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Thera
Ella Miller is a 36-year-old archaeologist studying one of the largest volcanic blasts in history, the famous Thera eruption. She develops a novel theory that the devasting blast sparked the biblical ten plagues, which led to the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt. Like her research subject, Ella's life is undergoing tectonic shifts. Her marriage to her former mentor, the needy and brutish Amnon, has come to an end. Her relationships with her intellectually towering father and servile wife are unbearable. Her young son, Gili, swings wildly from adaptability to despair. Her new lover must face up to his own recently destroyed marriage. Ella seeks to build a new kingdom atop the ruins of the old, but murmurings beneath the family edifice create fault lines that threaten to destabilize her future. Thera presents a dazzling depiction of family life. In sharp, unerring prose, it excavates the archaeology of the human soul.
425 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
15 people are currently reading
408 people want to read
About the author
Zeruya Shalev
26 books276 followersZeruya Shalev is a bestselling Israeli author.
She has an MA in Bible studies and works as a literary editor at Keshet publishing house. On January 29, 2004, when she was returning to her home in Rehavia, Jerusalem, after taking her child to kindergarten, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew up a city bus as she was passing by. It took her four months to recover from her injuries. Shalev is married to Ayal Megged, son of Aharon Megged.
Shalev has published four novels, a book of poetry and a children's book. Her novels Love Life and Husband and Wife have received critical acclaim both in Israel and abroad. They have been translated into 21 languages and were bestsellers in several countries. Shalev has been awarded the Book Publishers' Association's Gold and Platinum Prizes, the German Corine Book Award (2001), the French Amphi Award, and the ACUM prize three times (1997, 2003, 2005). Husband and Wife was also nominated for the French Femina prize (2002), and is included in the French Fnac list of the 200 Best Books of the Decade.
She has an MA in Bible studies and works as a literary editor at Keshet publishing house. On January 29, 2004, when she was returning to her home in Rehavia, Jerusalem, after taking her child to kindergarten, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew up a city bus as she was passing by. It took her four months to recover from her injuries. Shalev is married to Ayal Megged, son of Aharon Megged.
Shalev has published four novels, a book of poetry and a children's book. Her novels Love Life and Husband and Wife have received critical acclaim both in Israel and abroad. They have been translated into 21 languages and were bestsellers in several countries. Shalev has been awarded the Book Publishers' Association's Gold and Platinum Prizes, the German Corine Book Award (2001), the French Amphi Award, and the ACUM prize three times (1997, 2003, 2005). Husband and Wife was also nominated for the French Femina prize (2002), and is included in the French Fnac list of the 200 Best Books of the Decade.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 23, 2014
INTRODUCTION: "Thera" is a book that I picked up from the B&N bookshelves because of the title and cover without knowing anything about the author or subject, only to discover a blurb that was not quite what generally interests me. But I opened it at random and the moment I read the first sentence I was just hooked and I knew I had to read it "now". On finishing it, I was so impressed by its extraordinary voice that I had to talk about it as soon as possible...
A November 2010 translation from Hebrew by H. Sachs and Mitch Ginsburg, the novel has been published originally in Israel in 2005, being the fourth novel of the author and the third translated into multiple languages and getting widespread acclaim.
"A woman, who suddenly decides to forsake her husband for brilliant fantasies of freedom and independence, confronts a complicated reality: unexpected isolation, awakening doubts, guilt, sorrow, and the troubles of her small son trying to adapt to a new situation.
Unexpectedly and paradoxically, the family Ella Miller destroys becomes a radiant fantasy in itself, and she sinks into an agonizing longing for the sheltering secure framework of her previous life, even when a new love, both promising and happy, finally comes her way. It goes on even when she tries to build a united family with her new love and his children. The new life turns out to be an unbelievably complicated learning process, a path paved with upsets that at times demand more of her than she ever thought she could give."
ANALYSIS: "Thera" is narrated in first person by 36 year old Ella Fisher, an archaeologist with slightly unorthodox theories about how the famous ancient volcanic explosion on the Mediterranean Island of Thera - Santorini - led to the freedom of the Jewish people in Egypt and the biblical exodus under Moses.
The novel is set in Jerusalem of the present day - as of original publication 2005 more or less - and follows Ella's increasingly complicated life over a relatively short span of time at least as narration goes. Despite seemingly being contently married with a colleague and former mentor and having a son she dotes on who is just starting school, one day Ella decides to kick out her husband Ammon for various reasons that are slowly revealed in the book.
"Thera" is a deceptively fast read despite its 400+ pages - the first person narrative and relative short time frame of the action essentially make it so - and the book is superbly written and translated. The storyline of the novel is less important than the way it is told and the portrait of Ella, her son Gili, the men in her life and the other two children of her "second family" and their relationship with Gili and herself make Thera work beautifully. The story alternates moods very well and the ending is also excellent capping a truly unexpected hit for me.
There are lots of poignant moments: when Ella essentially forces her way in Ammon's new apartment to see how her son copes there in her absence on one of the days when his father has custody - after more or less inveigling the address from Gili - and overwhelmed by the domestic feeling she experiences, she tries to get Ammon back after kicking him out not long ago, or when she has to cope with her son's school friends all having "full families" and has musings crudely put as where are the divorce statistics when you need them?
Later when she falls together with another "shipwrecked soul" partly by chance, partly with a little manipulation on her part, the story goes back to a more content semi-domestic mood though again not without its problems, not least the 3 children thrown together who have to sort of cope with the new arrangements - another poignant scene is when she buys six card packs for Gili and his new 'step brother' to share and Gili alternates between being happy to get them and suspicion that were not the other boy there he would have got all six for himself...
The above may seem a little banal in some ways, but the way the book flows is just impressive and Thera was a real pleasure to read end to end, so I truly urge you to try the available sample on Amazon and see if it instantly hooks you the way it happened with me.
As the setting goes, everything reads as normal for a modern Western prosperous city while the sometimes unusual facts of modern life in Jerusalem - eg schools have guards, men are often away on army duty... - are just presented matter of fact as are the various aspects of Jewish belief and culture inserted masterfully by the author.
Overall, Thera (A++) is just a superb piece of literary fiction that flows so well that is more of a page turner than most action oriented novels.
A November 2010 translation from Hebrew by H. Sachs and Mitch Ginsburg, the novel has been published originally in Israel in 2005, being the fourth novel of the author and the third translated into multiple languages and getting widespread acclaim.
"A woman, who suddenly decides to forsake her husband for brilliant fantasies of freedom and independence, confronts a complicated reality: unexpected isolation, awakening doubts, guilt, sorrow, and the troubles of her small son trying to adapt to a new situation.
Unexpectedly and paradoxically, the family Ella Miller destroys becomes a radiant fantasy in itself, and she sinks into an agonizing longing for the sheltering secure framework of her previous life, even when a new love, both promising and happy, finally comes her way. It goes on even when she tries to build a united family with her new love and his children. The new life turns out to be an unbelievably complicated learning process, a path paved with upsets that at times demand more of her than she ever thought she could give."
ANALYSIS: "Thera" is narrated in first person by 36 year old Ella Fisher, an archaeologist with slightly unorthodox theories about how the famous ancient volcanic explosion on the Mediterranean Island of Thera - Santorini - led to the freedom of the Jewish people in Egypt and the biblical exodus under Moses.
The novel is set in Jerusalem of the present day - as of original publication 2005 more or less - and follows Ella's increasingly complicated life over a relatively short span of time at least as narration goes. Despite seemingly being contently married with a colleague and former mentor and having a son she dotes on who is just starting school, one day Ella decides to kick out her husband Ammon for various reasons that are slowly revealed in the book.
"Thera" is a deceptively fast read despite its 400+ pages - the first person narrative and relative short time frame of the action essentially make it so - and the book is superbly written and translated. The storyline of the novel is less important than the way it is told and the portrait of Ella, her son Gili, the men in her life and the other two children of her "second family" and their relationship with Gili and herself make Thera work beautifully. The story alternates moods very well and the ending is also excellent capping a truly unexpected hit for me.
There are lots of poignant moments: when Ella essentially forces her way in Ammon's new apartment to see how her son copes there in her absence on one of the days when his father has custody - after more or less inveigling the address from Gili - and overwhelmed by the domestic feeling she experiences, she tries to get Ammon back after kicking him out not long ago, or when she has to cope with her son's school friends all having "full families" and has musings crudely put as where are the divorce statistics when you need them?
Later when she falls together with another "shipwrecked soul" partly by chance, partly with a little manipulation on her part, the story goes back to a more content semi-domestic mood though again not without its problems, not least the 3 children thrown together who have to sort of cope with the new arrangements - another poignant scene is when she buys six card packs for Gili and his new 'step brother' to share and Gili alternates between being happy to get them and suspicion that were not the other boy there he would have got all six for himself...
The above may seem a little banal in some ways, but the way the book flows is just impressive and Thera was a real pleasure to read end to end, so I truly urge you to try the available sample on Amazon and see if it instantly hooks you the way it happened with me.
As the setting goes, everything reads as normal for a modern Western prosperous city while the sometimes unusual facts of modern life in Jerusalem - eg schools have guards, men are often away on army duty... - are just presented matter of fact as are the various aspects of Jewish belief and culture inserted masterfully by the author.
Overall, Thera (A++) is just a superb piece of literary fiction that flows so well that is more of a page turner than most action oriented novels.
September 1, 2010
A few years ago, my litterature teacher made me aware of Amos Oz. I enjoy "A tale of love and darkness" so I give a try to a new Israelian writer: Zeruya Shalev. I had the chance to start by her last book published "Théra"... I said the chance because according to me it's the best novel she has written. I have read "Husband and wife" but I didn't appreciate as much as "Théra". Maybe the topic of the novel plays a huge part in my choice considering that it deals with the separation of a family, a divorce, how the different protagonists live through this difficult experience. It could have been cheap and boring but IT'S NOT AT ALL. If you can, just read this book. You'll not be disappointed.
The story is viewed through Ella's eyes, the mother, and the one who decides to leave her husband after all these years of a ten years long marriage with Ammon. They are both archeologists and they have worked together on the Théra island. The story about Théra and its history is just a subtle way to draw a link between past and present and also between the different characters throughout the story.
Ella has to learn to leave alone, with her son who can't really understand why his parents don't live together anymore.
But her life will be shaken when she meets Oded, who is getting divorced a who is a father of two kids either. Ella sees an opportunity of a new beginning, a new chance of happiness and a new start. But her son doesn't take it so well. Ella goes through a tempest of doubts and feelings and at one point she sincerely believes that leaving Amnon (her husband) was a huge mistake. But Amnon has a new life too and Ella has to face the burden of a decision that she is not sure to approve anymore.
Zeruya Shalev's writing is poetic and magnificent. There is some paragraphs in which you just stop breathing until you've reached the end of the sentence, the end of this little poem she has created inside the novel. The accurance of the feelings she describes is a pure form of genius and it's really difficult and delicate I think to achieve giving both the feelings and thoughts of the mother, the wife, the husband and the father and the son. Zeruya Shalev masters it and the novel is brilliant.
There is a reflexion on the passing of time, and the way you perceive events or emotions differently at different moments of your life. The novel deals with a woman who has to face conflicted feelings and emotions. The story is terrible, feverish and poignant. Because Ella is not only a mother, she is also a woman in search of love, of sense above all. Maybe life find all its sense after thousand years, just like archeologists find explanations thanks to objects they find in Thera. Maybe we're just unable to embrace the real sense of our destinies and we try to make choices without knowing anything about ourselves or even about all the consequences those choices could have had on our future. Should we be paralyzed by fear? Or keep moving forward? Shalev tries (and in a poetic, subtle and refined way according to me) to solve that question. Dust we were at the beginning, dust we will be again... but maybe we can paint a beautiful frame during our short lives like people did one day on the walls of Thera. We don't know them but thanks to those paintings we can at least try to learn more about them and about ourselves either.
A delicate, beautiful, poetic and deep novel to read absolutely. It must be in all the libraries of the world.
The story is viewed through Ella's eyes, the mother, and the one who decides to leave her husband after all these years of a ten years long marriage with Ammon. They are both archeologists and they have worked together on the Théra island. The story about Théra and its history is just a subtle way to draw a link between past and present and also between the different characters throughout the story.
Ella has to learn to leave alone, with her son who can't really understand why his parents don't live together anymore.
But her life will be shaken when she meets Oded, who is getting divorced a who is a father of two kids either. Ella sees an opportunity of a new beginning, a new chance of happiness and a new start. But her son doesn't take it so well. Ella goes through a tempest of doubts and feelings and at one point she sincerely believes that leaving Amnon (her husband) was a huge mistake. But Amnon has a new life too and Ella has to face the burden of a decision that she is not sure to approve anymore.
Zeruya Shalev's writing is poetic and magnificent. There is some paragraphs in which you just stop breathing until you've reached the end of the sentence, the end of this little poem she has created inside the novel. The accurance of the feelings she describes is a pure form of genius and it's really difficult and delicate I think to achieve giving both the feelings and thoughts of the mother, the wife, the husband and the father and the son. Zeruya Shalev masters it and the novel is brilliant.
There is a reflexion on the passing of time, and the way you perceive events or emotions differently at different moments of your life. The novel deals with a woman who has to face conflicted feelings and emotions. The story is terrible, feverish and poignant. Because Ella is not only a mother, she is also a woman in search of love, of sense above all. Maybe life find all its sense after thousand years, just like archeologists find explanations thanks to objects they find in Thera. Maybe we're just unable to embrace the real sense of our destinies and we try to make choices without knowing anything about ourselves or even about all the consequences those choices could have had on our future. Should we be paralyzed by fear? Or keep moving forward? Shalev tries (and in a poetic, subtle and refined way according to me) to solve that question. Dust we were at the beginning, dust we will be again... but maybe we can paint a beautiful frame during our short lives like people did one day on the walls of Thera. We don't know them but thanks to those paintings we can at least try to learn more about them and about ourselves either.
A delicate, beautiful, poetic and deep novel to read absolutely. It must be in all the libraries of the world.
November 20, 2012
Sjajan roman! Cijela priča ostavila mi je duboki trag. Zeruya izvrsno piše i dočarava upravo one osjećaje koje bi svaka osoba osjetila u takvoj situaciji.
November 3, 2014
This is one of the weirdest books I've ever read. If it weren't for my book club I would have never touched it or fought myself through more than 50 pages.
I hated it almost every second while reading and in the end, I still think those characters will haunt me for a long time.
I was annoyed by the writing style, by the characters that were so full of pity and anger and self-destructiveness. Sometimes I was only seconds away from banging my head on the wall - but maybe that's the intention of the author.
The crafting of the characters is masterfully. Although it was a book I absolutely did not enjoy reading, I still think it is a good book. And even though I hated the writing style I still do think it's greatly written.
I think it's a book you are somehow supposed to hate. And then love again because of all the horrible things you went through with your characters. You somehow become part of that weird patchwork family, even if you hate them to pieces.
The only way I would recommend this book is for people who are obsessed with character building and don't care about a kind of boring plot. Because the plot really isn't what makes this book. And if you want an easy book, this is definitely not what you are looking for!
I hated it almost every second while reading and in the end, I still think those characters will haunt me for a long time.
I was annoyed by the writing style, by the characters that were so full of pity and anger and self-destructiveness. Sometimes I was only seconds away from banging my head on the wall - but maybe that's the intention of the author.
The crafting of the characters is masterfully. Although it was a book I absolutely did not enjoy reading, I still think it is a good book. And even though I hated the writing style I still do think it's greatly written.
I think it's a book you are somehow supposed to hate. And then love again because of all the horrible things you went through with your characters. You somehow become part of that weird patchwork family, even if you hate them to pieces.
The only way I would recommend this book is for people who are obsessed with character building and don't care about a kind of boring plot. Because the plot really isn't what makes this book. And if you want an easy book, this is definitely not what you are looking for!
August 31, 2014
Divortul Ellei aduce atat de multa durere tuturora, incat este imposibil sa spui daca a meritat. Precum moartea sau dezastrele naturale, pare sa spuna Shalev, divortul e o ruptura absoluta, noua viata nu este mai buna sau mai rea decat cea dinainte, pentru ca este prea diferita. Exista un licar de speranta in ultimile pagini din "Thera", ca Ella si Oded vor putea crea o noua familie mai rezistenta, dar Shalev lasa indoiala sa pluteasca asupra viitorului. " Nu este totul pierdut, nu inca" spune Ella; si Shalev sugereaza ca, in viata oamenilor, asta este de obicei cel mai mult din ce pot spera.
January 6, 2014
Odusevila me Zeruya! Po meni dosad njezin najbolji roman. Savrsen prilaz medjuljudskih, obiteljskih odnosa i nasih uloga u njima.
Izvrsno! Ne ispusta se iz ruku.
Izvrsno! Ne ispusta se iz ruku.
August 15, 2017
Mensen die op scheiden staan zouden dit moeten lezen vooraleer stappen te ondernemen. Want het gras is niet altijd groener aan de overkant. Ella scheidt van haar man, heeft enorme schuldgevoelens ten opzichte van haar zesjarige zoontje dat nu opeens twee apart levende ouders heeft. Vol twijfel en depressief doorloopt ze de weken erna, tot ze halsoverkop verliefd wordt op een gescheiden man met twee kinderen. Vrijwel onmiddellijk stort ze zich in een nieuw liefdesverhaal. Maar dan botst ze op de realiteit van een man die zijn eigen kinderen liever ziet dan haar kind. En dan lijken die vreselijke gedragingen waarvoor ze haar eerste man heeft verlaten, opeens de hemel te zijn en verlangt ze daarnaar terug. Ik dacht soms geërgerd bij mezelf: grillig schepsel, maak wat van je leven in plaats van altijd smachtend achterom te kijken. De vlotte schrijfstijl deed me doorlezen. Toch niet 100% overtuigd van deze te lange roman.
November 3, 2024
Recitită după aproape 15 ani. Aceleași emoții, aceleași întrebări. Poate mai multe răspunsuri. Cu siguranță mai atentă la simboluri.
Recomand celor ce se gândesc să divorțeze, celor deja divorțați, celor care iși caută drumul într-un cuplu. Nu vor găsi niciun răspuns, dar nu se vor mai simți singuri (în special la femei mă refer)
Răspunsul meu la a doua lectură e că suntem cu noi și toate ale noastre oriunde am fi, alături de oricine.
Zeruya Shalev scrie minunat, atentă la orice detaliu, fină cunoscătoare a sufletului feminin.
In Thera pune pe hârtie ceea ce simțim inevitabil la un moment dat: întrebări, vină, gesturi de care ne rușinăm mai apoi, disperare, durere, speranță.
Recomand celor ce se gândesc să divorțeze, celor deja divorțați, celor care iși caută drumul într-un cuplu. Nu vor găsi niciun răspuns, dar nu se vor mai simți singuri (în special la femei mă refer)
Răspunsul meu la a doua lectură e că suntem cu noi și toate ale noastre oriunde am fi, alături de oricine.
Zeruya Shalev scrie minunat, atentă la orice detaliu, fină cunoscătoare a sufletului feminin.
In Thera pune pe hârtie ceea ce simțim inevitabil la un moment dat: întrebări, vină, gesturi de care ne rușinăm mai apoi, disperare, durere, speranță.
May 6, 2019
The author does a great job describing emotions and different stages in a love relationship. While reading, it's incredibly how simply (yet overwhelming sometimes) you go with the flow, a flow of a wide range of feelings: love, fear, respect, disapointment, anger, empathy and many more, like all of us have felt at least once in our lives. It's a good exercise to make you think more about your relationship, about your role, about your expectancies, about how you can improve things, instead of waiting for others to do it. I liked the idea that you either adapt your hopes to the reality your are in now, either you have to start a new "reality"(for eg. a new relationship, a new life).
July 31, 2022
cette autrice est une génie
October 30, 2021
The best and most complex part of her trilogy, after Love Life and Husband and Wife. It seems that the author has grown both literary and emotionally together with her books!
A mature married couple has reached the wall, the wife wants a divorce - but what she actually wants is a way out of the patriarchal trap. As with Shalev's other female characters - they seem to be searching a way out of the ordinary female paradigm - we go to school, fall in love, get married, have kids and grow old - very often unhappy and unfulfilled. Her questions are not so straightforward, but all of her female characters make us think about alternatives.
Shalev is ruthless to her female characters, she puts them at the point of some crises and then the questioning starts, it is almost psychologically cruel, the questions are overfloading her characters - questions about family, selfhood, and guilt, oh yes, the good old connection between women and guilt - she feels guilty toward her family, toward her spouse and son, and to herself.
I especially like the style of writing - it is fluid and fast, I had a feeling of complete immersion - reading this book is like being dipped in honey, something thick and sticky that is hard to get off the skin - I also felt a lot of empathy with the characters in the process, both male and female.
This is real literature, the style is unconventional and there is a lot to think about in the process of reading, as well as afterwards. I strongly recommend it!
A mature married couple has reached the wall, the wife wants a divorce - but what she actually wants is a way out of the patriarchal trap. As with Shalev's other female characters - they seem to be searching a way out of the ordinary female paradigm - we go to school, fall in love, get married, have kids and grow old - very often unhappy and unfulfilled. Her questions are not so straightforward, but all of her female characters make us think about alternatives.
Shalev is ruthless to her female characters, she puts them at the point of some crises and then the questioning starts, it is almost psychologically cruel, the questions are overfloading her characters - questions about family, selfhood, and guilt, oh yes, the good old connection between women and guilt - she feels guilty toward her family, toward her spouse and son, and to herself.
I especially like the style of writing - it is fluid and fast, I had a feeling of complete immersion - reading this book is like being dipped in honey, something thick and sticky that is hard to get off the skin - I also felt a lot of empathy with the characters in the process, both male and female.
This is real literature, the style is unconventional and there is a lot to think about in the process of reading, as well as afterwards. I strongly recommend it!
February 23, 2018
This book is an immersion. It is a tightly woven first-person narrative, viscous as honey. All likenesses of conversations are drowned in it and saturated with its dreamlike quality. Its prose is stylistically consistent and well-balanced.
The theme is human relationships, particularly one woman's way through divorce, the possibility of life after and negotiations of its conditions.
This book was a present of a friend, who is lucky to read Hebrew in original, and is familiar with the landscape of the contemporary prose of Israel. However, I first got to reading it after it spent a couple of years in the shelf.
I waded through the first two hundreds of pages of the text with great difficulty, and just as I was about to give the book up, an enthusiastic review helped me to make it through to a certain turn of the plot, which filled my sails with the new breeze and brought me safely to the harbor of the happy (?) end.
Other themes that can be singled out in the context of the novel are relationships of a grown-up person with her ageing parents, functioning of nuclear and patchwork families, parenthood, one's personal boundaries, health and contributions of the (mental-) health specialists towards it.
Thera arranges these themes in the pattern of a jungle, as one of the characters aptly sums it up. I don't recognize any improvement dynamics, or breakthrough discoveries made by the novel’s characters in its course, other than acceptance of life with all its imperfections as the blessed condition.
The theme is human relationships, particularly one woman's way through divorce, the possibility of life after and negotiations of its conditions.
This book was a present of a friend, who is lucky to read Hebrew in original, and is familiar with the landscape of the contemporary prose of Israel. However, I first got to reading it after it spent a couple of years in the shelf.
I waded through the first two hundreds of pages of the text with great difficulty, and just as I was about to give the book up, an enthusiastic review helped me to make it through to a certain turn of the plot, which filled my sails with the new breeze and brought me safely to the harbor of the happy (?) end.
Other themes that can be singled out in the context of the novel are relationships of a grown-up person with her ageing parents, functioning of nuclear and patchwork families, parenthood, one's personal boundaries, health and contributions of the (mental-) health specialists towards it.
Thera arranges these themes in the pattern of a jungle, as one of the characters aptly sums it up. I don't recognize any improvement dynamics, or breakthrough discoveries made by the novel’s characters in its course, other than acceptance of life with all its imperfections as the blessed condition.
Read
August 22, 2011The Greek island of Santorini, also known as Thera, is now a popular tourist destination. Some 3,600 years ago, however, it was the site of one of the worst natural disasters in human history, when a volcanic eruption virtually destroyed the island. The gigantic explosion led to the collapse of the Minoan civilization of nearby Crete and sent a layer of dust into the atmosphere whose traces can be found around the Earth. Read more..
July 4, 2016
A well written and emotionally intense read that is strongly recommended to anyone who enjoys strong psychological writing and especially to married people who wonder what life would be like were they divorced. Because of its emotional intensity clinically depressed people should probably skip it. Otherwise I basically endorse Adam Kirsch's review.
December 27, 2007
A somber, yet vibrantly verbose look at patchwork families.
October 13, 2011
Beatiful writing style but not as enjoyable as Love Life or Husband and Wife. Partially, I think, because of Ella, the main character being weak and self destructive.
October 23, 2012
This Israeli novelist has written several books, all good, set in Israel and depicting the deep emotional struggles between men and women. I strongly recommend exploring her work.
April 27, 2015
Brilliant, captivating writing! A must read!
October 17, 2024
Gęsta, emocjonalna i przytłaczająca proza, gdzie rozedrganie i neurotyzm głównej bohaterki odzwierciedlone są w języku. A że jest to strumień świadomości, to nie łatwo wejść w tą konwencję; ale jak już się zanurzyłam, to i dostrzegłam głębię. Bo to właśnie takie głębiny skomplikowanych procesów wewnętrznych, pogmatwanie przeróżnych emocji.
To powieść o rozpadzie; rozpadzie miłości, rodziny, oczekiwań, relacji z dzieckiem, i o próbie zbudowania nowego życia z gruzów. Co nie jest łatwe, gdy mamy dwoje złamanych ludzi z dziećmi, i bagażem z przeszłości.
To też studium psychologii relacji , tych wszystkich mechanizmów i lęków, które gdy nieprzepracowane i nieuświadomione sabotują wysiłki w osiągnięciu szczęścia i spełnienia.
Ela to kobieta niedojrzała, targana sprzecznymi pragnieniami, w środku wciąż mała dziewczynka, tkwiąca w relacji ojciec- córka.
Rozdarta między byciem matką, a spełnieniem jako kobieta.
Bardzo dobra książka.
To powieść o rozpadzie; rozpadzie miłości, rodziny, oczekiwań, relacji z dzieckiem, i o próbie zbudowania nowego życia z gruzów. Co nie jest łatwe, gdy mamy dwoje złamanych ludzi z dziećmi, i bagażem z przeszłości.
To też studium psychologii relacji , tych wszystkich mechanizmów i lęków, które gdy nieprzepracowane i nieuświadomione sabotują wysiłki w osiągnięciu szczęścia i spełnienia.
Ela to kobieta niedojrzała, targana sprzecznymi pragnieniami, w środku wciąż mała dziewczynka, tkwiąca w relacji ojciec- córka.
Rozdarta między byciem matką, a spełnieniem jako kobieta.
Bardzo dobra książka.
June 4, 2024
Niewielu autorów tak pięknie przygląda się emocjom. Napisałam kiedyś, że pióro Shalev nigdy mnie nie zawodzi, a dziś stawiam obok tego stwierdzenia wykrzyknik. Mam w notatniku numery stron, do których chcę jeszcze kiedyś wrócić, bo coś we mnie przebudziły.
August 6, 2023
De hoofdpersoon vond ik echt enorm irritant. Aangezien het wel knap is om mij me de hele tijd te laten ergeren, toch 3 sterren.
September 9, 2019
There was probably a reason why it took me so long to finish this book. It was not the writing. It was also not because I can not empathize with a woman who suffers because she left her husband, when she is unsure, that she has made the right decision, when a child is affected, when all this is a process of many ups and downs and not always characterized by rationality. Nevertheless, this protagonist tormented me, she annoyed me incredibly and that until the end of the book. It was just too much and I should have just given it up on her sooner. Not because it is a bad book, but simply because of me and my nerves.
#ReadingWomenChallenge2019
#Romance or Love Story
#ReadingWomenChallenge2019
#Romance or Love Story
July 18, 2008
Schwer verdauliches, erschreckend wahres und krass authentisches Buch über die Unmöglichkeiten und Möglichkeiten von Beziehungen und Familie. Ein sprachlicher und denkerischer Wahnsinn. Ist gut, tut gut, macht Mut und Unmut.
August 10, 2023
הספר הכי
טוב עם הגיבורה הכי מעצבנת וגרועה שקראתי איי פעם.
טוב עם הגיבורה הכי מעצבנת וגרועה שקראתי איי פעם.
August 6, 2023
Zeruya Shalev w klasyczny dla siebie sposób porusza niełatwy temat dojrzałych kobiet. Przechodzą one pewnego rodzaju kryzys życia rodzinnego. Autorka obnaża swoje postacie, widzimy je w najgorszych momentach, kiedy to są słabe i zrezygnowane. Pierwszoosobowa narracja, brak wydzielonych dialogów, sprawia że jesteśmy jeszcze bliżej głównej bohaterki. Czujemy jej ból, chcemy jej pomóc, naprowadzić ją na dobre tory, udzielić dobrej rady. ale mimo wszystko nie jesteśmy na jej miejscu. Jako poboczni obserwatorzy możemy się irytować, złościć, czy kręcić głową bez zrozumienia.
Sam proces rozstania trwa niemalże przez całą książkę. Wynika to z tego, że dla Eli nie jest to tak proste, jak dla niektórych. Momenty zwątpienia, wyrzutów sumienia, powodują głównie osoby z otoczenia. Jednak Eli jest gotowa podjąć wyzwanie, spróbować ułożyć sobie życie na nowo, bez zostania z Amnonem z litości, czy ze strachu. Główna bohaterka nie chce popełnić błędów swoich rodziców, jej doświadczenia z dzieciństwa skłaniają ja ku odważnym decyzjom.
Ciężkim tematem była również relacja z jej dzieckiem - Gilim. Ostatecznie jak wytłumaczyć dziecku, że rozstanie nie jest jego winą. Jak nie stać się nieludzkim potworem w jego oczach. jak poradzić sobie z momentem kiedy to nieznośne dziecko, jest w stanie być bardziej dojrzałe niż ona.
Mimo wszystko cały czas w jej głowie kłębi się wiele wątpliwości. Zastanawia się nad tym czym tak właściwie jest rodzina, czy szczęściem jest bycie ze sobą tylko ze względu na dziecko, czy może jednak rozstanie spowoduje więcej pozytywnego wpływu. Trudną kwestią jest także to czy powinna być taka jak poprzedniczki, koleżanki, matki, babki, czy powinna po prostu ustąpić.
Mam wrażenie, że Eli przez całą książkę próbowała się odnaleźć. Jej zachowanie nie raz wprawiało mnie w konsternację. Zamiast być silna i niezależna, stawała się krucha i potrzebująca. W niektórych sytuacjach stawała na granicy załamania i szaleństwa. Mimo wszystko ta kobieta, opłakująca własne życie, dalej poszukiwała siebie i swojej wolności.
Po rozstaniu to niezwykła książka sprawiająca, że z bezsilności chciałam ją odłożyć, jednak zaciekawienie i chęć towarzyszenia Eli były zbyt silne. Na drodze ku własnej tożsamości, wolności, Eli była gotowa na naprawdę wiele, chociaż ostatecznie nigdy nie można być pewnym, czy decyzja o rozstaniu była słuszna.
Sam proces rozstania trwa niemalże przez całą książkę. Wynika to z tego, że dla Eli nie jest to tak proste, jak dla niektórych. Momenty zwątpienia, wyrzutów sumienia, powodują głównie osoby z otoczenia. Jednak Eli jest gotowa podjąć wyzwanie, spróbować ułożyć sobie życie na nowo, bez zostania z Amnonem z litości, czy ze strachu. Główna bohaterka nie chce popełnić błędów swoich rodziców, jej doświadczenia z dzieciństwa skłaniają ja ku odważnym decyzjom.
Ciężkim tematem była również relacja z jej dzieckiem - Gilim. Ostatecznie jak wytłumaczyć dziecku, że rozstanie nie jest jego winą. Jak nie stać się nieludzkim potworem w jego oczach. jak poradzić sobie z momentem kiedy to nieznośne dziecko, jest w stanie być bardziej dojrzałe niż ona.
Mimo wszystko cały czas w jej głowie kłębi się wiele wątpliwości. Zastanawia się nad tym czym tak właściwie jest rodzina, czy szczęściem jest bycie ze sobą tylko ze względu na dziecko, czy może jednak rozstanie spowoduje więcej pozytywnego wpływu. Trudną kwestią jest także to czy powinna być taka jak poprzedniczki, koleżanki, matki, babki, czy powinna po prostu ustąpić.
Mam wrażenie, że Eli przez całą książkę próbowała się odnaleźć. Jej zachowanie nie raz wprawiało mnie w konsternację. Zamiast być silna i niezależna, stawała się krucha i potrzebująca. W niektórych sytuacjach stawała na granicy załamania i szaleństwa. Mimo wszystko ta kobieta, opłakująca własne życie, dalej poszukiwała siebie i swojej wolności.
Po rozstaniu to niezwykła książka sprawiająca, że z bezsilności chciałam ją odłożyć, jednak zaciekawienie i chęć towarzyszenia Eli były zbyt silne. Na drodze ku własnej tożsamości, wolności, Eli była gotowa na naprawdę wiele, chociaż ostatecznie nigdy nie można być pewnym, czy decyzja o rozstaniu była słuszna.
July 31, 2024
Nachdem ich die ersten beiden Teile der Beziehungs-Trilogie von Shalev vor einigen Jahren schon gelesen und gemocht habe, wollte ich nun endlich diesen abschließenden Band noch lesen. Kurzgesagt geht es in diesem Buch um eine Frau mitte dreißig, die in ihrer Ehe zunehmend unzufrieden ist und sich entschließt, die Beziehung zu beenden, auch wenn dies bedeutet, dass sie dadurch ihren 6 jährigen Sohn zum Scheidungskind macht. Freunde und vor allem die Familie versuchen ihr, diese Entscheidung auszureden. Sie müsse schon allein ihrem Sohn zuliebe an der Ehe festhalten und alles versuchen um die Familie zusammenzuhalten. Ella aber hat andere Visionen für ihr Leben als unglücklich in dieser Beziehung stecken zu bleiben. Tatsächlich lernt sie einige Zeit nach der Trennung einen neuen Mann kennen und verliebt sich. Auch der Mann hat eine Vergangenheit und bringt 2 Kinder mit in die Beziehung.
Das Ganze klingt wenig spektakulär und nach seichter Liebesromanlektüre. Shalev schafft es aber, das Thema sehr tiefgründig zu behandeln. Dennoch fällt es mir leider schwer, dass Buch abschließend zu bewerten. Die erste Hälfte fand ich grandios. Ich dachte, ich hätte hier ein Lesehighlight vor mir. Wir begleiten die Protagonistin Ella durch ihre Trennung und die damit verbundenen ambivalenten Gefühle die sie durchlebt. Nach der ersten Euphorie stellen sich Schuldgefühle, Traurigkeit, Einsamkeit und auch Reue ein. Das alles so klug und einfühlsam beschrieben, dass man nur so durch die Seiten fliegt.
Leider hat die zweite Hälfte mir dann alles vermiest. Was im ersten Teil hervorragend gelungen ist, läuft im zweiten Teil nach meinem Empfinden leider komplett daneben. Alles wird melodramatisch und die Handlungsfiguren sind so unrealistisch und unsympathisch, dass ich das Buch teilweise am liebsten abgebrochen hätte. Damit ein Buch gut ist, müssen zwar die Charaktere nicht sympathisch sein aber deren Handeln sollte nachvollziehbar bleiben. Vor allem hat mir aber auch nicht gefallen, dass die ganze Geschichte in der zweiten Hälfte sehr ins schwülstige, melodramatische gekippt ist. Sehr schade, ohne diese neue Liebesgeschichte hätte ich 5 Sterne gegeben, so waren es in Summe nur 3 für mich.
Das Ganze klingt wenig spektakulär und nach seichter Liebesromanlektüre. Shalev schafft es aber, das Thema sehr tiefgründig zu behandeln. Dennoch fällt es mir leider schwer, dass Buch abschließend zu bewerten. Die erste Hälfte fand ich grandios. Ich dachte, ich hätte hier ein Lesehighlight vor mir. Wir begleiten die Protagonistin Ella durch ihre Trennung und die damit verbundenen ambivalenten Gefühle die sie durchlebt. Nach der ersten Euphorie stellen sich Schuldgefühle, Traurigkeit, Einsamkeit und auch Reue ein. Das alles so klug und einfühlsam beschrieben, dass man nur so durch die Seiten fliegt.
Leider hat die zweite Hälfte mir dann alles vermiest. Was im ersten Teil hervorragend gelungen ist, läuft im zweiten Teil nach meinem Empfinden leider komplett daneben. Alles wird melodramatisch und die Handlungsfiguren sind so unrealistisch und unsympathisch, dass ich das Buch teilweise am liebsten abgebrochen hätte. Damit ein Buch gut ist, müssen zwar die Charaktere nicht sympathisch sein aber deren Handeln sollte nachvollziehbar bleiben. Vor allem hat mir aber auch nicht gefallen, dass die ganze Geschichte in der zweiten Hälfte sehr ins schwülstige, melodramatische gekippt ist. Sehr schade, ohne diese neue Liebesgeschichte hätte ich 5 Sterne gegeben, so waren es in Summe nur 3 für mich.
November 12, 2022
As time passes by, life survives to love, and what's left is the thrust that keeps us changing.
How maniac, morbid, toxic, tenebrous can the parental-son relationship be, and how many ancient ghosts are hiding behind it. A psychological novel describing in exasperated detail sides of love of different type, in different shades and perspectives.
Not totally my type, but it is clearly a great book with a peculiar story-telling. Recommended!
How maniac, morbid, toxic, tenebrous can the parental-son relationship be, and how many ancient ghosts are hiding behind it. A psychological novel describing in exasperated detail sides of love of different type, in different shades and perspectives.
Not totally my type, but it is clearly a great book with a peculiar story-telling. Recommended!
July 29, 2020
Am Anfang steht die Trennung. Ella hat die Nase voll von ihrem Mann Amnon, der ihr mit seiner herrischen Art nur noch auf die Nerven geht, und verkündet, dass sie sich von ihm trennen will.
Als Amnon ausgezogen ist, gerät Ella plötzlich ins Zweifeln. War die Entscheidung richtig? Durfte sie dieses Trauma dem gemeinsamen Sohn, dem sechsjährigen Gili, zumuten? Soll sie nicht doch lieber zu Amnon zurückkehren?
Auf einer Schabbatfeier von Gilis Klasse hatte sie Oded zum ersten Mal gesehen, den Mann von Michal, den Vater von Gilis Freund Jotam. Er geht ihr nicht mehr aus dem Kopf, doch sie weiß ja, dass er verheiratet ist.
Eines Tages stellt sich heraus, dass auch Oded und Michal getrennte Wege gehen werden...
Zeruya Shalev ist wie kein/e andere/r mir bekannte Autor/in Meisterin darin, das Seelenleben ihrer Protagonisten förmlich bloßzulegen, zu sezieren, "Seelenarchäologie" zu betreiben. Man ist am Geschehen, an den Gedanken und Gefühlen der Hauptfigur Ella so nahe dran, dass es schon beinahe wehtut, vor allem, wenn man die eine oder andere Parallele zum eigenen Leben entdeckt oder sich fragt, wie man an ihrer Stelle reagiert oder gehandelt hätte.
Der schmerzhafte Prozess der Trennung, der Umgang mit Gili, der nicht mehr der liebe, süße kleine Junge ist, sondern sich plötzlich zornig und bockig aufführt, die widerstreitenden Gefühle einer neuen Liebe und schließlich der dornige Weg zu einer neuen, "späten" Familie, zu diesem Phänomen der heutigen Zeit, der Patchworkfamilie - das alles erleben wir hautnah durch Ellas "Brille". Die Ich-Erzählung im Präsens, die langen, fast gehetzten Sätze ohne Anführungszeichen reißen den Leser in einen Strudel aus Emotionen, dem man sich kaum entziehen kann.
Beim Lesen schwankte ich ständig zwischen Bedauern, Verständnis, Wut und Genervtheit über Ella. Keine Figur ist durchweg sympathisch oder unsympathisch, schwarz oder weiß, wir erleben die Beteiligten schonungslos so, wie sie sind, in guten wie in schlechten Tagen.
Ein Jahreshighlight!
Als Amnon ausgezogen ist, gerät Ella plötzlich ins Zweifeln. War die Entscheidung richtig? Durfte sie dieses Trauma dem gemeinsamen Sohn, dem sechsjährigen Gili, zumuten? Soll sie nicht doch lieber zu Amnon zurückkehren?
Auf einer Schabbatfeier von Gilis Klasse hatte sie Oded zum ersten Mal gesehen, den Mann von Michal, den Vater von Gilis Freund Jotam. Er geht ihr nicht mehr aus dem Kopf, doch sie weiß ja, dass er verheiratet ist.
Eines Tages stellt sich heraus, dass auch Oded und Michal getrennte Wege gehen werden...
Zeruya Shalev ist wie kein/e andere/r mir bekannte Autor/in Meisterin darin, das Seelenleben ihrer Protagonisten förmlich bloßzulegen, zu sezieren, "Seelenarchäologie" zu betreiben. Man ist am Geschehen, an den Gedanken und Gefühlen der Hauptfigur Ella so nahe dran, dass es schon beinahe wehtut, vor allem, wenn man die eine oder andere Parallele zum eigenen Leben entdeckt oder sich fragt, wie man an ihrer Stelle reagiert oder gehandelt hätte.
Der schmerzhafte Prozess der Trennung, der Umgang mit Gili, der nicht mehr der liebe, süße kleine Junge ist, sondern sich plötzlich zornig und bockig aufführt, die widerstreitenden Gefühle einer neuen Liebe und schließlich der dornige Weg zu einer neuen, "späten" Familie, zu diesem Phänomen der heutigen Zeit, der Patchworkfamilie - das alles erleben wir hautnah durch Ellas "Brille". Die Ich-Erzählung im Präsens, die langen, fast gehetzten Sätze ohne Anführungszeichen reißen den Leser in einen Strudel aus Emotionen, dem man sich kaum entziehen kann.
Beim Lesen schwankte ich ständig zwischen Bedauern, Verständnis, Wut und Genervtheit über Ella. Keine Figur ist durchweg sympathisch oder unsympathisch, schwarz oder weiß, wir erleben die Beteiligten schonungslos so, wie sie sind, in guten wie in schlechten Tagen.
Ein Jahreshighlight!
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