Yona Stern has traveled from New York to Israel to make amends with her estranged sister, a stoic ideologue and mother of five who has dedicated... read full description
reviews
Dec 29, 2011
Sam
rated it: 
Wherever You Go is a beautifully complex novel about three Americans in Israel. Yona wants to reconnect with her sister, a settler involved in extremist politics. Greenglass is an orthodox teacher but having problems with his faith. Aaron is a college drop-out with family problems who is looking for a way to prove himself or something he can belong to.
Leegant weaves these three very separate lives together throughout the course of the novel and builds up to a dramatic finale. I f More...
Leegant weaves these three very separate lives together throughout the course of the novel and builds up to a dramatic finale. I f More...
Dec 28, 2011
Judy
rated it: 
I have always had a fascination with Israel and the whole history and idea that Jews should have their own country. Trying to understand the seemingly endless conflict in Israel by reading the news never fails to leave me hopelessly confused. I've gotten much better results reading novels.
Wherever You Go is set in contemporary Israel, mainly in Jerusalem. Joan Leegant has tackled two gigantic though related aspects of the conflict in her short and rather light novel. One is the relatio More...
Wherever You Go is set in contemporary Israel, mainly in Jerusalem. Joan Leegant has tackled two gigantic though related aspects of the conflict in her short and rather light novel. One is the relatio More...
Oct 09, 2011
Hannah
rated it:
I’ve spent a good part of my day procrastinating on my review of this book for one reason, I simply don’t have the words to explain how much I loved it, but I’m going to do my best.
When I first read the description of Wherever You Go, it was instantly a book that I wanted to read. When I first sat down with it, my intention was to read the first few chapters to see how things are. In fact, I ended up not putting the book down for hours. Between the characters, the story, and Leegant’ More...
When I first read the description of Wherever You Go, it was instantly a book that I wanted to read. When I first sat down with it, my intention was to read the first few chapters to see how things are. In fact, I ended up not putting the book down for hours. Between the characters, the story, and Leegant’ More...
Sep 01, 2011
Pam
rated it:
http://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/2011/...
Some places are a melting pot but the eternally combustible sands of the middle east could better be described as a pressure cooker. Under the desert sun in Israel, three lives bake and squirm amidst a stronger power in Joan Leegant’s Wherever You Go. Yona Stern has come halfway around the world in one last-ditch effort to save an all but lost relationship with her sister. Mark Greenglass has jumped out of the hot pot, only to land in the equa More...
Some places are a melting pot but the eternally combustible sands of the middle east could better be described as a pressure cooker. Under the desert sun in Israel, three lives bake and squirm amidst a stronger power in Joan Leegant’s Wherever You Go. Yona Stern has come halfway around the world in one last-ditch effort to save an all but lost relationship with her sister. Mark Greenglass has jumped out of the hot pot, only to land in the equa More...
Aug 21, 2011
Kat
rated it: 
Yona Stern has traveled from New York to Israel to make amends with her estranged sister, a stoic ideologue and mother of five who has dedicated herself to the radical West Bank settler cause. Yona’s personal life resembles nothing of her sister’s, but it isn’t politics that drove the two apart.
Now a respected Jerusalem Talmud teacher, Mark Greenglass was once a drug dealer saved by an eleventh-hour turn to Orthodox Judaism. But for reasons he can’t understand, he’s lost his once ferve More...
Now a respected Jerusalem Talmud teacher, Mark Greenglass was once a drug dealer saved by an eleventh-hour turn to Orthodox Judaism. But for reasons he can’t understand, he’s lost his once ferve More...
Apr 23, 2011
Cornmaven
rated it:
Leegant packs a whole lot into this novel set mostly in Israel. She does a nice job of laying out the various philosophical factions that exist concerning its history and future. And the story is a typical many-characters-converge-on-a-pivotal-moment, but there's this piece of Judaic thought and wisdom overlaying the whole thing, that it requires the reader to think a lot.
The issue of how to ensure the survival of the Jews in modern times is front and center, but right there with i More...
The issue of how to ensure the survival of the Jews in modern times is front and center, but right there with i More...
Aug 26, 2011
"Aaron knelt beneath a shaky tree and slid his two gym bags off his shoulders, then looked back. He could hear them murmuring in the dark, Ben Ami's nasal whispers, Davidson's reluctant grunts. He wished they'd hurry up, wished they'd stop arguing so he could forget about their big teary drama and concentrate on what he was meant to do and let God or Shroeder or whoever else be the judge."
I have been tossing around how I was going to review this book for the past week o More...
I have been tossing around how I was going to review this book for the past week o More...
Oct 15, 2011
Erin
rated it:
In Wherever You Go, the stories of three Americans in Israel are interwoven. Leegant spends enough time with each character for the reader to get a sense of who each is and how s/he has come to be the way s/he is. The writing is lovely; Leegant writes easily yet with a sense of tension and movement behind her lines. The dialogue, too, comes across as very realistic, the sort of conversations you can imagine actual people having. I was hoping to learn a bit about the situation in Israel through t
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Mar 19, 2011
Rachel
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I'm struck by this offhand comment that an author in the AWP conference's 21st century Jewish literature panel said last month- she claimed that Heeb fiction writers haven't been able to write about Israel from a modern, American Jewish perspective. Clearly, she wasn't taking this book into account!
"Wherever You Go" tracks three very different American Jews who visit or live in Israel. My favorite is Yona- she's trying to ask forgiveness from her ten-years estranged sister More...
"Wherever You Go" tracks three very different American Jews who visit or live in Israel. My favorite is Yona- she's trying to ask forgiveness from her ten-years estranged sister More...
Oct 27, 2011
Jael
rated it:
It took me a little while to see where the characters were going with this book. But eventually I got it. The lives of three Israeli Americans with seemingly no connection in Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant have more in common than they know. In some way all three are questioning what they know.
Yona Stern has returned to Jerusalem from New York, in hopes of reuniting with her estranged sister Dena. Yona betrayed her sister in the worst way, sleeping with the love of her life. Dena had More...
Yona Stern has returned to Jerusalem from New York, in hopes of reuniting with her estranged sister Dena. Yona betrayed her sister in the worst way, sleeping with the love of her life. Dena had More...
Sep 17, 2011
Zoë
rated it:
Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant weaves together three individuals whose lives become entangled in the volatile climate of Israeli society. Yona travels to Israel to try to mend things with her sister, estranged for over ten years, a woman whose life has become the polar opposite of her own. Meanwhile Mark travels back to New York City, the place where he was saved from drugs by his faith, from Jerusalem, to give lectures on the Talmud, trying to ignore the sensation that what he is speaking abou
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Oct 01, 2011
Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published Date: July 25, 2011
ISBN: 978-393339895
Pages: 253
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Book Summary: Yona Stern has traveled from New York to Israel to make amends with her estranged sister, a stoic ideologue and mother of five who has dedicated herself to the radical West Bank settlement cause. Yona’s personal life resembles nothing of her sister’s, but i More...
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published Date: July 25, 2011
ISBN: 978-393339895
Pages: 253
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Book Summary: Yona Stern has traveled from New York to Israel to make amends with her estranged sister, a stoic ideologue and mother of five who has dedicated herself to the radical West Bank settlement cause. Yona’s personal life resembles nothing of her sister’s, but i More...
Sep 05, 2011
Audra (Unabridged Chick)
rated it:
This beautiful book captured me from the first page: Leegant's writing style is effortless, detailed, lyrical, and compelling. In a single page, she sketches the beauty of a location, the mood of the setting, a flashback, the present challenge. Set in modern-day Israel, it follows three Jewish Americans who come to Israel for different reasons -- reconciliation, escape, a desire for peace -- and while the story features some complicated back story (the situation with Israeli settlers, for exam
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Sep 08, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
I feel I need to begin this review by mentioning the fact that Wherever You Go is not a light read. Not in the least. I was mistakenly under the impression that this relatively short read would be something light and introspective. While the book definitely raises some amazing discussion points and questions, it is by no means an easy read. It took me a lot longer to read this than anything else I've read this month. Mainly because I'd find something I wanted to mull over and have to stop readin
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Oct 23, 2011
Robyn
rated it:
Wherever You Go is the first novel I've read by Joan Leegant. I'm a fan of Michael Cunningham (The Hours) and Julia Glass (Three Junes), and the cover of Wherever You Go, for some reason, reminded me of their work. After seeing this book advertised in a banner on the Goodreads website, I thought I'd give this novel a go.
I entered a giveaway contest for a copy of this book, and was beyond thrilled when one day I received a package from W.W. Norton, with a beautiful brand-new copy of W More...
I entered a giveaway contest for a copy of this book, and was beyond thrilled when one day I received a package from W.W. Norton, with a beautiful brand-new copy of W More...
Sep 15, 2011
Staci
rated it:
"He turned back to the terrible bed. It looked like the bed of a prisoner, the brutal metal frame, the cheap narrow mattress. He straightened the sheets, smoothed the thin blanket, tried to fluff up the sorrowful pillow, making it up as best he could so that if she ever came back, she would know that someone had been there who had loved her and cared for her and hoped that she would be all right."
p. 154
This is the type of writing where I can really lose myself in the story More...
p. 154
This is the type of writing where I can really lose myself in the story More...
Oct 16, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
* I received this book for free through Goodread 's First Reads
I was very excited to have been selected for a free copy- this book instantly appealed to me. I found the book very easy to get into. The characters are interesting and the author has given you quite a bit of background detail on each of them.
The three quarters of the book, I found fascinating. The final quarter of the book not so much. I felt disconnected from the characters and I didn't quite get the whole pi More...
I was very excited to have been selected for a free copy- this book instantly appealed to me. I found the book very easy to get into. The characters are interesting and the author has given you quite a bit of background detail on each of them.
The three quarters of the book, I found fascinating. The final quarter of the book not so much. I felt disconnected from the characters and I didn't quite get the whole pi More...
Oct 22, 2011
Jennifer M. (Books, Personally)
rated it:
Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy a book set in a completely different (non-American) place, and one of the things I loved best about this novel- and which sets it apart - is the setting. Mark Greenglass's story excepted, most of the novel takes place in Jerusalem or in border settlements. As a lively, diverse, complicated and often conflict-ridden place, Israel is a setting rich with opportunity for our characters to consider many facets of love, spirituality, religion, idealism, and extremis
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Apr 27, 2011
Louise
rated it: 
This novel alternates among the lives of individuals trying to make sense out of conflicts and the various philosophical factions concerning Israel. I found it an unsuccessful attempt to comment on the variety of Americans trying to find their place in family, history, faith and ideology.
The story's structure focuses on how the characters come together in a tragic event. It is a predicable pivotal moment making what should have been an exciting thriller quite dull and not worth readi
The story's structure focuses on how the characters come together in a tragic event. It is a predicable pivotal moment making what should have been an exciting thriller quite dull and not worth readi
Aug 23, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant is a beautiful story that follows several different individuals on their journeys across the globe as their stories eventually intertwine.
Please read my full review here:
http://lifeinreviewblog.wordpress.com/20...
Please read my full review here:
http://lifeinreviewblog.wordpress.com/20...
Jun 06, 2011
Susan
rated it:
I was disappointed in this book. The description sounded as if it might be a real barn-burner. I thought the characters individually were interesting and pretty well developed. The premise on which their stories merge was plausible. But the way in which they join was not well handled, and the ending was weak. Disappointing, as I said.
Jan 13, 2012
Tacey
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I would actually give this 2.5. There were parts that were well written, but I just couldn't get engaged with the characters. I didn't care what happened to them and often found myself getting impatient with the timing and flow of the the narrative.
Sep 23, 2011
Pmcdnld2
rated it:
Set in modern day Israel-thought provoking. A young American girl trying to reestablish contact with her sister, A Talmud scholar who is questioning his faith, a college kid who has failed at everything wants to join the "cause"- great read
Feb 02, 2011
Shari
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I liked this book about 3 separate but inter-connected Jewish twenty-somethings who are all facing individual identity crises and all come together in Israel. This is a story of forgiveness and moving forward even when it seems impossible to do so.
Sep 12, 2010
Amy
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I enjoyed the book, although the climax seemed somewhat rushed. The characters were interesting and well conceived, but the book is generally better written that it is well plotted.
Aug 30, 2011
Jennifer
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Aug 05, 2011
three characters lives you know will intersect but it takes awhile and not until part 2 of the book
Aug 09, 2010
France
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This insightful novel is about contemporary Israel and I recommend it highly for its detailed observations.
Sep 25, 2011
Jane
rated it:
Random buy and a very enjoyable read. Author paints a vivid picture of modern day Israel.
Apr 15, 2011
Alexa
rated it:
this was a too-fast read that never resolved all its problems. it was highly unlikely and not intellectually stimulating.
