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Summary: nomi eve--a new wonder
Review: I LOVED THIS BOOK. MS EVE WRITES IN A DESCEPTIVELLY EASY STYLE, THAT IS REPLETE WITH ALLEGORY FOR THOSE WHO KNOW JEWISH HISTORY. THE SIDE NOTES REMINDED ME OF READING THE TORAH OR STUDYING TALMUD. IT WAS A MOVING NOVEL WRITTEN BY SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS ISRAEL AND THE TOIL AND TRADGEDY THAT IS STILL AN COMMON EVERYDAY OCCURANCE. SHE WRITES POWERFULLY OF THE VIOLENCE OF SENSELESS DEATHS AND THE HAUNTING TRADGEDY OF ONE CHILD. THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND OUR MANY TRAVIALS. HER WRITING STYLE IS SPLENDID--THIS BOOK WAS A JOY TO READ, I ONLY HOPE SHE IS AT WORK ON A NEW PROJECT.
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Summary: Moving Book
Review: I normally read mysteries. Thought I would try this book recommended by my son. I found it excellent. Very moving
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Summary: Eve makes you feel like a member of the family
Review: I really liked this book. Nomi Eve makes you feel like a member of this long extended family. I did not find the book boring at all, in fact, I looked forward to times when I could sit down and read it. I found myself wondering about the characters when I was not reading it. I especially appreciated the way in which Nomi portrayed the part of the family that dealt with a child with a disability. Having a child with a disability myself, I understood the fear, the doubt, and the helplessness. This book is about relationships and family. It is a wonderful read and I would highly recommend it!
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Summary: Good words, little connection
Review: I wanted to like this book. I certainly admire the author's research and use of language. She writes moving passages that make you feel you are there. Unfortunately this does not occur with her characterizations. Perhaps because there are so many I felt no emotional connection to any of them. The time spent with each generation is so short that you never get to know any of them. Since they were all mysteries,they seemed very much alike (the men and women both). Without any connection to the characters I found the book a great struggle to get through.
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Summary: Eve makes you feel like a member of the family
Review: I wanted to like this book. It sounded fascinating. It could have been great. Instead, it ended up being in increasingly dull romance novel. If I wanted that, I would have gotten something from the grocerystore bookshelf. Instead of a storyline or a sense of the rich history of Palestine, it resorts to graphic sex to keep the readers attention. And not even THAT kept my attention. I actually found myself groaning and saying, "Not again" and trying to flip passed it all. That was all there was to these characters. Copulating in various places that they "shouldn't". I would put the book down and the next night pick it up to read and not even remember what it was about. I finally gave up. That's $$$ I'll never get back...
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Summary: Ended up giving it away to Goodwill...
Review: I wanted to like this book. It sounded fascinating. It could have been great. Instead, it ended up being in increasingly dull romance novel. If I wanted that, I would have gotten something from the grocerystore bookshelf. Instead of a storyline or a sense of the rich history of Palestine, it resorts to graphic sex to keep the readers attention. And not even THAT kept my attention. I actually found myself groaning and saying, "Not again" and trying to flip passed it all. That was all there was to these characters. Copulating in various places that they "shouldn't". I would put the book down and the next night pick it up to read and not even remember what it was about. I finally gave up. That's $$$ I'll never get back...
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Summary: The intense physicality of their togethering?
Review: If you think this is good writing, you will love this book: "They kissed and panted and hungered at and for each other's skin--more, not less, fervently as the years went by. Theirs, they agreed, was an ancient elemental passion that must have existed, like sand, earth, and sky, long before either of them had been born. And despite the intense physicality of their togethering, both Esther and the baker always felt insubstantial, flimsy, oh so light in the presence of this passion. But this was not a bad feeling."
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Summary: Share with friends and family
Review: It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel. Eve paints vivid characters that you can reach out and touch. The characters experience the glory of everyday life from the mundane to the extraordinary, from love and sex to death and sorrow. Each generation in this family "tree" captures a different facet of this experience we call life. In addition, the unique structure of the novel is extraordinary. The interplay of narrative voices (reminiscent of Talmudic commentaries) reflects the interplay of voices in everday life. This reader appreciates how the author questions the notion of where truth lies. This is a "big" book, Ms. Eve has masterfully succeeded in creating a new way to tell a story that everyone can relate to. Tell your family and friends that they will be rewarded many times over when they read The Family Orchard.
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Summary: Sorry, didn't like it a bit
Review: Like a lot of reviewers, I thought the concept sounded interesting. I usually love this kind of generational epic, but this one, is really tedious. I don't enjoy the writing or the descriptions at all. The idea of her starting many of the chapters with an overview of her family history in her fathers' words, and then her elaborating was kind of cool...at first. But, after a few chapters, it was clear that all it would amount to was her father's family narrative and her descriptions of what the characters did in bed. Blah, Blah, Blah. If I wanted graphic sexual descriptions about people that I don't care what happens to, I'll get porn.
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Summary: Sorry, didn't like it a bit
Review: Like a lot of reviewers, I thought the concept sounded interesting. I usually love this kind of generational epic, but this one, is really tedious. I don't enjoy the writing or the descriptions at all. The idea of her starting many of the chapters with an overview of her family history in her fathers' words, and then her elaborating was kind of cool...at first. But, after a few chapters, it was clear that all it would amount to was her father's family narrative and her descriptions of what the characters did in bed. Blah, Blah, Blah. If I wanted graphic sexual descriptions about people that I don't care what happens to, I'll get porn.
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