In the Beginning
by Chaim Potok
In the Beginning
Chaim Potok |
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 322)
This is my first Potok book. Every once in a while I would hear about this author and how powerful his books were, so I was pleasantly surprised to receive it as a gift this Christmas and I eargerly jumped in.
The book didn't grab me. I can appreciate the story quite a bit, about the intellectual and spiritual struggle of a young boy. I appreciate the way this main character faced the struggles in his life and in his mind and I enjoyed watching him gain strength. And I appreciate the insights...more
The book didn't grab me. I can appreciate the story quite a bit, about the intellectual and spiritual struggle of a young boy. I appreciate the way this main character faced the struggles in his life and in his mind and I enjoyed watching him gain strength. And I appreciate the insights...more
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Read in July, 2007
i read this book in high school but i remembered so little of it that i decided to re-read it. i thoroughly enjoyed it.
i have only read three of his novels and seen one movie... but he seems to always write on the same theme - an individual's struggle to remain true to their faith and honor their family while having to follow the truth and passion that has emerged from their own heart. the question of "who am i and what is my purpose?" and the resistance that accompanies that from w...more
i have only read three of his novels and seen one movie... but he seems to always write on the same theme - an individual's struggle to remain true to their faith and honor their family while having to follow the truth and passion that has emerged from their own heart. the question of "who am i and what is my purpose?" and the resistance that accompanies that from w...more
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Read in March, 2008
This novel is a very moving account of a Polish Orthodox Jewish family who had uprooted themselves from about 150 relatives in Poland to come to America. Their lives and history are revealed as the brilliant and intellectual elder son, David Lurie, grows up trying to understand and piece together what he hears and sees even as a very young child. The story includes many of the Orthodox customs, beliefs, rituals, and myths which shed light on many areas unfamiliar to me.
Even though it took me...more
Even though it took me...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
those who read and liked "The Chosen" and "My Name is Asher Lev"
I love Potok's writing. I felt that I missed something in this book, and the story did not propel me forward in the way his other books I've read did. Towards the end, the plot becomes very involved in Jewish scholarship of the Torah and Talmud, to the point that as a non-Jewish reader I felt that I was surely missing a little of what was going on. David Lurie is a sickly boy who reads all the time and is constantly troubled by exactly WHY goyim seem to hate Jews so much. His studies as he g...more
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Read in January, 1991
recommends it for:
Chaim Potok fans...
This story of a young Jewish man's struggle to define his relationship to his faith, and his eventual determination to accept and pursue the method of scientific biblical scholarship, was fascinating. As the daughter of a Christian minister who regularly employed such methods - sometimes at the dinner table - to explain Biblical stories, it would never have occurred to me that such a methodology could be objectionable.
Despite the undoubted intellectual appeal In the Beginning has alw...more
Despite the undoubted intellectual appeal In the Beginning has alw...more
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Read in November, 2007
"All beginnings are hard..."
Potok had a gift for communicating the significance of familial and cultural relationships. Seemingly normal interactions have life-long consequences for his characters. You feel the pain of a mocking look or a bigoted sneer. You bond with the warmth of the common American sidewalk. A mother's song, a father's beard. Potok never puts you through too much emotional strain without giving you enough hope and courage to get to the next chapter.
Potok had a gift for communicating the significance of familial and cultural relationships. Seemingly normal interactions have life-long consequences for his characters. You feel the pain of a mocking look or a bigoted sneer. You bond with the warmth of the common American sidewalk. A mother's song, a father's beard. Potok never puts you through too much emotional strain without giving you enough hope and courage to get to the next chapter.
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This book was too similar to his last two (My Name is Asher Lev and The Promise) for me to enjoy fully. He traces the main character through the first 20 or so years of his life as in Asher Lev, but fails to create as meaningful of tensions. There are also a few places where he fails to follow up on some story lines adequately. The book, however, still invited me to learn about a culture other than my own and in that way seemed worthwhile.
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A look at what life was like for Jews living in the US during the 20s 30 and 40s. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be separated from family in Europe and have no idea what is happening to them. Also a sad commentary on the anti-semitism in this country during that time. Would give it more stars, but I find Potok a little difficult to follow sometimes (possibly because I don't fully understand the Jewish culture).
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Growing up we learn the belief systems and traditions of our fathers. At some point and time we must decide to embrace and make them our own or choose our own path. I didn't allow the religious and cultural aspects of this book to bury me alive or try to digest it all. I enjoyed the journey that the main character takes and his own self-discovery over time and with great study and effort.
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Read in January, 1988
Beginnings...we all experience them, most of us literally thousands of times during our lives. This tale about one David Lurie elegantly and thoroughly explores beginnings. It is less well-known than some of Potok's other novels (e.g., The Chosen or The Promise), but it is at least as powerful.
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I recommend Potok's books. They gave me a real insight into Jewish life in the US. I had virtually no exposure to Judaism growing up so Potok's books were/are a way to see it from the inside. I'm currently re-reading this, I must have first read it about 20 years ago now.
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I'm a lover of historical fiction, and this is a wonderful story of a Jewish boy and his childhood in America. Some of the book was a little dry, but overall an intriguing profile of a small slice of life.
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Read in August, 2008
I started this quite awhile ago and just barely finished. It is far from my favorite Potok books. The beginning is really slow. But I did enjoy the second half much more.
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
potok fans, those interested in jewish-american experience
A beautiful and baffling account of a Jewish American childhood in New York City during the Depression and Holocaust. Painful, poignant.
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Read in January, 2008
My son loaned me this book to read after I told him how much I loved "My Name Is Asher Lev" by the same author.
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Read in January, 1997
a good one for those of us looking to merge our traditions and faith with our education and skepticism
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i went on a bit of a potok binge last year... and it was worth it!!
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Read in January, 2004
I love this book. It is my favourite.
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