The Golem and the Jinni (The Golem and the Jinni, #1) in 2015 Reading Challenge [Closed]

Nov 01, 2017 ktouton rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: super-natural

I really did not like this book. I thought it was slow.

In my mind, this book was like the movie Titanic. It was an ok story. Then the love story starts and I start to loose interest. The more the love story builds the less I care about it.

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Jun 08, 2020 Bana AZ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Judge a man by his actions, not his thoughts.

4.5 stars.

This was so good! Two very different beings meet and entwine in New York City, the golem from Jewish folklore and the jinni from Arabic folklore. Chava (the golem) and Ahmad (the jinni) find themselves in New York City due to forces and circumstances that they had no control over. They have very different origins and personalities, and yet somehow they're drawn to each other and it seems like they're the only ones who can understand each oth Judge a man by his actions, not his thoughts.

4.5 stars.

This was so good! Two very different beings meet and entwine in New York City, the golem from Jewish folklore and the jinni from Arabic folklore. Chava (the golem) and Ahmad (the jinni) find themselves in New York City due to forces and circumstances that they had no control over. They have very different origins and personalities, and yet somehow they're drawn to each other and it seems like they're the only ones who can understand each other.

I really enjoy folklore, and this was masterfully written. It was very entertaining, but I do agree with some of the reviews that mentioned it was a little bit slow in the beginning.

I looked for review questions about the book because I'm a nerd who likes answering them:
(view spoiler) ...more

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Jan 05, 2014 Tanya rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2014

This book tells the story of two supernatural creatures from far away lands who come together in 1899 New York City. A lonely European Jew has the golem created for him to pass off as a wife for when he gets to America. He awakens her on the voyage and then dies shortly after. The golem tries to hide on the bustling streets and is soon found by a rabbi who knows what she is. He is surprised how humanlike she is and tries to get her to fit in to society.
Meanwhile, another lonely person, a Syrian ...more

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Jan 10, 2014 Michelle H rated it liked it

This was an interesting book, entwining myths of Arabic and Jewish cultures with the immigrants of turn of the century New York. Chava, a golem built of clay to serve a master, and Ahmad, an entrapped genie in a bottle, struggle with their inner natures and the flawed humans in ethnic neighborhoods of America.

I enjoyed it, and the ideas presented, but felt that it moved a bit too slowly to develop its meetings, conflicts, etc. and then wrapped them up too quickly and unsatisfyingly. Still, worth ...more

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