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Uber User
Posts: 202
Location: Sacramento, California | I finished reading The Yiddish Policeman's Union this weekend. Keeping it spoiler free, it's odd, but overall I thought it was just okay. I mean, the writing was excellent, and the alternate universe that was painted here was very interested, and the main character, a police detective, was very well done. BUT. There was just something about all these great elements when put together that left me with a feeling like it could have been so much more. Kind of like the way I felt the first time I saw Men In Black years ago. Like, they set up for a great story, but then didn't quite push it to it's potential. I'll probably end up in the minority on this, it's won every SF award possible, just about, but overall, I'll have to give it about a 7 out of 10. It was good, but it just didn't resonate with me as great.
Next up for me, I'm finally reading the Watchmen... | |
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Admin
Posts: 4003
Location: Dallas, Texas | dude, i am in complete agreement with you on this one. i tried really hard to get into the book but it was just not happening. i can see what other people see in it, and i really wanted to like it but, alas, it's just not for me.
i slogged through almost 100 pages and i could not bring myself to go any more. the pacing was just killing me and the hebrew bits! was not sure how to pronounce the names, which is distracting for me, and the cultural references are completely lost on me etc.
- dave | |
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New User
Posts: 2
| I see no point in a "yes it is/no it's not" argument about whether this book was good or not (I really enjoyed it). I was however surprised by Deven's "could have done more with it", since I was more disappointed by how contrived many of elements of the plot were!
However I must agree with Dave: the amount of vocabulary and ritual that went unexplained made this book a challenge for me as a gentile from the UK, and while it's nice that Chabon doesn't patronise his audience, a glossary wouldn't have gone amiss -- I spent a good deal of time distracted by internet searches! | |
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Regular
Posts: 92
Location: Boston, MA | couldn't do it, gave up after about 50-60 pages. you know that the author wants you to discover the background of the story as you read on but the development pace is impossible. and the story was shaping into a detective story just set in an imaginary world. i'd rather read christie or doyle if i was looking for a detective story. i don't understand how it could have been attributed to sci-fi universe at all. maybe alternate history just isnt my thing. | |
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Uber User
Posts: 526
Location: UK | I love that "thrown in at the deep end" immersion, myself. It's one of the things I liked most about John le Carre, and maybe one of the things that are common to both SF and fantasy.
Yiddish Policeman's Union was a bit of an odd thing to win the Hugo, though. It doesn't feel like alt-history SF. It's not written with the SF mindset. | |
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Uber User
Posts: 202
Location: Sacramento, California | I also love immersion into different worlds. A Clockwork Orange is a big example of that, and I had no problem with that element. Almost the opposite; they immerse you in this great alternative world, then don't do a lot once you're there. | |
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The Yiddish Policeman's Union, Part 2