Chaim Potok: The Chosen

[curiouswonder]

Has anyone else read this? I finished it a couple of days ago and it has proven to be one of those that stays with me as I move on to the next book. Potok has a beautiful way of writing conversations that are full of meaning, but don't feel didactic. The descriptions and settings and characters feel real and honest and I found myself caring about where each of the characters was heading as the novel developed. As to the story, this from amazon.com

In 1940s Brooklyn, New York, an accident throws Reuven Malther and Danny Saunders together. Despite their differences (Reuven is a Modern Orthodox Jew with an intellectual, Zionist father; Danny is the brilliant son and rightful heir to a Hasidic rebbe), the young men form a deep, if unlikely, friendship. Together they negotiate adolescence, family conflicts, the crisis of faith engendered when Holocaust stories begin to emerge in the U.S., loss, love, and the journey to adulthood. The intellectual and spiritual clashes between fathers, between each son and his own father, and between the two young men, provide a unique backdrop for this exploration of fathers, sons, faith, loyalty, and, ultimately, the power of love.

The struggle of the sons to reconcile the faiths of their fathers with their dreams for the days ahead is portrayed with honesty and real care. You can tell Potok wanted to "get it right". He does.
Has anyone else read this work or My Name is Asher Lev? I'd love to hear other thoughts.

 

[steffee]

I haven't read either of them, but it does sound a good read. It's rare that a book encapsulates the relationship between two males, like father and son, or brothers, etc. It sounds worth a read.

 

[beth9]

i read it some yrs ago and i remember liking it. since it was some yrs ago i don't remember much but it was about the relationship of father and son how the father was bringing up his son and for that reason the son could not b friends w/ someone at school that he really wanted to. i like the part where they both pass the hall way and the son w/out looking at the other boy touches his arm (or something like that) to let him know he is not mad at him for not looking or talking to him.
i don't want to give away the ending but the ending was good too. i enjoy the whole book.