Rating: 
Summary: Jonathan Safran Foer, will you marry me???
Review: I have never snorted so much on the bus as when reading Alex's half of the book. I was less into the half about Brod & her descendants, although there was a poetic symmetry to it all which I appreciated- I was just too aware of Alex's absence. He's as endearing as Holden Caulfield & his li'l red hat with the peak in the back, just the way he likes it- & I fell a little in love with him. Ok, I had a heart-thumping crush on him and and remain a destroyed & quivering jello lump since I ran out of Alex to read. :(
Rating:
Summary: Jonathan Safran Foer, will you marry me?
Review: This is one of the wittiest books I've ever read. Alex's voice is beyond funny- it's practically transcendent. I could not stop snorting on the bus- and as I kind of look like Barbie this upset at least one adjacent little old lady. I've been accosting strangers, holding up the cover and begging them to read it, because that's how good it is (imagine italics). Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: Illuminated, Enlightened
Review: A comic, poignant, beautifully realized novel which tells the story of a young American Jew (with the author's namesake) as he attempts to track down the individual who may have saved his grandfather during WWII. He embarks on a journey across the Ukraine, using a young, ambitious Ukranian, (who communicates in a consistently humorous vernacular), as his translator and guide. Safran-Foer adeptly captures the visceral frustrations and the often misguided, but endearing sentiments of his Ukranian protagonist, Alexi. The fabricated biography of the young American's grandmother, which serves as the second part of the novel is equally well-realized, reading almost like an ontological fairytale. If all you think about when reading this book is the authenticity of its portrayal of Ukraine and Ukranians - you're really missing the point.
Rating:
Summary: Unclose your eyes, and find this premium and absorbing
Review: The Inuit may have dozens of Inuktituk words for snow, and Jews may have dozens of words for putz and schmuck, but in English we must have a dozen words for how good I found this novel. I really don't care about the author's connections, the size of the publisher's advance, or the critical acclaim of this novel. All I know is that I read the book and loved it. It was premium, carnal, and absorbing. Like the main character, the hero, I, too, did a roots search in Eastern Europe, so the book spoke to me even more through its parallel experiences. The two voices in this book are so good, funny, sad, and true. Yes, you may question what is actually illuminated, who is the Jew or non-Jew? Who is the hero? Or whether, like starlight lightyears away, are we illuminations of our ancestors past deeds? But stick with it, for the imagery and ideas in this book are too good to not read it. If your book club read Bee Season, Revenge, or The Red Tent, then this is a must for your reading list, since there is so much to discuss.
Rating:
Summary: Glorious, funny and heartbreaking
Review: I was just reading a passage from this novel over the phone to a friend and decided to broadcast my enthusiasm for this novel further by writing a quick review. Skimming through other readers comments I'm surprised at the venom contained in some, could it be .... god forbid, jealousy? This is a novel, some people will love it (I did), others won't, and that's fine, that's how it is with novels after all. I hope anyone coming to this page is willing to read and decide for themselves, I for one believe you will be glad you made the effort. And for those of you who are enraged by this guy's success, how sad. And Jonathan Foer, if you ever read this, congratulations and thank you.
Rating:
Summary: An honest book
Review: Is this book perfect? No. Bu it comes across as so honest. It made me laugh many times out loud, and it also made me weep. I've bought a copy for my father, because I think he'll like it, and one for my son. I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.
Rating: 
Summary: Everything is Expropriated
Review: ... from better, albeit less-known, sources. I liked this book better when it was called "See Under:Love," was written by David Grossman, and was a dark, original and brilliantly subtle work. The bravura reviews that heralded this book as it splashed onto the best-seller lists speak more to the author's connections and the inbred qualities of intellectual taste-making than they did to any actual literary merit. Is it awful? No -- but in large part because Foer has had the good taste to steal from the right sources, not because he himself has done anything particularly creative or insightful. If T.S. Eliot was correct when he quipped that "great artists don't copy, they steal," the Foer is, without question, a great artist. By any other standard, he's just greatly lucky enough to have had enough connections to garner this book some hype.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated garbage
Review: This is not meant to be a review, but a cathartic vent. This was among the worst pieces of nonsense I've tried to read in a long time. The NY Times review was so hyperbolic, I ordered the book rush shipping. And sent it back for return just as quickly. A major disappointment, as the premise seemed so good, and the parts featured in that review, as well. But, alas, the part was greater than the whole.
Rating:
Summary: Considering the press, a poor book--and mediocre regardless.
Review: I write in the wake of the feeling of being had. Look, I don't read what anyone would describe as a lot of contemporary fiction, but unless you're morbidly persuaded by media blitzkriegs I'd recommend that readers looking for the new literatteur avoid this title. The initial encounter with Alex's pidgin is certainly funny and deftly sustained enough to distract from its actual unoriginality (and, since its comic fire fails relatively quickly, its ultimate uselessness), but besides this, the book's main virtue, there's little to reward the reader's continued interest here. Although some bright and lyrical ideas occur every once in awhile, the elan of the story falters constantly. I found myself falling back on the hype that motivated my purchase to keep reading beyond page 150 or so (roughly half way)--a sure sign I've been swindled. Most of the supposedly "irreverent" (from Nathan Englander's cover blurb) passages are merely crude, and are usually insufficient to surprise the expectations of the general reader (I presume) or are incongrous with the characters' character. The convulsions of the chronological sequence seemed pointless; the magical realistic metaphors seemed generally gratuitous. I could go on, but don't want to sound too cranky. I only want to point out that there's probably no way we would've been sold this mutt sub-apprentice work unless, as is imputed in other reviews here and elsewhere, the author had the obscene connections to get it not only into print, but so prominently into print. Are the typographical manipulations supposed to indicate invention or attract or distract attention like some flashing marquee? Is it that the Jewish/Holocaust subject, homosexuality, and the annoying internal criticism pre-empts any external criticism and thus renders it market-proof? Who knows. I guess it depends how intense a light you like to view things with. And his next one could be great. But this little book has been hyped to a height it could only--and does--fail to attain.
Rating: 
Summary: Everything [might] Be Illuminated
Review: Yes, this is a great book, but it's not a 5-star great book. I look forward to the day when Safran doesn't have to prove himself (i.e. with a young man's novel). That said, the book is truly hilarious, truly well done, truly important, and truly touching and human at times. This last one's important. Too many books today are nothing more than 'life-is-fecal-matter'. Most young writers fall into this trap because it sells. But Safran has a sense of humor and humanity that I hope grow and step to the forefront.
This novel isn't the easiest to follow, so, if you've given up on Rushdie or Crace (or somewhere in between), wrap your patience and attentions into a tight ball and throw them at this novel. You'll need them, but the humor will make it all better, not to mention the incredible tale being told here.
In short, I hope Safran writes many more. I'll buy them. And have you ever heard of such a great title?
Buy this book if you like the following: good literature, wordsmithery, great human stories told artfully and intelligently, writers with the undefinable gift of grace, and/or a writer with a sense of humor about himself/literature/writing/life...
Lead the cynics (from the greek kunikos=dog-like) to heavy water tinged with radiation. A great read.
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