Asher Lev is the artist who painted the sensational 'Brooklyn Crucifixion.' Into it her poured all the anguish and torment a Jew can feel when torn between the faith of his fathers and the calling of his art. Here Asher Lev plunges back into his childhood and recounts the story of love and conflict which dragged him to this crossroads.
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Review
"A novel of finely articulated tragic power. . . . Little short of a work of genius." "--The New York Times Book Review"
"Memorable. . . . Profound in its vision of humanity, of religion, and of art.""--The Wall Street Journal"
"Such a feeling of freshness, of something brand-new. . . . Attention-holding and ultimately moving." "--The New York Times"
"Engrossing and illuminating." "--Miami Herald"
"Memorable. . . . Profound in its vision of humanity, of religion, and of art.""--The Wall Street Journal"
"Such a feeling of freshness, of something brand-new. . . . Attention-holding and ultimately moving." "--The New York Times"
"Engrossing and illuminating." "--Miami Herald"
About the Author
Born in 1929, Chaim Potok grew up and was educated in New York. After being ordained as a rabbi, he took a Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a chaplain with the US Forces in Korea from 1955-1957. He died in 2002. His novels The Chosen, The Promise, In the Beginning, The Book of Lights, My Name is Asher Lev, The Gift of Asher Lev and I am The Clay, have all been published by Penguin. He is also the author of Wanderings, a history of the Jews; of a children's book, The Tree of Here; and of three plays, Out of the Depths, Sins of the Father and The Play of Lights.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book is entrancing. Firstly, there is the kind of sensitive and skilfully-written depiction of a child's mind and experience which marks out an author as superbly gifted. Then, there are the specific contexts and complications of that child's world. Asher Lev is a child who has what seems to be an innate artistic gift, and he is also the child of strict Orthodox Jewish parents. His talent and his religion create the setting for the novel, the story of his growing-up, which is in many places an intensely painful story. I don't think I have come across a novel which writes better about visual art: the paintings are described but not over-described; their force becomes clear through the writing. As well as evoking the experience of childhood and the experience of art, it is one of those books which takes the reader inside a cultural setting in a quite haunting way; the various elements of Judaism and of Jewish history and loyalties create the context for the story but are evoked without didacticism. Altogether a haunting book.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
My Name is Asher Lev is one of those books that you come across once in a lifetime - if you are lucky. The book charts Asher Lev growing up in a very strict Hassidic community, endowed with a God given artistic talent that is entirely at odds with the beliefs of his family and his people.The conundrum that Lev faces is that he is at all times a devout and scholastically outstanding Hassid, and yet at the same time a brilliant artist, who intially tries to deny his talent before growing to embrace it.
The quality of this book is that it shows equal sympathy for, on the one hand, Lev's artistic journey and on the other hand, his religious struggle. Just as importantly, Potok brilliantly depicts the context of the community and family. In particular, as with other Potok books, the father-son relationship is lovingly drawn, showing both the pride and pain that arises here.
This is a book to treasure, to read and to re-read, and which will shed new insight each time.
The quality of this book is that it shows equal sympathy for, on the one hand, Lev's artistic journey and on the other hand, his religious struggle. Just as importantly, Potok brilliantly depicts the context of the community and family. In particular, as with other Potok books, the father-son relationship is lovingly drawn, showing both the pride and pain that arises here.
This is a book to treasure, to read and to re-read, and which will shed new insight each time.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By WhiteCrow
Format:Paperback
I really liked this novel.
If a friend asked me to give an example of a good novel, this would be it.
The subject is "everyday" in the sense that you could imagine that, yes, such a person and the people he relates to could really exist. Also the events, problems, and conflicts that his particular situation throws up are "real life", in that you think with, and suffer with, and hope and dream with the main character (it is about an orthodox Jew who, as he is growing up, tries to carve out a way of life for himself which is at odds with his background).
All the important characters are believable. They all have their faults as well as their good points, but what comes across is that the author has treated them with respect, and made them human.
As the story unfolds, there is a movement towards a final ending, confrontation, or perhaps resolution if you will. What goes before - the preceding events - are material to what happens at the end. And so, I disagree about the writing being repetitious. I think the different parts of the story balance each other well. In fact, it is a finely crafted story, where each bit contributes to the whole - and I don't think you can improve on it by editing out "repetitions". Perhaps you could say that the story has been crafted with as much care, as Asher Lev invested in his paintings.
Highly reccommended
If a friend asked me to give an example of a good novel, this would be it.
The subject is "everyday" in the sense that you could imagine that, yes, such a person and the people he relates to could really exist. Also the events, problems, and conflicts that his particular situation throws up are "real life", in that you think with, and suffer with, and hope and dream with the main character (it is about an orthodox Jew who, as he is growing up, tries to carve out a way of life for himself which is at odds with his background).
All the important characters are believable. They all have their faults as well as their good points, but what comes across is that the author has treated them with respect, and made them human.
As the story unfolds, there is a movement towards a final ending, confrontation, or perhaps resolution if you will. What goes before - the preceding events - are material to what happens at the end. And so, I disagree about the writing being repetitious. I think the different parts of the story balance each other well. In fact, it is a finely crafted story, where each bit contributes to the whole - and I don't think you can improve on it by editing out "repetitions". Perhaps you could say that the story has been crafted with as much care, as Asher Lev invested in his paintings.
Highly reccommended
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerfully written
Powerfully written and inspiring, "My Name is Asher Lev" is enthralling and gripping. I wouldn't say this is an upbeat portrayal of an artist finding his way, because it most... Read more
Published 4 months ago by N. Grant
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Name is Asher Lev.
I purchased this book for a friend who found it most enjoyable. I had previously read this moving book about a young man trying to come to terms with his desire to be an artist and... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Carol Mackenzie
5.0 out of 5 stars
spellbinding
I speak as somebody who is uninterested in religion and even less interested in art. This book however concentrates on the conflict between the two and is spellbinding. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Cole Davis
2.0 out of 5 stars
A conflicted life
A good story, in the end. It was repetitious to begin with and the story didn't get going until about half-way through the book, but it finally repaid one's determination to... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Constantreader
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent read
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel - one of the best books I have read in a long time! It was selected as the monthly read for a bookclub I am a member of and everyone loved... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Amy
5.0 out of 5 stars
3 cheers for Lev
excellent read, witty, informative and original. Well written story of an artistic prodigy who is at odds with orthodox judaism and his family . Read more
Published on 23 Aug 2010 by Richard Gallow
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books I have ever read
I loved everything about this book. It is beatifully written. The subject matter is fascinating. I had to move straight on to "The gift of Asher Lev" as I just couldn't let the... Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2009 by M. J. Ashwood
4.0 out of 5 stars
Asher Lev - artist and Hasidic Jew, the internal struggle
This is a compelling story of a young boy, Asher Lev, only son of Rivkeh and Aryeh Lev,Hasidic Jews. Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2009 by Joan Edmond
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Name is Asher Lev, A Critical Review
My Name Is Asher Lev--A Reader's Review
My Name Is Asher Lev. My Name Is Asher Lev. Wow! What a book. Read more
My Name Is Asher Lev. My Name Is Asher Lev. Wow! What a book. Read more
Published on 2 Aug 2009 by Andre Lawrence
5.0 out of 5 stars
A profound insight into a different world
It's many years since I last read My Name is Asher Lev. Potok has always been one of my most loved authors, and this novel is one of his finest. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2008 by amantedofado
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