The author managed to captures several aspects of Israeli society, the Russian immigrant, a soldier, politician, religious Jew, an Arab bird-lover and more. The point of view constantly changes in the story which gives the narrative it’s on dynamic and takes on a life of its own.
This novel was fun and a fast read, plus it gave me much to think about. This is a smart book, but it is not for everyone, and I’m glad the author didn’t water it down or try to write for the lowest common denominator, instead writing an excellent story.
Mr. Gaiman is a master of the modern fairytale, abstractly manipulating physics and using legends as histories (“It all depends on how you look at it”)
Zev Bronfman, an angry atheist who was brought up in a Hassidic home escapes death from a falling beam. This near death experience was a wakeup call for Zev, who leaves his parents for a not-so-lucrative job as a cab driver in New York City.
e protagonist of the book, an art dealer named Giovanni Fabrizzi, finds an old painting of an Italian Count that starts talking to him. The picture tells Giovanni that it was painted by famed artist Sandro Botticelli and its history from the 15th Century to the 20th Century when it was stolen from a Jewish family by the Nazis.
About: Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith is an engaging novel which is thought provoking with an interesting premise. This is Mr. Smith’s debut novel. 384 pages Publisher: Atria Books Language: English ISBN-10: 1476730539 My rating for Forty Acres – 4 Buy this book from in paper or electronic format* Thoughts: Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith is an interesting novel which makes the reader think how one would avenge a sin caused by their forefathers. The novel also takes a look at racism and getting justice through revenge. This is a contemporary novel and the author included “ripped from the headlines” events about race. More than the upfront, in your face premise, I thought the book made me think about the social consequences in American society which racism and discrimination causes. The injustices which were suffered long ago in the open, still exist in places, however they are covered with honey but are not any sweeter. The struggle to overcome these injustices make some people do things which they otherwise wouldn’t dream of, and shape their character in a way many of us couldn’t understand. I enjoyed the unique premise of the book, it is an interesting, yet…
The author sets the stage early, Lt. Col. Quentin Margont, the pragmatist protagonist, sees the world in black and white, the political weasel Talleyrand who only sees shades of grey and dances political circles Napoleon’s brother, Joseph, whose ego gets in the way of him seeing reality.
Ben Mendelssohn wants to be reunited with his belated wife, he will do anything to be with her again and on his birthday he puts a bullet in his head to accomplish the task. When Ben enters the Other World he discovers that finding a person among the millions who occupy the realm is not an easy task.
This book has a lot to offer, it is a war story, a coming of age triumph, a serious look at the Siege of Leningrad with lots of humor and best of all, historically accurate. I enjoyed reading this book very much and would recommend it wholly.
Even though I liked this book, and it is a well written novel, the message the author tries attempts to send (personal forgiveness and redemption) seems a bit heavy handed at times and the ending, which to me was mostly predictable. The author handles multiple timelines well and even though the chapters not only jump from time, but also to a different place and characters it all seems to fit and not disjointed at all.
