Review by Between the Shelves -- (Ways to) Lucena
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Between the Shelves
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- Latest Review: "(Ways to) Lucena" by Mois Benarroch
Review by Between the Shelves -- (Ways to) Lucena
[Following is a volunteer review of "(Ways to) Lucena" by Mois Benarroch.]
2 out of 4 stars
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In (Ways to) Lucena, an old man is reaching the age of 1,000 and must pass his legacy onto his great-great-great-grandson, preparing him for a journey that will also last 1,000 years. His life begins in the Jewish city, Lucena, later ending in Israel and Spain. The adolescent that the old man must train is trying to find his place in life, writing stories and arguing with his parents about the path of his life. The two meet in Malaga, and the adolescent’s life is forever changed.
This book is the second book in the Tetouan trilogy, though the books do not need to be read chronologically. (Ways to) Lucena by Mois Benarroch jumps back and forth between past, present, and future, all drawn together by the old man, Lucena, who is telling the story. The individual stories are woven together in a complex way, creating layers that together make a completely unique reading experience. I enjoyed moving onto each section, gathering pieces of the story while I continued to move forward.
However, while the formatting of the novel creates a complex universe for the reader, it can be difficult to follow at times. I found that if I put the novel down and picked it back up later, I had to backtrack a bit in order to re-orient myself into the story. In part, my confusion could be due to my lack of knowledge of Judaism, as there are very strong religious tones throughout the book. It also could be due to the fact that it is a translation, and the transition between time periods might work better in the original language.
On the topic of translation, this particular version of the novel felt a bit clunky to me while I was reading it. Again, while I am an advocate of reading the work in its original language, sometimes that just isn’t possible, which makes translations necessary. The translation of this specific version of (Ways to) Lucena felt a bit off to me, and there were noticeable grammar errors throughout the book, affecting my experience as a reader.
Due to the grammar issues and my confusion at times, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. While I enjoyed the complexity of the story and thought the formatting of the book itself was clever, I would have had a better reading experience if the transition between time periods was made more clear. Additionally, the amount of grammar errors that I found within the novel took away from my experience.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and time travel novels, and being immersed in a completely new world. I don’t recommend it to people who aren’t fond of novels jumping back and forth in time and don’t like overly religious tones. Overall, this was an interesting read, but probably not one that I’ll revisit again.
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(Ways to) Lucena
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2 out of 4 stars
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In (Ways to) Lucena, an old man is reaching the age of 1,000 and must pass his legacy onto his great-great-great-grandson, preparing him for a journey that will also last 1,000 years. His life begins in the Jewish city, Lucena, later ending in Israel and Spain. The adolescent that the old man must train is trying to find his place in life, writing stories and arguing with his parents about the path of his life. The two meet in Malaga, and the adolescent’s life is forever changed.
This book is the second book in the Tetouan trilogy, though the books do not need to be read chronologically. (Ways to) Lucena by Mois Benarroch jumps back and forth between past, present, and future, all drawn together by the old man, Lucena, who is telling the story. The individual stories are woven together in a complex way, creating layers that together make a completely unique reading experience. I enjoyed moving onto each section, gathering pieces of the story while I continued to move forward.
However, while the formatting of the novel creates a complex universe for the reader, it can be difficult to follow at times. I found that if I put the novel down and picked it back up later, I had to backtrack a bit in order to re-orient myself into the story. In part, my confusion could be due to my lack of knowledge of Judaism, as there are very strong religious tones throughout the book. It also could be due to the fact that it is a translation, and the transition between time periods might work better in the original language.
On the topic of translation, this particular version of the novel felt a bit clunky to me while I was reading it. Again, while I am an advocate of reading the work in its original language, sometimes that just isn’t possible, which makes translations necessary. The translation of this specific version of (Ways to) Lucena felt a bit off to me, and there were noticeable grammar errors throughout the book, affecting my experience as a reader.
Due to the grammar issues and my confusion at times, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. While I enjoyed the complexity of the story and thought the formatting of the book itself was clever, I would have had a better reading experience if the transition between time periods was made more clear. Additionally, the amount of grammar errors that I found within the novel took away from my experience.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and time travel novels, and being immersed in a completely new world. I don’t recommend it to people who aren’t fond of novels jumping back and forth in time and don’t like overly religious tones. Overall, this was an interesting read, but probably not one that I’ll revisit again.
******
(Ways to) Lucena
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like Between the Shelves's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "(Ways to) Lucena" by Mois Benarroch
