Book Overview
The first volume in Allen Hoffman's critically acclaimed series, Small Worlds takes place in 1903 and introduces the wondrous rebbe of Krimsk--a small Hasidic settlement in Eastern Europe. Secluded in his study for the past five years, the beloved rebbe suddenly emerges on the eve of Tisha B'Av, the holiday for commemorating the destruction of the holy temple in Jerusalem. His congregants are overjoyed to see him, but their joy is to be short-lived, for this holiday at the dawn of the twentieth century will be marked by strange and momentous events that will change their lives forever.
Small Worlds is the first in a series of novels concerning the people of Krimsk and their descendants in America, Poland, Russia, and Israel. In each volume Allen Hoffman draws on his deep knowledge of Jewish religion and history to evoke the small worlds his characters inhabit.
Echoes of Jewish literary tradition can be heard in Small Worlds, especially the mystical realism of Isaac Bashevis Singer and the poignant humor of Sholom Aleichem, on whose tales Fiddler on the Roof is based.
Small Worlds is the first in a series of novels concerning the people of Krimsk and their descendants in America, Poland, Russia, and Israel. In each volume Allen Hoffman draws on his deep knowledge of Jewish religion and history to evoke the small worlds his characters inhabit.
Echoes of Jewish literary tradition can be heard in Small Worlds, especially the mystical realism of Isaac Bashevis Singer and the poignant humor of Sholom Aleichem, on whose tales Fiddler on the Roof is based.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0789205823
ISBN13:9780789205827
Release Date:May 1999
Publisher:Abbeville Press
Length:280 Pages
Weight:0.65 lbs.
Dimensions:0.9" x 4.8" x 7.7"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
a humorous yet philosophical tale ala isaac bashevis singer
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 28 years ago
I enjoyed this book immensely. The author creates unique and engaging characters and manages to evoke the world of a turn-of-the-century Polish-Jewish shtetl with convincing realism mixed with wild flights of fantasy; i.e. a rabbi who believes he was a frog at the time of Napoleon's invasion of Russia. In addition, the author, Allan Hoffman, presents thought-provoking philosophical issues that his characters grapple with: the lure of socialism vs. the tra- ditions of religion, the ethics of saving the individual vs. preserving the community. The author deftly juggles his many characters in their numerous comic situations and manages to keep all his balls in the air. I look forward to the next installment in this projected series
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