Customer Reviews

Almost Perfect Moment, An: A Novel

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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."

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!

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.

I could be a bit biased because I live near the location of this book, but I thought Binnie Kirshenbaum was very successful in giving this book the "feel" of a Jewish neighborhood in the 70s. I enjoyed the relationship of Miriam's friends. I found the storyline incredibly interesting, and I definitely didn't find the ending predictable.

I really enjoyed it!

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.

This novel immediately reels you in, but throughout the whole novel you'll wish you knew more about the characters. The novel lets you into the minds of Beth, Joanne, Mr. Woleski, Miriam, and Valentine, the main character(among other people). And interestingly enough, you find out the least amount of information on Valentine, which seems odd because the story revolves around her. As a result I found the novel somewhat of a dissapointment. However, at least I wasn't suprised by the novel's ambiguous ending. And of course this novel was beautifully written, and the characters are enticing and relatable but sometimes that's just not enough.

In my list of favorite authors, little known Binnie Kirshenbaum has inched her way to the top.

Kirshenbaum is a professor of fiction writing at Columbia University, and her writing was revealed to me by a total fluke. A year ago, a friend gave me her novel "Pure Poetry," and I have been hooked ever since. I am a Kirshenbaum addict.

Judaism is an ever present theme in her novels, and she often addresses the interaction between modern day Jews and modern day Germans. Incidentally, she has a huge following in Germany, where she is far better known (Move over David Hassellhoff, the Germans have a new love). Her books have a unique blend of humor, philosophy and sexuality that make her storytelling at once thoroughly engaging and deeply in tune with the human condition.

Her latest novel, "An Almost Perfect Moment" is a huge departure from her previous work, and for this reason I was a little apprehensive. She retains the Judaism, but moves away from the Jews and Germans and instead examines the life of a Jewish teenager from Brooklyn in the 1970s. She also completely switches narrative styles. I am very familiar with her first-person introspective narratives, and when I realized this novel was written entirely in the third-person, I wasn't sure what to make of it. However, as I kept reading, I became of the belief that this book is the best piece of Naturalistic fiction I have ever read.

The story follows Valentine Kessler, a Jewish girl growing up in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn in the 1970s. Valentine is the identical image of the Virgin Mary, and as time progresses she develops a profound fascination with the Catholic faith, something she keeps hidden (along with most of her other feelings) from her mother. Her formerly buxom and currently obese single mother Miriam does everything she can to make her daughter have a normal life. She relies entirely on the sagacious wisdom of her Mah Jongg partners and dearest friends, three women who are part Linda Richman, part Greek Chorus. Valentine is enigmatic and beautiful, and enchants most everyone she knows, including her math teacher John Wosileski. The story follows a year in her life, a life far different and yet oddly similar to that of any teenager.

The most wonderful thing about this novel is its elegant mix of Judaism and Catholicism. Kirshenbaum takes care to contrast and compare the religions beautifully, and the recurring symbolism of the Virgin Mary through the young Jewish protagonist is simply captivating. Also, by taking a step back into omniscient narrative, Kirshenbaum lets us see for ourselves into the lives of all the characters. She occasional sets up little glimpses into the background of even the unimportant characters, a technique which really adds atmosphere and dimension to the novel as a whole.

"An Almost Perfect Moment" is an absolutely perfect example of literary genius. Everything about it is fresh and unique, and the story is simply mesmerizing. By taking a step outside her main characters, Kirshenbaum lets us see even more deeply into their inner being. I strongly recommend this novel to anyone intrigued by the human spirit.

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!

binnie kirshenbaum is my favorite writer. she is amazing. her work is the funniest and saddest i've ever read, and this book is her best yet. the way she tells the story of these very ordinary people is hilarious. you can hear the brooklyn accent throughout but time and time again the laughter was cut short when i realized i was crying. it's about love and faith and hope. it's all wonderful, but my favorite parts involved the two school teachers. they were everyone's school teachers and kirshenbaum reveals their hearts and souls with comic touch and a sharp knife. read this book. read all her books.

Written with a unique wisdom that I identified with on a personal and satisfying level. This book may remind readers that life in truth is in its plainest form cruel and uncaring; our only defense is the love we share with others. Kirshenbaum's characters' love, bittersweet loneliness, and regret create for us reflections of our own triumphs and moments of pain. While Kirshenbaum's narrative style is dynamic and easy to read, my regret is that the editing work left much to be desired; there are obvious, grammatical errors that will test the patience of even the laxest reader.