Sunday The Rabbi Stayed Home [Import] [Paperback]

Harry Kemelman (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books; New Ed edition (1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140033424
• ISBN-13: 978-0140033427
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will the rabbi solve the crime?, March 22, 2003

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home (Rabbi Small Mysteries (Ibooks)) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home," by Harry Kemelman, is a fascinating crime story featuring a ... rabbi as its hero. David Small is the rabbi of the synagogue in the "Yankee town" of Barnard's Crossing. As the book opens the rabbi is caught up in a political power struggle within his own congregation. But the situation gets even stickier when a crime is committed and the rabbi is drawn into the investigation. Illegal [substance] trade and racial prejudice complicate the matter.

This is a really fun read. Kemelman has a very engaging writing style, and the smart, stubborn Rabbi Small is a marvelous character. There is occasional dated language ...but overall the book really holds up.

The story offers a really intriguing look at a Jewish community and specifically at life within the synagogue. A number of interesting issues are raised--the role of the synagogue in society, the role of the rabbi, etc. A good book not only for lovers of crime fiction but also for those interested in Jewish-American studies.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice read, worth more than 4 stars, April 7, 2006

By 

Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my 1st Kemelman book (I selected him from the Mystery Lovers' Book of Quotations). The author weaves considerable religious explanation & description into his fictional account, but in a realistic, sensitive manner. His books may help improve cross-religious understanding overall. However, it is basically a mystery and, the author does provide sufficient clues for the reader to "solve" the crime--though with a great deal of difficulty IMHO. I appreciate this a lot. There is a lot of infighting amongst the characters which I find a bit disturbing--though unfortunately it's probably realistic. The main character is a real find--I'd like to meet such a person in person. But, most of all, this is a fun book to read. Enjoy! I plan to read more Kemelman.

4.0 out of 5 stars Passover and murder with Rabbi Small, August 10, 2006

By 

Jeanne Tassotto (Trapped in the Midwest) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home (Rabbi Small Mysteries (Ibooks)) (Mass Market Paperback)

This 1969 story is the third in the Rabbi Small series.

It is springtime in Bernard's Crossing and the local Jewish community is preparing for Passover, children are making plans to return for the holiday and it is also time for the Temple Brotherhood to begin planning for the upcoming year. The Temple has been growing and has begun to divide into two factions, one favoring social action and the other preferring the status quo but both united in their occasional frustrations with Rabbi Small. These matters of Temple politics are forced into a backseat when some college aged members of the congregation are implicated in the death of a young man. Rabbi Small again rises to the challenge of solving the crime and sorting out the various disputes within the congregation.

There are tell tale signs of the age of this novel, the spelling of 'marihuana'as opposed to marijuana, referring to blacks as Negroes among others but overall the story has retained it's appeal. As always with this series the mystery is secondary to the characters and depiction of life in the Temple and the small New England town. Most mystery fans will be able to pick out the culprit long before the final pages but the suspense of how the various Temple issues will turn out will continue to keep the reader guessing until the end.