A Tale of Love and Darkness
2 journalers for this copy...
This is a book I bought from the Friends of the Library bookstorein Rockville, Maryland, USA, with an exciting upcoming trip in mind. :)
I read this book in 2005. (I can't believe I read it that long ago! See the movie based on this book starring Natalie Portman!!) This is what I wrote about this biography after I read it...
This book is intelligent, witty, heartfelt, appealing, and troubling. The author touches on many simple things of everyday life that make his life story unique and have affected his writing. With his superb prose, he puts readers in his own situation thereby giving a sense of what it must have felt like to live the life of Amos Oz. There are precious reminiscences, my favorite being his parents and himself on the one phone line from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv simply giving a weekly hello to relatives. He relates what it was like to celebrate the night of Israel’s Independence, what it was like to be ushered out of an auditorium after he had laughed at Menachem Begin’s use of the word “to arm”, how in awe he felt to be in the presence of David Ben Gurion, his deep shame at having caused harm to a young Arab boy, and how he became aware of his own political leanings. He also opened his soul in revealing the pain of his mother’s illness and then his loss of her.
I love Oz’s writing. It’s very passionate, but often in a very understated way. This is a truly special book. Enjoy it.
I read this book in 2005. (I can't believe I read it that long ago! See the movie based on this book starring Natalie Portman!!) This is what I wrote about this biography after I read it...
This book is intelligent, witty, heartfelt, appealing, and troubling. The author touches on many simple things of everyday life that make his life story unique and have affected his writing. With his superb prose, he puts readers in his own situation thereby giving a sense of what it must have felt like to live the life of Amos Oz. There are precious reminiscences, my favorite being his parents and himself on the one phone line from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv simply giving a weekly hello to relatives. He relates what it was like to celebrate the night of Israel’s Independence, what it was like to be ushered out of an auditorium after he had laughed at Menachem Begin’s use of the word “to arm”, how in awe he felt to be in the presence of David Ben Gurion, his deep shame at having caused harm to a young Arab boy, and how he became aware of his own political leanings. He also opened his soul in revealing the pain of his mother’s illness and then his loss of her.
I love Oz’s writing. It’s very passionate, but often in a very understated way. This is a truly special book. Enjoy it.
Thank you for this book, SquaekyChu. I own a few Oz books but have not yet read them. After such a glowing review, I look forward to reading this one.
