Rating: 
Summary: Overhyped, overtyped, overextended
Review: Hard to read - hard to keep interested because of the lack of signposts -where am I now?? Derivative of experimental novels of the 30s and 40s. Holocaust used as a device, which is the most despicable part of this warmed over hypersexualized "Fiddler on the Roof." This writer needs a great deal of maturing, a lot more editing, and a huge dose of humility, which cannot be gotten when a first novel turns out to be so overhyped. Some parts are funny but the jokes are one long note, and some parts are almost insightful, but he never follows through. All in all, a bust. Let's see his fourth or fifth novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the work, but just barely
Review: In all of my creative writing classes, the first rule was "grab 'em on the first page...or even better, the first SENTENCE." I know rules are made to be broken, but I must confess a fondness for stories that wrestle me to my knees within the first few paragraphs, so much so that I'll overlook at lot of later missteps in admiration of that initial manhandling. This book, however, missteps pretty early on in that the first few chapters are virtually unreadable; you have to reread them after you've persevered to later chapters - only then does any of it make sense. I don't particularly like reading a story twice -- forwards then backwards -- and in that respect I found this book frustrating. But there is a lot to like here: three unpredictable story lines, well-developed characters, a farting dog (I'm a sucker for farting dogs, so shoot me) and sections that are both magical and amusing. The ending seemed premature, and...here's a spoiler...nothing is really illuminated. I'm not sorry I read it, but I was hoping for something extraordinary and this wasn't that.
Rating: 
Summary: What a ride!
Review: This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I laughed out loud at some parts, I was moved in the emotional parts, I couldn't wait to pick it back up every time I stopped. Alex is an incredible character, and the language and voice he speaks in are incredibly effective.Another review said the book was hard to follow ...I couldn't disagree more. This is not a hard or inaccessible book to read - that person just needed to pay attention better!
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable, uneven, inventive, overrated
Review: This is not a bad novel -- it has plenty of charming and clever moments, and the author's talents with language and structure are undeniable -- but it is terribly uneven and vastly overrated. What bothered me more than anything else was the way the novel played fast and loose with history and culture -- the modern Ukranians are held up as ridiculous, comic caricatures, barely one step removed from the "Wild and Crazy Guys" of Saturday Night Live fame. That Alex, who narrates half the book, can at one time hold such an incredible English vocabulary and yet have no knowledge whatsoever of how English is actually spoken never rings the slightest bit true, and compromises his character to the point where it becomes difficult to think of him as anything but a vehicle for the author to show off his linguistic inventiveness. I can't help but think that actual Ukranians might feel somewhat insulted or patronized by the way their country and its people are portrayed in this book. The tales of old Trachimbrod likewise come off as false, where the author has foregone research and authenticity in favor of a sort of warmed-over magical realism in which every character is either a little too ridiculous or a little too sublime. It's rather like a tragically hip, sexually awakened, postmodern version of "Fiddler on the Roof." For all its faults, this is an enjoyable novel, and I would recommend it -- with the understanding that the reader is not to feel lost or inadequate if he or she does not have the transcendental, life-affirming, mind-blowing experience most reviewers seem to insist "Everything is Illuminated" will provide.
Rating:
Summary: Ambitious, but...
Review: On the plus side, this is ambitious, creative, original writing. On the negative side, the narrative is often incoherent, and sometimes so emotionally shattering that one longs for it to end. It is also marred by a persistent "Aren't I clever?" whispering around the edges of the text. Overall, it is worth reading if you have some spare time, but seriously flawed.
Rating:
Summary: A book that shines
Review: Sometimes there is so much hype surrounding a novel, that we have second thoughts on reading it. Well, don't let the hype surrounding 'Everything is Illuminated' put you off. This novel is magic, funny and sad at the same time. It is impossible to deny that Jonathan Safra Foer has talent and he will be (already is ?) one of the finest American Writers --with a deserved Pulitzer coming soon. Reading his debut we wonder whether it is a fluke or the result of hard work and talent. I would go for the second option. Anyone can notice how hard he laboured every single sentence, the characters, the plot. There are three stories that will meet each other in the end. The first one is a story that's being written by an Ukranian guy called Alex -- his butchered English is one of the funniest things in the novel, and it make the book lighter, what is really good, once it deals with such a depressing subject. His segment is about how he, his grandfather, a she-dog named Sammy Davies Junior, Junior and an American boy named Jonathan Safran Foer went to find the woman who avoided Jonathan's grandfather te be killed by Nazis. The second story is the one written by Jonathan that tells the story of his family, and how it turned out to be what they are. The third segment are Alex's letters to Jonathan, again in a strange English, so to speak, he tells how his own story is developing and gives a lot of opinion on Jonathan's story. Alex's letters are unforgettable. We can discover a lot about the life of a young Ukranian, his dreams, joys and fears. Reading between the lines, one can easily note that a young person's life is more or less the same everywhere in the world. And this is one of the things that make the book so universal. Jonathan's segment is full of magic --that loosely reminds of Gabriel Garcia Marquez-- and delightful. This is a wonderful novel that will be read for years to come. A book that has a light in everypage, that illuminates not only the novel, but life itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Completely Enchanting
Review: I loved this blend of magical realism and history. It's hard not to get totally carried away with the beauty of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Could not finish
Review: I too was excited to get the book and dive right in. What a disappointment. Yes, the book is funny at times, but talk about confusion...as others have stated, one reads and then questions what is really happening in the book. There are too many good books out there to have to struggle with this one, therefore I gave up and moved on to better, more enjoyable reading.
Rating:
Summary: Creative, Beautiful, and a joy to read!!!!
Review: Jonathan Safran Foer has written one of the very best novels of the past ten years. The writing is inventive, the characters are wonderful, the story is gripping, and all of it weaves together for a truly brilliant novel. Alex has been told by his father to assist a young Jewish man (Jonathan Safran Foer) on his quest in finding the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Alex brings his depressed grandfather along to act as a driver. Alex is still trying to get a grip on the English language and Safran Foer writes the novel from his perspective, broken English and all. But really, my description does not do the book any justice at all. Reading this book was one of the most liberating reading experiences I've ever had. Every emotion imaginable will run through you at some point while reading this book. Look out for this author, I expect him to have a wonderful career ahead of him. This book will be a classic in the years to come!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: One of the better "promising young author!" books I've read
Review: Is this book as life-altering, world-illuminating and soul-ticklin'-good as everyone says? I don't think so. Is it a good read? I'll venture a "yes." This would make a perfect "discussion group" book, because there are enough interesting passages/themes/enigmae to last for hours of literary yadda-yadda. The novel seems to be stitched together from fragments of three books: letters from Alex (a Ukrainian translator whose English is absolutely HILARIOUS - just that is worth buying the book) to the "hero" (named Jonathan Safran Foer); Alex's narrations of how they spend time in Ukraine searching for Jonathan's ancestral history; and magical-reality stories, fragments of life in 18th, 19th and early 20th century Ukraine, in a tiny, forgotten town without a definite name. There are some truly funny parts in this book. There are also some strikingly sad/disturbing parts in it, especially when the narrative gets to the Holocaust. This is to be expected, and, honestly, I don't think JSF did anything new with his take on the Holocaust. Not that the story isn't heart-breaking, but then, what Holocaust story isn't? One thing I enjoyed was JSF's presumption of basic understanding of the Holocaust on the part of the reader. It assumes that a reader is intelligent enough to understand the book, which is a nice change. I loved the lively writing style of Alex's narrations; I thought the whimsical, slightly off-beat style of the Ukrainian stories were slightly less enjoyable. For a first novel written by a guy in his early twenties, this is extremely impressive, and most people I know would probably give it at least six stars. Judging the book on its own merits, however, I would say it's good - yes, very good. But brilliant/transcendental? Maybe I gotta read it again.
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