Customer Reviews

The Same Sea

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Accountant Albert Danon lives in the seaside town of Bat Yam, Israel. His wife, Nadia,dies of cancer. Their only son Rico, leaves Dita, his girl-friend in Israel, to travel through the mountains of Tibet and finds himself sleeping with Maria, a Portuguese woman. Meanwhile, Dita, who has been cheated of her money and left with no place to live, convinces Albert to let her stay with him.

Here's a poignant story of one family, each member or aquaintance trying as hard as possible to establish control of his life. That's not always as easy to achieve as it seems. The novel describes, in both in prose and poetry, how several people try to achieve that end. The novel slips so easily from prose into poetry and vice versa, that even readers who are not particularly interested in poetry may not mind this writing technique. Although it's a melancholy story, it's also an intriguing look at how several people relate to one another and how their goals at some times in their lives tend to either attract or repel others close to them. At one point, the author himself shows up as a character! That is really an interesting occurence and a situation not oftened encountered in most novels.

THE SAME SEA is not hard to read. However, because of the style in which it is written, it would lend itself to being read more than once. For sure, it deserves to be read at least a first time!

I was blown away by this book--infused with sadness, longing and ache, all the while remaining a surreal, engrossing tale. It's very intersting how subtly Oz weaves his politics into the book, but never gets distracted from his character's emotional lives. A literary classic--this is the work of a master at the height of his powers.

This book is gorgeous. I disagree with the last reviewer who contends that Oz was too lazy to weave disparate strands of thought and expression into a book. Rather, I would suggest that each poem-page constitutes a ripple of consciousness, of awareness, of people and of Israel. I also think that the latitude this medium allows him with language lends itself very well to the story.

Approach the book with an open mind (prepared not to view stories linearly) and you will fall in love.

An amazing book. Spare language sprinkled as if jewels across the pages. We know very little about the cast of characters and yet they feel like family by the time the story is finished. I will be reading this book again.

This book illustrates the way in which a gifted author can use words to paint a world filled with beautiful and haunting imagery. Although it was initially hard to keep the story line straight, it was worth the effort. The language hovers on the line between prose and poetry and each section can stand on its own or be read as part of the whole. I look forward to reading more from this author.

There are writers who are great and write best selling books that never get close, close to there own work. I have never read a book so hard worked at by an author as this. Amos put all he had into this as if it were his last work. A person who can take a story from an accountant to such heartbreaking levels is evidense alone of a superior write. I don't know of any accountant or anyone who would be able to bring a reader to slight satisfaction over a number crunchers story. His wife dies, son flees to a foriegn country, son's girlfriend moves in with the father(remember he is the accountant).. You see, even I can't do it. The biblical Israel is profoundly painted, a cry for her future in blood chilling realism that brings deep concern to the reader. This book makes you live Israel, makes you live the story, if you want to be captured or taken away from anything molesting you, get into this book and escape. I for one know that reading it a second time will be as capturing. I have read another great adventure book about the future of Israel, from the beginnings, Moses, The Sword of Gideon, the prophets to Armageddon, must read especially in this new era of terrorism, SB 1 or God by Karl Mark Maddox

This is Amos Oz at his best. In the "Same Sea" Oz continues to grow and explore the boundries of literature and of the human condition.
His ability to synthesize prose and poetry is superb. He is among the greatest contemporay authors. He defines the relationships between the characters to each other to themselves and to the universe with grace. Beyond that he introduces himself as both chronicler and character without hubris and with grace. This is a literary feat. Many have failed at it. The best book I've read this year.

The Same Sea shows Oz at his working best: the perfect conjunction of form and content. Much like in his novel The Black Box (composed of letters written by the major and minor characters) The Same Sea is a series of prose poems, loosely arranged, both chronologically and thematically. Taken together, they provide a patchwork of detail about a half a dozen characters, along with a "fictional narrator," perhaps Oz himself (a post-modern touch) who also interacts with his creations in humorous and moving ways. The series of poems, like the sea of the title, are constantly changing, yet remain the same. Oz seems to tell us, human aspirations, dreams, and frustrations remain fluid and fixed for all. Importantly, this highly experimental novel is heavily influenced by the Hebrew Bible, and the translator provides some of the most important texts at the end of the novel. A master creation by Israel's greatest living writer, The Same Sea is a most accomplished work.

Amusing, appealing, with just a hint of an underlying deeper significance. This book will entertain anyone who can enjoy an 'out of the ordinary' reading experience.

When we get tired of fight each other, we start trying to understand mutually and unexorablly search for peace. Life is a chain of simple-day-after-day actions, but finally we come to love, as Leonard Cohen said once "as refugees". It is useless to speak of many oceans or seas, cause in the end we all share the same sea. As Carl Sagan once said "we'll all will end sharing the same destiny, good or bad". This book comes to simple things of life, with simple but powerful truths. Amos Oz has a global and positive perspective and remember us that we have more in common, that what we belive. A great piece of stylistic literature, refreshing and motivational. "Life is very short and there is no time for fighting and fussing" (Lennon/Macartney): we share the same sea and if the sea level grows, we all will end paying the price.