“Extraordinary . . . No one but Chaim Potok could have written this strangely sweet, compelling, and deeply felt novel.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer In his powerful My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok gave the world an unforgettable character and a timeless story that The New York Times Book Review hailed as “little short
Categories: Chanuka
Added on: March 11, 2018 - More: Comments & Reviews
“Extraordinary . . . No one but Chaim Potok could have written this strangely sweet, compelling, and deeply felt novel.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer
In his powerful My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok gave the world an unforgettable character and a timeless story that The New York Times Book Review hailed as “little short of a work of genius.” The Chicago Sun-Times declared it “a story that had to be told.” Now, Chaim Potok’s beloved character returns to learn, to teach, to dream, in The Gift of Asher Lev.
Twenty years have passed. Asher Lev is a world-renowned artist living with his young family in France. Still, he is unsure of his artistic direction. Success has not brought ease to his heart. Then Asher’s beloved uncle dies suddenly, and Asher and his family rush back to Brooklyn—and into a world that Asher thought he had left behind forever.
It is a journey of confrontation and discovery as Asher purges his past in search of new inspiration for his art and begins to understand the true meaning of sacrifice and the painful joy in sharing the most precious gift of all.
Praise for The Gift of Asher Lev
“A masterwork.”—Newsday
“Rivals anything Chaim Potok has ever produced. It is a book written with passion about passion. You’re not likely to read anything better this year.”—The Detroit News
“Fascinating.”—The Washington Post Book World
“Very moving.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer
A good novel for art lovers and those who enjoy reading about family dynamics This is the continuation of “My Name is Asher Lev” and I found this book to be much more interesting and readable than the first book. Asher and his family go to Brooklyn to attend his uncle’s funeral and he discovers that his uncle has accumulated an extensive collection of valuable art by very famous artists that he has left to Asher to curate. This is just one of the problems he faces while in Brooklyn. The current Rebbe of his Hasidic group has no children to take his place when…
Why did I wait 40years! It was wonderful to be immersed in the deeply nuanced narrative. Even without personal experience in the artistic creativity process nor the cultural pull of the conflicting conservative Jewish faith, his richly developed narrative made you feel Asher Lev’s pain. You could really feel how he was being drawn into what may have been the greater good for his community, but at a price.I was first introduced to Asher Lev in the early 70’s and I remember that I was similarly impressed with…
This brilliantly realized novel explores the tensions between tradition and modernity This brilliantly realized novel explores the tensions between tradition and modernity, community and individuality, and art and religion, as the protagonist, world-renowned artist Asher Lev, returns with his young family to the Hasidic community in which he was raised.Author Chaim Potok’s style relies on the accretion of detail in spare prose. The effect is both mesmerizing and unsettling.Recommended wholeheartedly.