The Betrayal - By M. Kenan

stem

Mon, Aug 09 2010, 12:08 am

Have you read it? I am halfway through and finding it a bit strange and confusing with the (hypothetical) historical setting of Khazar and all the princes, kings, lords, etc. Something about it is keeping me riveted to the plot, though.

I'm curious about all of your reactions to this book.

suomynona

Mon, Aug 09 2010, 12:24 am

I read most of it recently, and then had to leave the house where the book was so I never finished. It was definitely different. I was not riveted at all though, and I don't care that I didn't get to finish it.

smilethere

Mon, Aug 09 2010, 7:51 am

I enjoyed it, was not riveted at all, but felt that the plot had so much more potential...

Halfway through the book I stopped being impressed, sorry to the author, it was well written, well researched, an interesting idea, but not pulling enough.

rise above

Mon, Aug 09 2010, 7:25 pm

Funny that none of you enjoyed it- I loved it and thought it was so well done. I really enjoy historical fiction and I felt I really got a feel for the era via the book. I recommended the book to 4 people, one being an english professor, and they all gave it rave reviews as well. I am waiting for the sequel!

Aribenj

Mon, Sep 06 2010, 5:39 pm

I'm reading it right now. I like it a lot! I'm about halfway through...

My issue with it has more to do with me being a history buff and a geek then anything else... But basically I guess the fact that a Jewish Khazar state MAY or MAY NOT have existed (we'll never know..) sort of ruins the historical element for me...And then there's other things, like the pronounciation of certain words, and just the assumption that Judaism and the way we practice it today as well as Jewish priorities and morals we value in the 20th century have remained the same in the past 1000 years is just ludicrous and a little hard to believe...

I'm not talking about anything outrageous here, just little things that sort of carry the story. But as fiction it's not bad...

koalamum

Mon, Sep 06 2010, 10:28 pm

I am so happy to see that I am not the only one who was confused yet riveted at the same time. It took me at least a week to finish the book - but I did! It felt like it took forever to reach the end, and yet when it ended it was a bit too abrupt. There must be a sequel as there is a lot of unfinished business......

curlyhead

Sat, Oct 23 2010, 6:31 pm

Quote:

I agree. I read the whole thing. Took a few shabbosim. It was confusing with so many characters. I did not notice the list of characters on the inside of the cover till I finished the book. But I did like that it was a different type of novel - not your typical. The ending was predictable.

shiradye

Wed, Nov 03 2010, 4:03 pm

curlyhead wrote:

Quote:

I read it this past summer and I agree with you as well. It was "different." I specifically enjoyed the author's major pokes at contemporary society--the "kosher" music, and "kosher" entertainment of today would have been completely out of bounds just 25 years ago. Not to mention fashions...

raizs

Thu, Nov 04 2010, 3:33 am

The book riveted me as well - very different and compelling

but I was a little disappointed by some of it
I.e. I felt the author assumed too much knowledge on the part of the reader - new scenes were introduced out of nowhere with seemingly no connection and you were left guessing at what major implication was being hinted at. I had to reread some parts after I finished just to connect the dots, and still wasnt sure if was I was understanding was what was trying to be conveyed.

also, the ending was a little abrupt and did not close up all loose ends for the myriad characters that appeared throughout the book. thats all left to your imagination. some major characters appear for the last time over 100 pages before the end, and you never find out what happened to them afterward.

so in a certain way it was a bit of a tease - tons of potential, not fully developed...but still nice for a change of pace...

hadasa

Sun, Nov 14 2010, 7:15 am

My husband bought me the book as a present. It's just what I need now - interesting and long enough to last for a while, not suspenseful enough to make me stay up to finish it in one sitting. I also found it a bit confusing, and so far have read the first part twice - I understood much more the second time. I'm saving it for the time I'm probably soon going to be spending in waiting rooms and on monitor tests.

Amy3

Mon, Dec 06 2010, 2:39 pm

I read it and found it very interesting.
I usually dont like these types of historical books but the plot held my attention and much of it was very well developed.
There was a lot to think about...
I also really liked how she snuck in the "jewish" music and modern fashion and entertainment...
but I didnt like the ending, unless of course a sequel is coming.
All in all a good read, not typical but good.

stem

Mon, Dec 06 2010, 3:49 pm

So I just heard that the sequel may not have even been written in Hebrew yet. Sigh... I hate it when they do that. It's so unfair to publish a book which ends with an obvious "to be continued" without intention to publish the second in a timely manner (if at all).

Brown

Mon, Dec 06 2010, 5:49 pm

I just read the book and really enjoyed. More fantasy style than historical. Obviously a sequel is coming. Musar done in an insteresting way. I'm going to look for the books in Hebrew for my 9 and 10 yr old boys.

hadasa

Tue, Dec 07 2010, 8:49 am

I read every section twice in order to understand it more fully.
Yes, the ending was extremely abrupt. Even if there's a sequel coming, it is odd to leave the fate of so many important characters just hanging.
Also, after googling "Khazar" and reading a little bit about the era, I'm not sure how much historical accuracy there is in the book.

After all that, I still enjoyed it though. And I think the translation was well done - I felt like I was reading English, not Hebrew sentences with English words.

PinkFridge

Sat, Dec 18 2010, 10:16 pm

shiradye wrote:

curlyhead wrote:

Quote:

Yes, a lot of food for thought there. I've been reading it this Shabbos, have about 50 pages left. Found it riveting, a little confusing, and I wouldn't have minded a few pages by the author about the motivation to write the book, some historical sources, etc.

hadasa

Sun, Jun 24 2012, 3:09 am

Reading it through another time, I finally managed to fully follow the plot. I saw the sequel's out in Hebrew, but seeing how hard I found it to follow the first one in English, I don't think I'm going to attempt it. I'm waiting for the translation...