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Snapshots
When an Israeli intellectual and architect dies in a tragic car accident, her legendary Zionist husband endeavors to piece together the remnants of her life from the notes, photos, and drawings she left behind, artifacts that reveal her struggles between her life in the United States and Israel. 10,000 first printing.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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32 people want to read
About the author
Michal Govrin
11 books3 followersBorn in Tel Aviv, MICHAL GOVRIN is the daughter of an Israeli pioneer father and a mother who survived the Holocaust. Working as a novelist, poet, and theater director, Govrin has published nine books of poetry and fiction. In 2010, she was named one of the thirty most important modern writers by the Salon du Livre. Among her novels, The Name received the Kugel Literary Prize in Israel and was nominated for the Koret Jewish Book Award. Snapshots was awarded the 2003 Acum Prize for the Best Literary Achievement of the Year. Govrin received the Israel Prime Minister's Prize in 1998. Among the pioneers of Jewish experimental theatre, Govrin has directed award-winning performances in all the major theatres in Israel.
Now residing in Jerusalem, Govrin teaches at the School of Visual Theater and is the academic chair of the Theater Department of Emunah College, both in Jerusalem. She has taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, presents an annual lecture at The Cooper Union School of Architecture in New York, and is a former Writer in Residence and Aresty Senior Visiting Fellow at the Center for the Study of Jewish Life at Rutgers University.
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Now residing in Jerusalem, Govrin teaches at the School of Visual Theater and is the academic chair of the Theater Department of Emunah College, both in Jerusalem. She has taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, presents an annual lecture at The Cooper Union School of Architecture in New York, and is a former Writer in Residence and Aresty Senior Visiting Fellow at the Center for the Study of Jewish Life at Rutgers University.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 13, 2018
A difficult read in terms of the style: three different story lines at the same time, on the same page with different fonts to distinguish them. There isn't so much of a plot as a woman's thoughts about her late father, her children and husband, and her journey of three continents while putting together an architectural "peace monument" in Jerusalem with a little adulterous obsession thrown in. What intrigued me most was the relationship between Israeli and Palestinian "artists" and their passion beyond nationalism. Tho the book was difficult for my education and sophistication level I wanted to know more about the Middle East beyond biblical history. The book is complication but so is the history of the Middle East. This book is not for "dummies". This book reminded me of reading Kurt Vonnegut in high school and not "getting it" or comprehending the narratives but I kept reading. Maybe I'll pick up "Slaughterhouse 5" and reread it.
October 28, 2010
I'm interested in all the literature coming out about the founding of the modern state of Israel. Unfortunately, this book had some good bits in it that were obscured by a strange system of italics.
At first I thought I had the italics figured out--why certain paragraphs were set in italics and so forth. Then the italics started to hurt my brain. Every other paragraph or so would change from italics to regular, and it would completely stop the flow of the story for me.
I know, I know. The paragraphs were supposed to be brief "snapshots," voices of other characters, or voices of the narrator commenting to herself, but good lord. After awhile the reader just wants to read the damn story for at least one page without dealing with another change in emphasis.
Also, the architecture project that the narrator is working on is vastly uninteresting in a physical sense. In a metaphorical sense, I guess it must have intense spiritual meaning. But as a thing to try to keep visualizing as the center of the novel---just a lump of air.
From a historical perspective, I liked reading the description of Israelis living through the Iraqi scud missile attacks of the first Gulf War. We Americans are so insulated. No wonder we feel confident about bombing the hell out of other countries.
On the other hand, the narrator seemed rather too blissfully ignorant of the possible long-term side effects that her own children might be left with after exposure to such trauma. At that point I despised the narrator and didn't care a bit about what happened to her.
While I was happy to see a depiction of an Israeli-Palestinian love affair, the narrator's self-centered pursuit of this seemed also a traumatizing event for the children. I wished we could hear "snapshots" from the children after they had grown up---trying to make sense of their mother's callousness.
Also, the "snapshots" at the beginning about her father and the fantasies of making love to him were a bit derailing. While I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt to possible cultural differences, the narrator came off as quite unrealistic with all this going on. I'm pretty sure if I ever met someone like the narrator in real life, I'd go running in the opposite direction. So much drama and so little meaningful reflection.
At first I thought I had the italics figured out--why certain paragraphs were set in italics and so forth. Then the italics started to hurt my brain. Every other paragraph or so would change from italics to regular, and it would completely stop the flow of the story for me.
I know, I know. The paragraphs were supposed to be brief "snapshots," voices of other characters, or voices of the narrator commenting to herself, but good lord. After awhile the reader just wants to read the damn story for at least one page without dealing with another change in emphasis.
Also, the architecture project that the narrator is working on is vastly uninteresting in a physical sense. In a metaphorical sense, I guess it must have intense spiritual meaning. But as a thing to try to keep visualizing as the center of the novel---just a lump of air.
From a historical perspective, I liked reading the description of Israelis living through the Iraqi scud missile attacks of the first Gulf War. We Americans are so insulated. No wonder we feel confident about bombing the hell out of other countries.
On the other hand, the narrator seemed rather too blissfully ignorant of the possible long-term side effects that her own children might be left with after exposure to such trauma. At that point I despised the narrator and didn't care a bit about what happened to her.
While I was happy to see a depiction of an Israeli-Palestinian love affair, the narrator's self-centered pursuit of this seemed also a traumatizing event for the children. I wished we could hear "snapshots" from the children after they had grown up---trying to make sense of their mother's callousness.
Also, the "snapshots" at the beginning about her father and the fantasies of making love to him were a bit derailing. While I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt to possible cultural differences, the narrator came off as quite unrealistic with all this going on. I'm pretty sure if I ever met someone like the narrator in real life, I'd go running in the opposite direction. So much drama and so little meaningful reflection.
September 10, 2007
This was an extraordinarily dense novel by Israeli writer Michal Govrin about an Israeli architect who has died in a car crash leaving behind a journal and a portfolio of her work. The bulk of the book consists of her journal entries, unsent letters to her father who has passed away, project sketches, and 'snapshots' of her life as she journeys from New Jersey to Paris to Israel. The language is highly emotional/metaphorical and her architectural projects - a series of not-permanent structures (huts or sukkots) to symbolize the impermanence of land ownership - is controversial and fascinating. The best segment of the book is the journal she keeps while she and her two young sons are living outside Jersualem during the first Gulf War and her artistic ideals and the realities of war collide.
The parts did not add up to a satisfying whole as a novel but I will be thinking about Govrin's ideas for a long time to come.
The parts did not add up to a satisfying whole as a novel but I will be thinking about Govrin's ideas for a long time to come.
December 7, 2007
It took about two weeks of trying before I had the time to really sit down with my book and immerse myself in the writing. This is not a strongly plot-driven novel, and is very difficult to digest in short snippets.
So despite the disjointed nature of the narrative, I really grew to appreciate the style of "Snapshots"...the fact that it is written like a letter to the narrator's past; the little windows into Ilana's mind and politics and internal conflicts with her Judaism and Zionism. Ultimately, I'm glad that I forged through despite my initial difficulties. The book painted a far more nuanced picture of its various subjects than I might have expected, though that might come in part from reading more heavy-handed American Jewish writers than Israeli voices. Or perhaps it comes from my more physically removed perspective. There are some beautiful moments within, framed in pain and conflict.
So despite the disjointed nature of the narrative, I really grew to appreciate the style of "Snapshots"...the fact that it is written like a letter to the narrator's past; the little windows into Ilana's mind and politics and internal conflicts with her Judaism and Zionism. Ultimately, I'm glad that I forged through despite my initial difficulties. The book painted a far more nuanced picture of its various subjects than I might have expected, though that might come in part from reading more heavy-handed American Jewish writers than Israeli voices. Or perhaps it comes from my more physically removed perspective. There are some beautiful moments within, framed in pain and conflict.
July 27, 2012
Snapshots is a challenging read with an interesting but sometimes confusing style and a plot that requires some knowledge of architecture and world events to really make sense. It was a thought provoking read, one which challenged my expectations about relationships and about historical and political views.
April 19, 2008
This book was a little hard to get into at first because of the writing style (it's written from the main character's notes & sketches after her death), but once I got into it, I liked it. The main character was a very complex woman.
April 5, 2009
Amazing, non-traditional narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed the honesty in this novel and the intersections of culture, religion and modernity in Israel. A must-read for gaining a nuanced understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
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January 18, 2008Another book I couldn't get through. It was too fragmented for me and seeing as I have a whole list of other books to read, I'm letting this one go.
January 4, 2011
A profound engrossing and thought provoking book about the Israeli - Palestinian conflict
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews