tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post5971813747492472291..comments2023-08-10T04:03:44.387-04:00Comments on This Book and I Could Be Friends: "All pioneers have had to get hard to survive. . ."Eileenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11058705381647529328noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-38006341832627834222011-02-06T00:28:12.288-05:002011-02-06T00:28:12.288-05:00I just finished this book and am working on my rev...I just finished this book and am working on my review. I loved it.Peaceful Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10265198438524420667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-78662872591184152832011-02-02T21:01:35.380-05:002011-02-02T21:01:35.380-05:00Emily: The relationship between Sara and her fathe...Emily: The relationship between Sara and her father really is quite ironic. They're so much alike and yet they spend most of the book at each other's throats. You have to wonder what their relationship would have been like if it wasn't for those oppressive cultural aspects.<br /><br />Sarah: Yes, that sums it up: there's a lot going on with this book and yet it's so simple and straightforward. I found the introductions quite interesting too, which only sharpened my disappointment with some of the actual novel.Eileenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11058705381647529328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-12763713591492207992011-01-31T15:12:08.050-05:002011-01-31T15:12:08.050-05:00I found the two introductions in my copy almost mo...I found the two introductions in my copy almost more interesting than the book itself. Yezierska seems like she was an interesting person. Thanks for this nicely balanced review. There is certainly a lot going on in this little book, for all that it's almost overly simple.Sarah (tuulenhaiven)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11007601900702081303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-75721978235717481142011-01-30T20:07:43.971-05:002011-01-30T20:07:43.971-05:00Excellent background, EL Fay - I especially apprec...Excellent background, EL Fay - I especially appreciated the links to bloggers grappling with the issue of Charedi men who expect/are expected not to go out into the world to work; those links were super informative & it isn't an issue of which I was previously aware. As I say in my post, an emphasis on the spiritual importance of study and debate is actually one of the things I really admire about the Jewish tradition, but it was interesting to have this reminder that, like everything, said emphasis can be oppressive when taken to an extreme (especially when it's restricted to certain sub-groups of people). Especially frustrating that while Sara obviously inherited her dedication to study from her father, he seemed for the most part totally unable to honor it in her. With the minor exception of times when it was convenient to do so.Emilyhttp://www.eveningallafternoon.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-65985555195472707982011-01-30T19:05:43.927-05:002011-01-30T19:05:43.927-05:00Frances: Yeah, I still don't think Reb Smolins...Frances: Yeah, I still don't think Reb Smolinsky deserved the sympathy he received, but my life is so totally different from Sara's, I don't think I can really judge. Interestingly, her relationship with him reminded me of the relationship between Al-Sayyid Ahmad and his children. I should compare the two books in my upcoming <i>Palace of Desire</i> post.<br /><br />Richard: You make a great point. <i>Bread Givers</i> is so autobiographical anyway, it would work great as a memoir.<br /><br />Shannyn: Yes! But I actually found Reb Smolinsky the far more annoying of the two. I think it was because his daughters had more options available to them than Al-Sayyid Ahmad's did, and except for Sara, they don't take advantage of them. So their suffering was completely needless.<br /><br />Wendy: I liked the prose style used here. You really got the sense that these people weren't speaking English.Eileenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11058705381647529328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-9703997866349292362011-01-30T14:43:41.341-05:002011-01-30T14:43:41.341-05:00This is a terrific review of this book - although ...This is a terrific review of this book - although it sounds like you enjoyed it more than I did. I found Reb Smolinsky so despicable that I struggled through the parts that he "starred" in (although I do agree his character was so over the top that he was largely used as symbolism in the story). I also had a hard time with the language in the novel - lots of odd word choices which made it almost seem like a translated novel to me (and my copy of the book was full of typos that began to grate on me). BUT, despite my criticism of the novel, I do think it gives the reader an original glimpse at the immigrant experience in America. I'm still working on fleshing out my review...but hope to have it posted by the end of the day.Wendyhttp://www.caribousmom.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-4346733826329243092011-01-29T21:17:52.110-05:002011-01-29T21:17:52.110-05:00Thanks for all the background information. I skim...Thanks for all the background information. I skimmed the introduction a little, but I'm glad to learn more about the author's own experiences.<br /><br />I also wanted so badly to "throttle" Sara's father for all his seeming hypocrisy and sexist opinions, especially in regards to his own daughters. He reminded me of the father in the Cairo Trilogy (who I also wanted to shake), except with a less interesting (to me) psychology.Shannyn (Libellule)http://libellulebooks.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-88585022332128654142011-01-29T17:12:17.620-05:002011-01-29T17:12:17.620-05:00I had a mixed reaction to Bread Givers on account ...I had a mixed reaction to <em>Bread Givers</em> on account of its over the top qualities and its all too obvious storytelling trajectory. I did end up feeling for Yezierska's characters and enjoying her use of dialect, though, so all was not lost in the end. Might have appreciated it more as a memoir than a novel--not that the author gave me a say in the matter!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-58152730435361735192011-01-29T17:10:27.427-05:002011-01-29T17:10:27.427-05:00You provided a lot of really great background info...You provided a lot of really great background info here that will be a real service to those contemplating the read. It did not work for me on the same level as for you but it was enjoyable. I found myself cheering Sara on at the same time that I desperately wanted her to shut up. Was also conflicted about the ending that seems to suggest that all of her struggling still does not free her from her background - a topic you address well here.Franceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12597485569740436880noreply@blogger.com