2022/1 Discussion for Eshkol Nevo's Three Floors Up

[Jan]

This is the discussion for our first poll winner for 2022, Three Floor Up. It won for a favorite fictional Jewish hero, even though, of all the candidates, it may lack a conventional hero -- but never mind, since it's supposed to be a good book!
Enjoy, and here's the place to record your reactions and thoughts.

[debra]

Jan wrote: "This is the discussion for our first poll winner for 2022, Three Floor Up. It won for a favorite fictional Jewish hero, even though, of all the candidates, it may lack a conventional hero -- but ne..."
Was waiting to see what people thought about this poll winner! But no comments.... Read this with my book club a while ago... No heroes to me but was wondering what others thought....

[Jan]

debra wrote: "...Was waiting to see what people thought about this poll winner! But no comments.... Read this with my book club a while ago... No heroes to me but was wondering what others thought...."

Please, go right ahead, Debra. Maybe you'll get the conversation going!

[Melissa]

I gave this book 4/5 stars. I found it stayed with me after I finished it. There are so many "threes" in this book--the three stories of the building, the three tales we are told, the three narrators, the three "audiences," to whom they are telling their tales, id/ego/superego. I didn't love that some of the stories went unresolved (what exactly happened to the little girl in the first story), but we don't always get to know everything about someone else's life, do we? I thought the book was well written and I would look to read more by this author.

[Stacey B]

Melissa wrote: "I gave this book 4/5 stars. I found it stayed with me after I finished it. There are so many "threes" in this book--the three stories of the building, the three tales we are told, the three narrato..."

Do you know why most everything was in three's?

[Stacey B]

I won't give away the answer -
- I had no idea this book was made into a movie.
One reviewer said it was a bitter and powerful film.
Enjoying the book, I didnt get the impression the book was bitter at all. Each set of circumstances are told out loud. When that occurs
most people try to convey / communicate to the best of their ability in hope the listener can relate, validate and understand the emotional distress that has taken over. If we haven't personally experienced a particular crisis, can we actually feel the many emotions that come with it.

We have one post with the opinion of no hero in the book.
We also have another post that doesn't mention "hero".
Does anyone have another thought regarding a hero?

[debra]

Jan wrote: "debra wrote: "...Was waiting to see what people thought about this poll winner! But no comments.... Read this with my book club a while ago... No heroes to me but was wondering what others thought...."
Would not have categorized this as a book with heroes, but whatever......
Here's my original review:
Would give this unusual Israeli novel 3 1/2 stars. Kept my attention and definitely different than what I've been reading lately. Three different stories, each being "told" to a third party who is not part of the action... Actually liked the format but stories were a bit over the top. Each character started out in seemingly ordinary circumstances which fairly quickly unravel into anything but ordinary conclusions.