Bonnie Mosse

A bit of a slog, I didn’t like it at first but stuck with it. The cultural depictions of mid-eighteenth century Poland are fascinating, especially the place of Jews in 18th century Poland, but the focus on men could be off-putting, as women were relegated to subordinate roles. Throughout the first books the novel seems to have no plot, no protagonist and no perspective, except for the occasional entries in the journals of a character named Nahman, who abandons his wife to become a follower of Jacob. I often felt as if I was watching the foibles of humanity from above, a sort of god-like perspective. Jacob himself seems to be a fraud, immature, unwise and self-centered, who gets himself and his followers involved in escapades that result in unnecessary troubles, and he enjoys being the center of attention. The Yente character seems to be right out of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s magical realism tradition. If you want an engaging story, this novel is not for you: it’s no page turner, although it’s not at all dull either; however, if you’re interested in literary issues, historical flavor and quirky characters, this one is loaded.