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

Dec 21, 2013 Jesska rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, adventure, owned, fiction, lore-myth

I'm very cautious when it comes to picking up a book that could be put into a 'fantasy' or 'lore-myth' type category... if only because there's a lot of horrible stuff out there that I've sadly endured. But this book completely encompassed what I consider to be an amazing novel.

It had strong, well formed, sturdy of will characters, which I consider to be one of the most important parts of a good book. I've read about too many characters who act in ways that they wouldn't according to how they ar I'm very cautious when it comes to picking up a book that could be put into a 'fantasy' or 'lore-myth' type category... if only because there's a lot of horrible stuff out there that I've sadly endured. But this book completely encompassed what I consider to be an amazing novel.

It had strong, well formed, sturdy of will characters, which I consider to be one of the most important parts of a good book. I've read about too many characters who act in ways that they wouldn't according to how they are described, characters who change their minds or opinions too easily, who would never exist in reality. But the Golem and the Jinni were both beings who represented what it meant to be a victim to your own nature and I fell in love with that instantly. These were two characters that when you stripped away the magic, fantasy, lore, and myth of it all, could really, truly exist.

I also greatly appreciated the amount of research that Wecker must have done. I'm a fan of old myths and lore and mysticism and she really knew her stuff when she wrote this. Everything was so well explained that it really, truly made these things seem possible. I was lost in this book, reading it for two and a half days and not really doing much else. I'm sad that it's over but I'm also so satisfied with it.

Something I appreciated was how these two characters were not ripping each other's clothing off every five minutes, thinking about ripping each other's clothing off every five minutes, or even heading in the direction of possibly ripping each other's clothing off every five minutes. I truly believed that they were in love, but I did not see it as a physical love. Which is refreshing, if at times frustrating (which I like).

I just get so excited when an author can make a book slow paced, all the while having you hold your breath, anxious for what came next. Every single character (and there were many) had a flushed out past, reasons for why they were the way they were, a unique personality with actions that fit into that personality. I just can't sing this book's praises enough. I'm so happy with it that I'm having such a hard time looking through my pile of unread books and deciding what to read next! ...more

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Dec 10, 2013 Jennifer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Up-to chapter 13. Really fascinating. The details are wonderful and the characters are well rounded. Compelling. I couldn't wait to finish it. The details made you feel as if you were there. You felt the fear, the anguish, the love. It was almost painful to read Chava give in to the wizard and heartbreaking to see her fight Ahmad. I loved it!!! I really want my mom, a native Brooklyn-ite to read it. I don't believe in spoilers ...more

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Dec 18, 2013 Maxie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Some books are wizards. They arrive precisely when they mean to. This is one of them.

It's a book about a lot of things, (community, immigration, religion, expectations, desire) orbiting the story of the humblingly deep relationship between two lost creations. Sometimes it's precisely how different we are that pulls us together. Sometimes the balance of opposing forces enriches both parties. Sometimes... It's really sad how often instead of learning from each other we push exceptional things awa ...more

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Dec 22, 2013 Claire Englewood rated it really liked it · review of another edition

By the end of the book I had surprised myself by developing such empathy for a golem! Rabbis will be debating for ages now the question of whether and how a golem could have more humanity than so many people walking around today. This was such a joy to read and so different in style from anything else I've been reading. ...more

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Dec 13, 2013 Jacob rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Golem and the Djinni is nothing short of astonishng, it reads like the story of a more experienced writer who, after many succesful novels has come back to a gem that has always been close to their heart.
The fact that it is the first published work of an up and comer speaks of great things in Wecker's future. ...more

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Jan 02, 2014 Chrissyj rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: these-make-me-smile-books, 2013

I just fell in love with this book- what a journey it took me on- thank you!

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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!

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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

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