The golem and the jinni book discussion group

The golem and the jinni are drawn to each other, kindred spirits of longforgotten fairy tales. Ill be here in person tonight at 7pm cst to answer your burning questions. The rabbi, shaalman, warns that the ensuing golemin weckers tale, the golemis meant to be a slave and not for the pleasures of a bed, but he creates her anyway. Mar 10, 2014 phillip sherman talks with helene wecker about incorporating jewish and muslim traditions into her debut novel, the golem and the jinni. Speaking for myself and not the rest of the book group, i will say it was a slow start for me. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker was the 89th official sword and laser book club selection reading period. 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.

He finds the destruction spell in her locket and takes it. The golem and the jinni, by helene wecker the new york. 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. Of course no book is complete without a antagonist, but i will leave that to you to discover on your own. Our first pick is the golem and the jinni by debut author helene wecker. Subgenreorama book club message board discussion questions.

What would eventually become the golem and the jinni started as a short story wecker was attempting to work into a collection she planned on submitting for her thesis in columbias mfa program. Freewheeling and libertine by nature, the jinni is accustomed to following his whims, and chafes at the constraint of living hidden as a human. What about the relationship between the golem and rabbi meyer. Jun 16, 2015 the golem and the jinni is a lovely and thought provoking story. I think of my book as crossgenre, sort of a literaryfantasyhistorical hybrid.

Accordingly, rotfeld knocked again the next day, and this time schaalman opened the door without. The golem and the jinni will be available far beyond the shtetls of europe, the deserts of the middle east, and the new york city limits. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A very special evening of music, poetry readings, theatrical performances and more as we explore themes of longing for home and homeland found in both our one book mishkan selection, the golem and the jinni and the citywide one book, one jewish community selection, the wanting. Book discussions at springfieldgreene county library district libraries. Robin found the majority of her discussion questions here if youd like to see some of what talked about. However, when annas loser baby daddy, irving, hits anna in an alleyway, the golem loses her cool and attacks irving, almost killing him. Apr 22, 2019 the golem and the jinni book discussion. Helene weckers debut novel blends historical fiction and fantasy. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the golem and the jinni. The sometimes slow pace picks up considerably as the disparate characters decipher the past and try to save the souls variously threatened by the golem and the jinni, as well as by the jewish.

But in her first novel, the golem and the jinni, a blend of historic fiction and. The main characters, two creatures right out of jewish and arabic myth, blend perfectly into this novel of early 20th century new york. The golem and the jinni helene wecker, 20 harpercollins 512 pp. Characters the golem and the jinni by helene wecker. The golem and the jinni is a lovely and thought provoking story. She lands in manhattan with less destructive force than godzilla hit tokyo, but.

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man. Civil war book discussion group at library center 7 p. Instead, he visits a man named yehudah schaalman, and has a golem made. For her debut novel, helene wecker dazzles us with a mystical tale that combines arab and jewish folklore in a turnofthecentury new york. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker goodreads. We are dedicated to enriching your book club experience. 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 is all that you could possibly wish for. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Helene weckers dazzling debut novel tells the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 new york. This months book is the golem and the jinni by helene wecker, a magical tale set in new york. Describe the jinni s relationship with the tinsmith who released him, arbeely. After sharing her story with her mfa workshop, however, the group saw the works potential and encouraged her to turn it into a novel.

See more ideas about the golem, book club books and arabian nights party. In jewish myth and folklore, a golem is a humanlike figure that is brought to life by powerful magic. 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. The golem and the jinni, by helene wecker the new york times. Magic in the new world a master narrator reads a tale of two creatures from folklore making new lives in turnofthecentury manhattan. 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 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. The golem and the jinni is an exciting story about two very different creatures, both that are supernatural.

The golem and the jinni by helene wecke wendy reads books. Group fiction read may 2017 the golem and the jinni spoilers allowed. The golem invites the jinni and they wow everyone with their dancing skills like its footloose or something. 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. 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. For instance, think about sophias love affair with ahmad and michaels relationship to chava. Everyone has their own pace, and wecker writes at a great level of detail, both in prose style and in historical details, that i dont think can be accomplished as quickly as scalzis banter or grishams legal tropes. It combines the genre of historical fiction with elements of fantasy, telling the story of two displaced magical creatures in.

Its said that the prophet jeremiah used the sefer yetzirah book of creation, a powerful kabbalistic text, to create a golem for himself. Released in new york after a thousand years inside a metal flask, the jinni is a being made of fire, bound to human form. After all, a golem lacks a free will and a jinni lacks a conscience. The golem and the jinni book king county library system.

The most famous golem tale is that of the 16thcentury golem of prague. Please join us for our august book discussion of the golem and the jinni. The golem and jinni by helene wecker evening book discussion at schweitzer brentwood branch library 6. They are powerful but simpleminded, and must obey their masters in all things. It is not actionpackedmost of the book is devoted to character development rather than the plot, which unfolds very gradually and picks up steam only late in the book. Helene wecker goodreads author topics about this book topics that mention this book. In the golem and the jinni, a chance meeting between mythical beings takes readers on a dazzling journey through cultures in turnofthecentury new york.

Throughout the book, wecker grapples with the concept of free will. Discussion questions for the golem and the jinni subgenre. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker book club. She lands in manhattan with less destructive force than godzilla hit tokyo, but even so, she cuts a strange figure. When released from human control, both the golem and the jinni tend inevitably towards the pitiless destruction of humanity. Just this once, i wish i could say the golem and the jinni is awesome. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker book club discussion. 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. Describe the jinnis relationship with the tinsmith who released him, arbeely. The narrator only uses the golem and the jinni, with the adopted names only used by other characters. Im helene wecker, author of the golem and the jinni. Discussion questions for the golem and the jinni sub. What a wonderful surprise the golem and the jinni turned out to be. In bookstores, ive seen it shelved in fiction, historical fiction, and fantasyscifi, and honestly im pretty proud of that.

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. 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. 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. A few weeks ago i got to host the most amazing group of girls at delicious reads. Numerous secondary characters are central to the golem and the jinni s story. The golem and the jinni part ii book club food ideas by helene wecker including my butterbeer ice cream recipe.

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to l. Aug 22, 2019 please join us for our august book discussion of the golem and the jinni. Im helene wecker, author of the golem and the jinni, back for another ama. The magic that brings life to a golem comes from kabbalah, a mystical, esoteric branch of jewish teaching. This book is called the golem and the jinni, which means its about a golem and a jinni. The golem and the jinni learn to form affections and friendships, each driven by their intrinsic natures. The golem and the jinni part i book club ideas by helene wecker. Copies of next months book will be available after the discussion. According to jewish law, a golem s life is valued at less than a humans, for only god, not man, can give a creature a soul. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker compass book ratings. May 19, 20 the sometimes slow pace picks up considerably as the disparate characters decipher the past and try to save the souls variously threatened by the golem and the jinni, as well as by the jewish. With a predicted surge in cases looming, a group of health care workers is. Do the titles become their own names, or do the creatures remain more creatureish because of this. This modern sheherezade has written a magical book and there is no rub.

The golem and the jinni by helene wecker the boston globe. I tend to be pulled in by books that are high on action. In the golem and the jinni, a chance meeting between mythical beings takes readers on a dazzling journey through cultures in turnof. This is the first fantasy book i have read as an adult. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark kabbalistic magic. All library branches and library express west are currently closed to the public due to concerns about the coronavirus.

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. This was a beautiful debut and i look forward to seeing more from this author. 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. The second is ahmad, he is a jinni, a being of fire who was born in the syrian dessert long ago. Reading guide for the golem and the jinni by helene wecker.

Reading guide for the golem and the jinni by helene wecker discussion guide for book clubs. 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. The golem and the jinni by helene wecker book club ideas. Helene wecker, the golem and the jinni, harper perennial, 20, 512pp. His finger ran down a page, and he peered at something written there.