Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: I laughed, I cried, and I learned some Yiddish. I fully recommend this book. A fairly fast paced read, it keeps your attention. Really funny.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Everything IS Illuminated!
Review: This is a terrific novel for book club readers. It's amazing how different people see/read different things into it! The lead chapter is fall-over funny but you begin to suspect by the end of the next chapter that this is not going to be a funny book, in its entirety. In truth, it's mostly a sad book -- one that takes a some thinking about the characters, who they are, who they were. Don't miss this one, particularly if you like Jewish stories; it's a keeper!
Rating:
Summary: [insert witty play on title here]
Review: The plot has already been re-hashed and analyzed in the previous reviews, so I don't intend to contribute much beyond an extension of this popular cliché:You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll duct-tape your Safran Foer voodoo doll to a typewriter, dance naked around it, and hope that - somewhere - the real Safran Foer is diligently at work on Novel #2. And you'll be left breathless. Nothing more to add. I just wanted to give this well-deserving man/mind some Amazon stars. Buy it. Read it. Can't hurt, can it?
Rating:
Summary: This novel is worthy of many book group discussions
Review: Warning: The reading of this book may cause intense desire to join a book group and discuss --- gasp --- actual themes. In EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, the talented author Jonathan Safran Foer introduces the reader to the fictional character Jonathan Safran Foer, an American who journeys to the Ukraine in search of the woman he believes saved his grandfather's life during World War II. Foer is not the primary narrator on this trip --- that distinction goes to Alex, a bravura Ukrainian young man who turns out to have many issues of his own. Alex acts as translator for Jonathan during his journey, on which he's also accompanied by Alex's grandfather, their erstwhile near-blind chauffeur and grandpa's dog, Sammy Davis Junior, Junior. The odd foursome travel to the place where Jonathan's grandfather grew up, only to find there's almost nothing left. This forces Alex's grandfather to confront a past that nearly all World War II survivors are desperately trying to forget and ultimately leads to Alex making some bold decisions of his own. Back to the book group, though. More than anything, Foer, the author, is a fan of language. The skilled humor with which he presents Alex's passages (during which the Ukrainian's attempt at English slang and literal interpretation is harder to pull off than it seems) is amazing. Where else, in the year 2003, can you find a young man talking about how much he "digs" girls, or hear someone describe an effort to "KGB" on another ... err, spy? The book within a book about Jonathan's relatives combines the elements of magical realism and folklore into a satisfying story. When all three parts of the novel are combined --- Alex's correspondence with Jonathan, Alex's account of the trip and Jonathan's story about his family --- it's a compelling read, one that must be discussed with others to make sure nothing has been missed. However, there are some flaws. Foer's use of himself as the lead character can be read as a bit grating; just how cute can you get? The novel did arise out of Foer's real-life trip to Europe, so where fact and fiction meet is anyone's guess. Plus, it seems strange for Alex's epiphanies about their trip to take so long to come to fruition. After all, the trip has been finished for months by the time he finally reaches some conclusions. Yet, these structural errors are nothing compared to Foer's gift for words and original storylines. Throughout the book, it's tough not to keep repeating, "This guy's only 25." His talent for observation and dry, unusual comparisons keep the book buzzing along. And even if, in the end, nothing it seems is completely illuminated, that is OK. The book group should help clear things up. --- Reviewed by Toni Fitzgerald
Rating:
Summary: Haunting, hysterical and hypnotic
Review: "Everything is Illuminated" is not a book you will soon forget. It is a masterpiece of creative energy and of the unique vision of its creator. Foer has wrought a compelling narrative that strikes the perfect balance between its dramatic core and the humorous tone he often adopts. The writing is complex without becoming difficult or heavy, and even the relentless assault on the English language that comes whenever Alex takes over the narration is a joy to read. "Everything..." is the story of three very different men who embark on a quest to find an old town that has become lost and a woman who lived there. On the surface their purpose is simply to find the woman who saved 'the author's' family during WWII and to thank her. But there is so much more. These men are seeking identity, meaning, a purpose, an escape, and absolution. What they find is what makes this book a masterpiece. It was a close call to choose the best book of 2002 ("Middlesex" and "Life of Pi" being the other contenders) but without a doubt that title has to be given to "Everything is Illuminated".
Rating:
Summary: An ambitious beginning
Review: The New Yorker published a long excerpt from this book, and I remember that it blew me away: It was funny, original, and filled with sad portent. In the excerpt, the story is told by Alex, a Ukrainian in his early 20s who has been hired to work as a translator for a similarly aged American named Jonathan Safran Foer. Character Foer (CF for short) has a few scraps of information about his grandfather, one of the only Jews in a clutch of Ukrainian villages to survive the Nazis; CF wants to see if he can find out more. He and Alex are also accompanied by the latter's crotchety grandfather, and by an unpleasant dog named Sammy Davis Junior, Junior. Alex's English is actually not so great, and telling the story through his tortured, hilarious syntax is awesome feat, and a pleasure to read. It turns out that only about a third of the book is told this way, though. Another big chunk is a borderline magical realist account of CF's earlier ancestors in the shtetl, And a third piece takes the form of letters from Alex to CF after their journey is over. The three strands, and the three distinct time frames, overlap throughout the book. Most of the stuff done in Alex's voice is as entertaining as that excerpt, and at times is moving as well. The other sections are not as successful, and I found myself waiting impatiently for Alex's voice to return. Even Alex's letters to CF are a little distracting, because writer Foer (WF) introduces another plot on the relationship between Alex and his father. I suppose the recurring theme is family love, or its absence. But at the end of the book you can't help but wonder how well the pieces really fit together. WF often walks a line between a precocious wisdom and Hallmark Card cliché, and at times he stumbles badly onto the wrong side of it. That said, the book's critics are too harsh: WF is an interesting writer, and a bravely ambitious one. There's a passage in the book when CF suggests that humor in writing is a kind of retreat, and he wants to do it less. I hope that WF does not really believe this, because that's exactly where his talent lies. When he is funny, the story works. When he strives to be profound, the reader wishes he would wait to see a little more of life before trying to guess its secrets -- and be content with his remarkable skill for comedy in the meantime.
Rating:
Summary: Almost a masterpiece
Review: Everything Is Illuminated is an extraordinary first novel--a brilliant work of fiction. I sort of can't believe Foer pulled this off. It's an audacious work, completely over the top at times, but it always works to great effect. Even great fiction these days is pretty flat: it's great in an entirely predictable way. Foer has done something different. He's gone out on a fragile limb--in terms of plot, style, ATTITUDE--and he manages to balance there, showing off a bit, with amazing elegnace and an honest instinct for the emotional life of his characters, and even more incrredibly, the emotional life of his readers. He trusts his readers; you can't say that about most writers. This is, quite simply, a wonderful book. It has its flaws; it may have been overhyped. But the book and Foer are very deserving of high praise. He's a scary talent.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: I finally got around to reading this book, after so many friends told me how much they loved it. I had a little bit of a hard timd getting into the story, but then I did, after about 15 pages, I couldn't put the novel down. Everythins Is Illuminated is one of the most unusual and incredible novels I've ever read. Foer is both wise and entertaining, experimental and emotional. I'm still not sure, after finishing the book, how he manages to be so funny and so sad, while also being simply so out there, all at the same time.He is a remarkable talent, made all the more amazing by how young he is. If you like adventuruous books, then I think you will love this. It is excellent. I will be looking out for the author's next book; he is certainly one to watch.
Rating: 
Summary: Good manufacturing...
Review: Having learned English as a second language, the language plays in this book struck me as clever and well-thought. They made me laugh out loud remembering the mistakes I used to make when I was learning. I will never think again of sleeping without remembering the phrase "manufacturing Z's". On the whole, the book is a different and creative experience but it lacks fluidness in the plot and sequence, something typical of younger writers. The plot just does not flow smoothly at times. He also diverges off the plot on matters that detract to the magic of the book. A lot of issues and events do not tie together easily and I found myself having to go back and re-read sections to clear my confusion. However, the booking is worth reading-- it is funny, tragic and impacting. A lot to accomplish in one story. I look forward to his subsequent work.
Rating:
Summary: An Incredible Talent
Review: This is one of the best novels I've read in a long, long time. It's fun, intelligent, hilarious, poignant, and honest. That why I don't get so many of the sour grape reviews. Yeah, JSF got a lot of coverage; I heard about this book everywhere, as something you have to read if you love serious fiction. And of course I was skeptical. But read the book. It's the honesty that got to me. There are lots of fireworks, but in the end the other's sincerity shines through and carries the book. That and all the unexpected laughs. Anyway, I wasn't planning to write a review, but enjoying the book so much, and reading through some ofthe spiteful reviews on here, I just had to write and say how much I loved this book. JSF is an extraordinary talent, and I can't wait to see what he does next. This is a wonderful book--entertaining, thoughtful, hilarious, sad, and with moments of real genius. I can't recommend it highly enough.
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