- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: WW Norton; Reprint edition (Aug 26 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0393325261
- ISBN-13: 978-0393325263
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 14 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 249 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #379,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In an enchanting, introspective and emotionally charged debut, Horn travels back and forth through time and space offering snapshots of the intertwining lives of Vienna native William Landsmann and his late granddaughter's best friend, Leora. Following the hit-and-run accident that killed his granddaughter Naomi in the suburbs of New Jersey, the depressed Landsmann tries to forge a friendship with high school student Leora by showing her slides from his travels, image after endless image. As Leora matures and slowly heals from the loss, she meets and falls in love with Jason, a college jock who has his heart set on caring for the elderly until he undergoes a religious transformation. Things end badly with Jason, but a few years later, Leora meets introspective Jake, at a lecture on Spinoza in Amsterdam. Jake, to Leora's fascination, "could have been born in any era, in any place in the world, and would probably have turned out more or less the same." Tossed into the mix are flashbacks from Landsmann's childhood and stories of his grandmother Leah, who flings her father's tefillin into New York Harbor at the tragic end of a love affair. Horn examines the religious and secular choices of each character, questioning the true nature of Judaism and of faith in general without being preachy or overly judgmental. An occasional stiffness in the narration is overcome by the warmth of her appreciation of Jewish culture and heritage, and she makes eloquent use of recurring motifs-modeling clay, photographs, miniature dollhouses and deep sea diving among them-as she captures life in early 20th-century Europe and contemporary New York.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
Horn, a journalist and a scholar, debuts with a story that is partly about the Jewish immigrant experience and partly about people seeking love, commitment, and fulfillment, at times within a religious and cultural context. The book opens with the sudden death of a teenage girl, which brings together for a short time the girl's grandparents, Bill and Anna Landesmann, and her best friend, Leora. These lives eventually diverge, with passages alternating between the grandfather's European beginnings and Leora's quest for meaning as a young adult. Horn effectively draws the reader into the losses and desperation felt by these American Jewish immigrants while also portraying them as strong and hopeful people who believe that here is better than there. With Leora in particular, the author has created a woman of depth and complexity whose emotions and reactions often resonate with accuracy. Even those characters embodying the worst of human nature are compelling. Strongly recommended for larger fiction collections.
Maureen Neville, Trenton P.L., NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Maureen Neville, Trenton P.L., NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
ACCIDENTS OF FATE are rarely fatal accidents, but once in a while they are. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
ACCIDENTS OF FATE are rarely fatal accidents, but once in a while they are. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely and Precise,
By Charlotte Jezebowski (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
This review is from: In The Image (Paperback)
This is a lovely and precise novel about the ways in which memory and the past and things that almost could have been permeate our lives, color our decisions. Reading it is like looking at slides, one on top of the other so that you can see two things at once. Hmm. That sounds confusing. But trust me -- the book isn't. This is a beautiful story.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-read book for Jewish audiences,
By A Customer
This review is from: In The Image (Paperback)
I was stunned by this book, which has so many layers that it will surely appeal to everyone. I saw it just won the National Jewish Book Award. I am not surprised. Here is a new and fresh voice that speaks with authority and compassion. This is a great addition to anyone's collection.
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW,
By A Customer
This review is from: In The Image (Hardcover)
I reserved this book from the library from a newspaper book review which strong recommendationed it. And I can only say WOW. It's impressive. I'm not a literary scholar, I just like books and movies that take you someplace you haven't been before with real life characters. (Those with good and bad personality traits.) Dara Horn has done just that with an enormous amount of research and knowldege on history and places. Dara Horn has captured the real feelings of normal people. She's written two wonderful love stories in this book. She shows so much maturity in her characters and research that I am continuosuly amazed that author could only be 25!! Read this book before they ruin the story by making it into a movie.
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