Monday, December 8, 2008

great new review in time for Christmas

Today's treat: I just checked my book on the Amazon website and found this. Whoever this fine gentleman is, he has my thanks.

 
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Special Biography, October 17, 2008
By Mark A. Stein (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This biography, written by the great-granddaughter of the most reknowned Yiddish playwright, is an extraordinary work. Through her meticulous research, Beth Kaplan provides a vivid and multi-dimensional portrait of Jacob Gordin. Moreover, through the lens of Gordin's life, she provides an insightful view of the world in which he lived: the stars of the Yiddish theater, the Lower East Side in which it was situated, and the larger society that surrounded them all. What makes this work particularly special is that Kaplan includes views of Gordin through the lens of a great-granddaughter via his impact on his offspring and the family mythology that has surrounded him, thereby bringing his life and era right up to our doorstep.
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2 comments:

  1. LynnieDecember 9, 2008 at 8:01 AM

    Congratulations, Beth! And a well-deserved excellent review, at that. What makes it all the more special is the fact that the reviewer gave one star to another book. So we know he's not just a serial "good reviewer"! ;-)

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  2. bethDecember 10, 2008 at 1:51 PM

    Lynn, I myself couldn't point out the reviewer's negative mention of another Yiddish theatre book ... but I'm glad you noticed. He's right that the other book seems to have been hastily written and is full of errors and forced humour - yet it was given an indulgent review in the "New York Times." So I'm glad that this perspicacious reader not only appreciates my book, but knows his subject so well he also sees the flaws in the other.

    Good eyes, girl.

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