The Slaughterman's Daughter
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- Create Date：2021-05-04 10:51:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Yaniv Iczkovits
- ISBN：0857058304
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Summary
פאני קייזמן יוצאת בעקבות הבעל שנטש את אחותה הבכורה。 אם לא תגרור אותו באוזנו לאשתו ולילדיו - לפחות תחתים אותו על גט。 השנה היא 1894 ופאני， גיבורה יוצאת דופן， נקלעת למסע ברחבי האימפריה הרוסית שיטלטל את כל עולמה。 ממש כמוה， גם שותפיה המשונים לדרך עומדים לאבד ולמצוא את עולמם。
לעתים נדירות נתקלים הקוראים בספר שכזה。 תיקון אחר חצות הוא רומן מזהיר。 הכול יש בו: דרמה עשויה להפליא， רודפים ונרדפים， בלבולי זהויות， עבר כאוב והומור פרוע。 ועל אף הכול， גם קמצוץ של מזל。
יניב איצקוביץ' הוא מחבר הספר "דופק" - שזיכה אותו בפרס 'הארץ ספרים' לספר ביכורים - והרומן "אדם וסופי"。 הוא חתן פרס ראש הממשלה לסופרים עבריים。 תיקון אחר חצות הוא ספרו השלישי。
לעתים נדירות נתקלים הקוראים בספר שכזה。 תיקון אחר חצות הוא רומן מזהיר。 הכול יש בו: דרמה עשויה להפליא， רודפים ונרדפים， בלבולי זהויות， עבר כאוב והומור פרוע。 ועל אף הכול， גם קמצוץ של מזל。
יניב איצקוביץ' הוא מחבר הספר "דופק" - שזיכה אותו בפרס 'הארץ ספרים' לספר ביכורים - והרומן "אדם וסופי"。 הוא חתן פרס ראש הממשלה לסופרים עבריים。 תיקון אחר חצות הוא ספרו השלישי。
Reviews
Tall
，
What a delight this book was。 Wonderful satire。 A plot that grows wilder and more absurd with each page。 Characters that are strong and interesting。 A comedy of errors， a wild romp of a story full of both horror and hilarity。 Like nothing I’ve ever read。 There’s nothing I love more than an exquisitely amusing story， well told， that addresses deeper topics and makes me think。 I’d imagine not everyone will love this as much as I did， but I thought it was great。
Georgia
，
Before I launch into my review， please note that I received an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review。I really wanted to love this book but I found it to be an uphill struggle throughout my reading experience。 The first struggles came with getting used to all the Jewish terms and Polish words， but after a few sub-chapters this became less of an issue and the pace began to quicken。When Fanny leaves her husband and five children behind， action floods the pages and leaves the Before I launch into my review， please note that I received an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review。I really wanted to love this book but I found it to be an uphill struggle throughout my reading experience。 The first struggles came with getting used to all the Jewish terms and Polish words， but after a few sub-chapters this became less of an issue and the pace began to quicken。When Fanny leaves her husband and five children behind， action floods the pages and leaves the reader eager to devour more and more， but once this action declines， what follows is the most droll chapter I have read in a long time that just dragged out some very mundane lives。 I persevered， waiting to return to the characters that had made me sit up straight and take notice but even their plight had dulled。 The last few days I have been saying I'll complete the novel and put it to bed but instead I am the one falling asleep before I've even afforded it 10 minutes。In the end I got so frustrated with the missing spaces/ hyphens between names that I decided enough was enough。 There was too much dragging me down that was detracting from the novel and I wasn't prepared to waste anymore time on it。 I can forgive mistake but you cannot change people's names。 Is it NatanBerl or Natan-Berl？ Meir-Anschil or MeirAnschil？ It slows my reading and demonstrates a lack of care given to the final product。 I can't even unravel what it is I think I've read up to the 43% marker。I have no recommendations for who this book may be suited for， although it is geared at adults as opposed to teenagers。 I am generally a fan of historical fiction and am happy for my stories to be set literally anywhere in the world， so the setting and genre was not the problem。 I suppose I just didn't gel well with the overall style of writing。As a winner of the Wingate Prize 2021， I do urge interested parties to garner further information and perhaps consult other reviews， but for me， I give it a 1/5 stars。 。。。more
David
，
I loved this。 Historical setting in the shtetls of the Settlement of the Pale in the 1890s。 Part of why I loved this may have been my interest in where my family is from， the towns mentioned in this book short distances from where my great grandparents emigrated from （in the 1890s）。 But while the setting is well researched historical fiction， the book is an often comic fable， an adventure， a absurd road trip with multiple interlocking stories。 Some of the subplots dragged a bit （otherwise a full I loved this。 Historical setting in the shtetls of the Settlement of the Pale in the 1890s。 Part of why I loved this may have been my interest in where my family is from， the towns mentioned in this book short distances from where my great grandparents emigrated from （in the 1890s）。 But while the setting is well researched historical fiction， the book is an often comic fable， an adventure， a absurd road trip with multiple interlocking stories。 Some of the subplots dragged a bit （otherwise a full 5 stars） and I would have loved to have more with the main protagonist， the most interesting character， but all in all an excellent read。 。。。more
Erika
，
One if thr best books I have read。 A mix between chaucer / salman rushdie and kipling set in n the Jewish pale at one of the maddest times in Russian history。
Barbara
，
It is not an easy trip through this book but so worthwhile。 Wonderful display of 19th century Russia and the Pale of Settlement。 Following the trip Fanny takes with Zizek in search of her brother in law who has abandoned his family you get a vivid picture of prolific anti-semitism along with Jewish culture， history and response to oppression。 Quite a romp
Leah
，
In a book called The Slaughterman's Daughter， I was prepared for some horrific descriptions of animals being slaughtered in the kosher style， and indeed there's plenty of that complete with blood， guts and suffering。 However， to add in some irrelevant scenes of a man being deliberately cruel to a dog makes me feel the author is simply setting out to disgust。 He succeeds。 Not for me。 In a book called The Slaughterman's Daughter， I was prepared for some horrific descriptions of animals being slaughtered in the kosher style， and indeed there's plenty of that complete with blood， guts and suffering。 However， to add in some irrelevant scenes of a man being deliberately cruel to a dog makes me feel the author is simply setting out to disgust。 He succeeds。 Not for me。 。。。more
Lee
，
Definitely a good story。 The goodreads description is apt。 I thought it could have been tightened up a bit - it seemed like it was too long （unnecessarily）。
Pedro Pinto
，
A romance that was recommended in a 2020 reading list （from the Economist if not mistaken） that I found relative interesting。The books navigate the reader in several different related and character based stories that then converge in 1 and has the merit to portray an era， reality and the diverse social classes， based on religion/ status/education/national diversity， on the Czar's Russia empire that I was far from familiar。After reading it I can recognize the merits of the book， but it is far fro A romance that was recommended in a 2020 reading list （from the Economist if not mistaken） that I found relative interesting。The books navigate the reader in several different related and character based stories that then converge in 1 and has the merit to portray an era， reality and the diverse social classes， based on religion/ status/education/national diversity， on the Czar's Russia empire that I was far from familiar。After reading it I can recognize the merits of the book， but it is far from being on my curated reading list。 。。。more
thewoollygeek （tea， cake， crochet & books）
，
This book was truly an amazing read， that Yaniv Iczkovits could weave into this tale history， socialism and politics and still make it readable and with humour is truly fantastic writing。 The storytelling is impressive， it makes you not want to put it down and given it’s a big book， that’s really good。 This is a fantastic novel， full of depth and such richness of detail。 It is certainly a slow read， even though I was addicted， but definitely pick this up， you will not regret it Thanks to netgall This book was truly an amazing read， that Yaniv Iczkovits could weave into this tale history， socialism and politics and still make it readable and with humour is truly fantastic writing。 The storytelling is impressive， it makes you not want to put it down and given it’s a big book， that’s really good。 This is a fantastic novel， full of depth and such richness of detail。 It is certainly a slow read， even though I was addicted， but definitely pick this up， you will not regret it Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion 。。。more
Neha Oberoi
，
I gave this book nearly a week of my read time and it just couldn't hook me。 Rambling on and on。 There must a great somewhere in the innumerable side stories。 I honestly couldn't bear to read any more。 The pace was excruciatingly slow。 I really thought we had something here with the scenes from the slaughter man's daughter but it got over powered with Yiddish and too much content。 I gave this book nearly a week of my read time and it just couldn't hook me。 Rambling on and on。 There must a great somewhere in the innumerable side stories。 I honestly couldn't bear to read any more。 The pace was excruciatingly slow。 I really thought we had something here with the scenes from the slaughter man's daughter but it got over powered with Yiddish and too much content。 。。。more
Joy
，
4。5 stars
Ann Dewar
，
The fantastic thing about NetGalley is that I get the opportunity to engage with authors I have never come across before and books which I probably wouldn’t have read if they weren’t put before me。 The Slaughterman’s Daughter is a perfect example of this。Though in essence a quest novel， Yaniv Iczkovits manages to interweave history， socialism， feminism， an understanding of the hardships of shtetl life， Jewish politics and anti-war polemic into a single volume and still make it funny！ 🙌🏻This is n The fantastic thing about NetGalley is that I get the opportunity to engage with authors I have never come across before and books which I probably wouldn’t have read if they weren’t put before me。 The Slaughterman’s Daughter is a perfect example of this。Though in essence a quest novel， Yaniv Iczkovits manages to interweave history， socialism， feminism， an understanding of the hardships of shtetl life， Jewish politics and anti-war polemic into a single volume and still make it funny！ 🙌🏻This is not a slim volume but I would urge you to read it because it is fabulous in both a literal and metaphorical sense。 It is real story-telling， with every character well-rounded and believable and opposing points of view conveyed credibly and lovingly。 There are clear forces of evil but they are not simplistic。 Although told from multiple viewpoints， This is one of those rare novels where you are not eagerly waiting for the next time your favourite character takes charge of the narrative-each of the characters deserves the time in the spotlight。I challenge you not to have fallen in love with at least one of the protagonists by the end of the book。My only gripe/suggestion would be to the publisher: please add a glossary of Yiddish words at the end of the book。Congratulations to both the author and translator - fantastic work！Thanks to NetGalley and the Quercus/Maclehouse Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Rose
，
Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC！4 stars for this novel， it would be 5 except it's so densely packed。 I started this at the beginning of March and only finished it yesterday。 This book is beautifully written， and the characters compelling。 The story is fairly absurdist， to go with the times - in the late 19th century in Tsarist Russia， a woman has been abandoned by her husband yet refuses to do what most abandoned women do and take out an ad in the paper asking for his return。 Instead she strugg Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC！4 stars for this novel， it would be 5 except it's so densely packed。 I started this at the beginning of March and only finished it yesterday。 This book is beautifully written， and the characters compelling。 The story is fairly absurdist， to go with the times - in the late 19th century in Tsarist Russia， a woman has been abandoned by her husband yet refuses to do what most abandoned women do and take out an ad in the paper asking for his return。 Instead she struggles on with life and raising her two children， a slight smugness at her own self-sufficiency filling the void left by Zvi-Meir until she has a breakdown and buys a fancy cut of beef and a new dress。 The novel turns to an adventure when her sister， the eponymous slaughterman's daughter， abandons her own family in the night to track down the renegade husband， along with the help of a man who hasn't said a word in decades， all while chased by the Russian secret police， and armed with only a small knife strapped to her thigh。Again， the book is fairly dense since the author provides almost every side character with a full backstory。 It's a book that requires concentration， but it's worth it！ 。。。more
Tina
，
Epic！ I'm already picking out my dream cast for the Cohen Bros imaginary film adaptation。 Epic！ I'm already picking out my dream cast for the Cohen Bros imaginary film adaptation。 。。。more
Scott Pomfret
，
This disappointing novel suffered from its own build-up: "Fiddler on the Roof meets Tarantino" and "the next film the brothers Coen make。" In fact， it was a rather slow-paced novel steeped in a wonderful Yiddish ethic and language whose major characters became less distinct over the course of the novel rather than more so。 There are some wonderful character sketches and a few humorous moments。 The depiction of Russian bureaucracy turning on itself is priceless。 But the slow pace drove me to not This disappointing novel suffered from its own build-up: "Fiddler on the Roof meets Tarantino" and "the next film the brothers Coen make。" In fact， it was a rather slow-paced novel steeped in a wonderful Yiddish ethic and language whose major characters became less distinct over the course of the novel rather than more so。 There are some wonderful character sketches and a few humorous moments。 The depiction of Russian bureaucracy turning on itself is priceless。 But the slow pace drove me to not to care what happened to our heroines and anti-heroes， so long as something did， and quick。 。。。more
Jodie Vitta
，
A sister goes in search for her runaway brother in law， the journey is not quite as straightforward as she had anticipated。。。When I requested this novel I had no idea what to expect from it。 What I found was a beautifully written， engaging & compelling story。 I thoroughly enjoyed every page despite not really being familiar with the featured cultures。 A really wonderful novel that will make you laugh and cry。Thank you to netgalley。co。uk for allowing me to read and review The Slaughterman's Daugh A sister goes in search for her runaway brother in law， the journey is not quite as straightforward as she had anticipated。。。When I requested this novel I had no idea what to expect from it。 What I found was a beautifully written， engaging & compelling story。 I thoroughly enjoyed every page despite not really being familiar with the featured cultures。 A really wonderful novel that will make you laugh and cry。Thank you to netgalley。co。uk for allowing me to read and review The Slaughterman's Daughter。 。。。more
Joe Kessler
，
If the Coen Brothers were to produce an updated version of Fiddler on the Roof， it might look a lot like this 2015 novel by Israeli author Yaniv Iczkovits， his first work to be translated into English。 Set in the Pale of Settlement， the region of Imperial Russia where Jews were permitted to live but still subjected to economic precarity and regular outbursts of pogrom violence， it's a loose picaresque that follows a handful of surprising miscreants as they push against their assigned societal ro If the Coen Brothers were to produce an updated version of Fiddler on the Roof， it might look a lot like this 2015 novel by Israeli author Yaniv Iczkovits， his first work to be translated into English。 Set in the Pale of Settlement， the region of Imperial Russia where Jews were permitted to live but still subjected to economic precarity and regular outbursts of pogrom violence， it's a loose picaresque that follows a handful of surprising miscreants as they push against their assigned societal roles， acting out in ways they barely know how to express。The inciting incident in the plot is one woman's choice to track down her brother-in-law， who left to find employment in the big city and never returned， but events spiral out from there， especially once the knife skills she learned from her father the kosher butcher prove bloodily useful on the road。 Throughout the ensuing action， the narrative often wanders back to fill in extended character histories， and although audiobook reader Tovah Feldshuh gives a phenomenal performance， accents and all， I think it probably would have been easier to grasp everyone's connections in print （or if I had taken notes while listening）。Iczkovits nails the atmosphere of the historical setting and the subtle #ownvoices Jewish touches， and I've laughed aloud at how his stubborn protagonists ride the line between exasperating and endearing。 This mode of storytelling is prone to a certain deal of shagginess， and I can spot plenty of areas here that seem a bit extraneous to the heart of the tale， but it's overall a great change of pace to the sort of books I normally pick up。 To some degree， it reads almost like a lost Russian classic -- only one where the antisemitic element is purposeful on the writer's part， rather than reflective of an open outside bias。 [Content warning for sexual assault， gore， and racial slurs。]Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter 。。。more
Susan Breslow
，
Best book I've read in a long time。 To describe it in two words: shtetl picaresque。 Best book I've read in a long time。 To describe it in two words: shtetl picaresque。 。。。more
Rachel
，
I listened to this 18-hour audiobook， expertly narrated by Tony and Emmy award-winning actress Tovah Feldshuh， and mostly enjoyed it。 The focus is on two sisters in 19th century Russia， daughters of a kosher slaughterman: older sister Mende， whose husband ran off to Minsk deserting her and their two children and Fanny， a "vilde chaye" who abandons her own husband and five children to try to track down her missing brother-in-law to obtain a "get" （divorce papers） for her sister。 I think this desc I listened to this 18-hour audiobook， expertly narrated by Tony and Emmy award-winning actress Tovah Feldshuh， and mostly enjoyed it。 The focus is on two sisters in 19th century Russia， daughters of a kosher slaughterman: older sister Mende， whose husband ran off to Minsk deserting her and their two children and Fanny， a "vilde chaye" who abandons her own husband and five children to try to track down her missing brother-in-law to obtain a "get" （divorce papers） for her sister。 I think this description sums up the book perfectly: “Yaniv Iczkovits spins a family drama into a far-reaching comedy of errors that will pit the czar's army against the Russian secret police and threaten the very foundations of the Russian Empire” in a novel that reads like Fiddler on the Roof meets Quentin Tarantino with “enough intrigue and misadventure to stupefy the Coen brothers。" I'm debating whether The Slughterman's Daughter would make a good book club selection but I'm worried that it's too long and too convoluted （plus it really drags in the middle）。 However it just won the 2021 JQ Wingate Literary Prize， British Jewry's most prestigious literary prize。 It's been translated into several European languages and has gained worldwide critical acclaim， And the original 2015 Hebrew edition was shortlisted for Israel's Sapir Prize。 It also pairs nicely with The Lost Shtetl by Max Gross。 。。。more
Paromjit
，
This translated award winning， epic， extraordinary， ambitious historical adventure novel in the classic tradition by Yaniv Iczovits exhilarates and beguiles in equal measure， set in the turbulent period of the late 19th century Tsarist Russia。 In the all too ordinary town of Motal， in the Pale of the Settlement， the only place Jews are allowed to permanently settle， resides Mende， whose husband， Zvi-Meir， abandoned her and their children。 Left impoverished， despairing and heartbroken， Mende almo This translated award winning， epic， extraordinary， ambitious historical adventure novel in the classic tradition by Yaniv Iczovits exhilarates and beguiles in equal measure， set in the turbulent period of the late 19th century Tsarist Russia。 In the all too ordinary town of Motal， in the Pale of the Settlement， the only place Jews are allowed to permanently settle， resides Mende， whose husband， Zvi-Meir， abandoned her and their children。 Left impoverished， despairing and heartbroken， Mende almost kills herself。 Her sister， the astonishing Fanny Keismann， cannot bear to witness Mende's suffering， and takes the momentous decision to track down her brother in law， leaving behind her cheese maker husband and 5 children。 Fanny is the Jewish butcher's daughter， with an expertise with a knife that has her known as 'vilde chaya'， the wild animal， in Motal。 Armed with a knife， Fanny sets off on a riot of a dangerous journey， finding herself accompanied and aided by the ferryman， Zizek Breshov。 Coming across robbers， the fearless Fanny deals with the situation with her trusty knife， having no qualms or hesitations。 The murders attract the attention of Colonel Piotr Novak of the Tsar's secret police， wondering who could have done this as he goes after them。 As the bodies and challenges pile up amidst the violence and brutality， the strong and independent Fanny finds herself on a quest for her identity and freedom from being defined by society， religion and men， defying all the imprisoning and stultifying expectations of who and what a woman should be。 Captured and evoked in the narrative is the unbound and prolific anti-semitism of the era， as can be seen by the thinking of Novak， and Jewish history， oppression and culture。This is beautifully imagined and enthralling historical fiction， with its adventurous storytelling， with its rich intricate details and descriptions， darkly humorous and satirical。 The brilliant offbeat and colourful characters we encounter are a joy to behold， making this an immersive read that I did not want to end。 This is an original， riveting， atmospheric， unforgettable and breathtaking novel that deserves a wide a readership as possible。 Highly recommended。 Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC。 。。。more
Willa
，
Wow what a story， another reviewer said Fiddler on the Roof meets Coen Brothers， hah pretty much on point。 But it does have some historical significance about the Jewish people and Russian history。 While it is a translation there are a fair number of Yiddish & Hebrew words left。
Murray Batt
，
Farce or expose of late 19th century Russia， or historical document or all of the above。 Often funny， not infrequently dark。 Not much has changed in secret police work in Russia or elsewhere。 。。the characters that are created。。Piotr Novick the Okhrana man， Fannym the Shochet’s daughter and vilde khaye， Zisek and Adamski， the two returned “canoninsts” are all remarkable characters， and there are quite a few more as well。 There is a bit of conicidence， but that my be considered the farcical aspect Farce or expose of late 19th century Russia， or historical document or all of the above。 Often funny， not infrequently dark。 Not much has changed in secret police work in Russia or elsewhere。 。。the characters that are created。。Piotr Novick the Okhrana man， Fannym the Shochet’s daughter and vilde khaye， Zisek and Adamski， the two returned “canoninsts” are all remarkable characters， and there are quite a few more as well。 There is a bit of conicidence， but that my be considered the farcical aspect。。。。I enjoyed the book at several levels。。。。 。。。more
Rose
，
42% Renewal @ library in hold line
Mich
，
In the Pale of Settlement near Russia in 1894， Mende’s husband， Zvi Meir has abandoned her and her two children and has gone to Minsk。 Without a divorce， （she is an ”agunah”） she is distraught， spends her last roubles on extravagances from the shops in Motal and throws herself into the Yaselda river from a small boat piloted by Zizek。 She is rescued and convalesces in bed。 Her sister， Fanny， married to a simple but successful cheese maker， decides to abandon her husband and five children and set In the Pale of Settlement near Russia in 1894， Mende’s husband， Zvi Meir has abandoned her and her two children and has gone to Minsk。 Without a divorce， （she is an ”agunah”） she is distraught， spends her last roubles on extravagances from the shops in Motal and throws herself into the Yaselda river from a small boat piloted by Zizek。 She is rescued and convalesces in bed。 Her sister， Fanny， married to a simple but successful cheese maker， decides to abandon her husband and five children and sets off with Zizek to find Zvi Meir。 They are set upon by robbers and Fanny， as the daughter of a slaughterer （ “Shochet”） who learned the slaughtering trade from her father， successfully kills the robbers using her knife in a ritually correct kosher manner。At this point in the novel， we are thrown into a maelstrom of completely new characters， some Jewish， who were forced into the Russian army， along with tavern owners， police officers， Russian army men， and heads of secret police。 The story meanders all over the place （ perhaps “sprawling” would be more apt） and the focus on Fanny and her quest is abandoned until the end of the book。 What could have been a superb book （the characters and the small shtetl are beautifully rendered） becomes a tireless slog through a 500 pager。 There is dark humor， sardonic wit， and a good chunk of Yiddishisms。 This could have been two novels， each with its own story and could even have had connected characters。 Very disappointing。 。。。more
Barbara
，
When reading this， I was reminded of the quote that's typically attributed to Mark Twain about not having time to write a short letter and so writing a long one instead。 This book is simple way too long and far too rambling for me。 I gave it my best shot， gave it a week of my reading attention and found I was still only halfway through。 The problem was at that point that I just couldn't work up the interest to give it another week。The premise is interesting - but not very well explained， which i When reading this， I was reminded of the quote that's typically attributed to Mark Twain about not having time to write a short letter and so writing a long one instead。 This book is simple way too long and far too rambling for me。 I gave it my best shot， gave it a week of my reading attention and found I was still only halfway through。 The problem was at that point that I just couldn't work up the interest to give it another week。The premise is interesting - but not very well explained， which is odd since at times other plotlines are way too OVER-explained。 Two sisters live with their families in Tsarist Russia （actually， the book is set in what's now Belarus， Ukraine and Poland） in the so-called Pale of Settlement。 I knew a little of the approach of settling Jewish communities together away from the rest of Russia society from my 'O' level European history。 Think Fiddler on the Roof - it's that sort of idea。 The elder sister finds herself abandoned by her husband who has gone off to Kyiv （or Minsk， or somewhere - it seems unclear） and may or may not have become a Christian （honestly， I was struggling）。 An abandoned wife in Jewish culture becomes a so-called 'agunah' and has to live her life in a not-quite-wife-not-quite-widow sense of limbo （to mix religious references）。 Her sister， Fanny， the Slaughterman's Daughter of the title， goes off to search for the missing husband in order to prove his dead and get her sister widow status， or to bring him back to sort out their relationships。 The author doesn't explain this - I only know the status thing from another book I read （The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomon - 5 stars from me）。 To search for her missing brother-in-law， she leaves behind her own husband and children and takes off with the village boatman。At times， the book is great。 It zings along with colourful events and fascinating characters。 The problem is that those times are too few and far between。 I finally quit when faced with hours of an artist in a military base telling Fanny everything about her boatman companion and his friend who helped them escape from the authorities。 It was just too much。This book felt like when you meet somebody who seems really interesting at first and after a while you realise you just can't get away from them and they've turned into a terrible bore。There's a great story in this book。 Unfortunately， from my perspective， it's drowning in too many side stories and too much detail。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy。 。。。more
Elise
，
I enjoyed The Slaughterman’s Daughter because of the dark humor， top notch writing， and successful transport to long ago and faraway—late 19th century Russia。 The best characters were Fanny Keisman， the knife wielding vilda Chaya （wild animal） who is trained by her father in kosher ritual slaughter and isn’t about to be anyone’s victim。 And I love her mother in law， Rivka Keisman， whose refrain that she would be “better off dead” along with her ability to expertly hold up her corner of the unive I enjoyed The Slaughterman’s Daughter because of the dark humor， top notch writing， and successful transport to long ago and faraway—late 19th century Russia。 The best characters were Fanny Keisman， the knife wielding vilda Chaya （wild animal） who is trained by her father in kosher ritual slaughter and isn’t about to be anyone’s victim。 And I love her mother in law， Rivka Keisman， whose refrain that she would be “better off dead” along with her ability to expertly hold up her corner of the universe， which exhausts her， makes her a lovable character。 As delightful as this romp was， I loved it most at the beginning and at the end。 Some of the military and police chapters in the middle dragged for me， but it was definitely worth finishing nonetheless。 The critic who called this a cross between Fiddler on the Roof and Quentin Tarantino did not lie， but I would have liked a bit more Tarantino added to this recipe， because Fanny’s knife wielding way of fighting back was truly cathartic。 。。。more
Seher
，
So the premise of this book is fantastic！ But its boring。 I wanted to read more of it， but I honestly couldn't get through the text and I gave up around a quarter through。Thank you NetGalley fro this book， but it really wasn't for me！ So the premise of this book is fantastic！ But its boring。 I wanted to read more of it， but I honestly couldn't get through the text and I gave up around a quarter through。Thank you NetGalley fro this book， but it really wasn't for me！ 。。。more
Conor Ahern
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A female butcher （the chutzpah！） and a mute Jewish apostate go off on a harebrained adventure， some violence ensues， and soon all of pre-Revolutionary Russia is embroiled in the action。 Such is the plot of "The Slaughterman's Daughter。"This started off pretty electrifying--I saw it billed as "Fiddler on the Roof" meets Tarantino--but it went on for too long and the plot really started to unravel。 It was hard to keep track of a lot of the characters， and the plot's center of gravity felt like it A female butcher （the chutzpah！） and a mute Jewish apostate go off on a harebrained adventure， some violence ensues， and soon all of pre-Revolutionary Russia is embroiled in the action。 Such is the plot of "The Slaughterman's Daughter。"This started off pretty electrifying--I saw it billed as "Fiddler on the Roof" meets Tarantino--but it went on for too long and the plot really started to unravel。 It was hard to keep track of a lot of the characters， and the plot's center of gravity felt like it shifted around a bunch。When I started to read this I was evangelizing to everyone， but I don't know that I'd wholeheartedly recommend it， having finished it。 。。。more
Brian
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For Christmas this year， my mom got all of us a "subscription" of our choice。 I opted to try to help out one of my favorite local businesses， The Bookshelf bookstore in Thomasville， GA， by getting their Shelf Subscription for a year。 I was a little late in getting the info to my mom， but my subscription finally started in March when I received The Slaughterman's Daughter。 I wasn't sure what to expect with this one; I'll admit that I wasn't totally sold after finishing the first chapter， and I wa For Christmas this year， my mom got all of us a "subscription" of our choice。 I opted to try to help out one of my favorite local businesses， The Bookshelf bookstore in Thomasville， GA， by getting their Shelf Subscription for a year。 I was a little late in getting the info to my mom， but my subscription finally started in March when I received The Slaughterman's Daughter。 I wasn't sure what to expect with this one; I'll admit that I wasn't totally sold after finishing the first chapter， and I was convinced this book was going to be a slog。 Characteristic of the genre， there were lots of characters introduced， lots of unfamiliar terms thrown about， and I wasn't sure how much of that would be important for me to keep at the front of my brain for reference。 But once I got into the second chapter and realized the first chapter was mostly setting the stage for the real story， I loved it。 It was a book that was difficult to put down--a welcome reprieve from some of the other books I'm working through right now。 I loved the story-telling， the reveals of greater and greater detail by way of unexpected characters。 And I was especially tickled by the way Iczkovits showed us the minds of these characters and how they thought about things。 It was so satisfying to follow these characters who only knew half the story， who come to conclusions about certain things that were right on the money while completely misreading or misunderstanding some other detail that misdirects their future movements。 This was a story of stories， a story of the many selves that make up a person， and how we navigate those apparent contradictions which are actually not contradictions。 A brilliant and fun book， even if the cloud of the 20th century hangs in distance。。。 。。。more
Chava
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