Almost Perfect Moment, An : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Good for teenages
Review: it was a good book, but i must tell parents that it is not for young teens. the book has some very detailed sex, and words many parents dont approve off, if you r a teen then u will love it. some parts r boring and the book is a little confusing, overall i would read it agian

Rating:
Summary: An Almost Perfect Moment is a truly perfect book!
Review: This book grabbed me on page one and never let go. With rich characters and an intriguing plot that can be taken on different levels, Kirshenbaum has created a world that you will be thinking about long after you've turned the last page. Get your hands on this beautiful, funny, and flawless book!

Rating:
Summary: disappointing!
Review: This book had been recommended to me so I was surprised by how unenjoyable it was to read. None of the characters were convincing or endearing and I ended up annoyed by the whole thing instead of entertained. A waste of time.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read!
Review: This book was so spectacular...I could not put it down for more than a minute. I'm an avid reader and this book was by far, one of the best I've ever read. I really loved the storyline between the teachers. I will definitely be hunting for more of this author's books.

Rating:
Summary: very moving
Review: This is a true account of the human condition. The characters are neither rich nor poor, neither intellectual nor dumb, they're ordinary people - rather like you or me. And amazingly they encounter the extraordinary right there in their neighbourhood, a person that could be just a teenager full of illusions or a vision of heavenly grace. Man's utter loneliness and his need for the miraculous hasn't been portrayed better for a long time. You will laugh, you will weep.

Rating:
Summary: An almost perfect novel
Review: This is an almost perfect novel that reminds me of the Beatle's song, "All the lonely people.." The author allows herself inside each character, and captures them rejecting intimacy and friendship even as they long for it. The mah jong players love and support for one another is real sisterhood in the days just before women's lib hit Brooklyn. The anthropologists view of the 70's in Canarsie is humorous. Poingant and uplifting at the same time. Much better than her last novel, Hester Among the Ruins, which was also quite good.

Rating:
Summary: Draining and depressing
Review: This is one of the most depressing books I've ever read. I turned the last page feeling that the story described not a series of incidents in Brooklyn but the antics of a God who enjoys human agony, much as the God in Mark Twain's _The Mysterious Stranger_ [who cheerfully gathered people fleeing a burning building and then dropped them back into the flames to delight in their screams]. My family heritage is Jewish, Native American, Catholic, and Protestant, and I was taught by all these cultures that God is good, an all-embracing spirit who loves everyone and everything, no exceptions. Despite the fact that Valentine is a Jewish girl obsessed with the Virgin Mary, I found no love, mercy, or redemption in this story. I suggest instead _Snow in August_, a book that inspires hope, not desolation.

Rating:
Summary: An amazing read
Review: This latest novel from Kirshenbaum is truly remarkable. I loved the ways in which she writes about both the needs of the community and the problems faced by the individuals within it. I was particularly intrigued by the questions she raised, such as: What is the price of religious curiosity in a Jewish community? What must a community, Jewish or otherwise, do to preserve itself? This book was particularly enjoyable after having read her previous ones, such as "A Disturbance In One Place," "History On A Personal Note," and "Hester Among the Ruins." Instead of focusing on a single, first-person narrator, she writes about multiple, varied protagonists. If you liked her older work, however, never fear! Kirshenbaum deals with the same issues--guilt, sex, religion, identity through community--that are so prevalent in her earlier books, only shifts the focus to a smaller scope. Her voice, too, is still distinctive in its humor, candor, and empathy. I would recommend this to anyone; a really intriguing, enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: i loved this book
Review: what a wonderful read. i couldn't put it down and after reading it, i immediately lent the book to others who agreed - the author has an authentic new york voice, and her characters are heartbreakingly real. a true achievement. bravo!

Rating:
Summary: A Tour de Force
Review: What an engaging hoot this book is! The characters, the language, and the braiding of the narrative voice with both challenges comparison. The two funniest books I've read until this one have been Buckley's "Thank You for Smoking" and Bing's "Lloyd: What Happened." But these two were satires by journeymen writers. Kirshenbaum's book is comedic literature that masterfully captures personalities and behaviors way beyond what the other two, delights though they are, even attempt. Moreover, I found it full of surprises. Everything that I knew was going to happen didn't. So much for my insightful forecasting. And for those who become as captivated by this book as I am, let me urge you to also read Kirshenbaum's "Hester Among the Ruins" and Myla Goldberg's "Bee Season."