Murder on a Kibbutz : Communal Case, A

Rating:
Summary: Amazingly good depiction of a kibbutz
Review: I like mysteries, but this book far transcends that category. It is really a study of the ideology of the kibbutz -- the communal, socialist philosophy that the founders of this movement held. They were highly idealistic and sacrificed a lot to make it work. But the idea has proven faulty all over the world, including on the kibbutzim. Nowadays, the kibbutzim rely on a variety of capitalist businesses to stay alive. In this book, the founders can't let go of the idea even though most people there, especially younger people, don't want it. The brutality hidden behind their attachment to the ideal reminds me -- in microcosm, on a far lower level here -- of the brutality that has appeared in all socialist countries as the ideals have failed in practice.

In addition to all this, it is a very good read.

Rating:
Summary: A Real Kibbutz
Review: Ms. Gur does an outstanding job of describing and playing out life on a Kibbutz. This is the first of its kind that I have read. The place comes alive and the crime is certainly realistic.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Kibbutz life or a good mystery.

Rating:
Summary: A Real Kibbutz
Review: Ms. Gur does an outstanding job of describing and playing out life on a Kibbutz. This is the first of its kind that I have read. The place comes alive and the crime is certainly realistic.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Kibbutz life or a good mystery.

Rating:
Summary: An intriguing and educational mystery. . .
Review: Subtitled "A Communal Case," this novel invites to reader into the idealized world of an Israeli kibbutz, where a policeman who is an outsider must try to solve the mystery of who could have possibly killed a member of the kibbutz family. Gur interweaves lessons in social history and a social critique of the effect of bourgeois ideas on socialist ideals. I find the novel an intriguing yet relatively traditional murder mystery. Some people might get tired of the social commentary, but people who like to learn as they are entertained will like following the mystery and find the social ingredients essential to the resolution of the mystery. The book is quite suspenseful and thrilling. If you like this one, Batya Gur has others, as this one is the third in her mystery series based on the sleuth Michael Ohayon.