But Rotfeld was not looking for a thuggish destroyer. The Golem is a clay creature constructed by a corrupt Kabalist near the city of Danzig, at the behest of Otto Rotfeld, an unsuccessful and unattractive young man. In doing so she has transported old world legend to a place where and a time when vast numbers of more ordinary people were trying to create new dreams, new legends of their own, immigrant New York City at end of the 19th century. Helene Wecker has written a very grown up fairy tale, bringing to life a pair of magical beings. They dilate our pupils, excite our imagination and provide the fodder for our dreams. And, as I maintain only one identity on GR, the result is two, two, two reviews in one.Įveryone loves legends, lore, tales of long ago, filled with heroes and magical beings. These two takes seemed to call for different reviews. But it is pretty clear that this is also a serious, literary work, raising meaningful philosophical questions, while using the folklore of two different cultures to inform the immigrant experience, offering a fascinating look at a place and time, and linking the experiences of the old and new worlds. I found The Golem and the Jinni to be a fun, magical fairy tale of a romance with a fair bit of excitement to it. I am trying something a little different here.
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