Rating: 
Summary: Great Novel. Great Story. True History.
Review: A historical novel which does justice to a modern miracle.
'Exodus,' tells the story of the Jewish people through the Holocaust and the creation of the modern state of Israel better and more accurately than most 'factual histories' written today. The book tells the true stories of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, of the amazingly good treatment of Jews in Denmark during WWII (which disproves excuses to the effect that countries--such as France--'had no choice' but to go along with the Nazi death machine), of the mistreatment of refugees and mismanagement of the Palestine mandate by the British, etc. The heroic struggle of the Jewish people to renew sovereignty on their own land despite all obstacles, is told here, not in the dispassionate, cynical tone of modern historians, but in the positive tone of one who knows his subject and is unaffraid to draw the obvious conclusions.
If you know nothing about Israeli history, this is a good place to start. If you have a background in the subject, you'll enjoy seeing all the characters of Israel's pre-state struggle represented, warts and all, as the heroes they were; and figuring out which fictional name goes with which historical one. Though the characters don't exactly meet up with the historical characters, a few have been mashed together into one and embellishments have been made to life stories for dramatic effect, the basic facts of the situation are there, right down to the former Nazi officers working for the Arab armies in the 1948 war, which actually happened.
For a fine, comprehensive, historical work to flesh out what one gets an inkling of in this novel, I suggest Sachar's "History of Israel."
Rating: 
Summary: Good solid writing--fantastic story
Review: This book was amazing. It conveyed some very important messages, while still possessing a lot of historical information and emotion. The characters are well developed and the book is written with such emotion and detail that it was hard for me to put it down. The ending was perfect, exactly what anyone could hope for after reading the book up to that point, and it was anything I could have hoped for. After finishing the book, I couldn't stop thinking about it, and it has had a great impact on the way I view the world, especially the current conflict in Israel. I would recommend it to everyone. It is a classic and should be read by everyone!Also recommended: CHILDREN'S CORNER by McCrae and THE THORN BIRDS
Rating:
Summary: A thrilling story
Review: I read this book when I was fourteen, yet the story is still vivid in my mind. Exodus is beyond a literary work. It is more than that. Historical sociological, philosophical in range, it challenges the reader to confront stereotypes, to see reality with another man's eyes and to judge fairly.
Even though the book started slowly, the pace ,plot and challenges intensified with the introduction of the Palestinian Jews. Still I will say that Leon Uris deliberately did that since he was writing the book for the international audience.
The pogroms in Czarist Russia are told, the anti-Semitism that followed the Dreyfus affair in France and Western Europe , which prompted the emergence of the Zionist movement are clearly spelt out as the motivating factor for the creation of a Jewish state. Even holocaust is clearly unveiled as the final catastrophe that made the creation of a Jewish state inevitable.
The book gives a good picture of plight of the Palestinian Jews under the Ottomans and later their struggles against the British in the mandate. It shows the complicated nature of the different peoples in the land, such as the alliances between Druses and Jews, understanding with Bedouin tribes and intra-Jewish differences. Israel's proclamation of independence and defiant victory against the Arab states seeking to annihilate is well written in this book. The characters that enriched the story are brought out to be so lively and natural. Ari Ben Canaan, his uncle Akiva, the rest of the Ben Canaan family, Kitty the American nurse who fell in love with a land and people she had not wanted to know, the angelic Karen, the rebellious, Dov, David and a host of other characters made the plot rich.
However, what struck me about this novel of close to five decades is the author's presentation of the Palestinian refugee problem. Their plight hasn't changed. Who is responsible in a world where so much has changed? What is the solution? I think that while Israel must act in good faith for peace in the Middle East, the Arab States should accept responsibilities too for the refugee problem. The answer is approach. How to approach a tragedy with the intention to heal. I read DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE and was inspired by the people's approach to human disasters. South Africa is another good example Also recommend DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE
Rating:
Summary: A riveting tale that blends history into a story
Review: Exodus is the epitome of historical fiction, telling the profoundly moving tale of the experience of one family and one nation as they find themselves over the course of a half century. It is the epic tale of the creation of Israel, one that explores the minutest tale of this fascinating history and places upon it, a human face with which everyone can sympathize. For those who enjoyed this book, I recommend the Hajj (also by Uris) for the Palestinian perspective!
Rating:
Summary: A bestseller that changed the world
Review: This is a book that changed many people's lives. It inspired hundreds of thousands of Jews from all over the world to come and live in Israel.
It tells in a most moving way the historical struggle of the Jewish people .It tells of their suffering through the ages. The heart of the work however is on the period involving the establishment of , and struggle for Independance of the State of Israel.
Uris writes a moving story of the heroes involved in the struggle, mixing fictional and historical elements. He is a great storyteller and also a good creator of character. And the book is exciting, interesting and moving all at once.
I strongly recommend it for all those who wish to know something about the establishment of the state of Israel. I also recommend it to those who are simply interested in reading a very pleasurable and moving work.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining read decades after it was written
Review: Leon Uris is most famous for having written this book. It may not be his best, but it is an engaging and entertaining read decades after it was first published. The book, an adventure, set during the years between WW2 and the founding of the State of Israel. The book opens with a daring escape from a Displaced Persons camp on Cyprus. The British authorities, after the war, curtailed immigration to Palestine so as to not inflame the Arab populace. Jewish refugees fleeing Europe were put into DP camps since nobody wanted the refugees. From there we dive into the personal histories of the main characters. The story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is absolutely gripping. The horrors of the Holocaust are laid bare. This had to have been truly shocking to your average middle class American when the book came out. The characters, other than Dov Landau and Karen Hansen, are somewhat wooden and stereotypical. It is as if the historical circumstances are dramatic enough and the characters are there to propel the story along.
Rating:
Summary: A stirring story
Review: It's been years since I first read this book, and I have read it several times since. Oddly, I don't think it's even particularly well-written. I think the plot is a bit disjointed, the writing uneven. However it tells such a stirring story that I love it anyway. I've always been half in love with Ari Ben Canaan.
There is a bittersweet feeling about this book too, these days, 50 years after the events in the novel - when one looks at the current situation in the middle east. However I think this is a rousing read about the founding of Israel. I think it's a good book. With a couple more re-writes and tighter editing it could have been a great book.
Rating:
Summary: An opinion-shaping book.
Review: "Exodus" isn't perfect. The characters are rather
stereotypical. I think Herman Wouk is a better author.
But I found "Exodus" at just the right time in my life
for its message, I guess. One has to remember it IS
historical fiction, and one might describe some of it as
propaganda, but it is powerful. He is sympathetic to the
Palestinian Arabs, used as pawns by the
Arab governments, who
are the main villains of the story
though they don't come off as heroic as the Israelis....I can live with all the
characterizations.
Rating: 
Summary: Harry Potter was better
Review: The book Exodus is a fabulous introductory text about the history of the founding of the state of Israel. It tells the story of the people and places that made Israel what it is today. Leon Uris weaves several amazing stories into a historical fiction with some of the most descriptive, evocative literature ever written. Exodus is not a story of only one person. Uris was able to interlace the stories of several different characters into a common time and place while still developing each character very well. The novel itself, was surprisingly accurate, almost every event mentioned occurred when it was listed and happened as Uris described it. Maybe that's why Uris himself spent years researching his tale. I particularly liked the book for several reasons. First, Mr. Uris wrote the book from the standpoint of several different characters, which allows the reader to develop several different opinions about the events taking place. Second, because there are so many characters, there are more heart stopping moments, moments when you laugh or cry. Finally, Leon Uris' imagination allowed for the characters within the story of Israel have a story all there own which is at least as heart pounding as the story of their homeland. Exodus is truly a must read for those who know little about the foundation of the modern state of Israel and would like to learn more. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
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