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Hello Fellow Fairy Tales Readers,


Welcome to our discussion about The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker.
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about spoilers

Please note: If you have not finished reading the book spoilers are permitted in this discussion from the start. If you would like to use the spoiler formatting it can be found on the top right of the comment box in the "(some html is ok)" menu.
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Summary

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic, created to be the wife of a man who dies at sea on the voyage from Poland. Chava is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York harbor in 1899.

Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert, trapped in an old copper flask, and released in New York City, though still not entirely free.

Ahmad and Chava become unlikely friends and soul mates with a mystical connection. Marvelous and compulsively readable, Helene Wecker's debut novel The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of Yiddish and Middle Eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.

I have only read the first two chapters so far, but I am definitely going to enjoy this one. The writing style is fantastic and the characters are well developed and super interesting.

I have the book but I've got several I really want to finish before I start anything else. It will be later in the month before I can get to this one. It's been on my tbr list for such a long time, I'm excited to start it.

I don't know if it's available to you, Gem, but I also found it was available as an audiobook on Hoopla. I'm reading the actual book, but I like having that as an option.

The detail and stories of the side characters in this book are somewhat surprising to me. I haven't found many books quite like this.

I've got the book, I have not started reading it. I'm currently in the midst of a fibro flareup and the fibro fog is very real.

Hope you are feeling better, Gem.
I finished it and absolutely loved this book. It just gets better the farther you get into it. The characters are so deep, including the secondary characters, yet it is not a story that bogs you down.
I love that every character's flaws and weaknesses are pointed out as well as their strengths.

I really enjoyed this book. I love how the author balances the real history of NYC and early 20th-century immigration with the Jewish and Middle Eastern mythologies. The contrast between the two main characters was interesting, the way the Golum started out as a pushover and had to learn to stand up for herself, and the Jinni started out selfish and had to learn to be more considerate. Very atmospheric and moving.

I couldn't agree more, Fiona!