The Hope

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre
Review: A rather mediocre effort by a great author. I had expected a sensational read and was found myself just entertained without finding a real drive to find out more about the characters. I do plan to read the sequel The Glory and hope it gets better.

Rating:
Summary: Great history, hackneyed fiction - but quite good read
Review: As a dramatization of history, this book was wonderful. One felt what it was like to live there through those very stirring times, and perhaps best of all, the historical figures become very vivid. Suddenly, the names one has heard of from the newspapers become very real and true and fascinating. I did not know Israel's history very well - and this is a wonderful way to learn it. Sure, it's not about the Arabs - why should it be? an account of Americans over the same years doesn't need to include Vietnamese or Korean characters.

As fiction, this is pretty bad. It does retain your interest - but it's clear that at some point the once fine fiction writer Herman Wouk simply became more interested in history than in creating great characters and situations in fiction - probably while he was writing The Winds of War. (However, he has since written a few good novels set in contemporary times). At any rate, suffice to say that the characters are cardboard, their emotions aren't dealt with in a realistic way - and Wouk doesn't really try.

What he does want to do is to create a very truthful yet page-turning historical novel that teaches us about Israel through the 1967 war's aftermath - it moves and inspires and is fascinating and makes you want to read the next page. The history itself leaps off the page. So no, it's not anything like Faulkner or Proust, Mann or Melville, but you'll still find it a very exciting informative read - and want to read it again.

I did!

Rating:
Summary: Good Enough
Review: Compared with some of Wouk's earlier books THE HOPE is definitely not as good as his other efforts written in an epic style such as THE WINDS OF WAR or WAR AND REMEMBRANCE. It also is not as gripping as EXODUS by Leon Uris but I still recommend THE HOPE to anyone who loves Israel and its history.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Wouk...Historical fiction at its best
Review: First, the only reason that I gave this book 4 stars and not five was because it was not as good as War and Remembrance and Winds of War. That being said, this is an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone interested in a great story.

The book has the backdrop of Israel during the early years of its existence. By following individual characters throughout the book, we, as the reader, get to see the many different elements of Israel's people and their actions and thoughts during this period of time. From the deeply religious to the holocaust survivor to the American Jew, we get the different perspectives of all who were involved at this period of time.

Of course, we also have classic Wouk, the militarey scenes, the love story, and the entanglements that individuals have with regard to their personal lives.

This book was able to give a more personal account of the creation of the Jewish state. There is no better storyteller than Wouk and I recommend this book to all. If you are not interested in the political and ideological background of this novel, then I would atr least recommend that you read his Winds of War and War and Rememberance which are similarly written books with the backdrop of World War 2.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT, A PLEASANT SURPRISE.
Review: I don't know why I was so surprised by just how good this book is or how great Herman Wouk is. Everything I have read by him is awesome. The events in the hope are unbelieveable. I thought i knew about some of the histroy, but the hope put it in a very enjoyable format and now can't wait to finish the glory.

Rating:
Summary: The Faceless Enemy
Review: I was quite disappointed in this work, expecting another masterpiece such as the Winds of War. It covers the history of Israel from the War of Independence of 1948 through the Six-Day War of 1967. Unfortunately, this read far more as a non-fiction work describing each battle than a fully formed fiction work. I think one of the main reasons for this is that the Arab viewpoint is never presented by any fictional character, only the public pronouncements of the various Arab leaders are presented. This meant that all the action is focused on an enemy with no face, no heart, and no body, so it is difficult to become emotionally attached to it. Michener's The Source did a far better job here, getting into the detailed history and motivations of both sides, and making you see how the current situational mess came about and the obstacles that are still facing the people of the region.

The characters that Wouk does present here are competently drawn, but they don't reach down and grab you in any emotional manner. He does handle the problem of inserting fictional characters into known historical events reasonably well; one never feels a jarring sense of non-believability in his situations or characters. One aspect that is well done is his depiction of the American Jewish society, with its unrealistic expectations and little knowledge of the true state of affairs within Israel. But overall, this work is not at all up to his prior standards.

Rating:
Summary: The Hope
Review: the hope is an exciting book that tells of the fight to make and keep the israel statehood alive. the book is not set as a history book like high school books are but a story.

Rating:
Summary: Epic Story set against remarkable backdrop
Review: This epic work by Herman Wouk takes place in Israel from the 1948 War of Independence to the 1967 Six Day War .Both remarkable testaments to the strength of the Jewish people and The State of Israel
We meet real characters who played a key role in the history of Israel such as David Ben-Gurion,Moshe Dayan,,Rafael Eitan,Yitzhac Rabin,Ariel Sharon and other great leaders
Against this backdrop we read about the lives of several men and women who are the key characters in the story:
Zev Barak-Viennese Jew who becomes an Israeli General and military attache to Washington
His strong and long suffering wife Nakhama
Yael Luria-ambitious and energetic blonde beauty
The mercurial paratroop commander -Don Kishote
The good hearted and religious Shayna Matisdorff
Sam Pasternak-the cynical Mossad supersleuth
Benny Luria the solid and committed Airforce commander
And Emily Cunningham-the intelligent and mysterious daughter of a CIA bigwig
The history of Israel during this period is traced in fascinating detail but the personal interactions do tend to be overplayed a little
Nevertheless the message remains loud and clear about the remarkable beleaguered and tiny State of Israel who continues to survive against overwhelming odds and the immoral machinations of the international establishment

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Novel
Review: This is an amazing novel. I picked it up wearily, thinking it would not be as good as other novelists such as Leon Uris or James Michner. This was far from the truth, this story is incredible. The novel tells the story of the beginnings of Israel right up through the end of the Six Day War in 1967. The one thing that I loved about this book, besides the stories being so vividly portrayed, was that all of the characters are so human. The reader can easily relate to not just a few of the main characters, but all of them. This is an amazing story, and I would reccommend it to anyone interested in a novelized version of Israeli history.

Rating:
Summary: ISREAL. ONE TOUGH NATION
Review: To be honest this was not the novel, I excepted to read. I was hoping there was (not to sound shallow) a little more "action." But it turned, out to be more of a humanistic and political look at the underpinnings of Israeli's fight for independence. And I must admit, I did enjoy the story and learned alot about the Israeli people in the process. I am neither pro-Arab nor pro-Israeli, but I do have a new found sympathy and respect for the Israeli people after reading this novel. Yes, I know the history of Israel, but I feel as though I now have names and faces to put to that history. I'm can honestly say I'm proud of the Jews who fought their hearts out, while the non-Jewish world quietly hoped they failed. It is sad to say that it took 3 wars, just to get some respect from the Americans. They're some of the strongest people I know, and being the only democracy in the Middle East,I'm glad there on our side.