Through a suspenseful pattern of dramatic flashbacks the shattered life of Joshua Shapiro is reassembled. Now middle-aged, Joshua has overcome his ...
read full description
reviews
May 19, 2010
Surreysmum
rated it: 
[These notes were made in 1983:]. Richler gives us a jigsaw-puzzle - bits of a man's life out of time-sequence, but identifiable because of certain themes or circumstances, all eventually accumulating into the answer for the problem posed by the beginning (which is, of course, the end of the story): who and what is this man, apparently homosexual (but only apparently), apparently a recluse, apparently guarded by some very strange characters indeed. One of the answers is that he's a writer, and
More...
Feb 03, 2012
Troy
rated it: 
Joshua Then And Now is a compelling novel penned by Canada’s most intriguing writer. Joshua now is in hospital with broken limbs and a battered visage. Journalists are snooping around his house looking for tips. Joshua is a local writer, a celebrity of sorts, and there is rumour he has done something illegal, has had a split with his wife, and has been involved in a homosexual affair. Scandal is in the air. His father, Reuben, a former prize fighter, keeps the reporters at bay; he doesn’t seem c
More...
Sep 23, 2011
Will
rated it: 
I just reread this after some 20 years. It's good - well, excellent really - but not as good as Barney’s Version. In fact you can see all the themes and character styles forming here, right down to the same complexity of time shifts that BV has. As in virtually all of Richler's novels, it's from Montreal to Europe and London, between the 30's and the present (well, the 70's - that still feels like the present to me). I think the reason it is not as good as Barney is that it is too self-cons
More...
Apr 28, 2009
Andrew
rated it:
This book is even better than Duddy Kravitz, in my opinion. The whole book is scattered episodes from the life of Joshua, a man whose life has been a real Odyssey from a lower class childhood to fame and wealth as an adult. The scenes carefully reveal more and more information about Joshua's life, from the time his mom performed an exotic dance at his childhood birthday party to the time his wife was committed in a mental hospital. Joshua is an eccentric but believable character, whose story
More...
Sep 13, 2011
Jean
rated it: 
this book took me a long time to read. I found it was very hard to get into.
May 17, 2010
Leigh-ann
rated it:
I thought this was a much easier read than "Soloman Gursky", but at the same time, I didn't find it quite as rewarding. Still loved all the Canadian history that Richler effortlessly tosses in, and I was pleased with the ending.
Jan 18, 2012
Caleigh
rated it: 
There was just WAY too much going on in this book. Too many characters (all Jewish men of similar age, description and name - just to ensure optimal confusion), too many time periods, too many sub-plots. I'd have to read this book a couple of times to make sense of it, and I didn't enjoy it enough to try.
Jan 02, 2011
Niki
rated it:
This is a book that I struggled to not be offended by. That being said, the characters were strongly drawn & were interesting, but I didn't come away with the sensation that I had read something that shaped something in me.
Jan 31, 2012
Daniel
rated it:
A surprisingly jet-setting novel on the part of Mr. Richler...but he gives it the same humour, gravitas and attention to detail as he does to his well-worn, Montreal-centred tales. This one comes highly recommended.
Feb 04, 2012
Feb 03, 2012
Feb 03, 2012
Feb 01, 2012
Jan 29, 2012
