Amazon.com: The Hope: Herman Wouk: Books

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Herman Wouk earned his living as a scriptwriter for Fred Allen before serving in World War II. His career as a novelist spans nearly six decades and has brought him resounding international acclaim. He lives in Palm Springs, California.

Customer Reviews

23 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)

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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I suggest "The Hope" as a "must read" to be culturally literate, September 11, 2005

By

Michael Fair "Senator Mike Fair" (Oklahoma City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hope: A Novel (Paperback)

I frequently suggest "The Hope" and the second half of the story, "The Glory" as 'must-reads' for anyone who would like to understand where Israel is today in world politics. Wouk's other two great historical-fiction works, "The Winds of War" and "War and Rememberance", gave the non-history major a view of the history and politics of World War II while reading a fun and well-written novel. "The Hope" and "The Glory" give insight to the rebirth of Israel in the last 1940s and a feel for her tenuous survival since that time - again, while reading of interesting fictional characters interwoven with real characters and real history. As one who has spent 26 of the last 39 years in elective office and one who is a graduate level student of 20th Century political and diplomatic history, I rate Wouk as the most important historical-fiction writer of our time.

Senator Mike Fair

Oklahoma State Senator (retired)

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An exciting workmanlike view of Israel's first 20 years, May 17, 1998

By

dougrhon "dougrhon" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hope: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

Although not in the league of "Exodus" The Hope is an exciting view of the birth and early years of Israel through the eyes of four military men. The book lacks the epic scope of Uris's masterpiece but does a nice job of weaving fictional characters with real life characters and incidents. Unlike Exodus, however, the Hope manages to show the day to day lives of these Israelis and toshow them as people not larger than life giants. The Hope also shows a little bit of how backroom Israeli politics worked as figures like Ben-Gurion, Dayan, Rabin and Meir play prominent roles. Well worth reading.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Novel, February 4, 2005

By

Zachary K "Zack" (Montclair, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hope: A Novel (Paperback)

This is an amazing novel. I picked it up wearily, thinking it would not be as good as other novelists such as Leon Uris or James Michner. This was far from the truth, this story is incredible. The novel tells the story of the beginnings of Israel right up through the end of the Six Day War in 1967. The one thing that I loved about this book, besides the stories being so vividly portrayed, was that all of the characters are so human. The reader can easily relate to not just a few of the main characters, but all of them. This is an amazing story, and I would reccommend it to anyone interested in a novelized version of Israeli history.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Too long and slow moving
When I started this very long book, I didn't know if I would bother to finish it. I'm glad I did, but it doesn't live up to the writing in the "War and Remembrance" series. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Donna J. Runnels

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope rises to the occasion
Typical Wouk - excellent story - lots of detail - you learn much history in the middle of a well written story. First book of two - the second is Glory. Read more

Published 16 months ago by M. S. Lueg

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down!
The Hope is the epic story of the birth of Israel told as an historical novel. Herman Wouk is an outstanding writer and the book is a carefully woven novel of historical fact and... Read more

Published 18 months ago by D. Neumann

4.0 out of 5 stars The Hope & The Glory
I love both The Hope and The Glory for giving a wonderfully readable history of Israel, but I think that Wouk may hold to the polygamist viewpoint. Read more

Published 21 months ago by lori k

5.0 out of 5 stars It worked for me on all the necessary levels.
Some authors start to lose their touch as they age, but others just keep getting better. Herman Wouk had been both published and famous for many years when this book first came... Read more

Published on July 22, 2009 by Nina M. Osier

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, A pleasant surprise
I don't know why I was so surprised by just how good this book is or how great Herman Wouk is. Everything I have read by him is awesome. Read more

Published on December 14, 2008 by Jeffrey Roberts

1.0 out of 5 stars Extremely One Sided
Herman Wouk does a great job telling his story of Israel from the Israeli point of view, but it is a one sided viewpoint nonetheless. Read more

Published on October 2, 2007 by Chris

3.0 out of 5 stars a good read
The Hope is an interesting and informative story about the early years of Israel's history. Wouk's strength lies in his historical research rather than as a dramatic writer of... Read more

Published on September 10, 2007 by Brian

3.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable light Middle-Eastern story
I got from "The Hope" exactly what I expected to. An interesting tale backed up by solid historical events. Read more

Published on December 18, 2006 by Art

4.0 out of 5 stars Not his best, but still quite good
Herman Wouk is best-known for two works, The Caine Mutiny (which grew out of his service in the U.S. Read more

Published on September 17, 2006 by David W. Nicholas

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
That smashed elbow was still in a crooked cast after a month of repeated surgery, when Zev Barak emerged from a dingy reddish building on the Tel Aviv waterfront, into blinding noontime sunlight and a blistering hot breeze. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
parlor meeting, plane gate, army car, command car

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Ben Gurion, Don Kishote, Prime Minister, Tel Aviv, Zev Barak, Sam Pasternak, Old City, Los Angeles, Moshe Dayan, New York, Lee Bloom, Benny Luria, Yael Luria, State Department, Sheva Leavis, Christian Cunningham, Colonel Stone, Emily Cunningham, Middle East, Soviet Union, United States, Jewish State, Mitla Pass, Golda Meir, Seventh Brigade

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