Shadows on the Hudson, Vol. 4 | Isaac Bashevis Singer, Joseph Sherman

Shadows on the Hudson, Vol. 4 | Isaac Bashevis Singer, Joseph Sherman | Worth wading through; a mjor work

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Shadows on the Hud...

	Shadows on the Hudson, Vol. 4 Isaac Bashevis Singer, Joseph Sherman Audio Literature, 1998 average customer review:based on 25 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Is this Bashevis Singer's "apologia pro vita sua"?

In his inimitable style, Singer delineates the world of post-war European Jews in New York--all either Holocaust survivors or persons whose lives were disrupted by the Holocaust, for whom traditional Judaism no longer provides the answers but who find no comfort in other ideologies: Bolshevism, rational secularism, spiritualism. There is a great deal of metaphysical and philosophical conversation, but as the Rubiyat of Omar Khayyam says: "Myself when young did eagerly frequent doctor and saint but evermore went out by the same door wherein I went." The main character is deeply flawed, having rejected the narrow religious path of his father, but who comes to terms with it in the end, which I found surprising, since his experiences seem to mirror Bashevis Singer's life--an ultraorthodox childhood followed by an escape into the intelligentsia of Warsaw, then New York--but to my knowledge, Singer never returned to observance in the way his hero does. However, he writes with such warmth, one gets the feeling he wished he could. I did NOT find the length off-putting, nor did I feel that it needed further editing, as some other reviewers suggested.

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Worth wading through; a mjor work

This immensely over-written book is yet an incredible read. Its very length gives it a rhythm that would make it difficult to cut, despite its prolixity. Rarely do you find such closely observed, complex characters--even in Singer's other work. Full of insight, humor, pathos and irony. A major work that had to weight more than 40 years to appear in English.

An exploration of post-war American Jewish life

This novel is long and repetitive. It originially appeared serialized in the Forward. In its unedited state, it seems that Singer felt the need to continuously remind the readers of the action from previous weeks. Character development is shallow, although Singer's ability to sketch character is masterful. Despite these problems, one must remember that this is SINGER writing, and even a lesser work by this genius is worth reading. Shadows is an important novel that details the hurtling inner lives of American Jews in the years just after the Holocaust. Singers prescient understanding of the wonders of Jewish resilience on one the hand, and the degradation of their souls on the other, is astonishing. It is as if Singer had a crystal ball to presage Jewish life today. For those students of this subject, this book is required reading. However, the general audience is likely to find the novel tiresome.

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Interesting, yet tedious

Shadows On The Hudson is an interesting and sometimes philosophically challenging book -- yet as a novel it is slow and often tedious reading. The characters don't come across as people, but simply mouthpieces espousing different religious and philosophical dogma. Unlike the brilliant "The Manor", "The Family Moskat", "The Slave" and many other of Singer's masterpieces that combined man's search for his place in the universe with a riveting narrative, Shadows as a story essentially goes nowhere new. As for his posthumous novels that keep appearing, I say "let sleeping dogs lie." This brilliant writer has left us with a legacy so rich and magnificent, let's leave it unspoiled.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, page 5

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