Remarkable story of loyalty and friendship, 16 Dec 2007
Set towards the end of the Second World War from 1944 on, Reuven tells the story of his growing up, and of his friend, Danny. The story opens when the boys are fifteen years old, and tells of their first encounter at a baseball when Danny strikes a ball which hits Reuven in the eye. Reuven is hospitalised, and eventually Danny visits him. Initially in his anger Reuven rejects Danny's approach, but then on the advice of his father he listens to Danny; the two soon become close friends.

As the story develops we get to know the two Jewish boys and their respective fathers very well. Danny has a brilliant mind; Reuven too is an outstanding student. Danny's father, Reb Saunders is an Hasidic Jew and the tzaddik, the leader of his congregation; Reuven's father, David Malter, is an Orthodox Jew and a Rabbi. There are naturally conflicts in this relationship, but Reb Saunders gives it his blessing as he believes it will benefit his son. Reb's behaviour and his unusual relationship with his son takes some understanding, but by the conclusion of the story we have a better insight. The boys become very close, they are enthusiastic students and study together, and even the long enforced silence between them, when Reb Saunders excommunicates Reuven over the issue of the establishment of the Jewish State, does nothing to weaken their relationship.

Much of the story involves issues of Jewish faith and politics, but such is the quality of the writing and our involvement with the boys that even to an outsider these passages are of interest, at times even gripping. Danny is a delightful and compassionate boy; he is devoted to his father and loyal friend to Danny. These relationships are things of great beauty; both the respect he has for and the freedom with which he is able to communicate with his father, and the evident care and concern he shows for his friend Danny; and both of whom he clearly loves.

The chosen is a truly remarkable story, the writing is beautiful and the dialogue such that we can hear the voices. It is a story of friendship, loyalty and love, of parental care and sacrifice. It is both thoroughly absorbing and profoundly moving.


Beautiful story that sheds light on orthodox Judaism, 16 Nov 2004
In this tale of two New York Jewish boys growing up in the 40s, Chaim Potok weaves a whole analysis of the path of Judaism in the 20th Century.
The first chapter describes a schoolboy baseball game, which is disarmingly gripping. (I've rarely been more eager to find out who won.) It quickly moves on to deeper things, though, as the game sets the protagonist, Reuven, off on a journey as he gets to befriend a Hasidic contemporary of his: he has to try to understand an even stricter interpretation of Judaism than his own.
Potok does not just tell a beautiful story. He also manages to get the reader to empathise with something as potentially alienating as Hasidism. As a Christian, I for one feel as if I now understand my Jewish friends a little better, both those who choose to follow their faith strictly and those who prefer a more liberal approach. The chapters in which the boys tussle with the Talmud are brilliantly vivid and really make one feel something of what it is like to give oneself over to this sacred text.
Being set in the 1940s, he also has much to say about the creation of the state of Israel and why that hit home so sharply in New York then.
This era is as beautifully recreated as the friendship between Reuven and Danny. Fascinatingly, women hardly feature in this book. The key relationships are between the boys and their fathers, and their relationship with each other: a kind of minor David and Jonathan.
A lovely, vivid, enlightening read.

Judaism Lost and Found, 22 Jun 2000
Two young people emboding the two opposite polar instances of judaism meet in Brooklyn during the second world war in the course of a baseball game that soon turns into an holy battle.

Reuven, the son of a talmudic scholar, is perceived by Danny, a radical chassidim, as an apicoros, an heretic that dares profaning the holy language by letting himself being schooled in hebrew rather than in yiddish.

The wound that Danny inflicts upon Reuven in the game is a symbolic mutilation, the sign of the tension between moderation and radicalism, the distancing culture of doubt and the deeply involving practise of mystical belief.

The book traces a tale of an exchange of identities, whereby the two characters embark in a dense intellectual and emotional friendship that finally enables them to exchange their personalities: Reuven's scholarship turns from science to a rabbinic drive. Whereas Danny, the rabbi to be, chooses, as a final challange to his previously received mysticism, to further his interest for freudian theories with a secular college education.

Potok's narrative operates,rather than true words, via successive waves of silence. The culture of silence enforced by one of the fathers promts the characters (and with them the community of readers) to dig inside themselves in search of their sometimes submerged humanity. Silence, the tension of the countless silent pauses, links biologically fathers and sons to the extent that, in spite of the dogmatism of their surrounding enviroments, the two characters carve up a space to listen to their own true vocation.

Chaim's work stands out also as an appraisal of scholarhsip, of the fine quality of the character's skills in focusing on the quality,rather than the quantity, of their knowledge and read a line one thousand times so that, through an aleph, through a single letter or a combination of chabbalistic devices, we may see the universe.

Remarkable story of loyalty and friendship, 16 Dec 2007
Set towards the end of the Second World War from 1944 on, Reuven tells the story of his growing up, and of his friend, Danny. The story opens when the boys are fifteen years old, and tells of their first encounter at a baseball when Danny strikes a ball which hits Reuven in the eye. Reuven is hospitalised, and eventually Danny visits him. Initially in his anger Reuven rejects Danny's approach, but then on the advice of his father he listens to Danny; the two soon become close friends.

As the story develops we get to know the two Jewish boys and their respective fathers very well. Danny has a brilliant mind; Reuven too is an outstanding student. Danny's father, Reb Saunders is an Hasidic Jew and the tzaddik, the leader of his congregation; Reuven's father, David Malter, is an Orthodox Jew and a Rabbi. There are naturally conflicts in this relationship, but Reb Saunders gives it his blessing as he believes it will benefit his son. Reb's behaviour and his unusual relationship with his son takes some understanding, but by the conclusion of the story we have a better insight. The boys become very close, they are enthusiastic students and study together, and even the long enforced silence between them, when Reb Saunders excommunicates Reuven over the issue of the establishment of the Jewish State, does nothing to weaken their relationship.

Much of the story involves issues of Jewish faith and politics, but such is the quality of the writing and our involvement with the boys that even to an outsider these passages are of interest, at times even gripping. Danny is a delightful and compassionate boy; he is devoted to his father and loyal friend to Danny. These relationships are things of great beauty; both the respect he has for and the freedom with which he is able to communicate with his father, and the evident care and concern he shows for his friend Danny; and both of whom he clearly loves.

The chosen is a truly remarkable story, the writing is beautiful and the dialogue such that we can hear the voices. It is a story of friendship, loyalty and love, of parental care and sacrifice. It is both thoroughly absorbing and profoundly moving.


Beautiful story that sheds light on orthodox Judaism, 16 Nov 2004
In this tale of two New York Jewish boys growing up in the 40s, Chaim Potok weaves a whole analysis of the path of Judaism in the 20th Century.
The first chapter describes a schoolboy baseball game, which is disarmingly gripping. (I've rarely been more eager to find out who won.) It quickly moves on to deeper things, though, as the game sets the protagonist, Reuven, off on a journey as he gets to befriend a Hasidic contemporary of his: he has to try to understand an even stricter interpretation of Judaism than his own.
Potok does not just tell a beautiful story. He also manages to get the reader to empathise with something as potentially alienating as Hasidism. As a Christian, I for one feel as if I now understand my Jewish friends a little better, both those who choose to follow their faith strictly and those who prefer a more liberal approach. The chapters in which the boys tussle with the Talmud are brilliantly vivid and really make one feel something of what it is like to give oneself over to this sacred text.
Being set in the 1940s, he also has much to say about the creation of the state of Israel and why that hit home so sharply in New York then.
This era is as beautifully recreated as the friendship between Reuven and Danny. Fascinatingly, women hardly feature in this book. The key relationships are between the boys and their fathers, and their relationship with each other: a kind of minor David and Jonathan.
A lovely, vivid, enlightening read.

Judaism Lost and Found, 22 Jun 2000
Two young people emboding the two opposite polar instances of judaism meet in Brooklyn during the second world war in the course of a baseball game that soon turns into an holy battle.

Reuven, the son of a talmudic scholar, is perceived by Danny, a radical chassidim, as an apicoros, an heretic that dares profaning the holy language by letting himself being schooled in hebrew rather than in yiddish.

The wound that Danny inflicts upon Reuven in the game is a symbolic mutilation, the sign of the tension between moderation and radicalism, the distancing culture of doubt and the deeply involving practise of mystical belief.

The book traces a tale of an exchange of identities, whereby the two characters embark in a dense intellectual and emotional friendship that finally enables them to exchange their personalities: Reuven's scholarship turns from science to a rabbinic drive. Whereas Danny, the rabbi to be, chooses, as a final challange to his previously received mysticism, to further his interest for freudian theories with a secular college education.

Potok's narrative operates,rather than true words, via successive waves of silence. The culture of silence enforced by one of the fathers promts the characters (and with them the community of readers) to dig inside themselves in search of their sometimes submerged humanity. Silence, the tension of the countless silent pauses, links biologically fathers and sons to the extent that, in spite of the dogmatism of their surrounding enviroments, the two characters carve up a space to listen to their own true vocation.

Chaim's work stands out also as an appraisal of scholarhsip, of the fine quality of the character's skills in focusing on the quality,rather than the quantity, of their knowledge and read a line one thousand times so that, through an aleph, through a single letter or a combination of chabbalistic devices, we may see the universe.

A profound insight into a different world, 09 Aug 2008
It's many years since I last read My Name is Asher Lev. Potok has always been one of my most loved authors, and this novel is one of his finest. The subject-matter is difficult: an Orthodox, frum Jew, who has to break from his background in order to achieve greatness as an artist, and who, in doing so, hurts many people, including his own parents. Yet somehow he succeeds in retaining his faith and his place within the community. Potok is one of the very few authors who could have tackled the subject without becoming maudlin. His understanding of the Hasidic community about which he writes is blended by his own, far less strict form of Judaism, gving him rare insight into two parallel yet very different worlds. You would think this a pretty recherché subject for a novel, yet Potok brings it off so brilliantly that no-one who is serious about good literature will find any of it an obstacle to a deep reading experience.

A beautful story, 17 Jan 2008
Asher Lev introduces himself in the opening lines of his story. He is an observant Jew, he is the talk of the town following the exhibiting of his painting Brooklyn Crucifixion - not only do observant Jews not paint crucifixions, they do not paint at all - he is viewed as a traitor.

The still very young Asher Lev then begins to recount his life that lead to this predicament. He starts from when he was about four years old, an ordinary Brooklyn lad the only son born to a scholarly Hasidic family. But it is soon evident that he has a remarkable talent fro drawing. The story follows the difficult realisation of the talent which leads him to great critical acclaim, but ostracism from is family and home.

Having truly enjoyed Chaim Potok's The Chosen and its sequel The Promise I immediately sought out more of his writing. I was not disappointed; this is a beautiful story, Asher is a fine boy who loves his family and respects his elders, but he cannot deny what is inside him, his need to create. The characters in the story are sincere and caring, even if they do want different things for Asher Lev. The writing is excellent, Chaim Potok has a very appealing style, and I especially like the manner in which Asher relates his conversations. There is sequel which having enjoyed this so much this I am compelled to read.


a gem, 03 Oct 2007
I really liked this novel.

If a friend asked me to give an example of a good novel, this would be it.

The subject is "everyday" in the sense that you could imagine that, yes, such a person and the people he relates to could really exist. Also the events, problems, and conflicts that his particular situation throws up are "real life", in that you think with, and suffer with, and hope and dream with the main character (it is about an orthodox Jew who, as he is growing up, tries to carve out a way of life for himself which is at odds with his background).

All the important characters are believable. They all have their faults as well as their good points, but what comes across is that the author has treated them with respect, and made them human.

As the story unfolds, there is a movement towards a final ending, confrontation, or perhaps resolution if you will. What goes before - the preceding events - are material to what happens at the end. And so, I disagree about the writing being repetitious. I think the different parts of the story balance each other well. In fact, it is a finely crafted story, where each bit contributes to the whole - and I don't think you can improve on it by editing out "repetitions". Perhaps you could say that the story has been crafted with as much care, as Asher Lev invested in his paintings.

Highly reccommended


An earnest if flawed book, 21 Jun 2007
Firstly DON'T READ THE BACK COVER! For some stupid reason the publishers blab something that will kill the enjoyment of the book stone dead if you read it. (It really did for me anyway). So just read the backcover when you've finished the book.

I think this book is earnestly written. It is a bit repetitive at times, and also slow in places. But that is only because we have come now to expect a faster pace in literature which is not always a good thing.

The style here allows you to really feel by the end that you have lived through a part of the protagonists life. And you cannot help but develop an affection for that life.

"My name is Asher Lev" is a good account of a person with a gift and the impact that has on themselves and those around them. It's easy to read and has a lot of charm. There is humour, sadness, reflection and insight in here giving weight to the story. And it is story that is definitely worth a read.

A journey through art - and religion?, 07 Jan 2004
My Name is Asher Lev is one of those books that you come across once in a lifetime - if you are lucky. The book charts Asher Lev growing up in a very strict Hassidic community, endowed with a God given artistic talent that is entirely at odds with the beliefs of his family and his people.The conundrum that Lev faces is that he is at all times a devout and scholastically outstanding Hassid, and yet at the same time a brilliant artist, who intially tries to deny his talent before growing to embrace it.
The quality of this book is that it shows equal sympathy for, on the one hand, Lev's artistic journey and on the other hand, his religious struggle. Just as importantly, Potok brilliantly depicts the context of the community and family. In particular, as with other Potok books, the father-son relationship is lovingly drawn, showing both the pride and pain that arises here.
This is a book to treasure, to read and to re-read, and which will shed new insight each time.

Remarkable story of loyalty and friendship, 16 Dec 2007
Set towards the end of the Second World War from 1944 on, Reuven tells the story of his growing up, and of his friend, Danny. The story opens when the boys are fifteen years old, and tells of their first encounter at a baseball when Danny strikes a ball which hits Reuven in the eye. Reuven is hospitalised, and eventually Danny visits him. Initially in his anger Reuven rejects Danny's approach, but then on the advice of his father he listens to Danny; the two soon become close friends.

As the story develops we get to know the two Jewish boys and their respective fathers very well. Danny has a brilliant mind; Reuven too is an outstanding student. Danny's father, Reb Saunders is an Hasidic Jew and the tzaddik, the leader of his congregation; Reuven's father, David Malter, is an Orthodox Jew and a Rabbi. There are naturally conflicts in this relationship, but Reb Saunders gives it his blessing as he believes it will benefit his son. Reb's behaviour and his unusual relationship with his son takes some understanding, but by the conclusion of the story we have a better insight. The boys become very close, they are enthusiastic students and study together, and even the long enforced silence between them, when Reb Saunders excommunicates Reuven over the issue of the establishment of the Jewish State, does nothing to weaken their relationship.

Much of the story involves issues of Jewish faith and politics, but such is the quality of the writing and our involvement with the boys that even to an outsider these passages are of interest, at times even gripping. Danny is a delightful and compassionate boy; he is devoted to his father and loyal friend to Danny. These relationships are things of great beauty; both the respect he has for and the freedom with which he is able to communicate with his father, and the evident care and concern he shows for his friend Danny; and both of whom he clearly loves.

The chosen is a truly remarkable story, the writing is beautiful and the dialogue such that we can hear the voices. It is a story of friendship, loyalty and love, of parental care and sacrifice. It is both thoroughly absorbing and profoundly moving.


Beautiful story that sheds light on orthodox Judaism, 16 Nov 2004
In this tale of two New York Jewish boys growing up in the 40s, Chaim Potok weaves a whole analysis of the path of Judaism in the 20th Century.
The first chapter describes a schoolboy baseball game, which is disarmingly gripping. (I've rarely been more eager to find out who won.) It quickly moves on to deeper things, though, as the game sets the protagonist, Reuven, off on a journey as he gets to befriend a Hasidic contemporary of his: he has to try to understand an even stricter interpretation of Judaism than his own.
Potok does not just tell a beautiful story. He also manages to get the reader to empathise with something as potentially alienating as Hasidism. As a Christian, I for one feel as if I now understand my Jewish friends a little better, both those who choose to follow their faith strictly and those who prefer a more liberal approach. The chapters in which the boys tussle with the Talmud are brilliantly vivid and really make one feel something of what it is like to give oneself over to this sacred text.
Being set in the 1940s, he also has much to say about the creation of the state of Israel and why that hit home so sharply in New York then.
This era is as beautifully recreated as the friendship between Reuven and Danny. Fascinatingly, women hardly feature in this book. The key relationships are between the boys and their fathers, and their relationship with each other: a kind of minor David and Jonathan.
A lovely, vivid, enlightening read.

Judaism Lost and Found, 22 Jun 2000
Two young people emboding the two opposite polar instances of judaism meet in Brooklyn during the second world war in the course of a baseball game that soon turns into an holy battle.

Reuven, the son of a talmudic scholar, is perceived by Danny, a radical chassidim, as an apicoros, an heretic that dares profaning the holy language by letting himself being schooled in hebrew rather than in yiddish.

The wound that Danny inflicts upon Reuven in the game is a symbolic mutilation, the sign of the tension between moderation and radicalism, the distancing culture of doubt and the deeply involving practise of mystical belief.

The book traces a tale of an exchange of identities, whereby the two characters embark in a dense intellectual and emotional friendship that finally enables them to exchange their personalities: Reuven's scholarship turns from science to a rabbinic drive. Whereas Danny, the rabbi to be, chooses, as a final challange to his previously received mysticism, to further his interest for freudian theories with a secular college education.

Potok's narrative operates,rather than true words, via successive waves of silence. The culture of silence enforced by one of the fathers promts the characters (and with them the community of readers) to dig inside themselves in search of their sometimes submerged humanity. Silence, the tension of the countless silent pauses, links biologically fathers and sons to the extent that, in spite of the dogmatism of their surrounding enviroments, the two characters carve up a space to listen to their own true vocation.

Chaim's work stands out also as an appraisal of scholarhsip, of the fine quality of the character's skills in focusing on the quality,rather than the quantity, of their knowledge and read a line one thousand times so that, through an aleph, through a single letter or a combination of chabbalistic devices, we may see the universe.

A profound insight into a different world, 09 Aug 2008
It's many years since I last read My Name is Asher Lev. Potok has always been one of my most loved authors, and this novel is one of his finest. The subject-matter is difficult: an Orthodox, frum Jew, who has to break from his background in order to achieve greatness as an artist, and who, in doing so, hurts many people, including his own parents. Yet somehow he succeeds in retaining his faith and his place within the community. Potok is one of the very few authors who could have tackled the subject without becoming maudlin. His understanding of the Hasidic community about which he writes is blended by his own, far less strict form of Judaism, gving him rare insight into two parallel yet very different worlds. You would think this a pretty recherché subject for a novel, yet Potok brings it off so brilliantly that no-one who is serious about good literature will find any of it an obstacle to a deep reading experience.

A beautful story, 17 Jan 2008
Asher Lev introduces himself in the opening lines of his story. He is an observant Jew, he is the talk of the town following the exhibiting of his painting Brooklyn Crucifixion - not only do observant Jews not paint crucifixions, they do not paint at all - he is viewed as a traitor.

The still very young Asher Lev then begins to recount his life that lead to this predicament. He starts from when he was about four years old, an ordinary Brooklyn lad the only son born to a scholarly Hasidic family. But it is soon evident that he has a remarkable talent fro drawing. The story follows the difficult realisation of the talent which leads him to great critical acclaim, but ostracism from is family and home.

Having truly enjoyed Chaim Potok's The Chosen and its sequel The Promise I immediately sought out more of his writing. I was not disappointed; this is a beautiful story, Asher is a fine boy who loves his family and respects his elders, but he cannot deny what is inside him, his need to create. The characters in the story are sincere and caring, even if they do want different things for Asher Lev. The writing is excellent, Chaim Potok has a very appealing style, and I especially like the manner in which Asher relates his conversations. There is sequel which having enjoyed this so much this I am compelled to read.


a gem, 03 Oct 2007
I really liked this novel.

If a friend asked me to give an example of a good novel, this would be it.

The subject is "everyday" in the sense that you could imagine that, yes, such a person and the people he relates to could really exist. Also the events, problems, and conflicts that his particular situation throws up are "real life", in that you think with, and suffer with, and hope and dream with the main character (it is about an orthodox Jew who, as he is growing up, tries to carve out a way of life for himself which is at odds with his background).

All the important characters are believable. They all have their faults as well as their good points, but what comes across is that the author has treated them with respect, and made them human.

As the story unfolds, there is a movement towards a final ending, confrontation, or perhaps resolution if you will. What goes before - the preceding events - are material to what happens at the end. And so, I disagree about the writing being repetitious. I think the different parts of the story balance each other well. In fact, it is a finely crafted story, where each bit contributes to the whole - and I don't think you can improve on it by editing out "repetitions". Perhaps you could say that the story has been crafted with as much care, as Asher Lev invested in his paintings.

Highly reccommended


An earnest if flawed book, 21 Jun 2007
Firstly DON'T READ THE BACK COVER! For some stupid reason the publishers blab something that will kill the enjoyment of the book stone dead if you read it. (It really did for me anyway). So just read the backcover when you've finished the book.

I think this book is earnestly written. It is a bit repetitive at times, and also slow in places. But that is only because we have come now to expect a faster pace in literature which is not always a good thing.

The style here allows you to really feel by the end that you have lived through a part of the protagonists life. And you cannot help but develop an affection for that life.

"My name is Asher Lev" is a good account of a person with a gift and the impact that has on themselves and those around them. It's easy to read and has a lot of charm. There is humour, sadness, reflection and insight in here giving weight to the story. And it is story that is definitely worth a read.

A journey through art - and religion?, 07 Jan 2004
My Name is Asher Lev is one of those books that you come across once in a lifetime - if you are lucky. The book charts Asher Lev growing up in a very strict Hassidic community, endowed with a God given artistic talent that is entirely at odds with the beliefs of his family and his people.The conundrum that Lev faces is that he is at all times a devout and scholastically outstanding Hassid, and yet at the same time a brilliant artist, who intially tries to deny his talent before growing to embrace it.
The quality of this book is that it shows equal sympathy for, on the one hand, Lev's artistic journey and on the other hand, his religious struggle. Just as importantly, Potok brilliantly depicts the context of the community and family. In particular, as with other Potok books, the father-son relationship is lovingly drawn, showing both the pride and pain that arises here.
This is a book to treasure, to read and to re-read, and which will shed new insight each time.

Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


A historical and psychological novel., 21 Dec 1999
This is a surprisingly tense story about two Jewish young men, one Orthodox and one Hasidic, in New York in the early 1950s. They are both caught up, in different ways, in the struggles between Orthodox and reformed Jewish scholars, as they try to make sense of their Jewishness in the post-Holocaust world. As a non-Jew, I found the novel gripping and fascinating. I highly recommend it.

Remarkable story of loyalty and friendship, 16 Dec 2007
Set towards the end of the Second World War from 1944 on, Reuven tells the story of his growing up, and of his friend, Danny. The story opens when the boys are fifteen years old, and tells of their first encounter at a baseball when Danny strikes a ball which hits Reuven in the eye. Reuven is hospitalised, and eventually Danny visits him. Initially in his anger Reuven rejects Danny's approach, but then on the advice of his father he listens to Danny; the two soon become close friends.

As the story develops we get to know the two Jewish boys and their respective fathers very well. Danny has a brilliant mind; Reuven too is an outstanding student. Danny's father, Reb Saunders is an Hasidic Jew and the tzaddik, the leader of his congregation; Reuven's father, David Malter, is an Orthodox Jew and a Rabbi. There are naturally conflicts in this relationship, but Reb Saunders gives it his blessing as he believes it will benefit his son. Reb's behaviour and his unusual relationship with his son takes some understanding, but by the conclusion of the story we have a better insight. The boys become very close, they are enthusiastic students and study together, and even the long enforced silence between them, when Reb Saunders excommunicates Reuven over the issue of the establishment of the Jewish State, does nothing to weaken their relationship.

Much of the story involves issues of Jewish faith and politics, but such is the quality of the writing and our involvement with the boys that even to an outsider these passages are of interest, at times even gripping. Danny is a delightful and compassionate boy; he is devoted to his father and loyal friend to Danny. These relationships are things of great beauty; both the respect he has for and the freedom with which he is able to communicate with his father, and the evident care and concern he shows for his friend Danny; and both of whom he clearly loves.

The chosen is a truly remarkable story, the writing is beautiful and the dialogue such that we can hear the voices. It is a story of friendship, loyalty and love, of parental care and sacrifice. It is both thoroughly absorbing and profoundly moving.


Beautiful story that sheds light on orthodox Judaism, 16 Nov 2004
In this tale of two New York Jewish boys growing up in the 40s, Chaim Potok weaves a whole analysis of the path of Judaism in the 20th Century.
The first chapter describes a schoolboy baseball game, which is disarmingly gripping. (I've rarely been more eager to find out who won.) It quickly moves on to deeper things, though, as the game sets the protagonist, Reuven, off on a journey as he gets to befriend a Hasidic contemporary of his: he has to try to understand an even stricter interpretation of Judaism than his own.
Potok does not just tell a beautiful story. He also manages to get the reader to empathise with something as potentially alienating as Hasidism. As a Christian, I for one feel as if I now understand my Jewish friends a little better, both those who choose to follow their faith strictly and those who prefer a more liberal approach. The chapters in which the boys tussle with the Talmud are brilliantly vivid and really make one feel something of what it is like to give oneself over to this sacred text.
Being set in the 1940s, he also has much to say about the creation of the state of Israel and why that hit home so sharply in New York then.
This era is as beautifully recreated as the friendship between Reuven and Danny. Fascinatingly, women hardly feature in this book. The key relationships are between the boys and their fathers, and their relationship with each other: a kind of minor David and Jonathan.
A lovely, vivid, enlightening read.

Judaism Lost and Found, 22 Jun 2000
Two young people emboding the two opposite polar instances of judaism meet in Brooklyn during the second world war in the course of a baseball game that soon turns into an holy battle.

Reuven, the son of a talmudic scholar, is perceived by Danny, a radical chassidim, as an apicoros, an heretic that dares profaning the holy language by letting himself being schooled in hebrew rather than in yiddish.

The wound that Danny inflicts upon Reuven in the game is a symbolic mutilation, the sign of the tension between moderation and radicalism, the distancing culture of doubt and the deeply involving practise of mystical belief.

The book traces a tale of an exchange of identities, whereby the two characters embark in a dense intellectual and emotional friendship that finally enables them to exchange their personalities: Reuven's scholarship turns from science to a rabbinic drive. Whereas Danny, the rabbi to be, chooses, as a final challange to his previously received mysticism, to further his interest for freudian theories with a secular college education.

Potok's narrative operates,rather than true words, via successive waves of silence. The culture of silence enforced by one of the fathers promts the characters (and with them the community of readers) to dig inside themselves in search of their sometimes submerged humanity. Silence, the tension of the countless silent pauses, links biologically fathers and sons to the extent that, in spite of the dogmatism of their surrounding enviroments, the two characters carve up a space to listen to their own true vocation.

Chaim's work stands out also as an appraisal of scholarhsip, of the fine quality of the character's skills in focusing on the quality,rather than the quantity, of their knowledge and read a line one thousand times so that, through an aleph, through a single letter or a combination of chabbalistic devices, we may see the universe.

A profound insight into a different world, 09 Aug 2008
It's many years since I last read My Name is Asher Lev. Potok has always been one of my most loved authors, and this novel is one of his finest. The subject-matter is difficult: an Orthodox, frum Jew, who has to break from his background in order to achieve greatness as an artist, and who, in doing so, hurts many people, including his own parents. Yet somehow he succeeds in retaining his faith and his place within the community. Potok is one of the very few authors who could have tackled the subject without becoming maudlin. His understanding of the Hasidic community about which he writes is blended by his own, far less strict form of Judaism, gving him rare insight into two parallel yet very different worlds. You would think this a pretty recherché subject for a novel, yet Potok brings it off so brilliantly that no-one who is serious about good literature will find any of it an obstacle to a deep reading experience.

A beautful story, 17 Jan 2008
Asher Lev introduces himself in the opening lines of his story. He is an observant Jew, he is the talk of the town following the exhibiting of his painting Brooklyn Crucifixion - not only do observant Jews not paint crucifixions, they do not paint at all - he is viewed as a traitor.

The still very young Asher Lev then begins to recount his life that lead to this predicament. He starts from when he was about four years old, an ordinary Brooklyn lad the only son born to a scholarly Hasidic family. But it is soon evident that he has a remarkable talent fro drawing. The story follows the difficult realisation of the talent which leads him to great critical acclaim, but ostracism from is family and home.

Having truly enjoyed Chaim Potok's The Chosen and its sequel The Promise I immediately sought out more of his writing. I was not disappointed; this is a beautiful story, Asher is a fine boy who loves his family and respects his elders, but he cannot deny what is inside him, his need to create. The characters in the story are sincere and caring, even if they do want different things for Asher Lev. The writing is excellent, Chaim Potok has a very appealing style, and I especially like the manner in which Asher relates his conversations. There is sequel which having enjoyed this so much this I am compelled to read.


a gem, 03 Oct 2007
I really liked this novel.

If a friend asked me to give an example of a good novel, this would be it.

The subject is "everyday" in the sense that you could imagine that, yes, such a person and the people he relates to could really exist. Also the events, problems, and conflicts that his particular situation throws up are "real life", in that you think with, and suffer with, and hope and dream with the main character (it is about an orthodox Jew who, as he is growing up, tries to carve out a way of life for himself which is at odds with his background).

All the important characters are believable. They all have their faults as well as their good points, but what comes across is that the author has treated them with respect, and made them human.

As the story unfolds, there is a movement towards a final ending, confrontation, or perhaps resolution if you will. What goes before - the preceding events - are material to what happens at the end. And so, I disagree about the writing being repetitious. I think the different parts of the story balance each other well. In fact, it is a finely crafted story, where each bit contributes to the whole - and I don't think you can improve on it by editing out "repetitions". Perhaps you could say that the story has been crafted with as much care, as Asher Lev invested in his paintings.

Highly reccommended


An earnest if flawed book, 21 Jun 2007
Firstly DON'T READ THE BACK COVER! For some stupid reason the publishers blab something that will kill the enjoyment of the book stone dead if you read it. (It really did for me anyway). So just read the backcover when you've finished the book.

I think this book is earnestly written. It is a bit repetitive at times, and also slow in places. But that is only because we have come now to expect a faster pace in literature which is not always a good thing.

The style here allows you to really feel by the end that you have lived through a part of the protagonists life. And you cannot help but develop an affection for that life.

"My name is Asher Lev" is a good account of a person with a gift and the impact that has on themselves and those around them. It's easy to read and has a lot of charm. There is humour, sadness, reflection and insight in here giving weight to the story. And it is story that is definitely worth a read.

A journey through art - and religion?, 07 Jan 2004
My Name is Asher Lev is one of those books that you come across once in a lifetime - if you are lucky. The book charts Asher Lev growing up in a very strict Hassidic community, endowed with a God given artistic talent that is entirely at odds with the beliefs of his family and his people.The conundrum that Lev faces is that he is at all times a devout and scholastically outstanding Hassid, and yet at the same time a brilliant artist, who intially tries to deny his talent before growing to embrace it.
The quality of this book is that it shows equal sympathy for, on the one hand, Lev's artistic journey and on the other hand, his religious struggle. Just as importantly, Potok brilliantly depicts the context of the community and family. In particular, as with other Potok books, the father-son relationship is lovingly drawn, showing both the pride and pain that arises here.
This is a book to treasure, to read and to re-read, and which will shed new insight each time.

Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


A historical and psychological novel., 21 Dec 1999
This is a surprisingly tense story about two Jewish young men, one Orthodox and one Hasidic, in New York in the early 1950s. They are both caught up, in different ways, in the struggles between Orthodox and reformed Jewish scholars, as they try to make sense of their Jewishness in the post-Holocaust world. As a non-Jew, I found the novel gripping and fascinating. I highly recommend it.

Chaim Potok - Davita's Harp, 24 Mar 2004
This is the fifth book by chaim potok i have read. He gives an amzing insight into the devlopment of faith in young people. a characteristic in all his works. But in this case, the development of Davita's faith perspective is against all odds. The setting of America, the insight into war, especially the complexity of the Spanish Civil war and the warm picture of Davita, devloping a type of judaism that has space for her to pray the prayers for her dead father. - a joy and wonder to read

Insightful, as to the mind of the precocious heroine., 06 Feb 1999
I loved reading about this girl of my era, so different from my WASP upbringing in many ways, but universal in her need for love, protection, understanding and affirmation. Yes, many of us have been "the best girl in the class," only to be ridiculed and shamed. Potok must be a genius in understanding the interior workings of adolescent females as well as males. Five stars

This has been my favorite book for many, many years now., 17 Nov 1998
I have read all of Potok's works, but DAVITA'S HARP is definitely his best. Not, perhaps, in terms of technique (we begin to see a bit of repetition in the work) but in his ability to reach beyond his own personal story and into the world just beyond his own. A wonderful accomplishment for Potok as a writer, and a book that can be read over and over and never become stale.

A look at the coming WWII through eyes of NY Jewish girl., 24 Aug 1998
A fine rendition of Jewish life in NY in the 1930s through the eyes of a young girl seeing her parents and their friends wrestle with events in Germany and the Spanish civil war.

A beautiful coming of age story, 22 Jul 1998
I have heard this book criticized because a male author is delving in to the mind a girl growing to adulthood up. They say that Ilana Davita does not ring true as a female character. I could not disagree more. So much about Ilana rings true. Much of her I recognize in myself. I too am the child of parents of strong ideology and had to find my own way. The cruel response of both teacher and classmates as she expressed her parents views about Stalin brought tears to my eyes. I recall a similar experience in my own life. It is a beautiful story of a girl longing for a feeling of belonging and finding it in Jewish faith. I recommend this book without reservation. Chaim Potok is a wonderful author, (he also wrote The Chosen which is my all time favorite book) and I think he created a believable, precocious, hurting girl who finds faith and healing and perseveres through hardship and injustice.

Remarkable story of loyalty and friendship, 16 Dec 2007
Set towards the end of the Second World War from 1944 on, Reuven tells the story of his growing up, and of his friend, Danny. The story opens when the boys are fifteen years old, and tells of their first encounter at a baseball when Danny strikes a ball which hits Reuven in the eye. Reuven is hospitalised, and eventually Danny visits him. Initially in his anger Reuven rejects Danny's approach, but then on the advice of his father he listens to Danny; the two soon become close friends.

As the story develops we get to know the two Jewish boys and their respective fathers very well. Danny has a brilliant mind; Reuven too is an outstanding student. Danny's father, Reb Saunders is an Hasidic Jew and the tzaddik, the leader of his congregation; Reuven's father, David Malter, is an Orthodox Jew and a Rabbi. There are naturally conflicts in this relationship, but Reb Saunders gives it his blessing as he believes it will benefit his son. Reb's behaviour and his unusual relationship with his son takes some understanding, but by the conclusion of the story we have a better insight. The boys become very close, they are enthusiastic students and study together, and even the long enforced silence between them, when Reb Saunders excommunicates Reuven over the issue of the establishment of the Jewish State, does nothing to weaken their relationship.

Much of the story involves issues of Jewish faith and politics, but such is the quality of the writing and our involvement with the boys that even to an outsider these passages are of interest, at times even gripping. Danny is a delightful and compassionate boy; he is devoted to his father and loyal friend to Danny. These relationships are things of great beauty; both the respect he has for and the freedom with which he is able to communicate with his father, and the evident care and concern he shows for his friend Danny; and both of whom he clearly loves.

The chosen is a truly remarkable story, the writing is beautiful and the dialogue such that we can hear the voices. It is a story of friendship, loyalty and love, of parental care and sacrifice. It is both thoroughly absorbing and profoundly moving.


Beautiful story that sheds light on orthodox Judaism, 16 Nov 2004
In this tale of two New York Jewish boys growing up in the 40s, Chaim Potok weaves a whole analysis of the path of Judaism in the 20th Century.
The first chapter describes a schoolboy baseball game, which is disarmingly gripping. (I've rarely been more eager to find out who won.) It quickly moves on to deeper things, though, as the game sets the protagonist, Reuven, off on a journey as he gets to befriend a Hasidic contemporary of his: he has to try to understand an even stricter interpretation of Judaism than his own.
Potok does not just tell a beautiful story. He also manages to get the reader to empathise with something as potentially alienating as Hasidism. As a Christian, I for one feel as if I now understand my Jewish friends a little better, both those who choose to follow their faith strictly and those who prefer a more liberal approach. The chapters in which the boys tussle with the Talmud are brilliantly vivid and really make one feel something of what it is like to give oneself over to this sacred text.
Being set in the 1940s, he also has much to say about the creation of the state of Israel and why that hit home so sharply in New York then.
This era is as beautifully recreated as the friendship between Reuven and Danny. Fascinatingly, women hardly feature in this book. The key relationships are between the boys and their fathers, and their relationship with each other: a kind of minor David and Jonathan.
A lovely, vivid, enlightening read.

Judaism Lost and Found, 22 Jun 2000
Two young people emboding the two opposite polar instances of judaism meet in Brooklyn during the second world war in the course of a baseball game that soon turns into an holy battle.

Reuven, the son of a talmudic scholar, is perceived by Danny, a radical chassidim, as an apicoros, an heretic that dares profaning the holy language by letting himself being schooled in hebrew rather than in yiddish.

The wound that Danny inflicts upon Reuven in the game is a symbolic mutilation, the sign of the tension between moderation and radicalism, the distancing culture of doubt and the deeply involving practise of mystical belief.

The book traces a tale of an exchange of identities, whereby the two characters embark in a dense intellectual and emotional friendship that finally enables them to exchange their personalities: Reuven's scholarship turns from science to a rabbinic drive. Whereas Danny, the rabbi to be, chooses, as a final challange to his previously received mysticism, to further his interest for freudian theories with a secular college education.

Potok's narrative operates,rather than true words, via successive waves of silence. The culture of silence enforced by one of the fathers promts the characters (and with them the community of readers) to dig inside themselves in search of their sometimes submerged humanity. Silence, the tension of the countless silent pauses, links biologically fathers and sons to the extent that, in spite of the dogmatism of their surrounding enviroments, the two characters carve up a space to listen to their own true vocation.

Chaim's work stands out also as an appraisal of scholarhsip, of the fine quality of the character's skills in focusing on the quality,rather than the quantity, of their knowledge and read a line one thousand times so that, through an aleph, through a single letter or a combination of chabbalistic devices, we may see the universe.

A profound insight into a different world, 09 Aug 2008
It's many years since I last read My Name is Asher Lev. Potok has always been one of my most loved authors, and this novel is one of his finest. The subject-matter is difficult: an Orthodox, frum Jew, who has to break from his background in order to achieve greatness as an artist, and who, in doing so, hurts many people, including his own parents. Yet somehow he succeeds in retaining his faith and his place within the community. Potok is one of the very few authors who could have tackled the subject without becoming maudlin. His understanding of the Hasidic community about which he writes is blended by his own, far less strict form of Judaism, gving him rare insight into two parallel yet very different worlds. You would think this a pretty recherché subject for a novel, yet Potok brings it off so brilliantly that no-one who is serious about good literature will find any of it an obstacle to a deep reading experience.

A beautful story, 17 Jan 2008
Asher Lev introduces himself in the opening lines of his story. He is an observant Jew, he is the talk of the town following the exhibiting of his painting Brooklyn Crucifixion - not only do observant Jews not paint crucifixions, they do not paint at all - he is viewed as a traitor.

The still very young Asher Lev then begins to recount his life that lead to this predicament. He starts from when he was about four years old, an ordinary Brooklyn lad the only son born to a scholarly Hasidic family. But it is soon evident that he has a remarkable talent fro drawing. The story follows the difficult realisation of the talent which leads him to great critical acclaim, but ostracism from is family and home.

Having truly enjoyed Chaim Potok's The Chosen and its sequel The Promise I immediately sought out more of his writing. I was not disappointed; this is a beautiful story, Asher is a fine boy who loves his family and respects his elders, but he cannot deny what is inside him, his need to create. The characters in the story are sincere and caring, even if they do want different things for Asher Lev. The writing is excellent, Chaim Potok has a very appealing style, and I especially like the manner in which Asher relates his conversations. There is sequel which having enjoyed this so much this I am compelled to read.


a gem, 03 Oct 2007
I really liked this novel.

If a friend asked me to give an example of a good novel, this would be it.

The subject is "everyday" in the sense that you could imagine that, yes, such a person and the people he relates to could really exist. Also the events, problems, and conflicts that his particular situation throws up are "real life", in that you think with, and suffer with, and hope and dream with the main character (it is about an orthodox Jew who, as he is growing up, tries to carve out a way of life for himself which is at odds with his background).

All the important characters are believable. They all have their faults as well as their good points, but what comes across is that the author has treated them with respect, and made them human.

As the story unfolds, there is a movement towards a final ending, confrontation, or perhaps resolution if you will. What goes before - the preceding events - are material to what happens at the end. And so, I disagree about the writing being repetitious. I think the different parts of the story balance each other well. In fact, it is a finely crafted story, where each bit contributes to the whole - and I don't think you can improve on it by editing out "repetitions". Perhaps you could say that the story has been crafted with as much care, as Asher Lev invested in his paintings.

Highly reccommended


An earnest if flawed book, 21 Jun 2007
Firstly DON'T READ THE BACK COVER! For some stupid reason the publishers blab something that will kill the enjoyment of the book stone dead if you read it. (It really did for me anyway). So just read the backcover when you've finished the book.

I think this book is earnestly written. It is a bit repetitive at times, and also slow in places. But that is only because we have come now to expect a faster pace in literature which is not always a good thing.

The style here allows you to really feel by the end that you have lived through a part of the protagonists life. And you cannot help but develop an affection for that life.

"My name is Asher Lev" is a good account of a person with a gift and the impact that has on themselves and those around them. It's easy to read and has a lot of charm. There is humour, sadness, reflection and insight in here giving weight to the story. And it is story that is definitely worth a read.

A journey through art - and religion?, 07 Jan 2004
My Name is Asher Lev is one of those books that you come across once in a lifetime - if you are lucky. The book charts Asher Lev growing up in a very strict Hassidic community, endowed with a God given artistic talent that is entirely at odds with the beliefs of his family and his people.The conundrum that Lev faces is that he is at all times a devout and scholastically outstanding Hassid, and yet at the same time a brilliant artist, who intially tries to deny his talent before growing to embrace it.
The quality of this book is that it shows equal sympathy for, on the one hand, Lev's artistic journey and on the other hand, his religious struggle. Just as importantly, Potok brilliantly depicts the context of the community and family. In particular, as with other Potok books, the father-son relationship is lovingly drawn, showing both the pride and pain that arises here.
This is a book to treasure, to read and to re-read, and which will shed new insight each time.

Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


A historical and psychological novel., 21 Dec 1999
This is a surprisingly tense story about two Jewish young men, one Orthodox and one Hasidic, in New York in the early 1950s. They are both caught up, in different ways, in the struggles between Orthodox and reformed Jewish scholars, as they try to make sense of their Jewishness in the post-Holocaust world. As a non-Jew, I found the novel gripping and fascinating. I highly recommend it.

Chaim Potok - Davita's Harp, 24 Mar 2004
This is the fifth book by chaim potok i have read. He gives an amzing insight into the devlopment of faith in young people. a characteristic in all his works. But in this case, the development of Davita's faith perspective is against all odds. The setting of America, the insight into war, especially the complexity of the Spanish Civil war and the warm picture of Davita, devloping a type of judaism that has space for her to pray the prayers for her dead father. - a joy and wonder to read

Insightful, as to the mind of the precocious heroine., 06 Feb 1999
I loved reading about this girl of my era, so different from my WASP upbringing in many ways, but universal in her need for love, protection, understanding and affirmation. Yes, many of us have been "the best girl in the class," only to be ridiculed and shamed. Potok must be a genius in understanding the interior workings of adolescent females as well as males. Five stars

This has been my favorite book for many, many years now., 17 Nov 1998
I have read all of Potok's works, but DAVITA'S HARP is definitely his best. Not, perhaps, in terms of technique (we begin to see a bit of repetition in the work) but in his ability to reach beyond his own personal story and into the world just beyond his own. A wonderful accomplishment for Potok as a writer, and a book that can be read over and over and never become stale.

A look at the coming WWII through eyes of NY Jewish girl., 24 Aug 1998
A fine rendition of Jewish life in NY in the 1930s through the eyes of a young girl seeing her parents and their friends wrestle with events in Germany and the Spanish civil war.

A beautiful coming of age story, 22 Jul 1998
I have heard this book criticized because a male author is delving in to the mind a girl growing to adulthood up. They say that Ilana Davita does not ring true as a female character. I could not disagree more. So much about Ilana rings true. Much of her I recognize in myself. I too am the child of parents of strong ideology and had to find my own way. The cruel response of both teacher and classmates as she expressed her parents views about Stalin brought tears to my eyes. I recall a similar experience in my own life. It is a beautiful story of a girl longing for a feeling of belonging and finding it in Jewish faith. I recommend this book without reservation. Chaim Potok is a wonderful author, (he also wrote The Chosen which is my all time favorite book) and I think he created a believable, precocious, hurting girl who finds faith and healing and perseveres through hardship and injustice.

A profound insight into a different world, 09 Aug 2008
It's many years since I last read My Name is Asher Lev. Potok has always been one of my most loved authors, and this novel is one of his finest. The subject-matter is difficult: an Orthodox, frum Jew, who has to break from his background in order to achieve greatness as an artist, and who, in doing so, hurts many people, including his own parents. Yet somehow he succeeds in retaining his faith and his place within the community. Potok is one of the very few authors who could have tackled the subject without becoming maudlin. His understanding of the Hasidic community about which he writes is blended by his own, far less strict form of Judaism, gving him rare insight into two parallel yet very different worlds. You would think this a pretty recherché subject for a novel, yet Potok brings it off so brilliantly that no-one who is serious about good literature will find any of it an obstacle to a deep reading experience.

A beautful story, 17 Jan 2008
Asher Lev introduces himself in the opening lines of his story. He is an observant Jew, he is the talk of the town following the exhibiting of his painting Brooklyn Crucifixion - not only do observant Jews not paint crucifixions, they do not paint at all - he is viewed as a traitor.

The still very young Asher Lev then begins to recount his life that lead to this predicament. He starts from when he was about four years old, an ordinary Brooklyn lad the only son born to a scholarly Hasidic family. But it is soon evident that he has a remarkable talent fro drawing. The story follows the difficult realisation of the talent which leads him to great critical acclaim, but ostracism from is family and home.

Having truly enjoyed Chaim Potok's The Chosen and its sequel The Promise I immediately sought out more of his writing. I was not disappointed; this is a beautiful story, Asher is a fine boy who loves his family and respects his elders, but he cannot deny what is inside him, his need to create. The characters in the story are sincere and caring, even if they do want different things for Asher Lev. The writing is excellent, Chaim Potok has a very appealing style, and I especially like the manner in which Asher relates his conversations. There is sequel which having enjoyed this so much this I am compelled to read.


a gem, 03 Oct 2007
I really liked this novel.

If a friend asked me to give an example of a good novel, this would be it.

The subject is "everyday" in the sense that you could imagine that, yes, such a person and the people he relates to could really exist. Also the events, problems, and conflicts that his particular situation throws up are "real life", in that you think with, and suffer with, and hope and dream with the main character (it is about an orthodox Jew who, as he is growing up, tries to carve out a way of life for himself which is at odds with his background).

All the important characters are believable. They all have their faults as well as their good points, but what comes across is that the author has treated them with respect, and made them human.

As the story unfolds, there is a movement towards a final ending, confrontation, or perhaps resolution if you will. What goes before - the preceding events - are material to what happens at the end. And so, I disagree about the writing being repetitious. I think the different parts of the story balance each other well. In fact, it is a finely crafted story, where each bit contributes to the whole - and I don't think you can improve on it by editing out "repetitions". Perhaps you could say that the story has been crafted with as much care, as Asher Lev invested in his paintings.

Highly reccommended


An earnest if flawed book, 21 Jun 2007
Firstly DON'T READ THE BACK COVER! For some stupid reason the publishers blab something that will kill the enjoyment of the book stone dead if you read it. (It really did for me anyway). So just read the backcover when you've finished the book.

I think this book is earnestly written. It is a bit repetitive at times, and also slow in places. But that is only because we have come now to expect a faster pace in literature which is not always a good thing.

The style here allows you to really feel by the end that you have lived through a part of the protagonists life. And you cannot help but develop an affection for that life.

"My name is Asher Lev" is a good account of a person with a gift and the impact that has on themselves and those around them. It's easy to read and has a lot of charm. There is humour, sadness, reflection and insight in here giving weight to the story. And it is story that is definitely worth a read.

A journey through art - and religion?, 07 Jan 2004
My Name is Asher Lev is one of those books that you come across once in a lifetime - if you are lucky. The book charts Asher Lev growing up in a very strict Hassidic community, endowed with a God given artistic talent that is entirely at odds with the beliefs of his family and his people.The conundrum that Lev faces is that he is at all times a devout and scholastically outstanding Hassid, and yet at the same time a brilliant artist, who intially tries to deny his talent before growing to embrace it.
The quality of this book is that it shows equal sympathy for, on the one hand, Lev's artistic journey and on the other hand, his religious struggle. Just as importantly, Potok brilliantly depicts the context of the community and family. In particular, as with other Potok books, the father-son relationship is lovingly drawn, showing both the pride and pain that arises here.
This is a book to treasure, to read and to re-read, and which will shed new insight each time.

Remarkable story of loyalty and friendship, 16 Dec 2007
Set towards the end of the Second World War from 1944 on, Reuven tells the story of his growing up, and of his friend, Danny. The story opens when the boys are fifteen years old, and tells of their first encounter at a baseball when Danny strikes a ball which hits Reuven in the eye. Reuven is hospitalised, and eventually Danny visits him. Initially in his anger Reuven rejects Danny's approach, but then on the advice of his father he listens to Danny; the two soon become close friends.

As the story develops we get to know the two Jewish boys and their respective fathers very well. Danny has a brilliant mind; Reuven too is an outstanding student. Danny's father, Reb Saunders is an Hasidic Jew and the tzaddik, the leader of his congregation; Reuven's father, David Malter, is an Orthodox Jew and a Rabbi. There are naturally conflicts in this relationship, but Reb Saunders gives it his blessing as he believes it will benefit his son. Reb's behaviour and his unusual relationship with his son takes some understanding, but by the conclusion of the story we have a better insight. The boys become very close, they are enthusiastic students and study together, and even the long enforced silence between them, when Reb Saunders excommunicates Reuven over the issue of the establishment of the Jewish State, does nothing to weaken their relationship.

Much of the story involves issues of Jewish faith and politics, but such is the quality of the writing and our involvement with the boys that even to an outsider these passages are of interest, at times even gripping. Danny is a delightful and compassionate boy; he is devoted to his father and loyal friend to Danny. These relationships are things of great beauty; both the respect he has for and the freedom with which he is able to communicate with his father, and the evident care and concern he shows for his friend Danny; and both of whom he clearly loves.

The chosen is a truly remarkable story, the writing is beautiful and the dialogue such that we can hear the voices. It is a story of friendship, loyalty and love, of parental care and sacrifice. It is both thoroughly absorbing and profoundly moving.


Beautiful story that sheds light on orthodox Judaism, 16 Nov 2004
In this tale of two New York Jewish boys growing up in the 40s, Chaim Potok weaves a whole analysis of the path of Judaism in the 20th Century.
The first chapter describes a schoolboy baseball game, which is disarmingly gripping. (I've rarely been more eager to find out who won.) It quickly moves on to deeper things, though, as the game sets the protagonist, Reuven, off on a journey as he gets to befriend a Hasidic contemporary of his: he has to try to understand an even stricter interpretation of Judaism than his own.
Potok does not just tell a beautiful story. He also manages to get the reader to empathise with something as potentially alienating as Hasidism. As a Christian, I for one feel as if I now understand my Jewish friends a little better, both those who choose to follow their faith strictly and those who prefer a more liberal approach. The chapters in which the boys tussle with the Talmud are brilliantly vivid and really make one feel something of what it is like to give oneself over to this sacred text.
Being set in the 1940s, he also has much to say about the creation of the state of Israel and why that hit home so sharply in New York then.
This era is as beautifully recreated as the friendship between Reuven and Danny. Fascinatingly, women hardly feature in this book. The key relationships are between the boys and their fathers, and their relationship with each other: a kind of minor David and Jonathan.
A lovely, vivid, enlightening read.

Judaism Lost and Found, 22 Jun 2000
Two young people emboding the two opposite polar instances of judaism meet in Brooklyn during the second world war in the course of a baseball game that soon turns into an holy battle.

Reuven, the son of a talmudic scholar, is perceived by Danny, a radical chassidim, as an apicoros, an heretic that dares profaning the holy language by letting himself being schooled in hebrew rather than in yiddish.

The wound that Danny inflicts upon Reuven in the game is a symbolic mutilation, the sign of the tension between moderation and radicalism, the distancing culture of doubt and the deeply involving practise of mystical belief.

The book traces a tale of an exchange of identities, whereby the two characters embark in a dense intellectual and emotional friendship that finally enables them to exchange their personalities: Reuven's scholarship turns from science to a rabbinic drive. Whereas Danny, the rabbi to be, chooses, as a final challange to his previously received mysticism, to further his interest for freudian theories with a secular college education.

Potok's narrative operates,rather than true words, via successive waves of silence. The culture of silence enforced by one of the fathers promts the characters (and with them the community of readers) to dig inside themselves in search of their sometimes submerged humanity. Silence, the tension of the countless silent pauses, links biologically fathers and sons to the extent that, in spite of the dogmatism of their surrounding enviroments, the two characters carve up a space to listen to their own true vocation.

Chaim's work stands out also as an appraisal of scholarhsip, of the fine quality of the character's skills in focusing on the quality,rather than the quantity, of their knowledge and read a line one thousand times so that, through an aleph, through a single letter or a combination of chabbalistic devices, we may see the universe.

A profound insight into a different world, 09 Aug 2008
It's many years since I last read My Name is Asher Lev. Potok has always been one of my most loved authors, and this novel is one of his finest. The subject-matter is difficult: an Orthodox, frum Jew, who has to break from his background in order to achieve greatness as an artist, and who, in doing so, hurts many people, including his own parents. Yet somehow he succeeds in retaining his faith and his place within the community. Potok is one of the very few authors who could have tackled the subject without becoming maudlin. His understanding of the Hasidic community about which he writes is blended by his own, far less strict form of Judaism, gving him rare insight into two parallel yet very different worlds. You would think this a pretty recherché subject for a novel, yet Potok brings it off so brilliantly that no-one who is serious about good literature will find any of it an obstacle to a deep reading experience.

A beautful story, 17 Jan 2008
Asher Lev introduces himself in the opening lines of his story. He is an observant Jew, he is the talk of the town following the exhibiting of his painting Brooklyn Crucifixion - not only do observant Jews not paint crucifixions, they do not paint at all - he is viewed as a traitor.

The still very young Asher Lev then begins to recount his life that lead to this predicament. He starts from when he was about four years old, an ordinary Brooklyn lad the only son born to a scholarly Hasidic family. But it is soon evident that he has a remarkable talent fro drawing. The story follows the difficult realisation of the talent which leads him to great critical acclaim, but ostracism from is family and home.

Having truly enjoyed Chaim Potok's The Chosen and its sequel The Promise I immediately sought out more of his writing. I was not disappointed; this is a beautiful story, Asher is a fine boy who loves his family and respects his elders, but he cannot deny what is inside him, his need to create. The characters in the story are sincere and caring, even if they do want different things for Asher Lev. The writing is excellent, Chaim Potok has a very appealing style, and I especially like the manner in which Asher relates his conversations. There is sequel which having enjoyed this so much this I am compelled to read.


a gem, 03 Oct 2007
I really liked this novel.

If a friend asked me to give an example of a good novel, this would be it.

The subject is "everyday" in the sense that you could imagine that, yes, such a person and the people he relates to could really exist. Also the events, problems, and conflicts that his particular situation throws up are "real life", in that you think with, and suffer with, and hope and dream with the main character (it is about an orthodox Jew who, as he is growing up, tries to carve out a way of life for himself which is at odds with his background).

All the important characters are believable. They all have their faults as well as their good points, but what comes across is that the author has treated them with respect, and made them human.

As the story unfolds, there is a movement towards a final ending, confrontation, or perhaps resolution if you will. What goes before - the preceding events - are material to what happens at the end. And so, I disagree about the writing being repetitious. I think the different parts of the story balance each other well. In fact, it is a finely crafted story, where each bit contributes to the whole - and I don't think you can improve on it by editing out "repetitions". Perhaps you could say that the story has been crafted with as much care, as Asher Lev invested in his paintings.

Highly reccommended


An earnest if flawed book, 21 Jun 2007
Firstly DON'T READ THE BACK COVER! For some stupid reason the publishers blab something that will kill the enjoyment of the book stone dead if you read it. (It really did for me anyway). So just read the backcover when you've finished the book.

I think this book is earnestly written. It is a bit repetitive at times, and also slow in places. But that is only because we have come now to expect a faster pace in literature which is not always a good thing.

The style here allows you to really feel by the end that you have lived through a part of the protagonists life. And you cannot help but develop an affection for that life.

"My name is Asher Lev" is a good account of a person with a gift and the impact that has on themselves and those around them. It's easy to read and has a lot of charm. There is humour, sadness, reflection and insight in here giving weight to the story. And it is story that is definitely worth a read.

A journey through art - and religion?, 07 Jan 2004
My Name is Asher Lev is one of those books that you come across once in a lifetime - if you are lucky. The book charts Asher Lev growing up in a very strict Hassidic community, endowed with a God given artistic talent that is entirely at odds with the beliefs of his family and his people.The conundrum that Lev faces is that he is at all times a devout and scholastically outstanding Hassid, and yet at the same time a brilliant artist, who intially tries to deny his talent before growing to embrace it.
The quality of this book is that it shows equal sympathy for, on the one hand, Lev's artistic journey and on the other hand, his religious struggle. Just as importantly, Potok brilliantly depicts the context of the community and family. In particular, as with other Potok books, the father-son relationship is lovingly drawn, showing both the pride and pain that arises here.
This is a book to treasure, to read and to re-read, and which will shed new insight each time.

Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story is the relationship between the characters. The two boys are remarkable individuals who by their modest and respectful attitude along with their devotion to their faith seem to endear them to all whom they meet. Danny and Reuven remain best friends and show complete trust in each other; Reuven's active concern for Michael is very touching; and Reuven's relationship with his father, the love and respect he has for him, is a joy to behold.

The Promise is a remarkable book, a fitting conclusion to the fascinating story which started in The Chosen. Extremely well written, it is an enjoyable, thought provoking and heart warming tale which I highly recommend.


Loyal friendship, 31 Dec 2007
The Promise, sequel to The Chosen, finds Danny and Reuven now just in their early twenties and approaching the end of their studies. The battle between Orthodox and Reformed beliefs continues along with its consequential effect on Danny and Reuven, and now coming into the arena in addition to Reuven's teachers is Abraham Gordon, the uncle of Reuven's girlfriend Rachel. Then Danny and Reuven have an additional problem to contend with: Abraham Gordon's emotionally disturbed fourteen year old son Michael; the two boys become deeply involved, Danny in his role as a student psychologist and Reuven as Michael's new friend.

As in The Promise there are plenty of discussions centred around the Talmud, but they are so well explained and presented that they are of interest even for someone who has little or no knowledge of such. But the real beauty of the story i