Customer Reviews

Bernhard

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With each book of Yoel Hoffmann's that I read, I become more and more impressed with his work. He builds his story out of small vignettes - real, imagined, and ruminations on either. These building blocks are often crafted out of the very ordinary - a cup of tea, a widow's birthday dance, a visit to a hospitalized friend, a fruit seller, shoe laces in Bernard's shooes - yet out of these very ordinary observations, a life story is built.

In this particular story, precision is emphasized. For example, parenthetical phrases are given to clarify sentences that are not unclear; these device builds an understanding of the inner thoughts of Bernard without describing and without using an omniscient narrator ... this is only one example of the incredible craft used to build the narrative.

This books succeeds in portraying a recently widowed Jew in Palestine coming to grips with the death of his wife and the horrors of WWII - portraying the crisis in understanding of fact, causality, spiritual understanding etc.

As this is the third incredibly excellent book I have read by Yoel Hoffman, I am astounded that he is not better known. Add this to any must read list.

With each book of Yoel Hoffmann's that I read, I become more and more impressed with his work. He builds his story out of small vignettes - real, imagined, and ruminations on either. These building blocks are often crafted out of the very ordinary - a cup of tea, a widow's birthday dance, a visit to a hospitalized friend, a fruit seller, shoe laces in Bernard's shooes - yet out of these very ordinary observations, a life story is built.

In this particular story, precision is emphasized. For example, parenthetical phrases are given to clarify sentences that are not unclear; these device builds an understanding of the inner thoughts of Bernard without describing and without using an omniscient narrator ... this is only one example of the incredible craft used to build the narrative.

This books succeeds in portraying a recently widowed Jew in Palestine coming to grips with the death of his wife and the horrors of WWII - portraying the crisis in understanding of fact, causality, spiritual understanding etc.

As this is the third incredibly excellent book I have read by Yoel Hoffman, I am astounded that he is not better known. Add this to any must read list.