This book has a sense of humor that doesn't detract from the coming of age story that molds the story together. The worst kind of humor is one that isThis book has a sense of humor that doesn't detract from the coming of age story that molds the story together. The worst kind of humor is one that is obvious and ruins the tone but here it blends very well and when the story gets to the most serious parts, it doesn't feel contradictory or out of place.
The characters are also well written, rounded, without the narrator having whole paragraphs at times to explain who these people are and what they're like. The dialogue, one of the strengths of the story, is what I think enables this.
This is one of those "the protagonist is someone you despise but thats the point because the book has something to say" kind of books. Which works in This is one of those "the protagonist is someone you despise but thats the point because the book has something to say" kind of books. Which works in a way, but I assumed it was supposed to be funny? Maybe the page voice in my head just didn't cut it because i found the book almost not funny at all. Pages and pages of conversation about money can be tiresome after a time, and who owns what and who is more valued than who. The cultural perspective is interesting i agree, Jews in Montreal etc, but there wasn't enough of it to hold my interest. It was more about Duddy whining and swindling his way to get land.
I don't know why but the book never grabbed me. i do like tales of people who transform their lives, not in any inspiring, sentimental sense but more of a strong and unrelenting variety. I get it, Duddy isn't the greatest of role models, and he does push himself for his goals, but why should i care? am i missing something? The family is probably the closest I'll get to caring. The all male hierarchy definitely shows a miniature world where without any feminine influence everything seems to just fall apart.
i wanted to enjoy it more, I honestly did. i think maybe in another lifetime I'll read it again and give it four stars, who knows. ...more
This book has a lot to tell. If one is at all interested in psychology, loss, or what the inside of the holocaust looked like from the eyes of a psychThis book has a lot to tell. If one is at all interested in psychology, loss, or what the inside of the holocaust looked like from the eyes of a psychologist, I highly recommend it. It gives a person a fresh perspective on life and it's meaning. It is well written and highly worth the read. ...more
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