All the Rivers

by Dorit Rabinyan

From one of Israel s most acclaimed novelists comes the controversial, award-winning story of a love affair between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man. Set in New York City, All the Rivers is a tender and fiercely writtenRomeo and Julietfor our times.
International praise for All the Rivers
I am impressed. Even the (asymmetrical) tragedy of the two peoples does not overwhelm this precise and elegant love story, drawn with the finest of lines. There are many astonishing things about this book. Amos Oz
Rabinyan is a generous writer who puts her characters first. . . . Rabinyan s writing reflects the honesty and modesty of a true artisan. She is meticulous, to be sure, but at the same time she doesn t appear to be straining, and this is what sets someone like her apart from those who merely practice the craft of writing. Ha aretz
In All the Rivers, Rabinyan juggles cultures, languages, art forms, places, times, and seasons. Because of the novel s epic fullness, its realistic plot which takes place in three cities New York, Tel-Aviv, and Ramallah whose symbolic weight within the current psychological and political reality is admirable, because the novel strikes the right balance between the personal and the political, and because of her ability to tell a suspenseful and satisfying story, we decided to award Dorit Rabinyan s All the Rivers the 2015 Bernstein Prize. From the 2015 Bernstein Prize judges decision
[A] brave story that maintains a delicate balance and is too smart to be didactic or priggish. Dorit Rabinyan s All the Rivers ought to be read like J. M. Coetzee or Toni Morrison from a distance in order to get close. We might be born Montague or Capulet, but we can choose not to be part of the tragedy. Walla!
Beautiful and sensitive . . . a human tale of rapprochement and separation . . . Rabinyan s ability to construct a complex situation in which stereotypes of weakness and strength are transcended and true connections are revealed behind that which divides us is a noteworthy human and literary achievement, grounded in sensitive, refined and non-derivative writing. Makor Rishon
There s no doubt Rabinyan knows how to tell a story. The indecisions, moods and even the weather all take on unique beauty with her. Saloona
A captivating (and heartbreaking) gem, written in a spectacular style, with a rich, flowing, colorful and addictive language. It was definitely worth the wait. Motke
Rabinyan s ability to create a rich realism alongside a firm, clear and convincing flow of emotional vacillations is evident in the novel and gives the work a literary momentum and makes the reading both compelling and enjoyable. Yotam Shwimmer, YNET
This is not a political manifesto but an intelligent and emotional novel and a plea for the freedom of love. EMOTION
A great love story. Deutschlandfunk
A great novel of love and peace. La Stampa
All the Rivers is more real and painful than a deep wound, a novel that truly speaks to the heart. Not to hearts hardened by money, interests or selfishness. It speaks to who listens to what we have inside of us, and about the joy of sharing it with those who have opened, through love, the door to our secrets. Corriere della Sera "

Genres: Fiction, Israel, Romance, Jewish, Contemporary, Book Club, Middle East

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2014

About the author

Dorit Rabinyan (Hebrew: דורית רביניאן) is an Israeli writer and screenwriter.
She was born in Kfar Saba to an Iranian Jewish family. She has published three novels, two of which have been widely translated. She has also published a poetry collection and an illustrated children's book. She also writes for television.
She was a close friend of Palestinian artist Hasan Hourani, and wrote a eulogy for him in The Guardian after his death in 2003.
Her 2014 novel Gader Haya (initially known as Borderlife in English, later published as All the Rivers), which tells a love story between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man, has become the center of controversy. The novel was well-received and won the Bernstein Prize. In 2015, a committee of teachers requested Borderlife be added to the recommended curriculum for Hebrew high school literature classes. A committee in the Israeli Ministry of Education found the book inappropriate and declined to add it, on the grounds, according to The Economist, that it promotes intermarriage and assimilation. Dalia Fenig, the leading committee member, argued that the book "could do more harm than good" at this time of heightened tensions, though she noted the book was not banned and could be added next year. The decision led to protests from high school teachers and principals and opposition politician Isaac Herzog. Sales of the book have surged in the aftermath

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

A chance meeting in a New York City cafe. The push and pull of a love that cannot be denied.

Liat, an Israeli translator from Tel Aviv, has the opportunity to spend six months in Manhattan while working on her master's degree. Liat has served in the Israeli army. She defends Israel and justifies its politics. Liat misses the sea.

Hilmi, a gifted Palestinian painter from Ramallah, lives in Brooklyn,having entered the United States on an artist's visa. He cannot drive a car, shoot a gun or swim. He dreams of a first visit to the sea. Hilmi prays for reconciliation between Palestine and Israel.

Liat and Hilmi embark upon a love affair they know to be finite. A temporary love is all the more precious. Their clandestine encounters are hidden from family and friends. The star crossed lovers could choose to throw caution to the wind, abandoning family and live in New York. After all, they have many commonalities including a shared Middle Eastern heritage. Each one, however, is filled with hatred and fiercely patriotic when debating about their respective homeland philosophies. Do they have the courage to pursue a life together?

Although it is true that all the rivers empty into the sea, it is a sad commentary that when friends from Israel visit Liat, she feels the necessity to state that she is dating a really nice Greek guy. Perhaps it is best to enjoy the stolen adventure, the moment in time.

"All the Rivers" by Dorit Rabinyan is a very timely novel. Romeo and Juliet, the Hatfields and McCoys. A different setting perhaps but the same issues and misunderstandings. An excellent, thought provoking tome.

Thank you Random House and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "All the Rivers".

[Angela M · Rating 5 out of 5]

An almost immediate attraction, feeling a connection - a lovely thing to happen to two young people away from their home countries in New York City. But it's complicated - she's Israeli and he is Palestinian. Complicated because of the politics, complicated because of loyalty they have to their families, but yet there are still many lovely moments in this relationship between Liat, a student translator and Hilmi, an artist. I couldn't help but root for them to be a couple, to stay a couple, in spite of the feeling that this might be an impossibility. The point of view is Liat's but we come to know Hilmi as well through her descriptions of his art, and their conversations. They of course do have the conversation about it, very early on but they still see each other and they continue to have the conversation and arguments. In spite of their differences they see each other in ways they never thought possible But is that enough?

To say this is a thought provoking book is putting it mildly. It certainly made me think more about the political situation that we see on the news so frequently in a different way, on the level of two human beings that I came to know . It made me think about all of the failed efforts towards an agreement, and it made me think that even though in the novel we look at it through the relationship of two people, the complicated nature of it all is reflected. I wanted this to be just a love story, but of course it isn't. I found it to be beautifully written in parts, and would definitely recommend it.

I was offered a digital copy of this by the publisher and didn't jump immediately to get it . A shout out to my Goodreads friend Karen whose 5 star review prompted me to find that invitation. Thanks , Karen.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Random House through NetGalley.

[Tim Null · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a tragedy not unlike Israel and Palestine. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Gabra Zuckerman. Her performance was marvelous. All the Rivers is the English translation of Border Life, which was written in Hebrew by Dorit Rabinyan and translated into English by Jessica Cohen.

I have ordered the text-based version of this book, and I will reread this book after it has been received.

Allow me to quote Davida Chazan from The Times of Israel: "In short, there is nothing here that I could fault with this book. The plot, the characters, and above all, the writing are all carefully crafted and come across with remarkable beauty and poignancy. I don’t just recommend this book, I urge you to read it, and it deserves even more than a full five stars."

Border Life -- A Review of "All the Rivers" by Dorit Rabinyan
Reviewed by Davida Chazan
URL: blogs dot timesofisrael dot com / border-life-a-review-of-all-the-rivers-by-dorit-rabinyan /

[Always Pouting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liat is an Israeli translator who is spending a few months in New York to finish up her master's degree. While waiting to meet a friend at a cafe she meets Hilmi, her friend's Arabic teacher, who her friend sent because he couldn't come. Hilmi is a Palestinian painter and Liat knows it will be complicated but can't help but feel drawn to him. The two begin an affair, one they know is only temporary, but they have trouble reconcile their feelings for one another with their situation. Though their feelings for one another run deep, they can't figure out a way to make it work especially with the reality of their friends and family.

I feel like I read so many books like this one, books that are relatively well written about people with doomed relationships but deep and passionate feelings. A lot of them also seem to end with the death of one of the characters that render the difficult situation null because death is final and so sad yadda yadda yadda . Maybe I'm just being unfair but I'm just bored of these kind of books like this one. It doesn't matter how much you think you love someone if you can't be with them despite others opinions or if you cant make it work depending on the situation just let it go. Also I'm not gonna comment on any of the charged political stuff in this book because I don't feel like getting into arguments on the internet but I think one of the people in this relationship was being completely unreasonable and unfair and shitty considering everything that happens and the whole power dynamic of the two states.

The book was okay, I just didn't enjoy it very much but I didn't hate it and it was written well enough, it was just an average read for me.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In the end all the rivers flow into the same sea"

This beautiful story of an Israeli women and Palestinian man, meet in New York and fall in love. There is a time limit on this love affair because the woman is going back to Israel the following May, and due to the fact that she is worried about her family finding out she is in a relationship with an Arab.
I just fell in love with this man named Himli. He gave her his entire self.

I was very invested in these characters and throughout the book I was worried about their fate.

[Cathrine ☯️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5★
This was one of those books where I ended up feeling like I should have liked it better than I did. GR besties gave it 5 stars and I’m often on the same page they are but finished with readers remorse at my inability to fully embrace it.
A talented writer and timely subject matter but I could not connect well with the characters or how their story unfolded. Overall their relationship mirrored the societal/political issues at the root of the story which have no answers or hope on the near horizon and so there was this unending sense of despair and hopelessness throughout. Perhaps the timing was not good on this one, I don’t know.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve owned this book for two years. I held off reading it - - making little logical sense-
but I knew “All The Rivers”, was going to be a temple book club pick for ‘this’ coming Sunday, so I foolishly waited to read it.

It’s an ‘engaging’ easy fast novel to read: a love story between *Liat*, (a translator from Tel Aviv living in New York on a fellowship - with a six-month temporary visa).....
and *Hilmi*, (a Palestinian artist from Ramallah- also living in New York/Brooklyn).
This book will draw a heated book discussion in our Jewish book club gathering....
It’s easier to see how this couple - whose relationship has developed quickly and passionately - can put aside their political differences while living in New York...
but once Liat is back home in Israel- it’s virtually impossible to put aside political differences.

We empathize with Liat and Hilmi...( they sincerely love each other)... but as the characters examine and explore their feelings of guilt/loyalty to their countries - they question if their relationship is worth sacrificing their own values and cultural identities....
what I found JUST AS INTERESTING....
is the DRAMA THIS BOOK CREATED!
The true storie about this book is as interesting as the novel itself.
In the novel - Liat feared losing her identity to Hilmi’s Arab identity... it was ‘her’ personal battle....
But the bigger battle that “All the Rivers”, was going through in Israel - was frightening....complicated .... and disturbing....SERIOUSLY FRIGHTENING & LONELY for the author!!

Freedom of free speech was threatened... and SO UGLY!! My god -I could cry real tears for the way Dorit was treated... ‘spit’ on her face - awful things said about her - to her - and what was her crime?? Expression of love - no matter what the F#CK their nationality is.

“All the Rivers” was banned by Israeli schools by the Ministry of education in 2015. By 2016...the political scandal was at an all time high.

Television crews - and news journalist were at Dorit Rabinyan’s door.
My god - all Dorit did was write a novel.
But apparently too much compassion and empathy for an Arab.

It’s kinda funny though - because with all the chaos going on about a love story between two lovers from different countries - the books sales were flying off the charts in both Israel and in the states.

We have several conservative Israeli’s in my book club.
I won’t review our discussion - but I’ve sat through battles in our temple library over book discussions in the pass - this might be one of those discussions where being a fly on the wall might be the best way to participate. Ha!

While the couple were in New York - Dorit captures a world internal, private, and beautiful. The prose - thoughts - and love was simply luminescent.

I enjoyed the scenes when this story took us to Israel, too.
Oh, I pretty much knew how the story itself would end...
but I enjoyed drawing on my own experience from having lived in Israel for almost a year
- the cafes- the Hebrew newspapers- the yummy falafel’s and tahini - and the sounds of the busy city.... etc.
“Cars honking, people grumbling in line at the bank and the doctors clinic, kids yelling at the back of the bus, construction workers whistling”. All so familiar!

A great contemporary fiction love story - that’s filled with passion & controversy.

4.5 rating

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't make up my mind how to rate this. Three of four stars is what I am debating between. I can praise so much about how this is written, but something is missing. Something is wrong. What is it that is troubling me? I am left with the feeling I should love it more than I do.

I will start with what I am sure of. The writing is beautiful. Descriptions of places are breathtakingly lyrical. Water and sky. What is outside one's window on a dark night and what is reflected in the glass. The feel of a place, the atmosphere around one, the weight of air, the silence or the bubble of sounds. What makes a place feel as it does is wonderfully drawn. I loved the dialogs too; this is what people say when they are mad, when they are happy or sad....or scared. The author captures extremely well in words how one feels. Do you remember the glorious feeling when you first fell in love? Dorit Rabinyan does and she writes of this here. The fury of arguments comes through too. Anger explodes. This woman can write.

So what is the book about and how well does the author accomplish what she set out to do? This book reflects the Palestinian Israeli conflict, on a personal level. Yeah we read about the conflict in the news, but here we see in the nitty-gritty of life how the conflict shapes and molds every aspect of life for these poor people, Palestinians and Israeli. Think to have never seen the sea and yet to live with it so close. Check points, borders and all the individual events that comprise history. History is no small point when members of your family have been killed. One is part of a family and family connections shape who you are from birth. Emotions and logical thinking do battle; good intentions have little sway. The author accomplishes this task remarkably well, and she does it without putting one side above the other.

This is a book of historical fiction, except that it is not set decades ago. It is about events set in an accurately described time and place. The setting is NYC, Israel and Palestine. The events happen from the end of 2002 through the middle of 2003; everything unrolls within just a few months. No, I have not double-checked every detail given in this book, but it all rings true. The American invasion of Iraq is recounted. Do you remember the blizzard that wracked the east coast of America in February 2003? It came to be known as the Presidents' Day Storm II. That is here. The streets and avenues in NYC are meticulously drawn too, as is Tel Aviv and Hebron. Other Palestinian and Israeli towns are mentioned. I feel certain, even if I have not checked, that if you turn right there on that street, as the protagonists do, what they see is exactly what you will see. I feel this way concerning all the details presented in the book! What I have checked has been correct. Yet one does not read this book for the historical events; what they do is set the background and create authenticity.

Jewish and Palestinian customs and rituals, even some Zoroastrian festivities, are wonderfully drawn. Both Arabic and Jewish expressions further enhance the book’s authenticity. You don’t have to know either language though; all is smoothly explained.

Then there is both the ending and the beginning to consider. The beginning immediately grabs your interest, pulls you in right away. The ending is good too. All is plausible. All could really have happened, although I am not sure how easy it was in 2003 to avoid check points when passing between Palestine and Israel. I’ll take the author on her word. We are not given a fairy tale; we are given real life.

Just look at all the positive things I have mentioned.

It is in considering the characterizations though that my problems arise. We are dealing with a love affair between a Palestinian and an Israeli. I do think their head-over-heels love is wonderfully depicted. I do think the terrible difficulty of love between a Jew and a Palestinian is astutely and movingly described. After the passion comes reality and real life. Where do you live? What about family and how do they react? How do you forget what has been hammered into you since birth, everything that has set you on opposing sides? None of the above do I have trouble with. What I do have trouble with is the immaturity of the two lovers, Liat and Hilmi. Liat, she is Jewish and 29 years old. Hilmi is Arabic and 27 years old. In your late twenties, if not quite a bit earlier, aren’t you straining at the bit? Defying parental control and influence is what you most want to do. At this age one will do just about anything to get on your own. In the book, this does not come through with the force that it should!

Maybe I am wrong. Maybe I am too much thinking in terms of what I would have done had I been in their shoes. I acknowledge that living in either Palestine or Israel would have been extremely difficult, but there are other solutions! Emigrate and live somewhere else! The world is your oyster when you are young; you can do almost anything then. What strikes me as strange is that these two young wonderful people never dared to break borders, to try something new. I haven’t told you what they do choose to do.

Furthermore, whatever the reason, I am not attached to either Hilmi or Liat.

The audiobook is narrated by Gabra Zackman. The narration I have given five stars. I am so thankful that she hasn’t turned this into theatrics, which I hate. She reads with feeling but doesn’t overdo it. To my ears she speaks English, Hebrew and Arabic fluently, but what do I know?!

I have decided to rate this in accordance with how I do feel, not how I ought to feel but don’t. I prefer to follow my heart, not my head. When I give a book three stars it is one I like, and I can recommend it.

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally gravitate towards reading biographies, but the premise of this story sparked my interest immediately: a Romeo & Juliet type story of forbidden love, with the main players a Hebrew woman from Tel Aviv and a Palestinian man from Ramallah.

The story takes place in New York City, as both parties were transplanted there for different reasons. However, the young Hebrew woman Liat would only be in NYC for another five months before returning to Tel Aviv.

Liat and Hilmi's chance meeting ignites an almost instantaneous whirlwind love affair that takes the reader on a five month journey through the subways, streets, sights and sounds of New York City. There are two troubling undercurrents in their relationship: the knowledge that their secret love is forbidden by their families, coupled with the fact that Liat must return to Tel Aviv in five months. Back home, a short 40 miles separate their prospective homes, but it might as well be a million.

The writing is so superb it is sublime to read. The pages effortlessly turn. I usually read at a snail's pace, but devoured this book within just a few days feeling like I had been on a glorious ride.

It would do this book a great justice if it was made into a movie. I would love to see these characters that the author imprinted on my heart and mind be brought to the big screen. This is a very beautifully written, thought-provoking and poignant story that was a gift to read.

I was graciously provided this advance reader copy by NetGalley in return for my honest review.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps it's the translation but there was no feeling or passion as I read this story about a passionate relationship that was forbidden by circumstances. Perhaps it's because ways to make it work were obvious to me. Either way, it's a good story, but the writing didn't speak to me.

[Andrei C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi-a plăcut surprinzător de mult acest roman, cumpărat de la tonomatul de cărți din gara Sibiu. Dacă vă pică în mână, vă rog să insistați asupra capitolelor 16 și 18.

P. S. Cei de la Polirom au pus pe copertă un cuplu sud-coreean sau vietnamez, presupun, dar nu e vorba de așa ceva.

[Ayala Levinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

English after Hebrew
אני קראתי את הספר הזה כביקורת כלפי השמאל הציוני, הנרקסיסטי שטופחת לעצמה על השכם - אני לא מבחינה בין גזע דת מין לאום, שחושבת שאם היא נגד הכיבוש (של 67 כמובן) ובעד מדינה פלסטינית (נגיד...) אז לא יכול להיות שגם לה יש מנטליות קולוניאליסטית שהיא עוד צריכה להפטר ממנה. שנהנית לראות את עצמה בקירוב לבבות הזה אבל חרדה שמישהו ידע ויראה. שכל ריב תחושת העליונות שלה מקבלת אישור מעצמה. שיורה ובוכה. שמבטיחה הבטחות בגלל שהיא לא תצטרך לקיים (כמו 2 מדינות..)
זו היתה מראה לא נעימה לפעמים כי אני בצעירותי נשקפתי ממנה לפעמים. מקריאת ראיונות עם הסופר התברר לי שזו לא היתה כוונתה אבל בלי להתכוון בכל זאת יצאה לה דמות שמייצגת מאוד במדוייק את השמאל הציוני בישראל.

אחרי קריאה שניה אני בכל זאת משוכנעת שיש בספר סימליות. ליאת היא השמאל הציוני הקולוניאלי וכל מה שקראתי בה בקריאה ראשונה וחילמי ואחיו ואסים הם הפלסטינים שמגלים פעם אחר פעם יכולות אמפטיה מעוררות השתאות ונכונות לחיות יחד למרות הכל. כל זה התחדד לי עוד יותר מאז החלו הפגנות השיבה בעזה.

I read this book a roman that is very critical of israeli libZionists (liberal zionists are critical left wingers). libZionists consider themselves liberal, progressive, anti occupation (of the west bank) without doing any de-colonizing of their mentality. the protagonist supports the 2 state solution, she think of herself capable of loving a palestinian because love has no borders/religion/ethniticity/etc but that is all beautiful theories. In practice she hides her relationship from everyone and she feels superior above her boyfriend (is he, really?). Every fight the lovers have she gets "approval" to his inferiority and her superiority. It is not a love story. It is a story of how israelies feel superior and how it is so ingrained that friendship or relationship is not between equals. and about what it would mean to REALLY de-colonize israel. Not what lefties think it means. After reading interviews with the author I realized she didn't mean it as a critical roman that I was reading at all but without intension she created a very accurate libZionist character. I also have lots to say about the author choice for the end of the book but it will be a spoiler.

[mo · Rating 1 out of 5]

all throughout reading this book i thought this was a solid 3 star book until i got to the end and now here we are with one star and i am PISSED. i can't believe i spent time and energy reading this book.

just to preface i'm writing this from the perspective of one (1) person who is half lebanese on my dad's side and part jewish on my ma's side. not every other mixed race jewish arab person will agree with me on this but i have really strong feelings about this book and they come from my own lineage and experiences as as arab american growing up in post-9/11 nyc.

first off, i feel like the book just isn't well written. it's not bad, but one of the reviews on the back of the copy i read compared rabinyan's writing to toni morrison and that just feels like a insult to toni morrison. maybe some of my issues with the writing is because of how it was translated and not with rabinyan's writing style necessarily, but i didn't enjoy reading it the way i thoroughly enjoy reading some authors (like toni morrison).

some of my gripes with the writing can't be explained away by translation either. like all throughout the book there will be metaphors, some good, some corny, and you think "okay, this is a metaphor for hilmi and liat's relationship" but then rabinyan goes on to EXPLAIN the metaphor to the reader. which not only ruins the metaphor (if it was even good to begin with), but just feels condescending.

okay now for issues with the content, spoilers ahead. tl;dr is that it's only a bestseller bc the israeli government got their knickers in a twist over a jewish-arab romance and controversy sells, even if the book isn't actually as radical or well written as the reviews claim. hint hint, amos oz likes it.

liat is clearly written to embody your typical liberal zionist who was raised fearing aravim and expecting all palestinian men to be potential terrorists. clearly now as a 29 year old she's grown out of some of this, but she still identifies herself as a zionist and believes very strongly in a 2 state solution (which is even more outdated now in september 2021 than it was in 2017 when the book was released and 2003 when the book takes place).

when hilmi and his brother wasid tell her they believe in a one state binational solution, she flips the fuck out and will start yelling and screaming and crying because it would be the end of a jewish ethnostate. shockingly, ethnostates are bad. but does she develop as a character and change her mind about this? no! she continues to be little miss zionism until the very end. she even refers to ramallah as being in israel throughout the book, even though it's in the WEST BANK and is the literal defacto CAPITOL of palestine. so clearly she doesn't even believe in a two state solution, she just believes in occupation and seeing the whole land as israel, from the river to the sea. does anyone call her out on this? no!

and in all her fragility and tears over this, it obviously drives a wedge between her and hilmi. except ultimately hilmi and wasid and even zinab (a character with a palestinian father who was literally killed for being part of the plo) comfort her, say she and hilmi are a good couple, and oh, hilmi never fucking leaves her! and while hilmi tells his brothers and mother about her, she only tells her sister and loses her sh*t over the idea of her parents finding out.

on shabbat she always calls home and asks hilmi to "disappear from her life for 10 minutes" because she's too much of a coward to tell her parents she's dating a scary scary arab and call them on their racism. this obviously causes a fight except she literally never changes. never! up until the very end of the book she gets pissed at him when he doesn't leave her 100% alone when she's on the phone with her parents and she NEVER tells them about him.

in fact, their last big fight in the book is about this and then she comes down with a big fever and hilmi dutifully takes care of her the whole time and when she gets better they have six weeks before she leaves to go back to israel. in those six weeks does she ever grow as a character or in their relationship and apologize for the ways she's perpetuated anti-palestinian racism in their relationship? nope!

this is what makes the relationship so unconvincing. hilmi has zero respect for himself to stay in a relationship with someone who, when they have their last big fight, has the inner monologue of being pissed at him and his "palestinian victim complex" or whatever when he's hurt that she pretends he doesn't exist around her family and her israeli friends. as an arab, i would absolutely never ever ever be in a relationship with someone who hid me from their friends and family because of my race. i would never tolerate the kind of disrespect she shows hilmi throughout the whole book.

he's not a real person, he's a fantasy of a palestinian written to absolve israelis of their guilt. it's okay that they feel and say and do these racist things! a palestinian could push all that aside and love them anyway! maybe this is where the comparison to toni morrison comes in, that hilmi subjects himself to this maybe out of a sense of internalized racial self hatred? but that's never the point. it's never a problem that's actually addressd.

while hilmi is written to make liberal zionists feel better, liat is written as if she isn't really racist, just naïve. hilmi tells her about racism he's experienced, the multiple times his family has been displaced, his time in prison for graffiti, and every time she's shocked and in disbelief. it feels like the lie goyim tell that germans in wwii didn't know about the holocaust. but they did. and israelis know about what their government does to palestinians. they're actively complicit, just like liat, in spite of her so-called love for hilmi.

and what makes this worse is that liat (and rabinyan) is iranian! and the book literally opens with her being racially profiled in post 9/11 new york. this hurts MORE because it's written by a middle eastern jew of colour and not a white jew who doesn't understand what racism is like.

in the end, when hilmi goes back to ramallah (in PALESTINE not in ISRAEL as liat says) a month following liat going back to tel aviv, you think oh, maybe they'll meet and decide to get back together and liat will tell her family about him and it won't be easy but she will make the difficult choice to choose hilmi. maybe she'll grow as a character. maybe in the final few chapters something will change.

but NO. hilmi goes to jaffa with his brother and nephew and fucking DIES by drowning (and it's supposed to be poetic because he loves painting water and now he's buried with a liquid canvas). and that's it!! liat gets a call from wasid, who she was SO disrespectful to, and then she has a breakdown. and then there's a flashback of a scene in nyc. and it's over.

hilmi is dead. liat hasn't changed a bit. and the book supposedly teaches that "love, not hate, will save us. hatred sows hatred, but love can break down barriers" but no it does not! it does not teach that! the whole message of the book seems to be that it's okay to be a liberal zionist who believes in an ethnostate because a palestinian will love you anyway and absolve you no matter how poorly you treat them.

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

All The Rivers is a beautifully written novel by Dorit Rabinyan. According to the book cover, All The Rivers became the center of a political scandal in Israel when the Ministry of Education banned the book from the high school curriculum.

Liat has come to New York in the autumn to house-sit for a childhood friend from Israel until the following spring. Studying for her masters degree at Tel Aviv University in linguistics, she is working as a translator. It is by chance that she meets Hilmi, her friend's Arabic tutor and an artist from Palestine, in a coffee shop in Greenwich Village. There is an immediate attraction as this modern day Romeo and Juliet tale evolves through the autumn, winter and spring in New York City. As they begin to share the stories of their lives, families, religion and language, they realize their similarities are greater than their differences. This was a beautiful book that will be with me for some time to come.

[Siv30 · Rating 2 out of 5]

החלק הראשון סתו, עוסק בסיפור האהבה של חילמי וליאת שנפגשו בניו יורק. הוא ערבי פלסטינאי היא ישראלית יהודיה. כבר בחלק הזה הסופרת בוחרת להציג את הדמות של חילמי בנרטיב הפלסטינאי המתקרבן, ואת ליאת בצד המצטדק, שליבו נצבט והמתנצל, הלא מודע, הלא פוליטי. במאזן הכוחות הזה, זו נקודת פתיחה די עלובה לרומן אהבה שממילא הזמן הקצוב לו הוא חצי שנה.

בכלל דורית רבינאן עשתה לעצמה הנחה מאוד גדולה וגם גייסה את הספרות לטובת עקרונות פוליטיים, כשהיא בחרה בדמות כזו לליאת. הספר הזה, לפחות בחלק הראשון שלו מתיימר ליצור דיאלוג של החלפת דעות אבל הוא בעצם מונולוג חד מימדי.

הדמות של ליאת לא באמת מציגה טיעונים או את הצד שהיא אמורה לייצג. היא לא מציגה כלום בעצם היא פלקט. במיוחד בויכוח עם ואסים באות לידי ביטוי התפיסות הפוליטיות של המחברת. ואסים ועוד קודם לכן חילמי, מצטיירים כנאורים, השקולים, הקוסמופוליטיים, מייצגים את העמדה בצורה רהוטה ומנומקת וליאת? ליאת בעמדה המצטדקת המתנצלת המתלהמת. לאן כל זה מוביל? לחוסר הידברות, חוסר נימוס, אי קבלת האחר וצדקנות פנאטית. ליאת שאינה מעורה בפרטים היסטוריים ובכלל אינה מומחית בפרטי הסכסוך נקלעת למבוכה ומוצגת במערומיה. כמו העמדה הישראלית שאינה מוסברת, אינה מנומקת.

הרי ברור לכל בר דעת, שמכיר את הסיטואציה, שלא יכול לקרות כזה דבר גם לא בניו יורק המרוחקת עם ישראלית, יהודיה שלא שמלאנית ובלי שום נטיות פוליטיות. האינדוקטרינציה של הדעות בנושא יותר מידי גדולה וגם שמלאניות מתונות לא ירוצו תוך לילה למיטתו של מי שנחשב לנציגו של האוייב.

אפשר להיות בצד השמאלי של המפה, לדגול בשלום ובמתן זכויות לפלסטינאים גם בלי לאבד את הזהות העצמית שלך, להתרפס ולהעלם בפני הצד השני. זה יותר מכבד את שני הצדדים. הפלסטינאים אינם ילדים מוגבלים שסובלים מבעיית הפטרוניזם הישראלי. הם סובלים מחוסר הגדרה ויכולת לממש את הזהות שלהם בדרכים לא אלימות. וגם פאסיב אגרסיב כמו הפעלת כל מיני חרמות, הם אלימות.

כבר עברתי את החצי של הספר, ליאת מתחבאת, לא מסוגלת להתמודד גם במרחק. גם חלמי לא נראה כמי שמתמודד.

מאכזב מאוד. והסיום, הסיום המטופש הזה בכדי לצאת מהפלונטר של היחסים הבלתי אפשריים. בלי אומץ, בלי חזון.

גם הספר הזה כמו הבית שנחרב היה מועמד לפרס ספיר ב 2014, גם בו האג'נדה ברורה, גם בו הספרות מגוייסת והתוצאה ממש נמוכה. גם אם ברמה הטכנית היא כתובה היטב, ברמה האינטלקטואלית זה לא מספק.

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 3 out of 5]

via my blog https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
“I just can. I can see you’re a good girl.”

I think about what my father would say about his good girl if he knew I was getting on a train with a strange man, an Arab, someone I only met a few hours ago.”

Isn’t it sad that there is so much hatred laid upon us, depending what side of the road, or a country we are born on? We are so very divided, and we forbid our loved ones happiness with another because of our political views, and even our ethnicity. It’s not that simple, isn’t that always the argument? All the horrific crimes our ancestors committed upon each other becomes this poisonous fear, this curse we pass on to our offspring. Here is a raw truth- no one is ‘the good one’ nor ‘the right one’.

This is forbidden love in the extreme, an Israeli young woman and a Palestinian man. When Liat allows Hilmi to see her bible, given to her when she was in the Israeli army he tells her, “Yeah, well.” He nods sadly. “Just like in Hamas.” He puts the bible back on the nightstand. “With the Kalashnikov and the Koran.” She immediately takes offense, hotly denying the similarities, of religion and war. But the self-righteousness of her own side, the ridiculousness of the tiresome fight seeps out of her. This is how we get to such a place of hatred. Two people that should hate each other, have fallen in love. Is it doomed? Do you have to wonder? When she learns Hilmi went to prison while she was a soldier, she cannot believe it was for painting a flag on a wall in Hebron. Soured that he was treated as a terrorist, so young too, explaining how colors were against the law- she is seeing her people from his perspective. Maybe love can do that, open your eyes to what goes unnoticed in your country, your home.

You can take any country at war with another and know without a doubt that even your own people do heinous things. To blindly believe your people alone are always on the side of right is madness. To believe that all people that come from a country are inherently evil seems a way to exonerate your own evil deeds. There is so much intolerance here, and guess what- I see it in my own country, I have seen it in countries I have traveled to and lived in. People live to divide I suppose, but they can come together too. Sadly, most people aren’t willing to lose their family for love, and how sad that is the choice they are often given.

We know Liat’s family is never going to accept Hilmi, an artist that was raised by an atheist father or no- no way. Is it because he is Arab or is it because he isn’t Jewish. She doesn’t want her parents to know, and her sister thinks this should just be some adventurous fling, certainly not someone she will risk bringing into the family. Soon she isn’t even telling her Israeli friends the truth about the man she is dating. This story causes some discomfort for both sides, I am sure, exposes things that are likely ignored. This line was intense, full of meaning. “How strange the reversal is- seeing us from the outside, looking in from the neighbors’ window, seeing ourselves from the hidden side of the mirror.” Would that we all could do this, how much of the world change, how much would we all question our staunch beliefs. This novel is political and the love is fresh, fast and doomed. If you want to play around and change the ethnicity of the characters, you do so or reverse the roles, the point is- good and bad is a clouded thing. What do we have in common? The ability to love and accept , sure maybe it can change and save us but sadly we also have blinders on. We often do not want to see the other side of any argument that goes against our own truths.

One is an idealist, the other a Zionist and where can they meet in the middle? What the reader can is see that through their differences, even equal hatred , they are more tightly bound. They are neighbors, they sleep with the enemy. They are stuck! Even meeting his family it’s “You Israelis”, both Liat and Hilmi have to carry everything their “people” do and think, defend or deny. That would be a constant were they able to join forever. Thinking on this, plop your American self in another country and eventually you too will encounter someone that holds everything Americans have done against you. It may be quietly, less violently but it’s there all the same. Families can really get in the way, even if we can rise above our differences, it is a fresh hell to have to defend your love to your family and friends, to bring children up in hostility, children that are part of both worlds. Is it easier to just enjoy the moment and move on?

What if there isn’t a choice, ever? Is there ever really a choice for Liat and Hilmi? Which side is wrong? Is love ever wrong? Can it be?

This is more than just forbidden love, I cannot imagine the fight for a Palestinian and an Israeli in love. By chance I recently read an article in The Telegraph about this very book being banned in classrooms of Israeli. From what I gathered in the article neither side is thrilled about the prospect of mixed marriages between the two. I didn’t even know Jews are not allowed to marry non-Jews in Israel. I imagine this novel is a much hotter topic in the two countries than here in the USA. But, I am reminded of past forbidden couplings through time in our own land. Easy to imagine, well not us, but there are still a lot of forbidden relationships, or ones our families would disown some of us over.

Why can’t we all get along? We can try, if other people would just let us. Provocative literature here, enough that it was banned elsewhere.

Publication Date: April 25, 2017

Random House

[Kireja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book Riot Read Harder challenge task # 19: A book of genre fiction in translation.

Having read “All the Rivers” and discovering that it was autobiographical, I looked up the author's farewell letter to her Palestinian friend Hassan Hourani. While Rabinyan's letter was eloquent and moving, unfortunately her story did not translate as well into the novel format.

One technical aspect that slowed down the pace was the tremendous amount of description in the novel. I'm not sure if this was a result of the translation, but there certainly seemed to be more “telling instead of showing”. The novel would have also worked better if it had been set in Israel/Palestine because it would have exposed readers to the cultures and social/political environments that influenced the main characters' beliefs and their perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It would have also added a dose of drama and would have allowed Rabinyan to flesh out some of the peripheral characters, namely Hilmi and Liat's families.

“All the Rivers” was hyped as being this controversial love story between an Israeli and a Palestinian, yet I just couldn't buy into their romance. There was a lot of angst on the part of the protagonist, so much so that I started to feel like the storyline was impacting me on an emotional level; there were times when I felt drained and wanted an escape from the book. This left me wondering: did they really love each other or did they just love the fact that they were in a forbidden relationship with the so-called enemy? For Liat it felt like she just enjoyed the sense of freedom that she gained by being able to do away with social norms/expectations while being in this relationship.

Finally, it was also interesting how the various perspectives on the conflict were adressed in the book. In her letter, Rabinyan clearly describes her back and forth discussions/arguments with Hourani, yet in the novel the characters never fully engage in any sort of dialogue. Of course there were moments when the conflict was discussed such as at the dinner with Wasim and when Hilmi talked about a binational country, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that Liat was always a bit reserved. This feeling was probably compounded by the fact that she chose to keep her relationship at an arm's length, away from her “real” life. In an interview given in 2017, Rabinyan stated that “if there is anything from this book that can be summed up in a message, though, it is the feeling that “us” and “them” have this shared destiny that requires acknowledgement”, yet from what I can recall this message was only explicitly emphasized at one point in the book when Hilmi and Liat were talking about a binational country. Overall, “All the Rivers” fell far below expectations.

[Galadrielė · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nespręsk apie knygą iš jos viršelio. Taip sakoma dažniausiai tuomet, kai kūrinys yra nepakartojamas, tačiau viršelis nuviliantis ar nepatenkinantis mūsų lūkesčių.

Šiuo atveju viskas atvirkščiai - išorė tobula, o vidus sausas, nuobodus ir bejausmis. Visą šį įspūdį sudaro tai, jog sukurti pagrindiniai veikėjai yra dirbtini, nemalonūs, net keliantys pyktį. Chimlį priskirčiau prie nemalonių, net atgrasių personažų, o Liam prie asmenų, atliekančius kvailus poelgius ir priimančius dar kvailesnius sprendimus. Veiksmas taip pat nebuvo iš maloniųjų - perdėm pagreitintas, nenatūralus. Kaip pavyzdį galiu pateikti pagrindinių veikėjų santykius, kuriuose nė su žiburiu nerasi romantikos. Tik spėję susipažinti, atsiduria lovoje, o iš to yra juntamas tik juos liečiantis fizinis ryšys, kuris reiškiasi beveik iki istorijos pabaigos, neužleisdamas vietos tikriems, širdį kaustantiems jausmams. Taip pat be perstojo ginčyjamasi dėl jų tautas skiriančių bruožų bei šalyse vyraujančių konfliktų temomis, neapsieinant ir be įvairių nereikšmingų kasdienių smulkmenų. Vis jaučiamas veikėjų pyktis, slogi nuotaika ir kartėlis trukdė mėgautis pačiu kūriniu. Vienintelis spindulys knygoje - istorinių Palestinos ir Izraelio nesutarimų, jų tautų skirtumų ir kultūrų aprašymai, kurie ir turėtų labiausiai dominti skaitytojus.

Pati kūrinio tema ir idėja yra labai svarbi šiuolaikiniam pasauliui. Kaip išties turėtų gyventi kariaujančios tautos - santaikoje bei laisvėje, kad kiekvienas pilietis galėtų tuoktis su kitos šalies gyventoju, nejaučiant giminės ir šalies spaudimo, kurti šeimą ten, kur jaučiasi saugiai ir užtikrintai.

Mano nuomone, kūrinys alsuoja ne tik svarbia pasauliui tema, bet ir menišku rašymo stiliumi, kuris teikė dirbtinumo jausmą, bei ganėtinai neįdomiu veiksmo ir veikėjų išvystymu. Galėčiau išskirti tik knygos pabaigą, kurią ir buvo įdomiausia skaityti. Veiksmui persikėlus į Palestiną ir Izraelį, viskas vystėsi natūraliau, veikėjai atsiskleidė visiškai kitomis spalvomis. Tačiau turint omeny paskutinį įvykį - juokas pro ašaras, jei autorė nesugalvojo įtaigiau užbaigti tokias rimtas temas paliečiantį kūrinį.

[Phyllis Krall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A controversial story about a love affair between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man that will tug at your heartstrings.
Liat, a translator, has left her home in Tel Aviv to study in New York for six months. She meets
Hilmi, an artist, who is a Palestinian from Hebron. The two fall in love, but realize that their is no future for them because of the disapproval they will receive from their families. Each day the couple spend together is a magical moment in time that they hope will never end. They teach each other about their customs and religions, which have more similarities than differences.
I really was captivated by the story and had no clue that it would end in such a surprising way . The writing is beautiful, especially the descriptions of winter days in New York. I highly recommend this lovely book which I received from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review!

[Sol (unlibroparamii) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lo mas interesante del libro fue adentrarse en el conflicto que existe entre Israelíes y Palestinos, entre Judíos y Árabes, un conflicto eterno y sin sentido que lleva a un odio que me resulta inentendible...
Por lo demás, a mi me resultó un poco aburrido y tal vez por el aburrimiento por momentos un tanto confuso. Una lástima porque tenía muchas esperanzas puestas en esta historia.

[Sleepless Dreamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had an idea of what this review would be like and then I read those last 10 pages and it all just flew out of the window. This is more like 3.5 stars but yeah.

First off, I absolutely have to acknowledge the wonderful job Jessica Cohen, the translator did. As a native Hebrew and English speaker, I assumed I would be able to feel that this isn't originally in English, that I'd be able to sense how the Hebrew was supposed to sound. That happened maybe once or twice. The rest of the time I felt this flowed so well and that's really impressive.

And yeah, okay, shame on me for reading this in English but ugh, who has energy to read in Hebrew?

So, this book. After finishing up I Saw Ramallah, I was curious about literary books that talk about the conflict and came across this. Briefly, it's about Liat, an Israeli and Hilmi, a Palestinian that meet in New York and fall in love. Narrated by Liat (which incidentally is my sister's name), we go through the many highs and lows of this relationship.

One of the things I loved about this book was how well it just understands what it's like to be from the Middle East and speak to people from your neighboring countries only outside of the Middle East. It was in Moscow when I spoke to a guy from Algeria for the first time. In Berlin where I had long conversations with Syrians. There's something unique about being outside of your native country and suddenly being able to meet people that live so very close to you and yet so incredibly far. I remember how it felt almost illegal the first time.

Dorit Rabinyan also manages to express how hard it is to hold a political conversation and hang on to your leftist opinions. I related so much to that moment when Liat says she feels herself expressing her parents' conservative thoughts. This has happened to me so many times, this moment of stopping, pausing and realizing that I'm having a conversation with a non-Israeli and I'm saying things that I would never agree with back home.

There's a scene where Liat meets a lot of his Palestinian friends and they start arguing about politics. She becomes upset and starts crying and it's such a succinct scene. It's so powerful and I found myself thinking about all the times that I've found myself crying or close to tears while talking about politics.

In general, this book does a good job of pinpointing lot of moments I've experienced as an Israeli abroad. For example, there's a paragraph where she talks about dealing with long winters and rain during the summers. That's such a mood. So many people in New Orleans were surprised when I said I've never had the need to use an umbrella during the summer.

The writing in this book is beautiful. I'm tempted to read it in Hebrew just to see how the prose sounds originally. It just flows so well, it's graceful and manages to express moods and moments in this gentle voice. It's poetic yet manages to get the point across. Seriously, read this for the writing.

There's a ton of symbolism in this book. My brain is so full of Rawls (Jesus, why is his writing like this why is it so hard why can't i think of solid criticism) and of Logics (ahhh, I am so terrible in Logics and I have to hand this assignment (heck yeah, by the time I finished this review, I already handed in Logics)) so I feel like I can't devote myself to analyze it as much as I'd like but the sea, the idea of America's seasons vs Israel/Palestine's seasons, being an artist vs being a translator, languages, cars, and family are some of the symbols and themes that this book develops and does so beautifully. I loved pondering about what their relationship symbolizes, how the struggles of the relationship reflect the struggles of the conflict.

I wish we would have studied this in high school. And yeah, okay, this got banned. However, in 2019 (heck yeah, almost 2020), I find this weird because I learned ארבעה בתים וגעגוע, which is far more political and anti-Israeli ethos.

However, I had a few issues with this book (of course I did).

First off, Hilmi and Liat's relationship moves very quickly. It felt like there was this jump from when they met until they were suddenly living together and very much in love. I was surprised and didn't expect it at all.

Secondly, as I very much believe in the two state solution, I felt like it wasn't represented right. I have yet to hear a solid explanation for why the two state solution couldn't work. The two state solution that I believe in is not one with strict borders. It's not one where we block each other. It's merely the idea of having two governments that agree to cooperate and freedom of movement for both sides as long as they acknowledge the sovereignty of both sides and as long as both countries are liberal democracies. I don't think this is impossible while the one state solution is essentially the end of the both nationalities.

Which is something this book seems to support. There's this idea that if they could both live in the states as Americans, they would be able to make it. English is seen as this neutral ground. This is something I've definitely experienced, this feeling that in English we're able to speak about things in a way that we can't in Hebrew or Arabic.

Something here that annoyed me was that Liat seems to see herself within every Israeli that Hilmi has met. This comes from Hilmi but it also deeply comes from Liat. I mean, when Hilmi talks about soldiers' brutality, Liat sees herself, as she was a soldier. This idea that Liat represents every Israeli would bother me less if Hilmi would be presented the same. This isn't the case here and that's frustrating.

There's always this Israeli urge to apologize to Palestinians for everything terrible that 18 year olds do at the border. I think I realized a while ago that yes, I was in the army, but I am not the army. I have never hurt a Palestinian during my army service. If I have to apologize for the sins the army does, a Palestinian should apologize to me for the sins their government does in their name. I'd much rather we just see each other as citizens. I wish other Israelis would also see this.

And does Liat represent Israeli and Hilmi represent Palestine? I don't know, I don't know if this was the author's intention, if this has enough proof during the book, if I even want to go down this path but dang, the ending certainly makes you feel like that's the idea and well, that's hella depressing.

Anyway, despite all of this, I liked this book. The writing was spectacular. Books that are based in NYC are always fun, this is pretty much law. If you want a cute yet irritating romance with politics occasionally showing up, this is a good one.

What I'm Taking From This Book
- I wish I could see Hilmi's art.
- I've definitely experienced people hear me speak Hebrew and think it's Arabic but I've never seen someone see written Hebrew and confuse it with Arabic. I mean, come on, Hebrew is so squared and angular while Arabic is so curvy and connected.
- I do not miss NYC at all.

Uni Adventures- week 9 maybe
- As it turns out, I am a terrible English teacher and this is deeply unfortunate because my tandem partner is amazing at teaching Arabic.
- I ditched a candle lighting in order to stay in bed and watch Misfits again, should I feel guilty?
- I asked the dorms guard how his week is going and he just stared at me with this broken look in his eyes and said, "I'm surviving." and well, that is a big mood.
- Is it too early to start thinking of doing a PhD? Well, too late, I am way too excited about the idea of writing one.
- Although, it has recently crossed my mind that academics is pretty much speaking to itself. Like, I can't help but wonder how much real life impact do the social sciences have on life. Which scares me because I don't want to spend my life arguing with Americans.
- Okay, this "winter" thing has been nice. I want the sun back now.
- A guy in my Econ class told me my new haircut makes me look gay and like, I can't help but think that it achieves the purpose.
- I totally had a shit day in work but hey, it's nice to know that even a terrible day at work is still fun.
- Missed all of my runs this week because of general grossness+ laziness+ rain.

[Davida Chazan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s a novel that was banned from Israeli High Schools because it is about a relationship between a Jewish Israeli woman and a Palestinian man. But don’t let that stop you from reading this modern-day Romeo and Juliette story. Read why this book is forcing me to update my “best of 2017” list, in my review here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2017/12/2...

[Maria Strale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Israel- och Palestinakonflikten beskriven i ett förhållande. Precis så komplicerat och omöjligt som det är i verkligheten. Vinkeln att ta upp "makroproblem" på "mikronivå" är smart för det är lättare att se precis hur krångligt det är. Jättebra jobb av författaren och uppenbarligen så väl beskrivet att romanen blivit förbjuden i israeliska skolor.

[Catherine Pinkett · Rating 3 out of 5]

going to start this soon ad part of Read around the world on Melanie's channel. Mel's bookish adventures


I enjoyed this book to a certain extent. The premise and plot were very good. However I didn't feel emotionally attached. I liked the characters, however how their love was portrayed felt somewhat flat and mundane. sorry! Perhaps the atmosphere was lost in translation. None of us can help who we fall in love with, and this book does highlight how difficult it is for mixed religion relationships to survive.
I have first hand experience in my own family. My brother in law is Sheik and my sister Christian. That was a battle enough in the UK never mind in a war zone part of the world.
Glad I was introduced to this book though, just disappointed by its execution.

[Lisa (NY) · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading several reviews, I expected to love this novel about an Israeli woman and Palestinian man falling in love in New York City. I am interested in the conflicting political issues that the author raised through their doomed romance. But by the halfway point I was bored with Liat and Hilmi and tired of their circular arguments and kisses. Even the ending felt contrived.

[Ugnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jau buvo kelios apžvalgos, kad knyga nuvylė. Aš irgi save prie tų pačių nusivylusių šį kartą priskiriu, pripažindama ir savo kaltę - labiausiai ją skaityti susiviliojau aprašyme perskaičiusi, kad autorę užstojo Amos Oz ir A. B. Yehoshua. Tikėjausi panašaus stiliaus ir panašių gelmių, o nieko panašaus nebuvo. Apskritai atrodė, kad meilės istorija sugalvota tam, kad būtų kaip papasakoti apie žydų ir palestiniečių požiūrį ir patirtis karo ir konflikto metu. Su meilės istorijomis dažnai daug lengviau tapatintis, tačiau šį kartą viskas praėjo paviršiumi ir neradau bendrų kabliukų tarp savo ir jų santykių patirčių. O tada ir visa kita atrodė pritempta

[Alejandra Restrepo B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es una lástima que una historia que tiene un trasfondo tan profundo haya sido taaaaaaaan aburrida.

Este libro cuenta el romance entre una judía y un árabe que duró algunos meses y que siempre estuvo marcado por los prejuicios y las diferencias entre estas dos culturas.
Me pareció una historia muy plana, tal vez porque recientemente había leído Dispara, yo ya estoy muerto de Julia Navarro que cuenta los inicios de esta disputa y me gustó tanto.
Un final muy triste eso sí...pero esperaba más en general de este libro.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Så fin! Hade hela boken varit lika storartad som den första, nästan andlöst närvarande, delen hade jag gett den en femma. Nu saktar berättelsen fart – kanske av nödvändighet när förhållandet mellan Liat och Hilmi stabiliseras.
Det är alltså 2002 och en israelisk kvinna träffar en palestinsk man i New York. Det är rörande att läsa om hur deras på förhand dömda kärlekshistoria tar sin början, hur de omedelbart dras till varandra. Doris Rabinyan berättar skickligt och väver in markörer som visar skillnaden mellan dem, Liats tidiga tvekan inför att nämna vissa saker eftersom hon blir medveten om att det som känns självklart och invant för henne är en smärtsam påminnelse för honom. På så vis är konflikten mellan Israel och Palestina redan från början närvarande mellan dem – inte bara i bakgrunden utan i deras samtal, i det de säger och det de inte säger, i hur de reagerar på varandras språk, i deras gräl.
Alla floder flyter mot havet lyckas med det där som bra berättelser gör: den är universell i sin beskrivning av förhållandet mellan två människor men samtidigt öppnar den ett fönster mot en tillvaro som är främmande för mig.

[Holli Arnold · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is your typical Romeo and Juliette plot...except with an Israeli and a Palestinian who meet in NYC. I like the backdrop of NYC and that Hilmi was a driven and prolific painter...the descriptions were fantastic. The author does a good job exploring the ambivalent feelings of Liat...that she truly connects with Hilmi and loves him, but that their relationship is transient due to where they are from. When they move back to their respective families in the Middle East, there remains a sense of will they or won't they. Abruptly, the author senselessly kills Hilmi in an drowning accident while he is on his way to Israel for a surprise visit to Liat. Maybe the author punishes Liat for not being brave enough to have a life with Hilmi? Not sure...but the ending seems like a cop out to me...unsatisfying. I didn't want a happily ever after ending...but not a senseless kill off the character ending either in order to create an artificial tragedy. I was kind of imagining them meeting on the street a few decades later after they have had their families...both contributing in their own ways to reconciliation between Israel and Palestine in their careers, originating with their relationship. Yeah...that would've been a better ending.

[Debby Hammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I live in Israel I am biased. Netanya By the Sea is my home. Educated, hopeful and literary. This is an important book for our times. Many of you have traveled here with a group or on your own. This book will provide a different account.