DAVITA'S HARP

Rating:
Summary: "Davita's Harp" -- Beautiful, Beautiful "Eye Music"
Review: A co-worker of mine, a roly-poly joy and delight of a human being, on the cusp of retirement, urged me to read this book. My first thought was, "Oh, Potok...'The Chosen,' 'The Promise' -- required reading for high schoolers, maybe a little dry and boring...." I told her I was reading a big, fat book and it was going to take me ages to complete (I wasn't fibbing; that was the truth). She said, "Take it. I guarantee you, you'll love it. Read it, whenever...return it, whenever."

Thank you, dear kind (wise) lady. This was one of my favorite books of the 1980s (and I read about 500 books a decade) -- I will never forget how immersed I was in the story, to the point where I lost absolutely all sense of time and place. As soon as I finished "Davita," I sadly returned it to her, for this book is a keeper. At the end of that workday, I RAN and bought everything Potok had written up to that point. They were all wonderful, but "Davita" will always be my favorite, with "Chosen" and "Promise" both running a close second.

I read everything Potok wrote pre-1990, and strongly urge you to read this author. But start with "Davita."

Rating:
Summary: "Davita's Harp" -- Beautiful, Beautiful "Eye Music"
Review: Boy was this a wonderful book! It was the first I have ever read by this author, (although I had seen the movie The Chosen many years ago when I was too young to appreciate it) and I plan to read many more. My concern before beginning the book was that religion was going to be presented as the solution to life's problems- our salvation, so to speak, and not being a religious person myself, I thought that would be a major turnoff- even though I knew it was also supposedly a beautiful coming-of-age story- my favorite type of novel. Well, this book did not disappoint in the slightest- not only did it indeed turn out to be a wonderful story about growing up, it was also a profound exploration of religion and the different meaning it has in the lives of different people. It is the story of Davita, who discovers how religion can help one endure during times of difficulty, and her mother, who many years ago had giving up her religion, but then returns to it- in a way that makes sense for her. At one point she stated, "Everything has a past. If you don't know that past, you can't understand the present and plan properly for the future." This is what the women did: rather than blindly commit to all aspects of orthodox Judiasm, they took what made sense to them, given their own life experiences. This was a beautiful book about growing, changing, and religion, and I recommend it to both religious and non-religious people. Those who read it will do what Davita and her mother did: weigh everything, consider the options, and in the end go with what has meaning for them.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging and beautifully written novel
Review: Chaim Potok does an excellent job of weaving the social and political turmoil of the later 1930's and early 1940's with the pain and difficulties of growing up. Davita's Harp is told from the perspective Iliana Chandal, a pre-teen Jewish girl, the only daughter of two Marxists in New York City. The description of the times and events is remarkable, as is the relationships within the Chandal family. I was also impressed with Potok's ability to delve into the psyche of an adolescent girl, struggling to discover her place in the world, eventually embracing Judiaism (a faith her mother had left, and her father's family disapproves of.) It really is an enjoyable, if light read.

Rating:
Summary: Oh What A Time It Was!
Review: Davita's Harp is one intriguing book. The description of the tensions that I liana Davita and her family endured during the late 1930's-early 1940's in New York and the entire Fascism vs. Communism backdrop is indeed very vivid. Davita's Harp illustrates what might have happened if Hitler was successful most notably with the comments of one of Iliana's classmates during recess one day. Potok weaves a very creative story that is both intriguing and believable.

Its especially interesting how Iliana Davita gradually identifies more and more with her Jewish roots over the course of the book in spite of criticism from her mother and some of her Jewish peers. It goes to show you that there are so many people who get so self-absorbed in their own way of life that they are impatient when a new person enters their world. In the Jewish religion, it is sometimes these people who can cause Judaism the greatest amount of harm. Over the course of time Jews have been so persecuted that we need to reach out to those who want to know more about our way of life. It's nice that Potok illustrates this point without being obvious about it.

Some of the conversation about communism is a little vague. It's obvious that Davita's parents are part of a Communist Group. However some of Jakob Daw's stories are a little odd for those mainstream individuals who never delved into the Socialist World. Some of the visions that Davita has are a bid odd and can be a bit annoying. However, one must realize that Davita's home life was far different from the norm during this turmoilish period. At least that is how I would attribute her daydreaming.

Nonetheless, Davita's Harp is full of vivid imagery of a controversial time in world history. Potok's many insights will hopefully be used as a tool for all nations to be respectful to one another.

Rating:
Summary: This has been my favorite book for many, many years now.
Review: I have read all of Potok's works, but DAVITA'S HARP is definitely his best. Not, perhaps, in terms of technique (we begin to see a bit of repetition in the work) but in his ability to reach beyond his own personal story and into the world just beyond his own. A wonderful accomplishment for Potok as a writer, and a book that can be read over and over and never become stale.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't stop!
Review: I heard from several people that Davita's harp was very nice and I found Davita's harp very beautiful too! I must read it for school and I hadn't much time, but I read the whole book, because I really want to know what was going to happen...It was a very easy book to read, because the english language was written easy...I could easily imagine in Davita, how she feels etcetera. You really must read this book, because it's very nice.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible--better than Harry Potter
Review: I thought I was in love with Dostoyevsky until I read this book and discovered I'm in love with Potok. This book, although slow in the beginning twists several stories and themes around the central character, Davita. Reading it is as if a million ink dots transformed into a hand which reached from the pages to grip your mind. Entertaining and moving on both surface and deep levels. I also enjoyed the historical context, including the portrayl of Guerica. Potok is a lyrical genius. This is a must read!

Rating:
Summary: Whole-Hearted Recommendation
Review: I've never wanted to convert so badly.

I've long been knowledgeable about the topics this books deals with: Orthodox Judaism, Communism, and the events leading up to World War Two. But never have they seemed so real and compelling. Upon putting the book down, I simultaneously wanted to embrace a life of Marxist journalism and Talmudic study.

I whole-heartedly recommend the book, and look forward to reading everything else Potok has to offer.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging and beautifully written novel
Review: Most critics that I've read often say that Davita's Harp is good, but not Potok's best. However, this has turned out to be my favorite of his novels, and definitely one of my favorite novels, period. It's beautifully written, with a sensitivity and bittersweet-ness that only Potok can create. Though it's definitely scholarly with a lot of dense subject matter, Potok doesn't make it over our heads. He was the kind of writer that seeks to make us understand without preaching, rather than to show us how much he knew, and the result is a lyrically written, wonderful story of the joys, sorrows, and trials of the human spirit

Rating:
Summary: thought provoking book
Review: What an amazing book. It was a little slow, and I almost didn't read it, but I stuck with it and WOW! It hits you like a ton of bricks about half way through. I found it to be a very thoughtful, critical commentary on how blind adherence to religion or political ideology can lead to intolerance and blind one to what really matters in life. One of my top reads ever, the ideas it conveys will keep you thinking about this book long after you finish it. A must for religious and non-religious people alike!