Exodus

Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK
Review: Exodus by Leon Uris is a gripping novel. This epic story is the epitome of human natures ability to suffer, to persevere, and to succeed. This novel comes highly recommended by me.

The Exodus follows the story of people. Not just any people, a special type of person, a Jew. The Jewish population has undergone numerous tyrants that have tried, unsuccessfully, to banish the Jewish population from the face of the earth. The Exodus follows these people as they return to their rightful homeland of Jerusalem. During the course of this novel, they face numerous obstacles on there road to the rebirth of a Jewish homeland. Even after the forming of the Jewish state of Israel, Jews are persecuted for pursuing peace. The story of the Israel is astonishing. I was quickly surprised by the benevolent and unselfish ways of Jews through their lives. They give all to their Israel, including their life.

The Exodus focuses on a few important characters. Yakov Rabinsky a.k.a. Akiva, Jewish extremist fighter. Jossi Rabinsky a.k.a. Barak Ben Canaan, brother of Yakov, Jewish conservative, father of Jewish politics. Karen Hansen Clemet, Jewish refugee in search of her father. Dov Landau, Jewish survivor of the German concentration camps. Kitty Fremont, American nurse out to look for a daughter figure. Jordana Canaan, Jewish sabra fighter. And finally, Ari Ben Canaan, famed fighter for the Jewish people. The Exodus has been the one of the few assigned reading books that I have enjoyed reading. The story of these people and their home is an example of human nature at its best. This novel connects with me. The story, the character, the settings, and the plots all are not fanaticized. Whether or not it these actual people existed is irrelevant. It is all so believable. The novel is filled with tragedy, but the common goal was something worth fighting for. Once everyone united and fought for it, it was achieved. And that I believe was the best thing about the novel, to see that everyone's unselfishness, benevolence and hard work came to show in the birth of Israel. The Exodus does have one downfall. The beginning of the novel is slow and somewhat confusing. The beginning of the novel lacks a common antagonist and therefore leaves you confused. Once you do get past the first fifty eight pages, the novel takes off and you can get quite interested.

Despite this minor setback, the Exodus was gripping and inspiring. Some parts of the novel made you angry, made you want to cry, made you want to fight, and most important, made you contented at their success. The Exodus was an excellent novel and should be read by anyone with the opportunity.

Rating:
Summary: Good book until you actually think!
Review: When I read this book, I was quite captivated by it and could barely put it down. After I finished the book, I looked up some stuff and found out how grossly inaccurate it is about its "historical events" and how prejudiced it is against Arabs and British. If you read it as complete fiction, then it might be okay, but it should not be classified as historical fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining book!
Review: Book given to me by Kevin Zwick. This is a very entertaining book about Israeli independence. A good book and love story. I also hear it is a really good movie -- so check this out.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books!
Review: Unbelievable! I loved this book--it is one of my favorite! I also saw the movie (w/Paul Newman in it), but I still like the book better. If you want to know a lot about this period in history, from several different viewpoints, it is a must-read!

Rating:
Summary: A Very good read
Review: This is most of the most fascinating books I have read. Being asian and with little knowledge of the plight of jews during the WW2( before reading this book ) I was pro arab. But this book made me rethink all of my thoughts onjews and the suffering that they have undergone.

Leon Uris takes the reader thru the birth of Isreal as if the reader himself were a part of it.

Rating:
Summary: the best book i have ever read
Review: this book was undoubtedly the most touching story and the most engrossing story i have ever read. i could not put it down. it made me worship the character of Ari Ben Canaan. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: emotionally moving and informative too
Review: Prior to reading this book I did not understand the history behind anti-semitism and its place in the World War. I come from a part of the world(Asian) where we were hardly affected by the Jewish plight. This book quite accurately describes the Jewish struggle to reclaim what they had lost and what was rightfully theirs. I agree with some of the reviews that Leon Uris' emotional involvement as a Jewish himself and the resulting portrayal of all Jews as heroic and all British and Arabs as evil comes forth. But why would it not . . . I'm not sure that anyone could remain totally objective if one's ancestors were treated by the world the way Jews have been. But more importantly he should be given credit on depicting the historical events as accurately as possible. To the critics, I would like to say that even if an iota of this book is true (and I believe its much more than that)its still a heroic achievement on the part of the Jews. I fell in love with two of the heroes .. Barak Ben Caanan and Ari Ben Canaan. If one sees the enormity of what the Jews have accomplished against all odds its not hard to believe that such heroes must have been in abundance. I am not a religious person but I can't wait to visit the land of Israel someday and pay my respects to this amazing accomplishment of the amazing Jewish people.

Rating:
Summary: an amazing story
Review: This happens to be my favorite book, it is so full of life and passion, and historically it helps you to understand the events that lead up to the establishment of the state of israel. it should be on your must read list.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: I started reading the book three times before I managed to actually finish it. I'm glad I did though. The story is interesting mostly because the events really took place, eventhough the figures in the book are fictious. The 'millitary' parts are quite boring and it's hard the keep reading through them, but on the other hand it makes the story more complete, it's not just an other story.

I do think you should read ths book, if you haven't already done so, for it is certainly worth it. And, if you are a bit like me, you won't keep your eyes dry...

Rating:
Summary: Rebirth of a people
Review: The book and the movie (it's hard for me to separate the two) have been an inspiration since I first experienced them nearly 40 years ago. Only the sneering anti-semite would deny that the rebirth of Israel was one of the great events of the 20th century. Uris' book is an evocative (and fictionalized) retelling of that period of history.

Now, that's not to say that Uris is great literary stylist, because he is not. "Exodus" is awkwardly structured, the dialogue is overly wooden, and Uris tends to repeat the same adjectives over and over -- check out the number of times he describes a character as "strapping" or "husky."

But those are minor quibbles, really. Uris is a masterful storyteller, and the struggle of the Jews to survive and build their own nation in the face of murderous opposition is about as gripping a story as you'll find.

A reader's reaction to this book really depends on the point of view he or she brings to it. Those who are fans of Holocaust deniers like David Irving obviously won't like it. People who appreciate the immense effort it took to create a new homeland for one of the most persecuted groups in history will likely find something to enjoy here. I know I did.