creatures become unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures, until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful menace will soon bring the Golem and the Jinni together again, threatening their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.
Marvelous and compulsively readable, The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of folk mythology, historical fiction, and magical fable into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.
Informazioni sul libro
The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel
Scritto da Helene Wecker
Narrato da George Guidall
Nota dell'editore
Descrizione
Helene Wecker's dazzling debut novel tells the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 New York. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York Harbor. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.
Struggling to make their way in this strange new place, the Golem and the Jinni try to fit in with their neighbors while masking their true natures. Surrounding them is a community of immigrants: the coffeehouse owner Maryam Faddoul, a pillar of wisdom and support for her Syrian neighbors; the solitary ice cream maker Saleh, a damaged man cursed by tragedy; the kind and caring Rabbi Meyer and his beleaguered nephew, Michael, whose Sheltering House receives newly arrived Jewish men; the adventurous young socialite Sophia Winston; and the enigmatic Joseph Schall, a dangerous man driven by ferocious ambition and esoteric wisdom.
Meeting by chance, the two creatures become unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures, until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful menace will soon bring the Golem and the Jinni together again, threatening their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.
Marvelous and compulsively readable, The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of folk mythology, historical fiction, and magical fable into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.
- Editore:
- HarperAudio
- Pubblicato:
- Apr 23, 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780062263056
- Formato:
- Audiolibro
Informazioni sull'autore
Correlati a The Golem and the Jinni
Recensioni
The story is very windy and i spent a lot of time checking how far into the audio book I was. It felt like ages until the plot really got going. The Golem and Jinni were both very interesting characters surrounded by interesting people, but almost too much detail was put into their relationships. Though once the ending rolled around I felt it was all pretty well placed. I just wish the novel was paced better to allow a bit more enjoyment of it all.
It's definitely a bit of a drag, but if you are willing to stick it out the ending is quite good!
Stories in set in New York City can sometimes ring hollow, or synthetic, or overly sentimental but this one doesn't. The direct writing allows for subtle emotion and evocation without ever overwhelming the characters that make up this story.
And it also helps that this isn't just a New York story--it's burdened with the histories of its characters and it's livened with their cultures and communities, their islands of family and togetherness in a new world. It's a story with global roots that span seas and neighborhoods. There is a wide cast of characters but each has a purpose and each are confronted in their own way with choices that require sacrifice and come with consequences.
It's an immigrant story, and a very good, subtle one. It's also a transformation story but one that succeeds in staying true to the very natures and histories and truths of its characters. Change comes with consequence and regret and difficulty and sometimes bloodshed, and it never comes completely. But this rings so poignantly true that the book's power is heightened by its refusal to allow any of its characters a blank slate--for who would want that?
I look forward to the sequel; I can't wait to fall back into the wonder this author has woven
There are parts of this book that remind me of Michael Chabon, which is a huge compliment. And residents of NYC will enjoy the way the book is casually set there, in a way that seems perfectly natural.
Although this author's debut novel possesses fantastical elements, this is not the primary focus of this historical novel. It is actually about two outsiders attempting to discover what it means to be human and to create a new world for themselves. A story that holds you from cover to cover, it is one of my new favorites. I look forward to reading other novels by this author.