The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky
The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky is the touching, well-wrought story of the Lapinsky family, Jewish immigrants living in Toronto in the '30s and '40s. The focus of the novel falls on Sonny, the third son of four, and his relationship with his father, Yacov, a street peddler and stubborn traditionalist. When Sonny marries an Italian girl, Yacov says the prayer for the dead over him although he secretly admires his son, who will grow into a champion boxer. A key event in the story takes place in August 1933 when all four sons are involved in the Christie Pits riot, a battle between Nazi sympathizers and Jewish youth at a local ballpark. The tragedy that strikes the family there echoes Yacov's experiences during a pogrom in Russia. This is a true-to-life depiction of Jewish family life during the Depression. The period dialogue ("Aw Boss. That's nice, but we better go and break the news. You know. To our families-like. ") sounds just right and is not overdone. The descriptions of the boxing matches are pure adrenalin and the characters feel genuine, especially Sophie, the long-suffering mother, and Checkie Seigelman, a small-time, cigar-puffing gangster. Unfortunately, the structure is a bit contorted, resulting in descriptions of the riot both near the beginning and again near the end, and some sections feel like filler. At times the writing is cartoonish ("Ralph goes down, silver and white stars swirl across his vision") but for its depiction of the period, this novel is worth a read. --Mark Frutkin Author(s): Karen X. Tulchinsky. Binding Paperback. Publisher(s): Talonbooks. Label: Talonbooks.
| Fabricant: | Talonbooks, Ltd. |
| Numéro de la pièce: | |
| Prix le plus bas (CAD): | 12,61 $ |
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| Auteur : | Karen Tulchinsky |
