Exodus (Modern Classics) by Leon Uris
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Book Reviews of Exodus (Modern Classics)
Book Review: Exodus
Summary: 5 Stars
I would like to buy this book here in Canada as soon as possible
PLEASE can yoiu reply ASAP.
Thanks Ella Vainik
Book Review: Exodus
Summary: 5 Stars
This time I read the book, my 4th to be exact, it was still as amazing as the first time. It was and remains my favorite book.Book Review: Into The Promised Land
Summary: 4 Stars
Leon Uris (1924-2003) was a well-respected novelist and the author of several screenplays--but it was not until the 1958 publication of EXODUS that he became one of America's most popular writers. Sales in the United States were phenomenal, and by the early 1960s EXODUS had been translated into some fifty languages. It would become one of the most widely published and widely read novels of the 20th Century.
The novel was extremely topical, for it dealt with the creation of modern-day Israel, a highly controversial event--and one well within the memory of most adult readers of the late 1950s and early 1960s. But Uris did more than this: he also painted a general history of European anti-Semitism with an emphasis on the Holocaust. For many readers, EXODUS would be their first encounter with such material, and Uris took nothing for granted in his descriptions and accounts.
The great strength of the novel is its narrative power. The primary action follows a group of post-war European Jews held by the British for their illegal attempt to enter British-dominated Palestine--and their determination to break British policy--but it also flashes back to the tell the histories of the characters involved. These histories, which reveal both Nazi atrocity and the long history of anti-Semitism, are often even more compelling than the primary story line itself. It is very much a page-turner from start to finish.
Even so, EXODUS doesn't quite manage to make the leap from 1950s pop fiction to the level of masterpiece, and it remains very much of its time. Uris is an extremely literal writer, and he is less interested in creating plot and character than he is in using both to present a sort of "headline" history of anti-Semitism and the birth of Israel. Consequently, both his style and his characters--although we certainly learn a tremendous amount about their experiences--read as rather flat.
The novel is also somewhat controversial, for it is written from an extremely Zionist position, and for Uris this position is fundamental to all else. Half a century later, however, it is very evident that the matter was never as simple as Uris would have us believe. There are more than a few passages that will cause modern readers to think "But it didn't turn out that way, did it?" And some readers may consider the novel as anti-British and anti-Arabian as the anti-Semitism the book so loudly decries.
Even with these issues, EXODUS is a powerful novel--and in a historical sense a very important work, for it would influence American thinking on the subject of Zionism and Israel for decades to come. And when all is said and done, it's still one helluva read. Recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
In Memory of Bob Zeidler, Amazon Reviewer
Greatly Missed and Not Forgotten
Book Review: An eyeopener for the world
Summary: 4 Stars
The story revolves around the revival of the jewish state after 2000 years of wanderings and persecution. Uris narrates the incidents through different story threads of characters diverse in background, culture and nationality. The narration is lucid, the characters are compelling and the situations are rivetting. Above all the historical facts loom large over the scene making this book more than a novel. When I read the book for the first time I was not able to believe that human race was capable of such depravity as the Nazi atrocities and such nobility as the millions of nameless jews who died defending the TORAH in those countless pogroms. Being an indian it reminded me of Mahathma Gandhi's non-violent struggle for Indian independence. I was filled with cold anger when I learnt that India had voted against formation of the state of Israel.
This book is excellent to read as a novel but above that I have found it to be a good motivator during bad times. I read this book whenever I am down and have always felt charged when I go through the persecution the jews went through and their triumphant fight for a homeland of their own. I always felt relieved when I realised that I was faring much better than most of them. When they could do it so can I.
This book is a must read for all historical and political buffs.
Book Review: Great historical fiction takes you back to birth of Israel
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this book because I've enjoyed numerous other books by Uris, and always felt he tried to do right by his historical subject. Given the turmoil that's marked Mid East history seemingly forever, I thought this would be an intersting way to learn a piece of history about which I knew little. Just how did the modern state of Israel come into existence? The answer may surprise you. Most of us know it came on the heels of the Holocaust, but how many readers are aware that England endorsed the formation of a Jewish state thirty years earlier, then reversed itself out of fear over losing favor with the Arab oil sheiks? They actually gave aid and comfort to the Arabs while trying to squash the flegling Israeli army. The US was then and now their only true ally. Even still, real assistance from the rest of the world came mostly in the form of private donations of money and supplies. Outnumbered 100:1, the fact that Israel prevailed in it's war for independence was nothing short of a miracle.
Understandably, no one should take any book at 100% face value whether sold as non-fiction or a novel. There is another side to the story. But you should come away asking some serious questions.