- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre / Not Applicable (Jan 1 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0374266573
- ISBN-13: 978-0374266578
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 16.1 x 2.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 113 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,274,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Booklist
Very different from Grossman's books of political commentary, this entertaining novel is more like his Zigzag Kid (1997), part urban survival adventure, part YA romance, and part mystery. A best-seller in Israel and translated from the Hebrew in an informal, relaxed style, the story weaves together the lives of two middle-class teens who find themselves in Jerusalem's violent drug underworld. Tamar, a talented singer, runs away from home with her beloved dog, shaves her head, sets up a hideout. Who is she searching for? Why is she on the run? When she loses her dog, awkward, shy teenager Assaf finds the stray lab, who then leads him on a wild chase across the city until they find Tamar. The mob violence is too easily resolved, but the many plot surprises about "unconscious messengers" are fun, even when they are awkwardly contrived. For many readers, the most memorable character will be the lost dog, who always knows where he is going, who he is, and whom he loves. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Another original premise from Israeli novelist/journalist Grossman: after a shy, middle-aged man notices a beautiful stranger at a reunion, they launch a passionate affair of words."
--Library Journal
"Be My Knife, by the highly acclaimed Israeli novelist David Grossman, explores the perennial dilemma of unrequited love. Grossman, however, is far too original a novelist not to give his story a twist. The book opens with a letter written by Yair Einhorn, a neurotic, compulsive rare-books dealer, to Miriam, a beautiful, mysterious woman he glimpses 'at the class reunion a few days ago-but you didn't see me.' Her offhand gesture and brief, enigmatic smile prompts him to send her a passionate letter, what he calls a 'restrained suicide note.' To his joy and amazement, she writes back to him. So begins an extraordinary love affair by letter, recounted for the first 200 pages by Yair's impulsive, impassioned, and angst-ridden letters to Miriam. When Miriam finally finds her own voice toward the end of the book, Yair has raised the reader's expectations so high that ultimately her character is rather disappointing. Be My Knife is a novelist's novel about obsession, compulsion, and desire. The writing is dense, demanding, and full of moments of great poetry and inventiveness, but it can become difficult and obscure. Stylistically Grossman is experimenting with plot and character in the grand modernist tradition, and Yair is reminiscent of the tormented "little men" in the works of Joyce and Beckett. However, at times Grossman's brilliant artfulness overwhelms a potentially fascinating story."--Jerry Brotton, Amazon.com-editorial reviews
--Library Journal
"Be My Knife, by the highly acclaimed Israeli novelist David Grossman, explores the perennial dilemma of unrequited love. Grossman, however, is far too original a novelist not to give his story a twist. The book opens with a letter written by Yair Einhorn, a neurotic, compulsive rare-books dealer, to Miriam, a beautiful, mysterious woman he glimpses 'at the class reunion a few days ago-but you didn't see me.' Her offhand gesture and brief, enigmatic smile prompts him to send her a passionate letter, what he calls a 'restrained suicide note.' To his joy and amazement, she writes back to him. So begins an extraordinary love affair by letter, recounted for the first 200 pages by Yair's impulsive, impassioned, and angst-ridden letters to Miriam. When Miriam finally finds her own voice toward the end of the book, Yair has raised the reader's expectations so high that ultimately her character is rather disappointing. Be My Knife is a novelist's novel about obsession, compulsion, and desire. The writing is dense, demanding, and full of moments of great poetry and inventiveness, but it can become difficult and obscure. Stylistically Grossman is experimenting with plot and character in the grand modernist tradition, and Yair is reminiscent of the tormented "little men" in the works of Joyce and Beckett. However, at times Grossman's brilliant artfulness overwhelms a potentially fascinating story."--Jerry Brotton, Amazon.com-editorial reviews
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
A dog runs through the streets, a boy runs after it. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
A dog runs through the streets, a boy runs after it. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Despite translations errors, a fun read,
By Ellis Shuman (Moshav Neve Ilan, Israel) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Someone to Run with (Hardcover)
Is it an easy task to translate an award-winning Hebrew novel into English? Apparently not, at least in the case of David Grossman's "Someone to Run with" (Bloomsbury, 2003). Translators Vered Almog and Maya Gurantz have done an admirable job translating the rhythm, feeling and beat of Grossman's seventh novel, but they made some glaring mistakes. Jerusalem residents and visitors will be a bit surprised to find the city's downtown pedestrian mall (Midrahov) in Hebrew) referred to as 'The Walking Street.' And no one would recognize the name of the city's well-known conference center, Binyanei Ha'Uma, when listed as the 'Nation's Building.' But, translation errors and the frequent references to popular Hebrew songs aside, readers will have no trouble following the wonderful magic of this amazing bestseller, which won the 2001 Sapir Prize for Literature in Israel. Readers will run with the book, from its very first sentence: "A dog runs through the streets, a boy runs after it." The boy is awkward and shy, sixteen-year-old Assaf, who is having the worst summer of his life. Spending his days at a lowly job in Jerusalem City Hall, Assaf is given an absurd assignment to find the owner of a stray yellow Labrador. The dog pulls Assaf along, and we follow them, as excited as Assaf to see where we'll be going. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Tamar, a talented singer with a lonely, tempestuous soul, undertakes an equally unpromising mission. It would be a crime to reveal in advance Tamar's undertaking, but let it suffice to say that she is dragged into the Jerusalem underworld, where Israeli street kids find refuge from the anxieties of family life in a society racked by self-doubt. "Someone to Run with" is a mixture of fairy tale magic, gritty realism and powerful emotions. Assaf and Tamar keep running, away from their families and towards each other in
5.0 out of 5 stars
Young Adult Novel Set in Israel,
By
This review is from: Someone to Run with (Hardcover)
David Grossman is a major contemporary Jewish novelist whose writings have focused on Israel. His latest novel, Someone To Run With is a Young Adult novel about growing up under the strain of the constant threat of terrorism that Israelis have to face every day. It is a novel with both fear and romance in its heart. One of the characters is a lady who has not gone outside for 50 years because of the terror threat. Despite the ever present threat of terrorism, this is at heart an optimistic novel in which the author clearly expresses his belief that things will get better soon. Someone To Run With is both a great read and is recommended reading for these troubled times.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Someone To Run With Review,
By Reed Peterson (Milwaukee) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Someone to Run with (Hardcover)
I think that the book Someone To Run With is one of the best books I have ever read. The way that Grossman writes is very interesting and when I first picked up the book it seemed a little confusing. But once I got into the book I found out that the way he writes is different and more involved. This story line is kind of bizarre but after you catch the idea you just want to keep reading it. The characters constantly go from place to place and there is something around every corner. Even in the end when you think it is over what happens is something that you would have never expected. I recommend this to anyone who likes adventure books or just likes to read.
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