About this title: A caravan of Jews wanders through pre-World War II Eastern Europe on a heartbreaking quest, in this latest novel from the award-winning writer. Among the group is Laish, a 15-year-old orphan, who narrates the story of this against-all-odds journey.
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Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Audience: General/trade. SOFTCOVER ADVANCE UNCORRECTED PROOF: unread, text in excellent condition with no marks or stains, binding tight, mild cover scuffing, marker on binding edge. read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Schocken Books
Date Published: 10/03/2009
ISBN-13:9780805241594ISBN:0805241590
Description: Used-Good. Book in good or better condition. Dispatched same day from warehouse. Please email with any questions for quick response. read more
Description: New. 0805241590 Brand new, unread copy. No remainder mark; a new book. Please compare our ratings and buy with confidence. Member, Antiquarian Book Dealers Association of South Carolina. read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Random House Inc
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780805241594ISBN:0805241590
Description: New. A caravan of Jews wanders through pre-World War II Eastern Europe on a heartbreaking quest, in this latest novel from the award-winning writer. Among the group is Laish, a 15-year-old orphan, who narrates the story of this against-all-odds journey. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Schocken Books
Date Published: 2009-03-10
ISBN-13:9780805241594ISBN:0805241590
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780805241594. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Schocken
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780805241594ISBN:0805241590
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
"In his latest novel, Israeli author Aharon Appelfeld tells the story of a caravan of Jews on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The story is told through the voice of Laish, a fifteen year-old orphan. The only home that Laish has ever known is the caravan; his only "family" is the ragtag group of pilgrims. Laish tells his caravan's story with the innocence, vagueness and acceptance of a child. The story is often hard to follow, due to Laish's childlike simplicity. However, it is precisely Laish's simple and childlike perspective which makes the novel effective and intriguing.
Although Appelfeld provides no dates or timeframe in the novel, I gather that the story is set in the late 19th Century around the time when a group of Ukrainian Jews founded Rishon Lezion, one of the earliest Zionist settlements in Palestine. The caravan of this novel is also Ukrainian, having been started in Lemberg by a rabbi whom Laish refers to only as the Holy Man. The Holy Man issues a directive that the group is to accept and look after the downtrodden, the sick and insane, and the widows and orphans. As a result, the caravan is composed of outcasts. The strongest members of the group are the wagon-drivers who are all ex-convicts, and the dealers who buy and sell merchandise along the way. In the words of one member, the caravan is "a rabble of . . . godforsaken Jews".
The Holy Man dies before Laish's narrative begins; the reader only hears about him indirectly through Laish's offhand recollections of his orders and admonitions. Without their leader to keep them in line, a constant tension develops between the dealers who keep delaying the progress of the pilgrimage in order to sell their wares and the other pilgrims who want to ascend to Jerusalem.
There are parallels in this novel to the biblical Exodus story. Like the biblical children of Israel, the caravan wanders, taking many years to travel a distance that normally could be crossed in a matter of days or weeks. Like the children of Israel, the group suffers hunger, pestilence, and persecution. Like the biblical children of Israel, many members get discouraged and leave the group, are banished or sicken and die. The Holy Man is the group's Moses, Old Avraham is their Aaron, Tzilla (a mute but nurturing old woman who silently works to keep everyone clothed and fed) is their Miriam, and Sruel (a ex-convict of great kindness, strength and faith) is their Joshua.
There is much sadness in this novel. The pilgrims behave like a dysfunctional family, at one point brutally beating Ephraim, a young man who is troubled by dreams and visions, then caring for him and carrying him through the rest of the journey. At another point, in violation of the Holy Man's directive, they banish Mamshe, a deranged young woman, then search for her in the marsh and the riverbank.
This is a story of hope, human frailty, despair and, ultimately, survival. Until reading this novel, I had no knowledge or understanding of early Zionism. Aharon Appelfeld's sparse and vague portrayal of this early aliyah has incited a desire on my part to learn more of the history of Zionism."
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