The Shoemaker's Tale

by Mark Ari

A Chagall painting brought to life, the novel traces the episodic journey of an orphaned 18th-century cobbler in search of the legendary Jewish rabbi and miracle worker, the Baal Shem Tov.

Genres: Fiction

246 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1993

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Ari's The Shoemaker's Tale is simply brilliant. It's as good as any magic realism out there and masterfully and beautifully blends the mythical with the everyday. Ari does a lot of work in Jacksonville and other places to support local artists, writers, musicians, and he's an amazingly inspiring person. But he's also as good a writer as I've found, and everybody he's in any other way inspired should read The Shoemaker's Tale.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - loved this book. A wonderful Jewish fable set in 18th century Warsaw, captures all the humor of traditional Jewish tales, with plenty of magic and some pathos. Highly recommended.