The Finkler Question discussion

Not hugely impressed by this - it seems like a series of snipes and some, although clever, images and comments - but overall, a book without a heart. The characters wander around doing nothing much, there's a lot of various intercourse between various people, and far too much explanation of what something may or may not mean.
The action scenes do not seem to be of as much interest to the author as all the erudite expositions and expostulation of the ills brought upon and by being Jewish....marginal interest, frankly, if I didn't belong to a book-club, I wouldn't have picked this up.
Will not be looking for more by this author.

I was not able to finish this book. I got more than 1/2 way through it and I still don't see the point. I think it's just too much double talk for me.

I masochistically forced myself to finish this book. Do I need another book espousing what it is to be (or not to be) Jewish? Nope!
One likeable character, and voice of reason, but he dies. The rest were pointless neurotics and bastards so preoccupied with self that everything else in their existence was just an accessory.

Pointless.

Paula wrote: "I was not able to finish this book. I got more than 1/2 way through it and I still don't see the point. I think it's just too much double talk for me."

Agree with Paula .... What a bore this book was - I too struggled to read it and could barely manage 1/2 way

Slogged my way right through to the end, but it really was hard going with little (if any) reward.

I read this because it was the Booker Prize winner of 2010, and have also read two others from the 2010 short list, The Long Song by Andrea Levy and Room by Emma Donoghue. This seemed to me to be very much a writers' book -- a book self-consciously for writers, and there seems to me to be a tradition of this to some extent in the Booker (viz. Possession by A. S. Byatt, and The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch). Room seemed to me to experiment more with the form and represent what it can do -- I would have voted for it! I did find the characters and their self-obsession really tedious.

I started reading the book since it was the Booker Prize Winner. I forced myself to read it even though it was not an enjoyable experience most of the time. Some of the humor in the book was likeable. Other than that the book was totally not worth the effort.

An annoying read that left me wanting the end to come quickly. This book was for the author to win a prize. He succeeded.

Overrated irritating snoozefest.

Sorry to disagreed - I thought it was funny and painful. I enjoyed it a great deal.

I really enjoy this book!

I loved this book. One of the best I have ever read.

Sometimes I got caught up in the story, but I found all the "finklers" tedious.

I did finish it and sort of enjoyed it, but it was not an easy or comfortable read. I don't know how it would appear to Jewish people. Truthfully, I had forgotten that it won the Booker last year. Not sure I rated it that highly.

I read this for two reasons: 1) because it was a Booker winner and 2) because I enjoyed Jacobson's regular column in The Independent which was usually witty and entertaining although I did not always agree when he used the space to promote pro-Israeli propaganda. Here's what I thought of the book: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Vandana wrote: "I started reading the book since it was the Booker Prize Winner. I forced myself to read it even though it was not an enjoyable experience most of the time. Some of the humor in the book was likeab..."
My sentiments exactly. Tank god I'm not the only person who this so hard to like. Ugh.

I thought this was a purposefully provocative, often infuriating, funny and sad look at antisemitism in both its very subtle (personified by Treslove) and gross forms, and how it effects the lives of even modern, post holocaust Jews. Like Roth, Jacobson writes about Jews with sarcasm, anger, humor and, perhaps most importantly warmth and love. It is somewhat Eurocentric, taking place in England--I feel that European Jews live with antisemitism in a way that American Jews no longer have to. But the important questions it raises apply to this country as well. Treslove, the shape changer gentile charater wants to be Jewish because he feels (and RESENTS subconcioulsy) that Jews are happier, have better families, are more intellectual, have more power, have great sexual prowess--this is the subtle basis of most antisemitism. Finkler and his friends are Ashamed of Israels policy in Gaza--and many are ashamed to BE Jewish--but is this do to true political differences or are they afraid to be blamed and persecuted because of what Israel does? Or do they somehow feel they deserve to be persecuted (a legacy of thousands of years of discrimination against and isolation of Jews)?
Can one oppose Israel's policies and not be ashamed of being Jewish? Is the holocaust no longer a relevant memory for today's Jew's? Can secular Jews still embrace the cultural traditions of Jewishness? These are all questions Jacobson explores in this funny, yet serious novel.

David wrote: "I masochistically forced myself to finish this book. Do I need another book espousing what it is to be (or not to be) Jewish? Nope!
One likeable character, and voice of reason, but he dies. The ..."
David, very well put, I'm with you.

For a pretty short novel, I also found it a real drag to get through. I found very little in either Treslove or Finkler that I could warm to. The Libor sub-plot stole the book for me, so much so that, well over a year later, it's almost all I can really remember.
I don't doubt that the subtle Jewish ironies are chin-strokingly clever but, for me, this book didn't really go anywhere or do it nearly fast enough.

How this book ever made Booker Prize winner I do not know. Boring
and the frequent use of the " F......" word and this is quality literature ? As A Christian I had to abandon the book half way when Christ`s
name was used as a swear word. How utterly repugnant. I won't be reading this author again.

A very dull slow moving book. Not at all interesting. Had to leave in the middle. I'm happy that there are so many like me. ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD and ALL THE BOOKER WINNERS ARE NOT GOLD either..