baggyparagraphs read and liked Kathy's review of The Slave:

"Once again Isaac Bashevis Singer' storytelling has arrested and spellbound me. I found this an intensely beautiful book.

Four years after the Chmielnicki massacres of the seventeenth century, Jacob, a Jewish slave and cowherd in a Pol...more Once again Isaac Bashevis Singer' storytelling has arrested and spellbound me. I found this an intensely beautiful book.

Four years after the Chmielnicki massacres of the seventeenth century, Jacob, a Jewish slave and cowherd in a Polish village high in the mountains, falls in love with Wanda, his gentile master's daughter. Jacob is ransomed, and freed from his years of enforced slavery only to find it succeeded by another sort of slavery that would last as long as he lived. He is stunned by the intensity of his passion and love for Wanda, and how it changes everything that he thought he knew about himself. He and Wanda escape to a distant Jewish community, and build a life while concealing her identity. Jacob is racked with guilt not only for the sin of marrying a gentile, but also for his life of ongoing deceptions in the name of love.

Jacob struggles with his religious beliefs, and recognizes that "We are all slaves. God's slaves." He admits free will, but also acknowledges powers stronger than himself. Enslaved by his religion and the expectations that others have of how that religion should be observed and practiced, he eventually comes to clearly understand that man's obligations toward God are easy to perform, the rules simple. However, he realizes that the essence of religion is the relation between man and his fellows. As is typical in life and the affairs of men, the relationships in this book are complex and compelling.

"A voice within (Jacob) called out constantly for Wanda."
"The truth was that since childhood (Wanda) had been expecting and longing for (Jacob)."
I was deeply touched by the power of Jacob and Wanda's profound love. I won't soon forget the emotions that Isaac Bashevis Singer stirred within me as I read "The Slave".(less) "