Two supernatural creatures, an enslaved jinni and an aimless golem, meet in. Alternate titles found on the editing floor, like the rabbis friend made from clay and the tinsmiths supernatural apprentice or jewish mysticism meets a genie who doesnt grant wishes just dont roll of the tongue the same way. Weckers first novel is a magical tale of two mythical creatures%e2%80%94a golem from a polish shtetl and a jinni from the syrian. A golem and a jinni walk into new york city at the turn of the century. This book is called the golem and the jinni, which means its about a golem and a jinni. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker youre making. The second is ahmad, he is a jinni, a being of fire who was born in the syrian dessert long ago. The golem and the jinni, by helene wecker the new york times.
The main characters, two creatures right out of jewish and arabic myth, blend perfectly into this novel of early 20th century new york. Books like the golem and the jinni and the windup girl. Numerous secondary characters are central to the golem and the jinnis story. The writing in this book reminds me a lot of the bear and the nightingale in that it felt very atmospheric as well as giving off a strong classic fairy tale vibe. His finger ran down a page, and he peered at something written there. Chava is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in new york harbor in 1899. One book choice examines crosscultural kinship chicago. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker is an incredible book where the main characters are taken right out of jewish and arabian folk lore. The golem warns the jinni to wear a hat if the weather is bad. This podcast does contain spoilers, so please read the book before listening. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The first creature is a woman named chava, she is a golem, a creature made of clay who is created and brought to life in poland. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker book club. Dec 20, 20 while the golem and the jinni shrugged their shoulders at the nonsensical belief systems of humans, the people who were privy to the situation had a much more difficult time assessing the situation.
Im helene wecker, author of the golem and the jinni. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient syrian desert. One of the wonders of the book is weckers elegant structure, which sets up plot reflections and echoes of themes as she follows the golem and the jinni, both inspired by folklore, backward and. Chava, a golem brought to life by a disgraced rabbi, and ahmad, a jinni made of fire, form an unlikely friendship on the streets of new york until a fateful choice changes everything. Feb 24, 2015 the golem and the jinni by helene wecke. I chose the book based on a little bit of info alone nebula award, 1899, golem, jinni, and its been just a perfect read from the first coupla pages. This books moderator was robin above who went all out for this. A lonely mans desire for a wife is the catalyst for the creation of a golem like no other. Apr 12, 20 at the heart of the novel burns the two creatures evolving friendship with each other, and the risks they take in order to grope towards an understanding and transcendence of their own dangerous natures. There is a lot of historical fiction woven in, so if you are looking for a straight fantasy novel this may not be for you. What a wonderful surprise the golem and the jinni turned out to be. The only thing that is missing from your list is the idea of an artificially created humanoid but there is a strong part of the story that focuses on people outside of the norm. When released from human control, both the golem and the jinni tend inevitably towards the pitiless destruction of humanity.
Helene wecker goodreads author topics about this book topics that mention this book. I really enjoyed the golem and the jinni, and i felt that the museum of extraordinary things by alice hoffman was in the same vein. The golem and the jinni is helene weckers bestselling debut novel. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Subgenreorama book club message board discussion questions. Instead, he visits a man named yehudah schaalman, and has a golem made. Today we will be chatting about the golem and the jinni by helene wecker, from harper books. An immigrant tale that combines elements of jewish and arab folk mythology, the golem and the jinni tells the story of two supernatural creatures who arrive separately in new york in 1899. The other is a jinni, a being of fire, trapped for a thousand years in a copper flask before a tinsmith in manhattans little syria releases him.
Im helene wecker, author of the golem and the jinni, back for another ama. Choose one or two of them, and show their role in the story and in the lives of chava and ahmad. In the golem and the jinni, a chance meeting between mythical beings takes readers on a dazzling journey through cultures in turnof the century new york. No steampunk here, really, but all the same, it has most of the ingredients to shoot straight to my heart. What about the relationship between the golem and rabbi meyer. Apr 22, 2019 the golem and the jinni book discussion. Accordingly, rotfeld knocked again the next day, and this time schaalman opened the door without. Book club the golem and the jinni by helene wecker. Read pdf the golem and the jinni absolutely for free at. They both are forced to learn to pass as human to survive.
Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark kabbalistic magic. Characters the golem and the jinni by helene wecker. Numerous secondary characters are central to the golem and the jinni s story. We are dedicated to enriching your book club experience. The golem and the jinni helene wecker, 20 harpercollins 512 pp. The rabbi, shaalman, warns that the ensuing golem in weckers tale, the golem is meant to be a slave and not for the pleasures of a bed, but he creates her anyway. See more ideas about the golem, book club books and arabian nights party.
The golem and the jinni by helene wecke wendy reads books. The story is so inventive, so elegantly written and so well constructed that its hard to believe this is a first novel. What can a golem and a jinni, thrown together by chance in turnofthecentury new york, teach us about being human. The writing and plot makes it read like a much shorter book think of it as a 450page book instead. Theyre librarians who love a great book but almost never agree on what makes a book great. Im already feeling a little scared about finishing this book. Book discussions at springfieldgreene county library district libraries. Discussion questions for the golem and the jinni sub. The narrator only uses the golem and the jinni, with the adopted names only used by other characters. The other is a jinni from the syrian desert, trapped inside a copper flask until a hapless tinsmith sets him free during a routine repair. Robin found the majority of her discussion questions here if youd like to see some of what talked about. In the golem and the jinni, a chance meeting between mythical beings takes readers on a dazzling journey through cultures in turnofthecentury new york. All library branches and library express west are currently closed to the public due to concerns about the coronavirus.
Helene weckers 20 novel the golem and the jinni features an intelligent female golem created by a malevolent jewish magician in danzig in 1899. Mar 27, 2017 my thoughts on the golem and the jinni by helen wrecker. This is the first fantasy book i have read as an adult. The golem and the jinni known as the golem and the djinni in the united kingdom is a debut novel written by helene wecker, published by harper in april 20. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker a rare gem of a book that combines yiddish and islamic folklore, from the perspective of a golem and a jinni that meet in new york city. Helene wecker goodreads author topics about this book topics that. In this episode, jessica picked a fantasyfilled historical fiction christine was sure to love, the golem and the jinni by helene wecker.
She lands in manhattan with less destructive force than godzilla hit tokyo, but even so, she cuts a strange figure. Marvelous and compulsively readable, helene weckers debut novel the golem and the jinni weaves strands of yiddish and middle eastern. The title characters of the golem and the jinni are not the books only magic. It is set in syria and the lower east side of new york city. For those of you reading this post, please remember that this discussion may contain spoilers. The golem and the jinni, by helene wecker february 23, 2014 facilitated by sharon rhode. Please join us for our august book discussion of the golem and the jinni. A golem made of clay who has a young soul, and a jinni, a spirit made from fire who is centuries old.
Welcome to the first ever savvy reader book club with vikki and kaitlyn. It combines the genre of historical fiction with elements of fantasy, telling the story of two displaced magical creatures in 19th century new york city. Meanwhile, the golem and the jinni have their weekly night walks, and talk about independence and happiness and hats. The golem and the jinni is a carefully constructed modern fable the golem and the jinni is a carefully constructed modern fable written as seriously as any historical literary fiction. Ill be here in person tonight at 7pm cst to answer your burning questions. The golem and the jinni part ii book club food ideas by helene wecker including my butterbeer ice cream recipe. Bptj the historical and fantasy elements are strong and credible. March 30, and a discussion of the film will take place at 7 p. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker is a book that ive kind of been in the middle of reading for a wicked long time. Discussion questions for the golem and the jinni subgenre. At 675 pages, you might pass over this book, but pick it up anyway if you like speculative fiction, historical fiction, or just have a long plane ride and only want one book.
Its said that the prophet jeremiah used the sefer yetzirah book of creation, a powerful kabbalistic text, to create a golem for himself. The golem and the jinni are drawn to each other, kindred spirits of longforgotten fairy tales. At the heart of the novel burns the two creatures evolving friendship with each other, and the risks they take in order to grope towards an understanding and transcendence of their own dangerous natures. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker goodreads. Marvelous and compulsively readable, helene weckers debut novel the golem and the jinni weaves strands of yiddish and middle eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale. The golem and the jinni is helen weckers debut noveland oh boy, what a debut. Welcome to book club, which i run with coconspirator nicole from linuss blanket. New york times bestselling author helene wecker the golem and the jinni brings us inside the disintegrating mind of a germanjewish grandmother in this sometimes chilling, sometimes heartwarming, consistently riveting story. The most famous golem tale is that of the 16thcentury golem of prague. Wecker does a great job at establishing the novels constraints and sticking to them.
Helene weckers first novel is an incredible tale of outsiders and finding your place in an unfamiliar world. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the golem and the jinni. Set in 1899 new york, the story follows the lives of a golem named chava, a woman made from clay to be a wife and servant, and ahmad, a jinni who had been trapped in a flask only to be released hundreds of years later. Describe the jinni s relationship with the tinsmith who released him, arbeely. Weckers first novel is a magical tale of two mythical creaturesa golem from a polish shtetl and a jinni from the syrian desertstruggling to fit in among new yorks turnofthe19thcentury.
Freewheeling and libertine by nature, the jinni is accustomed to following his whims, and chafes at the constraint of living hidden as a human. Released in new york after a thousand years inside a metal flask, the jinni is a being made of fire, bound to human form. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker book club discussion. For instance, think about sophias love affair with ahmad and michaels relationship to chava. The golem and the jinni is an extraordinary combination of historical novel set in new york city during the height of immigration and fantasy. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker book club ideas.
In helene weckers novel, two folkloric creatures emerge onto the. Were quite used to books about supernatural beings vampires, werewolves, witches and more. Overall, the golem and the jinni is a pleasant enough novel, and likely to appeal to readers looking for a light romance or a book with a little magic in it. Describe the jinnis relationship with the tinsmith who released him, arbeely. The golem and the jinni is an exciting story about two very different creatures, both that are supernatural. The golem and the jinni part i book club ideas by helene wecker. A jinni, captured and enslaved hundreds of years ago, is free of his flask but not truly free as the iron cuff that keeps him in human form remains on his wrist. Today we will be chatting about the golem and the jinni. The golem and the jinni will be the focus of a book discussion led by judy levin at. Dont expect a great romance between a golem and a jinni, because thats what this book is not. Club invited our regular book writers and staff to pick. Review of the golem and the jinni wendy reads books. The magic that brings life to a golem comes from kabbalah, a mystical, esoteric branch of jewish teaching. When shes left masterless on the streets of new york city, she fights her ingrained impulse to help and protect those around her.
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