The Golem and the Jinni (The Golem and the Jinni, #1) in Ask Helene Wecker

Oct 31, 2013 Sidharth Panwar rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

In times like these when there is an obscene amount of books being published, almost all of them acutely unoriginal, it felt great when I found this wonderful book. I felt what a child would who comes across a shiny stone alongside a riverbed.

I would be honest with you and say that fables always held a strong appeal for me. I was always more fascinated by the simpler and timeless stories than by the literary and complex works of here and now. And "The Golem and the Jinni" is a fable. In many wa ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Sep 19, 2013 Lena Barsky rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: for-book-club, read-in-2017

Upon reading for the second time, I stand by my 2013 rating of four stars!

I absolutely love the "finding humanity" aspect of this novel, and the time period is ONE OF MY FAVES, and hello I'm a sucker for anything Golem-related. So I think the thing that keeps me from a full five stars is how FAST some things in the book happen. E.g., in all of the Big Action Scenes I had to read through a couple times to fully get what was taking place. Or, a serious thing would take place (someone dying) and t ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 04, 2013 Shelly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A fascinating story of two mythical creatures who find one another in 1890s New York City. This was a riveting read and beautifully written. There's much fodder for finding symbolism, if you wish, but there is also a good story which can be enjoyed without the symbolism distracting you. I really enjoyed this and was sad to reach the end, though the conclusion was satisfying. I heartily recommend this book. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 22, 2013 Angela rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I did not think much of this book because of the title. It seemed at first not interesting at all but I kept seeing 5 star reviews of it so I figured I would give it a try. This is an unbelievably good book. I listened to it on audio and now think I will buy the print version and read that (and I almost NEVER reread books). I have read some criticism that there was not enough romance in the book but I disagree, I think this is a great love story and it did not need any frivolous romance to make ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2013 Sarah Cypher added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

As a debut novel, The Golem and the Jinni is an intriguing magical realist-historical crossover novel about New York immigrants at the turn of the twentieth century. The concept is easy to love: A bound Jinni, Ahmad, is freed from his copper flask in a Syrian tinsmith's shop in Lower Manhattan, while in a Jewish neighborhood nearby, a golem, Chava, finds herself master-less and alone. The two meet and form a troubled companionship, unaware that the only person on Earth who knows both their natur As a debut novel, The Golem and the Jinni is an intriguing magical realist-historical crossover novel about New York immigrants at the turn of the twentieth century. The concept is easy to love: A bound Jinni, Ahmad, is freed from his copper flask in a Syrian tinsmith's shop in Lower Manhattan, while in a Jewish neighborhood nearby, a golem, Chava, finds herself master-less and alone. The two meet and form a troubled companionship, unaware that the only person on Earth who knows both their natures has trailed them to New York and intends to use their power for his own gain.

Despite the simplicity of the central story--two immigrants meet in a new place and try to make a go of it--the novel is rich with historical detail and uses many points of view to encompass a layered storyline and large cast of characters. The story is sometimes unwieldy, and the many POVs bog down the climax and denouement, but it's hard to imagine how else the story could handle the sheer volume of world-building it has to do: Besides reconstructing turn-of-the-century Manhattan, it builds the world of the jinn, as well as the Kabbalistic magic that creates and controls the golem. The novel comes out to be a tome, but most of it is dynamically plotted and engrossing.

Part of me hoped for a deeper dive into the novel's potentially beautiful thematic territory--anything from the depth of the respective Jewish and Arabic cultures to the deep sense of displacement, beyond simple homesickness, that comes from emigration. These are present in the novel, but don't resonate as much as they might have. The Golem and the Jinni is a relatively straightforward story that covers a lot of ground, showing us a slice of Arab and Jewish history before the intense politicization of 1948 and beyond, when both communities were still fleeing Old World masters to face the same hardships and hopes in the New World.

I'd give it four stars except for the few places where the plot felt labored; for the most part, though, I really enjoyed reading it and look forward to more from Helene Wecker. For another inventive (but considerably more baroque) novel about turn-of-the-century New York, check out Mark Halprin's
Winter's Tale. ...more

Like · see review

Jul 22, 2013 Harriet rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Truly wonderful in all the meanings of the word! A delight to read! What an extraodinary first novel. How nice to come upon this oasis after a really long dry spell.

Like · see review

Sep 11, 2013 Mari Mendoza rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

After a year or more of still thinking about this novel: I changed my rating to 5 stars and am now completely satisfied with the ending. I understand now why Wecker could not show us more. It is because these characters are so unique that their joint path can only be left ambitious. It's like it's not yet carved out because they are pioneers on that path. Love it now more than when I read it. Below is my original review.

Original review:

I would rate this 4.5 if possible because I loved the narrat ...more

Like · see review

Jul 14, 2013 Maureen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved this book. Excellent- historical fiction about NYC in the early 1900's mixed with folklore about Syria and Jewish . COuld not pt it down ...more

Like · see review

Nov 05, 2013 Allie Mac rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Helene Wecker is an AMAZING story teller. This novel begins in 1899 and I felt like I was there experiencing the city with the main characters. I think a cool component to the novel is that because these characters are also new to this time and this place, the reader gets something of a crash course in two different cultures and how they live in New York at the turn of the century. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, historical fiction, or mystery!

Like · see review

Oct 18, 2013 Jennifer Doyle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

I enjoyed this tale of Jewish mysticism and Arabic legend...a golem woman made of clay and a jinni (genie) released from a flask forge a friendship. It was a story unlike any I'd ever read. There were some inconsistencies in the story, mostly I felt to make the story, so they were easy to overlook.

I listened to the audiobook version, it was quite well done. ...more

Like · see review