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City of Laughter
Tra le donne della famiglia di Shiva Margolin si nasconde un segreto che freme per essere portato alla luce. È il segreto di un’antica leggenda; di un villaggio polacco, Ropshitz, che ha perso la risata; di un messaggero divino dagli occhi verdi che viaggia attraverso i secoli. Tutte le antenate di Shiva lo hanno incontrato e hanno ricevuto il dono di un amore assoluto, che trascende il genere, lo spazio e il tempo. Quando Shiva, giovane newyorkese, ricostruirà il passato della sua famiglia, seguendo le tracce di un misterioso spirito, il dibbuk, svelerà ciò che troppo a lungo è rimasto nascosto. Ritroverà così le lettere della bisnonna Mira, a cui venne impedito per sempre di ridere, le foto di sua nonna Syl, che parlava la lingua degli uccelli, e l’abbraccio di sua madre Hannah, dedita a celebrare più la morte che la vita. È grazie a questo cortocircuito familiare che a Ropshitz risuoneranno di nuovo risate perdute, che il messaggero farà ritorno in forme sempre più cangianti, e che Shiva infine guarderà negli occhi il proprio destino. "Città che ride", esordio di Temim Fruchter, fonde folklore yiddish, mondo queer e spiritualità in un’alchimia letteraria in grado di sprigionare il potere più grande e pericoloso di quello di una donna, finalmente libera, che ride – o forse grida – da sola nel bosco.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews
July 27, 2023
This is easily one of the most delightfully Jewish novels I've ever read, and I was recommending it with joy to other Jewish reviewers before I'd even finished.
Shiva (yes, truly the name of someone raised Orthodox) has recently lost her beloved father, and that has forced her and her mother Hannah to face their difficult relationship. As the story progresses, we see that Hannah was shaped by her own troubled relationship with her mother, Syl, who was also shaped by the trauma her mother Mira had experienced. These generations of Jewish women become the basis for an exp[oration of Jewish folklore, history, and culture, especially as Shiva goes to Poland to explore both Jewish history and her own family's past life in a shtetl.
The prose in this book is incredible, and I highlighted so many insightful and moving sentences as I was reading. The relationship between mothers and daughters was one of my favorite parts (unsurprising if you know me and my interests), as was the incorporation of queerness and the way it became a path to freedom beyond cultural expectations for almost every generation.
I never quite fully wrapped my head around the mythical narrator and who or what it really was, but I enjoyed the other parts so much that I'm not troubling myself about that too much (and maybe we aren't supposed to know?). Once I surrendered to my confusion, I was really just immersed in the story.
Strangely, there is a quote from Ocean Vuong that I thought about several times while reading this book. "Being queer saved my life. Often we see queerness as deprivation. But when I look at my life, I saw that queerness demanded an alternative innovation from me. I had to make alternative routes; it made me curious; it made me ask, 'Is this enough for me?'"
City of Laughter seems to show the same, that queerness is a path to joy outside of the expectations of marriage, or silence, or fear. I am so glad we have this queer Jewish story to find joy in.
Shiva (yes, truly the name of someone raised Orthodox) has recently lost her beloved father, and that has forced her and her mother Hannah to face their difficult relationship. As the story progresses, we see that Hannah was shaped by her own troubled relationship with her mother, Syl, who was also shaped by the trauma her mother Mira had experienced. These generations of Jewish women become the basis for an exp[oration of Jewish folklore, history, and culture, especially as Shiva goes to Poland to explore both Jewish history and her own family's past life in a shtetl.
The prose in this book is incredible, and I highlighted so many insightful and moving sentences as I was reading. The relationship between mothers and daughters was one of my favorite parts (unsurprising if you know me and my interests), as was the incorporation of queerness and the way it became a path to freedom beyond cultural expectations for almost every generation.
I never quite fully wrapped my head around the mythical narrator and who or what it really was, but I enjoyed the other parts so much that I'm not troubling myself about that too much (and maybe we aren't supposed to know?). Once I surrendered to my confusion, I was really just immersed in the story.
Strangely, there is a quote from Ocean Vuong that I thought about several times while reading this book. "Being queer saved my life. Often we see queerness as deprivation. But when I look at my life, I saw that queerness demanded an alternative innovation from me. I had to make alternative routes; it made me curious; it made me ask, 'Is this enough for me?'"
City of Laughter seems to show the same, that queerness is a path to joy outside of the expectations of marriage, or silence, or fear. I am so glad we have this queer Jewish story to find joy in.
January 21, 2024
Temim Fruchter’s carefully researched book introduced me to S. Ansky, The Dybbuk, and Jewish folklore. The novel uses academic jargon and draws upon scholarly papers exploring the Queer references in Jewish folklore. Since I hadn’t ever heard of any of the references, I spent some time looking up S. Ansky and The Dybbuk so I could understand this novel better. It sparked an intellectual curiosity in me and I am grateful for that.
Mara Wilson narrates the audiobook and she is superb. She’s one of my favorite narrators.
Much of this novel was dreamlike in that the words flowed and drifted and sounded beautiful, and then when I tried to mentally summarize what the key plot points were, I couldn’t.
To me this novel is more like poetry than a narrative. I still don’t know what really happened with all these supernatural messengers who were many yet one, and who possessed four generations of women in one family. I don’t even know if that is what happened. I couldn’t tell who was a human and who was supernatural. I still enjoyed the book and am rating it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.
Thank you Netgalley for the free advanced reader copy digital audiobook for review. All opinions are my own.
Mara Wilson narrates the audiobook and she is superb. She’s one of my favorite narrators.
Much of this novel was dreamlike in that the words flowed and drifted and sounded beautiful, and then when I tried to mentally summarize what the key plot points were, I couldn’t.
To me this novel is more like poetry than a narrative. I still don’t know what really happened with all these supernatural messengers who were many yet one, and who possessed four generations of women in one family. I don’t even know if that is what happened. I couldn’t tell who was a human and who was supernatural. I still enjoyed the book and am rating it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.
Thank you Netgalley for the free advanced reader copy digital audiobook for review. All opinions are my own.
July 16, 2023
Wow. This book publishes in January and it’s already one of my favorite books of 2024. The prose is stunningly gorgeous, the kind of fresh, immersive literary voice that inspires me to write.
“City of Laughter” centers on Shiva, a newly out queer Modern Orthodox Jew reeling from the death of her father and her first breakup with her first great love. She feels stuck, working a series of meaningless jobs at nonprofits, and burning with a desire to know more of her family’s history and by extension herself. But her family is secretive and emotionally unavailable, generations of women who were taught that to be different was to be possessed by something evil, something worthy of superstition and fear.
Feeling like she has nothing left to lose, Shiva enrolls in graduate school to study Jewish folklore, driven to obsession by the scholar, storyteller and playwright Ansky, whom she suspects was queer. As a child she watched his play The Dybbuk with her father, who was the bridge between the dark secrets and repression of her maternal line and laughter.
Thus follows a cerebral tale through four generations of women, one brought up to believe that she was possessed as a baby when a window was left open and she was left alone, the belief so strong that she goes mute instead of giving in to her wild, unnatural laughter, silenced by an abusive father who excused the abuse as mystical. The curse is passed down through the generations.
Shiva goes to Poland to find answers, under the guise of a research project into the impact of storytelling and family lore on Jewish folklore, and finds herself in the vibrant but hidden queer community there, and the whispers of queer desire throughout the generations of her bloodline.
The characters in this really were wonderful. I’m not normally a fan of multigenerational family sagas with secrets and betrayals, but I was taken with this one. Each of the stories between Mira, Syl, Hannah and Shiva were so intimate and personal, so layered, I felt like I knew them even if I didn’t like some of them.
I also respected the Jewish rep. I learned so much about Poland and family traditions from this book. I thought it would get into the wartime history more but it talked around that time and centered more on the hardships and joys of daily family life through the decades, the hardships and abuse that queer folks and women who were different faced.
I like how the curse and the possessed spirit turned into a misunderstood spirit, a seeker like Shiva, but I almost felt the supernatural elements were the least interesting part of the book. They were so subtle they were almost superfluous. I found the culture, the folklore, the beliefs and traditions that bind families across generations, the fear and the interpersonal relationships far more interesting than ghosts, demons and dybbuks, although it was the central thread of the story so it needed to be there. The pacing just felt off with it. This was more a story about feminism, queer desire, mothers and daughters, and family than anything else.
All in all, a beautiful, brave book by an important new voice.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
“City of Laughter” centers on Shiva, a newly out queer Modern Orthodox Jew reeling from the death of her father and her first breakup with her first great love. She feels stuck, working a series of meaningless jobs at nonprofits, and burning with a desire to know more of her family’s history and by extension herself. But her family is secretive and emotionally unavailable, generations of women who were taught that to be different was to be possessed by something evil, something worthy of superstition and fear.
Feeling like she has nothing left to lose, Shiva enrolls in graduate school to study Jewish folklore, driven to obsession by the scholar, storyteller and playwright Ansky, whom she suspects was queer. As a child she watched his play The Dybbuk with her father, who was the bridge between the dark secrets and repression of her maternal line and laughter.
Thus follows a cerebral tale through four generations of women, one brought up to believe that she was possessed as a baby when a window was left open and she was left alone, the belief so strong that she goes mute instead of giving in to her wild, unnatural laughter, silenced by an abusive father who excused the abuse as mystical. The curse is passed down through the generations.
Shiva goes to Poland to find answers, under the guise of a research project into the impact of storytelling and family lore on Jewish folklore, and finds herself in the vibrant but hidden queer community there, and the whispers of queer desire throughout the generations of her bloodline.
The characters in this really were wonderful. I’m not normally a fan of multigenerational family sagas with secrets and betrayals, but I was taken with this one. Each of the stories between Mira, Syl, Hannah and Shiva were so intimate and personal, so layered, I felt like I knew them even if I didn’t like some of them.
I also respected the Jewish rep. I learned so much about Poland and family traditions from this book. I thought it would get into the wartime history more but it talked around that time and centered more on the hardships and joys of daily family life through the decades, the hardships and abuse that queer folks and women who were different faced.
I like how the curse and the possessed spirit turned into a misunderstood spirit, a seeker like Shiva, but I almost felt the supernatural elements were the least interesting part of the book. They were so subtle they were almost superfluous. I found the culture, the folklore, the beliefs and traditions that bind families across generations, the fear and the interpersonal relationships far more interesting than ghosts, demons and dybbuks, although it was the central thread of the story so it needed to be there. The pacing just felt off with it. This was more a story about feminism, queer desire, mothers and daughters, and family than anything else.
All in all, a beautiful, brave book by an important new voice.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 5, 2024
Well written and an interesting interpretation of Jewish folklore, if somewhat difficult to engage with in a meaningful way.
The concept behind this was an ambitious undertaking, and for the most part I think Fruchter succeeded in doing what she set out to do with it. It’s an unusual yet apropos way of reinterpreting some pieces of Jewish folklore, and those elements were probably my favorite parts of the book, even though I’m generally not crazy about Magical Realism because it causes so many problems in world building.
Shiva was interesting and her story felt compelling. Hannah’s was a lot harder to engage with or care much for. I’m not sure I think the multiple POVs helped the story flow as it should have. It leaves the narrative a bit uneven in terms of how much engagement the reader gets out of it, and I found myself waiting impatiently for the story to get back to Shiva while the story focused on Hannah or Mira.
Fruchter writes beautifully, and her style of prose does work well for a slower moving book like this. I would have preferred the multigenerational narrative be presented exclusively through Shiva’s research or her direct interactions rather than via multiple POV, but I enjoyed some parts of this story very much.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
The concept behind this was an ambitious undertaking, and for the most part I think Fruchter succeeded in doing what she set out to do with it. It’s an unusual yet apropos way of reinterpreting some pieces of Jewish folklore, and those elements were probably my favorite parts of the book, even though I’m generally not crazy about Magical Realism because it causes so many problems in world building.
Shiva was interesting and her story felt compelling. Hannah’s was a lot harder to engage with or care much for. I’m not sure I think the multiple POVs helped the story flow as it should have. It leaves the narrative a bit uneven in terms of how much engagement the reader gets out of it, and I found myself waiting impatiently for the story to get back to Shiva while the story focused on Hannah or Mira.
Fruchter writes beautifully, and her style of prose does work well for a slower moving book like this. I would have preferred the multigenerational narrative be presented exclusively through Shiva’s research or her direct interactions rather than via multiple POV, but I enjoyed some parts of this story very much.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
February 7, 2024
This book went in a very different direction than I expected, but certainly not in a bad way.
Based on the prologue and blurb I expected a historical novel of 18th century shtetl-life in Poland, but instead you get a contemporary story in which Shiva (queer, single, young, Jewish, New Yorker) goes on a quest to find answers to questions about the mysterious family history her taciturn mother refuses to talk about. Shiva is certain that the lives of her eccentric grandmother and her elusive great-grandmother contain clues that can help her with her own problems. Shiva enters a Master's programme to research S. Ansky, an early 20th century researcher of Jewish folklore, and gets a scholarship to visit Warsaw for research. She uses the trip hoping to visit the shtetl of her ancestors.
I suspect the author's main objective was to point out queer representation in historical Jewish folklore, and she does it well.
But actually I found the novel at its best and most credible when describing Shiva's 21st century life.
Based on the prologue and blurb I expected a historical novel of 18th century shtetl-life in Poland, but instead you get a contemporary story in which Shiva (queer, single, young, Jewish, New Yorker) goes on a quest to find answers to questions about the mysterious family history her taciturn mother refuses to talk about. Shiva is certain that the lives of her eccentric grandmother and her elusive great-grandmother contain clues that can help her with her own problems. Shiva enters a Master's programme to research S. Ansky, an early 20th century researcher of Jewish folklore, and gets a scholarship to visit Warsaw for research. She uses the trip hoping to visit the shtetl of her ancestors.
I suspect the author's main objective was to point out queer representation in historical Jewish folklore, and she does it well.
But actually I found the novel at its best and most credible when describing Shiva's 21st century life.
August 14, 2024
(Tal vez un 2.5, 2.75 ish)
La premisa de esta novela es bella: una mujer busca entre las mujeres de su línea matriarcal respuestas a los vacíos que le quedan después de perder muchísimo, todo enmarcado por folklore judío y un viaje a Polonia.
Me temo que fue un proyecto tal vez muy ambicioso, y pierde definición entre tantas cosas que intenta lograr. La autora quiere abarcar muchísimo y eso la lleva a resoluciones demasiado convenientes o a demasiada ambigüedad. Creí que en el grupo de lectura terminaría de comprender algunas cosas de la narrativa que no me quedaron claras, pero incluso las personas que amaron el libro identificaban que había muchos enredos (tal vez innecesarios). También creo que el libro peca de "overwritten".
Y pues chale, sí esperaba más.
La premisa de esta novela es bella: una mujer busca entre las mujeres de su línea matriarcal respuestas a los vacíos que le quedan después de perder muchísimo, todo enmarcado por folklore judío y un viaje a Polonia.
Me temo que fue un proyecto tal vez muy ambicioso, y pierde definición entre tantas cosas que intenta lograr. La autora quiere abarcar muchísimo y eso la lleva a resoluciones demasiado convenientes o a demasiada ambigüedad. Creí que en el grupo de lectura terminaría de comprender algunas cosas de la narrativa que no me quedaron claras, pero incluso las personas que amaron el libro identificaban que había muchos enredos (tal vez innecesarios). También creo que el libro peca de "overwritten".
Y pues chale, sí esperaba más.
Read
August 18, 2024lo studio dell’autrice riguardo il folklore yiddish è potentissimo e interessante, peccato solo per la varia confusione dei molti pov
December 26, 2023
This book completely swept me away. I’m such a sucker for stories about generations of women in a family, secrets, queer identity, and the connections that exist even when people don’t nurture them. Temim Fruchter’s writing was gorgeous and mysterious at times, it created such a compelling atmosphere for the story. The plot of a queer woman studying Jewish folklore to try and learn more about her own family’s history had me invested the entire time. The fantastical bits of the story added even more intrigue to the overall narrative. I definitely recommend checking this one out!
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
dnf
June 25, 2024Well I gave this one a solid try, but even Mara Wilson's audiobook narration couldn't save it for me. I was very interested in the topic of the lives of three generations of Jewish women and the youngest, a newly out queer woman, searching for this family history, and the inclusion of Jewish folklore. But the writing feels like mostly big blocks of telling with short bursts of actually being present in the story and that balance does not work for me.
October 16, 2023
City of Laughter by Temim Frutcher follows four generations of Jewish women with widely varied experiences in life but all touch on themes on themes of spirituality, family, and love. Shiva, the woman of the fourth generation, comes to study Jewish Folklore where her past will come to recontextualize her life thus far and in the future.
To preface, I think a novel that goes through time in a non-linear way is one of the hardest things to write and I applaud Frutcher for being able to write something cohesive with this plotline. From reading the summary of City of Laughter, I was sure this would be a new favorite. However, it fell flat for me. I was very drawn by the past generations, actually, and found myself losing interest in Shiva when she was the main narrator. While there is obviously an emotional heart to Shiva's point of view and journey, there is a juxtaposition in tone between the women of the past and Shiva that I found to be too great.
While this novel is not for me, it seems that many other reviewers enjoyed it-- so read it for yourself! This book is not for someone looking for a quick and easy read; to fully enjoy City of Laughter, make sure you have the time to fully dive into the world.
To preface, I think a novel that goes through time in a non-linear way is one of the hardest things to write and I applaud Frutcher for being able to write something cohesive with this plotline. From reading the summary of City of Laughter, I was sure this would be a new favorite. However, it fell flat for me. I was very drawn by the past generations, actually, and found myself losing interest in Shiva when she was the main narrator. While there is obviously an emotional heart to Shiva's point of view and journey, there is a juxtaposition in tone between the women of the past and Shiva that I found to be too great.
While this novel is not for me, it seems that many other reviewers enjoyed it-- so read it for yourself! This book is not for someone looking for a quick and easy read; to fully enjoy City of Laughter, make sure you have the time to fully dive into the world.
June 28, 2024
i was so excited about this book because on paper it seems like the ideal book for me but it was just disappointing
the pacing makes no sense and is just bad - why does it take 200 pages for her to get to poland?
i also just in general found shiva to be very unsympathetic especially at the start of the book i dont relate to her obsession with her grandma and it feels like she hates her mom for not wanting to talk about her traumatic childhood without any attempt to empathize
i also personally as a queer person dont like when books feel like they have to prove their queerness by saying the word 'queer' like 600 times like it just feels like poor writing
i want books that are nonchalantly queer in the way that books are nonchalantly straight idk
marla was my favorite character but in general pretty much all the characters felt very 2 dimensional and like characters rather than people
im being generous giving this 2 stars because it held my attention but the only reason i even finished it was because i was hoping it would get better/ that it would feel worth it for the grand ending but spoiler it really wasnt
the pacing makes no sense and is just bad - why does it take 200 pages for her to get to poland?
i also just in general found shiva to be very unsympathetic especially at the start of the book i dont relate to her obsession with her grandma and it feels like she hates her mom for not wanting to talk about her traumatic childhood without any attempt to empathize
i also personally as a queer person dont like when books feel like they have to prove their queerness by saying the word 'queer' like 600 times like it just feels like poor writing
i want books that are nonchalantly queer in the way that books are nonchalantly straight idk
marla was my favorite character but in general pretty much all the characters felt very 2 dimensional and like characters rather than people
im being generous giving this 2 stars because it held my attention but the only reason i even finished it was because i was hoping it would get better/ that it would feel worth it for the grand ending but spoiler it really wasnt
April 7, 2024
I took my time with this one, it had me seductively gripped by the suspenders from early on. A beautiful tale of the queerness just underneath the surface across multiple generations; the ways grief and trauma can get us stuck and we stay stuck until something inexplicable emerges to get our attention; reminders to follow the heart even if it wasn’t written in the initial senses of expectation.
For folks more familiar with Jewish folklore than me, I bet this holds even more gems that went over my head.
Here’s one of my favorite lines:
“Queerness was not about a body of evidence but about layers of presence; a cumulative kind of hereness, insistent and glittering.”
For folks more familiar with Jewish folklore than me, I bet this holds even more gems that went over my head.
Here’s one of my favorite lines:
“Queerness was not about a body of evidence but about layers of presence; a cumulative kind of hereness, insistent and glittering.”
January 9, 2024
A phenomenal book that will remain rooted in my heart for years to come. Mara Wilson's audiobook performance is equally phenomenal. I particularly recommend for fellow queer Ashkenazi Jews.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!
March 11, 2024
You couldn't mourn something that wasn't yet gone.
What a mind-blowing read this was. I can't and won't stop myself from praising the prose, so beautiful and elegant like a river flowing down smoothly.
This book is for those who admire writing more than anything, the story can be confusing because of abrupt jumps in the narrative and can get on your nerves. It's written in non lineear fashion and it takes time to figure out who's who.
There are many mystical figures dispersed throughout the story. Messangers or I'm not sure but if I'm right I have the story figure out but it won't be easy to explain in words and give away too much of the story and spoilers.
It's a story of a girl -Shiva which actually means mourning ( In India, Shiva is high almighty - God worshipped in every corner and nook so it didn't really bothered me until I understood it isn't mean to be a happy name) , a queer woman who's father has passed away and her mother Hannah, they share a difficult relationship which they are trying to patch up. Hannah is how it is coz of her own mother, Syl and who in turn was how she was because of her mother's Mira's tragic story.
This is four generational family saga, no not family saga really but a story of women if every generation from the same family and the passing of the generational trauma. Although I hated Hannah and Shiva's relationship in the start , later as they tried to make amends to each other I really felt that it has blossomed in beautiful way.
This book tests your patience but trust me, it is rewarding too.
Audiobook : 5 stars
Book : 5 stars
Going to hunt down books by both author Temim Fruchter and the narrator Mara Wilson coz what an delightful performance. Also dreamscape media, you bring so wonderful books. There's hardly been a time or two that disappointed with your books till now. Marvelous job in bringing such new writers.
Thank you Netgalley and many many thanks to dreamscape media and author and narrator for bringing me this amazing book that will stay with me for longer than I can imagine in exchange of an honest review.
What a mind-blowing read this was. I can't and won't stop myself from praising the prose, so beautiful and elegant like a river flowing down smoothly.
This book is for those who admire writing more than anything, the story can be confusing because of abrupt jumps in the narrative and can get on your nerves. It's written in non lineear fashion and it takes time to figure out who's who.
There are many mystical figures dispersed throughout the story. Messangers or I'm not sure but if I'm right I have the story figure out but it won't be easy to explain in words and give away too much of the story and spoilers.
It's a story of a girl -Shiva which actually means mourning ( In India, Shiva is high almighty - God worshipped in every corner and nook so it didn't really bothered me until I understood it isn't mean to be a happy name) , a queer woman who's father has passed away and her mother Hannah, they share a difficult relationship which they are trying to patch up. Hannah is how it is coz of her own mother, Syl and who in turn was how she was because of her mother's Mira's tragic story.
This is four generational family saga, no not family saga really but a story of women if every generation from the same family and the passing of the generational trauma. Although I hated Hannah and Shiva's relationship in the start , later as they tried to make amends to each other I really felt that it has blossomed in beautiful way.
This book tests your patience but trust me, it is rewarding too.
Audiobook : 5 stars
Book : 5 stars
Going to hunt down books by both author Temim Fruchter and the narrator Mara Wilson coz what an delightful performance. Also dreamscape media, you bring so wonderful books. There's hardly been a time or two that disappointed with your books till now. Marvelous job in bringing such new writers.
Thank you Netgalley and many many thanks to dreamscape media and author and narrator for bringing me this amazing book that will stay with me for longer than I can imagine in exchange of an honest review.
January 12, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
This was a rough one for me to rate, because it was difficult for me to engage with the narrative consistently throughout the story. If I wasn't reading this as an ARC, I would have DNF'd it because it took me so long to connect with any of the characters. And this is due to a number of factors, I think.
First, this story was written in a nonlinear fashion, which is something I don't always do well with. It made it difficult to really see where the story was going, and instead just kind of aimlessly followed the characters around. For example, Shiva decides very early on to go to Poland, but the actual trip doesn't occur until close to 75% into the story, and I had a hard time connecting with her character until she actually went there.
There's some kind of mystical being or ghost or something that keep reappearing throughout all the storylines, and I think that was the least interesting aspect of the book to me. This whole book was a pretty ambitious undertaking, and for the most part, I think Fruchter achieves a lot of her goals. Maybe I would have connected more if I read this in a different format instead of as an audiobook, but I did enjoy the narrator and thought that the audiobook was done well.
I found the characters from earlier in time to be really interesting, Mira maybe most of all. But I think maybe my favorite part of this book was the way that for each of the characters, no matter what period of time or where they grew up, they all found a path to salvation for themselves in queerness. Ultimately, the last 25% of the book is what brought the rating up, and I found myself wishing the whole book could have been as good for me as the last bit.
This was a rough one for me to rate, because it was difficult for me to engage with the narrative consistently throughout the story. If I wasn't reading this as an ARC, I would have DNF'd it because it took me so long to connect with any of the characters. And this is due to a number of factors, I think.
First, this story was written in a nonlinear fashion, which is something I don't always do well with. It made it difficult to really see where the story was going, and instead just kind of aimlessly followed the characters around. For example, Shiva decides very early on to go to Poland, but the actual trip doesn't occur until close to 75% into the story, and I had a hard time connecting with her character until she actually went there.
There's some kind of mystical being or ghost or something that keep reappearing throughout all the storylines, and I think that was the least interesting aspect of the book to me. This whole book was a pretty ambitious undertaking, and for the most part, I think Fruchter achieves a lot of her goals. Maybe I would have connected more if I read this in a different format instead of as an audiobook, but I did enjoy the narrator and thought that the audiobook was done well.
I found the characters from earlier in time to be really interesting, Mira maybe most of all. But I think maybe my favorite part of this book was the way that for each of the characters, no matter what period of time or where they grew up, they all found a path to salvation for themselves in queerness. Ultimately, the last 25% of the book is what brought the rating up, and I found myself wishing the whole book could have been as good for me as the last bit.
March 5, 2024
I was really looking forward to this book.
However, it was just really a slog, and fell completely flat for me. I really should’ve just given up on it a lot sooner, but I persevered, and once again, and reminded that life is too short to read books that don’t inspire me.
However, it was just really a slog, and fell completely flat for me. I really should’ve just given up on it a lot sooner, but I persevered, and once again, and reminded that life is too short to read books that don’t inspire me.
September 1, 2024
SPOILER: they’re all lesbians!!! Enjoyed this immensely
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
August 19, 2024here's the thing: this book is pretty good. hypothetically I should have been obsessed with it as ticks every single mo schweiger box by being about queers, jewish ancestral trauma, jewish folklore, and storytelling. but for some reason it just didn't hit like it could've. maybe it's narcissism of small differences, maybe it's because the best novel about jewish ancestral trauma already exists (thistlefoot), maybe it's the way that I cringed almost every time Shiva spoke (esp in the parts about the brooklyn queers -- too smug and reverent), but I just couldn't submit to this book.
much like shiva fell into the trap of going to grad school bc she didn't know what to do with her life, I feel like this book went to grad school bc it didn't know how to have a plot without it. I really feel like that was not necessary and shiva could have gone to Poland for any other number of reasons? I also feel like we entered the plot too early. also, I feel like there were too many symbols -- the burying, park benches, mirrors, the forest, laughter, green -- the sheer volume made each one less powerful. and shiva is sooo lame for not fucking AT LEAST one of those polish butches. her femme top rights are officially revoked. sometimes someone ghosts you and that's okay! it's actually weird behavior to look for them across Warsaw.
TLDR: this book is about the gay gene and I'm too close to the case to effectively evaluate it but I do think it could've used another heavy edit.
much like shiva fell into the trap of going to grad school bc she didn't know what to do with her life, I feel like this book went to grad school bc it didn't know how to have a plot without it. I really feel like that was not necessary and shiva could have gone to Poland for any other number of reasons? I also feel like we entered the plot too early. also, I feel like there were too many symbols -- the burying, park benches, mirrors, the forest, laughter, green -- the sheer volume made each one less powerful. and shiva is sooo lame for not fucking AT LEAST one of those polish butches. her femme top rights are officially revoked. sometimes someone ghosts you and that's okay! it's actually weird behavior to look for them across Warsaw.
TLDR: this book is about the gay gene and I'm too close to the case to effectively evaluate it but I do think it could've used another heavy edit.
August 15, 2024
stunning!!! the writing is truly gorgeous. this is the best kind of book; one that is not just enjoyable in terms of plot but truly beautiful in its prose. it's hard to describe what makes it feel so magical, but like shiva suggests, i guess the body knows more than the mind sometimes. i was truly drawn to and immersed into this book.
[thank you to netgalley for the arc! my review is completely my own opinion]
[thank you to netgalley for the arc! my review is completely my own opinion]
dnfs
July 31, 2023sad to say but i think this is a DNF. Have read about 35% and something about it is just not clicking for me. theres a lot of telling and not enough showing, which is making it hard to invest in the characters and their stories.
June 19, 2024
I thought this would be exactly my jam -- Jews! Folklore! Tension between tradition and modernity! -- but it never quite came together for me and the main character got on my nerves. Another editing pass would have helped a lot, I think.
November 10, 2024
1.5
I so wanted to love this book, and instead I ended up disliking it forcefully. Found the writing boring, contrived, and uninspired. Found the ideas discussed much more interesting, but felt that the writing and particulars of the plot didn't let them lift off the ground.
I so wanted to love this book, and instead I ended up disliking it forcefully. Found the writing boring, contrived, and uninspired. Found the ideas discussed much more interesting, but felt that the writing and particulars of the plot didn't let them lift off the ground.
February 27, 2025
The story was less of a problem than the writing was. I found myself rolling my eyes on too many pages because of the ridiculously pompous writing style of the author.
March 20, 2025
I love books that are complex and use magical realism within a multilayered story. City of Laughter is such a novel. The story centers around four generations of Jewish women, one born in Poland and the other three in the United States. The time span is roughly from 1920 to the present.
There are multiple points of view, including spirits, a mysterious nonbinary person who is a messenger, a healer, neighbors, husbands, lovers, and the four female protagonists.
I identified with the woman of the present who sought answers to the myriad secrets floating around her home. I, too, have spent years trying to piece together the various scraps of stories and secrets of my family.
All families have histories and hidden tales. Families that have experienced trauma—in this book, the pogroms of Eastern Europe and the Holocaust—frequently forget and claim they cannot remember painful or unexpected moments from the past. Members of a family may repress memories of relatives as who did not follow a conventional path. The family in the book has several unique characters who lead atypical lives.
The writer was adept at capturing the essence of forgetting and remembering. She created scenes, some reality based, others not so much, that captured the spirit of life in Polish shetls, 1950’s Brooklyn, and the suburbs of Washington D.C.
At times, the writing took my breath away. Sometimes the book meandered too much, and I got lost.
The novel contains layers of meaning and themes—love both heterosexual and homosexual, spirits and ghosts , the repression of women, free expression, East European Jewish culture, natural phenomena, folklore, history, displacement, and adaptation to new environments.
There are multiple points of view, including spirits, a mysterious nonbinary person who is a messenger, a healer, neighbors, husbands, lovers, and the four female protagonists.
I identified with the woman of the present who sought answers to the myriad secrets floating around her home. I, too, have spent years trying to piece together the various scraps of stories and secrets of my family.
All families have histories and hidden tales. Families that have experienced trauma—in this book, the pogroms of Eastern Europe and the Holocaust—frequently forget and claim they cannot remember painful or unexpected moments from the past. Members of a family may repress memories of relatives as who did not follow a conventional path. The family in the book has several unique characters who lead atypical lives.
The writer was adept at capturing the essence of forgetting and remembering. She created scenes, some reality based, others not so much, that captured the spirit of life in Polish shetls, 1950’s Brooklyn, and the suburbs of Washington D.C.
At times, the writing took my breath away. Sometimes the book meandered too much, and I got lost.
The novel contains layers of meaning and themes—love both heterosexual and homosexual, spirits and ghosts , the repression of women, free expression, East European Jewish culture, natural phenomena, folklore, history, displacement, and adaptation to new environments.
January 28, 2024
A beautifully written story of self-discovery and joy. I'm not familiar with Jewish folklore, but Fruchter has a way with weaving it into the story that allowed me to understand without fully knowing references. This was lovely.
February 15, 2024
I love an intergenerational saga especially when it’s mixed with magical realism. A folkloric book about folklore is so clever.
March 8, 2024
4.5, I think I’m going to be thinking about this one for a long time. Mara Wilson is a fantastic audiobook narrator and such a good fit for this story.
April 14, 2024
Good! Thinky!
Read
May 28, 2024Got a little lost in the cringey millennial brooklyn gays which is also probably biased by the fact that it was an audiobook but such a cool and different book with such a beautiful blend of mysticism and story and modern narrative
March 3, 2025
Rude that someone wrote a book about me in college >:(
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