Customer Reviews

Joshua Then and Now

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

 

 

I am currently reading this novel, and so far, I find it interesting. Joshua is a complex character. He achieved his ambition, and at the same time, he is dwelling on the past. It is quite unfortunate to see a character who has achieved what can be called "success" and at the same time not happy with himself. I think Joshua Then And Now is a funny book, and I highly recommend it for anybody who wants to learn more about the comic world of Mordecai Richler.

This book is classic Mordecai Richler:

His main character, Joshua, is a Montreal Jew who is opinionated, cynical and comes from a seedy background: and yet, is able to survive, become successful and marries into a well-off family that have their own set of closet skeletons. The story has many interesting twists and emotions vary from the serious, sad or sometimes, to the very funny. Like many of Richler's characters, there is a gutsy determination, a sense of purposeful indignation about Joshua that you can admire and identify with.

The novel is well written and easy to read and uses sporadic explicit language.This is sure to please anyone who has enjoyed other Richler books such as "Barney's Version" or "St. Urbain's Horseman". A recommended read!

Mordecai Richler definitely came out of hiding with the release of Joshua Then and Now, a literary marvel that made me roll in my chair with uncontrollable laughter. This novel has many features worthy of praise. First, Joshua's character can go both ways in terms of admiration: some readers admire this crude character while othere despise the man who is a mere image of Richler. Second, continual flashbacks to different periods and settings make Joshua Then and Now a page-turner. The novel also had its lows. It was evident that Richler took a shortcut in producing this novel as Joshua Shapiro's character was a reflection of his own. Also, the novel could have done without scenes dealing with the William Lyon Mackenzie King Memorial Society as this did little to advance the novel. All in all, Joshua Then and Now was a success, preaching audiences about the importance of moral and sound family values. Mr. Richler, your comic energy and satires will be missed forever.

This was the first Richler novel I've read and it was wonderful! There were characters and scenarios so well drawn that I could not help myself from laughing out loud. It is one of the few novels I wished never ended.

This book is definately my favourite out of all Richler's books. He uses his wonderful humour throughout the book. The main focus of this book is jokes. Richler has the reader laughing for the whole book. You should definately read this book!

Through a suspenseful pattern of dramatic flashbacks, Mordecai Richler reassembles the shattered life of one Joshua Shapiro. His father an honest crook, his mother an erotic dancer, Joshua has overcome his inauspicious beginnings in the Jewish Ghetto of Montreal to become a celebrated television writer. But middle-aged Joshua is not a happy man. Incapacitated by a freak accident, anguished by the dissapearance of his wife, Joshua is beleaguered by the press and tormented by the ghosts of his youth. A racous, opinionated, and tendewr novel, Joshua Then and Now is a memorable excursion into Richler's comic universe.

The novel is definitely funny. I had the strange luck to read it during my internship at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, which is where scenes of Joshua's infirm wife took place. Richler easily gets me to belly-laugh. BUT, part of his humor is based on homophobia. Joshua is mistaken for gay and his mother enthusiastically and misguidely marches with PFLAG. I think such humour is of the "lowest common denominator" variety. In this as in other books of his, Richler relies on gay people, or misidentified straight people for a cheap laugh, which I don't appreciate.The rest of the book is great and I recommend it.

this book is a most difficult read. it is almost like a history lesson. the whole idea of going back and forth from persent to past, made it a most trying excersise to read. if you are a casual reader from age 17 and lower; do not attempt to read this. this was the hardest, most boring and most challenging book i have yet to come across. read with caution and lots of time ahead of you.