Customer Reviews

Stone Lamp, The: Eight Stories Of Hanukkah Through History

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

 

 

I loved the idea of this book, and the cover was gorgeous. But the actual contents are exceptionally grim and are written in horrible "poetry," each told from the point of view of a child ruminating about his or her gruesome circumstances. The result is writing that is both depressing and static, and the "stories" aren't stories at all but the stream-of-consciousness thoughts of a child over the span of about five minutes.

Unfortunately, the only attractive picture is the one on the cover, so not even the illustrations can save it.

Alternative:

Esther's Story by by Diane Wolkstein

Truly jaw-dropping pictures and a fabulous retelling of the story.

I found this book in the library recently, and after reading it last night, I went online to order my own copy. The author beautifully and movingly traces the triumph of good over evil through the centuries. The glowing paintings underscore the love of Judaism that kept each storyteller strong in the face of adversity and committed to the fight for survival. I look forward to creating a new tradition this Hanukkah by reading one story each night with my family.

The author admits that she wanted to write a "Hannukah book spanning the centuries, but hardly knew where to begin."

And the results demonstrate that she really didn't know much. I can't imagine a child in the recommended age groups being engaged by this book. Its eight pieces of "history" are truncated and disjointed, its poetry tedious, and its connection to Chanukah forced.

Some of the narrative makes no sense: why would a father "whisper" to his child the words of Rashi - the great biblical commentator - to comfort him after lighting a Chanukah lamp? Why, in fact, is the Chanukah link a lamp instead of the eight lights traditionally kindled throughout the ages? And why does the book end with the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin, in a brief tale in which the author conjures up the moral equivalence of Arab terrorists with the lone assassin who - she falsely informs her readers - was part of the "Jewish extremists (who)sabotaged Israel's overtures of reconciliation with its Arab neighbors". Ah. So Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria et al would be at peace with Israel if only it weren't for those "Jewish extremists."

It's a good thing this book is now cheap. It really is worth only the lovely paper it's printed on.