Rating: 
Summary: Politics only the backdrop of a story about relationships
Review: A fifth-generation Israeli, this author has a deep understanding of his land and his people. He wrote this book in 1998, just before the recent troubles, and, while I was reading the book I kept thinking that it represented a somewhat kinder gentler time. True, there were checkpoints and identity cards and clear-cut tension between Arabs and Jews, but it was still possible to have respectful relations between the two groups. This very real landscape of Israel, as well as the world of academia, is only a background of this novel, however. The basic story is about relationships between husbands and wives and children and parents. However, after 556 pages of a slow but insightful read, I came away with an understanding of the people and the culture from the inside out. The main character is Rivlin, a semi-retired professor of Arabic studies. He lives in a duplex apartment with his wife who he adores. She's a judge and holds a prestigious position. They have two grown sons. One is in the Army; the other one lives in Paris where he has fled after his marriage broke up five years before. The son has never told his father what happened to his marriage and the father is curious. One of the themes of the book is how Rivlin tries to discover this secret. Another theme is about a Arab female student who is working on her Master's degree and translating some Algerian works for the professor. The book opens with Rivlin and his wife attending her wedding. The theme of weddings and couples and marriages is returned to again and again. The individual human beings, both Arab and Jew, are all nice people, doing their best to simply live their lives in the complicated world in which they live. The book is told from the professor's point of view, a man of about my own age and I couldn't but help relate to some of the universal themes he introduces. The politics of the region were present throughout although they always stayed in the background while the professor struggled with his own personal problems. I liked this. And I also liked the depth to which the author developed all the characters. In the hands of a less skilled writer I might have been bored because I tend to like high adventure. The adventure in this book, however, was very subtle and had more to do with personal insights and self-discovery. This is a good book. I recommended it.
Rating:
Summary: Politics only the backdrop of a story about relationships
Review: A fifth-generation Israeli, this author has a deep understanding of his land and his people. He wrote this book in 1998, just before the recent troubles, and, while I was reading the book I kept thinking that it represented a somewhat kinder gentler time. True, there were checkpoints and identity cards and clear-cut tension between Arabs and Jews, but it was still possible to have respectful relations between the two groups. This very real landscape of Israel, as well as the world of academia, is only a background of this novel, however. The basic story is about relationships between husbands and wives and children and parents. However, after 556 pages of a slow but insightful read, I came away with an understanding of the people and the culture from the inside out. The main character is Rivlin, a semi-retired professor of Arabic studies. He lives in a duplex apartment with his wife who he adores. She's a judge and holds a prestigious position. They have two grown sons. One is in the Army; the other one lives in Paris where he has fled after his marriage broke up five years before. The son has never told his father what happened to his marriage and the father is curious. One of the themes of the book is how Rivlin tries to discover this secret. Another theme is about a Arab female student who is working on her Master's degree and translating some Algerian works for the professor. The book opens with Rivlin and his wife attending her wedding. The theme of weddings and couples and marriages is returned to again and again. The individual human beings, both Arab and Jew, are all nice people, doing their best to simply live their lives in the complicated world in which they live. The book is told from the professor's point of view, a man of about my own age and I couldn't but help relate to some of the universal themes he introduces. The politics of the region were present throughout although they always stayed in the background while the professor struggled with his own personal problems. I liked this. And I also liked the depth to which the author developed all the characters. In the hands of a less skilled writer I might have been bored because I tend to like high adventure. The adventure in this book, however, was very subtle and had more to do with personal insights and self-discovery. This is a good book. I recommended it.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and Well-Written
Review: A.B. Yehoshua is one of my favorite authors and I feel bad when I don't see more reviews for his wonderful books here. He's really masterful and his novel, MR. MANI, regarded by many to be his masterpiece, is a wonderful example of both literary and experimental fiction. Yehoshua lives in Haifa and sets most of his novels there; this is the case with THE LIBERATED BRIDE. The protagonist of THE LIBERATED BRIDE is Yochanan Rivlin, an aging and distinguished, but constantly grumpy, professor of Near Eastern Studies at Haifa University. The fact that Yehoshua keeps THE LIBERATED BRIDE, for the most part, in Rivlin's point of view, is not typical of his books, most of which employ multiple narrators and points of view and encompass the thoughts of many family members as well as both Arabs and Jews. Rivlin is a man beset by both professional and personal problems. Professionally, he's suffering from "writer's block" regarding a book he's compiling about the problems in post-colonial Algeria. Personally, he's upset over the disintegration of his son, Ofer's, marriage and Ofer's self-exile in Paris. In a rather comic fashion, Yehoshua has bestowed the character of Rivlin with an extreme dislike and jealously for people who have children whose marriages go the "right" way and who give their parents plenty of healthy grandchildren. Unfortunately for Rivlin, THE LIBERATED BRIDE is filled with...brides. In fact, the book opens with a wedding. One of Rivlin's Arab students, Samaher, is getting married in a mountain village in the Galilee. On a personal level, Rivlin is obsessed with both Samaher and with Ofer's ex-wife, Galya, who has now remarried and is pregnant. When Rivlin presses Galya for information about Ofer and the trouble their marriage encountered, none is
forthcoming. Rivlin has his problems with Samaher as well. Although she's a talented student who desires her degree, she really doesn't want to have to attend school, so she fakes a troubled pregnancy and takes to her bed. Complicating things for Rivlin even more is the fact that the privacy of both Galya and Samaher is jealously guarded by Arab men. In the case of Galya, the protector is Fuad, a family servant; in the case of Samaher, it's her cousin Rashid. Rivlin tries to sidestep Rashid by bringing translation work to Samaher, ostensibly so she can obtain the degree she still coverts despite her aversion to school. Rashid, however, is the real translator of the folktales and poetry Rivlin brings Samaher and he also represents one of Rivlin's "bridges" to the world of the modern day Arab. THE LIBERATED BRIDE is "big book" and it's rather long, filled with subplots and characters and social situations. And, as always, Yehoshua does a masterful job at juxtaposing the opinions of both Arabs and Jews. Is THE LIBERATED BRIDE a family novel or a novel of academia? I think it's both but I would definitely say it's leaning in the direction of family life. The heart of this novel consists of weddings, family visits, family quarrels and the bonds that exist (or don't exist) between a husband and a wife. In fact, one of the book's subplots concerns Rivlin's own wife, Hagit, and her work as a federal judge. Hagit is the polar opposite, in personality, to Rivlin. He lives in a world of provable facts and constant theorizing. Hagit lives in a world where some questions simply can't be answered and there are mysteries that simply can't be explained. She's comfortable with this; Rivlin isn't. I loved the juxtaposition of Rivlin's viewpoint against Hagit's, but I thought the subplot involving Hagit should have been a bit more developed. Yehoshua uses many devices with which to weave his story...letters, lectures, stories-within-stories and poetry...among others. The book, however, is never confusing. Yehoshua is far too good for that, and there is even a strong thread reminiscent of nineteenth century romanticism woven into the fabric of this novel. Overall, I think the book makes only one misstep (a violent episode near the book's end seems "off-key" and "out of tune" with all that came before). Personally, my favorite scenes were those of the poetry festival at Ramallah. They were beautiful and lyrical and lyrically written. Despite its many characters and many subplots and its length, THE LIBERATED BRIDE is tightly controlled. Although some questions in THE LIBERATED BRIDE remain unanswered, much to Rivlin's consternation, the novel does end on a hopeful not and one I found very satisfying. I think a perceptive reader might see some of the "answers" Rivlin is seeking but never finds, though for me, this didn't detract from the book's appeal. THE LIBERATED BRIDE might be a good place to start if you've never read any of Yehoshua's other books. It is certainly a better starting point for a reader new to this author than is MR. MANI which is shorter, but far more literary and experimental. I also think anyone interested in Israel or the conflict and interaction between Arabs and Jews would find THE LIBERATED BRIDE (as well as Yehoshua's other books) highly interesting. I found THE LIBERATED BRIDE extremely interesting and very well-written. I would recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting story but problems in execution
Review: I found there was much to like and much to dislike about this book. The story of Rivlin, a Middle East scholar whom we follow as he embarks on several related quests - first, to understand the breakup of his son's marriage, second, to understand how the history of Algeria is related to the current violence in that country, and third, to explore the relationship of Jews and Arabs in Israel - is interesting and thoughtful, and all the players in all the relationships are treated with respect and empathy. Having lived in Israel for several years in the mid-80's, I enjoyed the descriptions of daily living, the sights, sound, and style of the place. I also liked the fact that the title of the book could apply to almost all of the women in the novel - Galya, the ex-daughter in law, Samaher, Rivlin's long-time Arab student pursuing her M.A., Hannah Tedeschi, the wife of Rivlin's former teacher, as well as many others. That being said, I found the writing itself stylistically intolerable in many places to the point where I almost couldn't finish the book - though I'm glad I did, since I liked the story. . The writer goes through all kinds of contortions in order to refer to his characters as something other than their names, and uses these same designations over and over again to the point of absurdity. Examples are - Rivlin is referred to constantly as "the Orientalist", and sometimes, for a change, as "the middle-aged Orientalist", "the elderly Orientalist", or "the Jewish Orientalist". Rivlin's wife Hagit is "the judge", his former teacher Tedeschi is "the Jerusalem polymath", and Tedeschi's wife is, awkwardly, "the translatoress". There are a handful of unexplained shifts into the second person, and one first person passage, sprinkled through the novel. The passages in the second person don't have any kind of unifying theme to them, and so appear random and jarring - more as though the writer wanted to try something interesting as a change of pace for a few pages than anything else. Other examples - in the first part of the book, Rivlin embarks on an Alice-in-Wonderland like journey to the Arab side of the region following his student's cousin, Rashid, who is referred to as a "sable-skinned young man", "[Samaher's] jet-colored intercessor", "the sable-skinned impresario", "the jet-colored messenger", "the displaced and irreplaceable messenger with the coal-black eyes", "the coal-eyed messenger"... you get the idea. The "coal eyes" metaphor is used so many times in this passage that I actually started to keep count (I think I reached 6) - an obvious distraction to the novel. And one last sentence that I simply have to cite for its awkwardness - "Indeed, had Rivlin surmised that the empty-handed Arab had come not to deliver but to fetch - ... he would never have risen in the end to throw out the love baby of sleep with the golden bathwater rippling in the early-morning light by running to the front door, dripping wet and blind, and petitioning abjectly from his side of it:" This being the first A.B. Yehoshua book I've read, I wasn't sure if this was the fault of the writing or of the translation, and am interested to hear insights about this from any other readers.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting story but problems in execution
Review: I found there was much to like and much to dislike about this book. The story of Rivlin, a Middle East scholar whom we follow as he embarks on several related quests - first, to understand the breakup of his son's marriage, second, to understand how the history of Algeria is related to the current violence in that country, and third, to explore the relationship of Jews and Arabs in Israel - is interesting and thoughtful, and all the players in all the relationships are treated with respect and empathy. Having lived in Israel for several years in the mid-80's, I enjoyed the descriptions of daily living, the sights, sound, and style of the place. I also liked the fact that the title of the book could apply to almost all of the women in the novel - Galya, the ex-daughter in law, Samaher, Rivlin's long-time Arab student pursuing her M.A., Hannah Tedeschi, the wife of Rivlin's former teacher, as well as many others. That being said, I found the writing itself stylistically intolerable in many places to the point where I almost couldn't finish the book - though I'm glad I did, since I liked the story. . The writer goes through all kinds of contortions in order to refer to his characters as something other than their names, and uses these same designations over and over again to the point of absurdity. Examples are - Rivlin is referred to constantly as "the Orientalist", and sometimes, for a change, as "the middle-aged Orientalist", "the elderly Orientalist", or "the Jewish Orientalist". Rivlin's wife Hagit is "the judge", his former teacher Tedeschi is "the Jerusalem polymath", and Tedeschi's wife is, awkwardly, "the translatoress". There are a handful of unexplained shifts into the second person, and one first person passage, sprinkled through the novel. The passages in the second person don't have any kind of unifying theme to them, and so appear random and jarring - more as though the writer wanted to try something interesting as a change of pace for a few pages than anything else. Other examples - in the first part of the book, Rivlin embarks on an Alice-in-Wonderland like journey to the Arab side of the region following his student's cousin, Rashid, who is referred to as a "sable-skinned young man", "[Samaher's] jet-colored intercessor", "the sable-skinned impresario", "the jet-colored messenger", "the displaced and irreplaceable messenger with the coal-black eyes", "the coal-eyed messenger"... you get the idea. The "coal eyes" metaphor is used so many times in this passage that I actually started to keep count (I think I reached 6) - an obvious distraction to the novel. And one last sentence that I simply have to cite for its awkwardness - "Indeed, had Rivlin surmised that the empty-handed Arab had come not to deliver but to fetch - ... he would never have risen in the end to throw out the love baby of sleep with the golden bathwater rippling in the early-morning light by running to the front door, dripping wet and blind, and petitioning abjectly from his side of it:" This being the first A.B. Yehoshua book I've read, I wasn't sure if this was the fault of the writing or of the translation, and am interested to hear insights about this from any other readers.
Rating:
Summary: I hate thinking of titles
Review: It's rather hard to describe this enormous book in one short review. It's not a book really, but rather a chunk of life that sits quivering on your bookshelf. Other readers have summarized the plot well enough - it's a book about relationships, both political and personal - husband and wife, father and son, Israeli and Arab. I won't repeat.
What sets this book apart from other books is it's slow pace and masterful attention to detail. It draws you in, without your realizing it. By revealing so many aspects of the characters' lives and relationships, it gradually builds a complete and entire picture of the characters' world, until you feel as though it's your world too. Nothing is particularly suspenseful - you just feel as though you're living the main character's life, day by day, and discovering the world from a new perspective. At age seventeen, I am proud to state that I have served as a judge, studied Algeria's war-torn history, been through a broken marriage, and visited the West Bank with my personal driver. I cried and laughed with Ofer, felt Rivlin's anxiety and curiousity and excitement. A book that causes a female high school student to identify with a meddlesome old orientalist has to be something special.
I visited Jerusalem a few weeks after I read the book, and I was completely excited when we ate at a Humus place in Abu Gush, and when we passed through the Talpiyyot Neighborhood and saw the signs pointing to Shai Agnon's house, as if I was revisiting places that I knew well.
In that sense, this is a good read for anyone who wants to get a feel of Israel. However, the book was written before the recent intifada, and Israeli/Arab-Palestinian relationships in the book are FAR more easygoing and friendly than they are now. I cried when I read the beautiful chapters describing Rivlin's visits to Ramallah, because there was once a time when Palestinians and Israelis could listen together to poetry about love. Not anymore! I can't even tell you whether the characterization of Arabs in the book is accurate or not, because I met more Arabs while reading than I ever have in real life!
To all the readers who are wondering about the awkward prose - it must be the result of translation. I read the book in it's original language, and the writing flows completely naturally. Nothing sounds contrived. However it is impossible to translate the author's toying with titles and tenses into English, because of differences in Hebrew and English grammatical structure which I am sure no one wants to hear about!
Anyway, I highly recommend this book to everyone. Read it in Hebrew if you can, but if not, the story is worth struggling through the most mediocre of translations. It will give you a personal insight into lives that could easily have been real, as well as teaching you more than you ever wanted to know about some aspects of Israeli society.
Rating: 
Summary: Domestic comedy against a background of conflict
Review: Professor Yochanan Rivlin has hated weddings ever since his son's marriage failed five years earlier. As Israeli author Yehoshua's novel opens, Rivlin fidgets in the background of his Arab student's wedding, miserable, and impatient to be home. "His wife, Hagit, who knew all too well how weddings had depressed him in recent years, had warned against it. 'Why do you need the aggravation?' she had asked. 'But they're Arabs,' he'd answered mildly, with the innocence of a man pursuing an academic interest. 'As opposed to what?' she had wanted to know. 'Human beings?' 'On the contrary...on the contrary...' he had tried defending himself, at a loss to explain how Arabs, although not among the many objects of his envy, could be more human than anyone else." In this rather melancholy and enigmatic comedy of manners, Yehoshua explores the intimacy of hatred and interdependence and ordinary decency in the Palestinian/Israeli situation. Rivlin is a professor of Arab Studies at Haifa University, unable to finish a book exploring the Algerian independence fight because of his incomprehension of the 1990s carnage there. His department head speaks fluent Arabic and publicly despairs of the Arabs ever understanding the concept of freedom. His ambitious and newly married student, Samaher, has failed to finish a paper for her degree and as the novel proceeds, the reasons are increasingly mysterious. But it's the mystery of his son, Ofer's, divorce that obsesses Rivlin. It's an unsettled time for him - a new apartment; his wife, a judge, preoccupied with an important, secret case; his book in the doldrums. The death of his son's former father-in-law provides just the excuse he needs to go sniffing around his former in-laws, prodding Galya, the remarried daughter-in-law, for answers, which he does not get. During the course of the story, Rivlin finds himself giving in to uncharacteristic impulse - a tense, heady night accompanying an Arab Israeli to visit his homesick sister in Galilee, unable to return to her home in Israel because of her marriage to a Palestinian, attending a concert at a Palestinian Christian Church, spending the night there waiting to pick up Arab workers at dawn, and repeated visits to the in-laws, cajoling secrets out of his their trusted Arab retainer. Yehoshua's characters are educated people and very civilized toward each other in Haifa, Israel's most peacefully integrated city. But underneath the Arab hospitality simmers a resentment which bubbles easily to the surface, while the Jews cannot help a certain condescension that goes with their unstable, but dominant position. A powerful, affecting novel, occasionally confusing to American readers, but more often illuminating.
Rating:
Summary: profound understanding
Review: the existential struggles both within the Israeli Jewish community-their families, associations, and the Palestinians are exquisitely examined in the context of personal angst,historic,and religious realities. Being extremely involved with the current situation,this book is a beautiful companion in a way that the NEW YORK TIMES will never be. The translation by Hillel Halkin is poetic and careful in the best senses of these words-a treat
Rating:
Summary: Better than expected
Review: The insight into the human condition, the overall writing style, and the incredible characters make this one of the best reads I've come across in a long time. Yehoshua is remarkable in the way he blends atmosphere, plot, and people into this revealing tale. I highly recommend this book!!! Also recommended: McCrae's Bark of the Dogwood and House of Sand and Fog
Rating:
Summary: Better than expected
Review: This much-anticipated novel by the prominent Israeli writer confirms his stature as one of today's greatest living authors. At once meticulously authentic and lyrically imaginative, the book follows the Orientalist Y. Rivlin in his insistent, even obsessive, quest for truth - both in his personal life and in the current and historical dynamics of conflict and politics in the Middle East. At its core is the ever-present exploration of identity - fluid, interdependent and ultimately undefinable. In beautiful passages translating Arabic love poetry from the middle ages, there is also a subtle hint of surrender for Rivlin - a grudging acknowledgment of failure to rationally understand his "subjects", leaving no option but a renewed immersion in the profound soulfulness and humanity of their lyrics.
Yehoshua is a master at combining detailed descriptions of everyday life with an ambitiously wide scope, creating for the reader the illusion of a mere plot-driven human story while actually presenting a masterpiece dripping with substance from its myriad artfully-designed folds, layers, nooks and crannies. A masterful achievement and a pleasure to read and re-read.
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