2024 the best place on earth ayelet tsabari review

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Reminiscent of the early work of Jhumpa Lahiri, Ayelet Tsabari’s award-winning debut collection of stories is global in scope yet intimate in feel, beautifully written, and emotionally powerful. From Israel to India to Canada, Tsabari’s indelible characters grapple with love, violence, faith, the slipperiness of identity, and the challenges of balancing old traditions with modern times.

These eleven spellbinding stories often focus on Israel’s Mizrahi Jews, featuring mothers and children, soldiers and bohemians, lovers and best friends, all searching for their place in the world. In “Tikkun,” a man crosses paths with his free-spirited ex-girlfriend—now a married Orthodox Jew—and minutes later barely escapes tragedy. In “Brit Milah,” a mother travels from Israel to visit her daughter in Canada and is stunned by her grandson’s upbringing. A young medic in the Israeli army bends the rules to potentially dangerous consequence in “Casualties.” After her mom passes away, a teenage girl comes to live with her aunt outside Tel Aviv and has her first experience with unrequited love in “Say It Again, Say Something Else.” And in the moving title story, two estranged sisters—one whose marriage is ending, the other whose relationship is just beginning—try to recapture the close bond they had as kids.

Absorbing, tender, and sharply observed, The Best Place on Earth infuses moments of sorrow with small moments of grace: a boy composes poetry in a bomb shelter, an old photo helps a girl make sense of her mother’s rootless past. Tsabari’s voice is gentle yet wise, illuminating the burdens of history, the strength of the heart, and our universal desire to belong.

Praise for The Best Place on Earth

“It’s impossible not to be awestruck by the depth and power rendered in Tsabari’s stories.”—Elle

“Tsabari creates complex, conflicted, prickly people you'll want to get to know better.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“There’s remarkable scope in Ayelet Tsabari’s The Best Place on Earth, which interweaves stories of discrimination, loss, displacement, sex, death, religion, and a host of other issues. And yet, despite the range of viewpoints and the different facets of Israeli society explored, this is a collection that always stays intensely personal, the broader forces of history moving not merely across nations but within the souls of her beautifully conceived characters.”—Phil Klay, National Book Award–winning author of Redeployment

“With incredible compassion and a delicate touch, Ayelet Tsabari explores the heartbreak inherent in forming bonds, whether with another person or with a whole country. The Best Place on Earth, a complicated love song to Israel, is a sure-footed and stunningly skillful debut.”—Shelly Oria, author of New York 1, Tel Aviv 0

“Powerful . . . brilliant . . . These stories . . . depict minorities so skillfully, with such a light and accurate touch.”—The Daily Beast

“Highly recommended . . . Compelling and compassionate; [Tsabari’s stories] speak out from the heart of Israeli society and experiences. . . . The stories of The Best Place on Earth leave you wishing they wouldn’t end.”—The Times of Israel

“This short story collection is a fiction debut for Tsabari, but it demonstrates that she is already a talented storyteller. . . . Her writing has an immediacy and power that invites readers into her characters’ psyches.”—Publishers Weekly

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House (March 8, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0812988930
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0812988932
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.74 x 0.95 x 8.53 inches
Reviewer: Maine Planner
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Wonderful, wisely crafted and touching
Review: Each of these stories reached me deeply. One does not have to be Jewish and/or Israeli to appreciate these stories. They are profoundly human and quite lovely in their ways. Now, several weeks after reading the collection, I still think about them. I have passed several stories on to friends hoping that they will find them as important as I have.

Reviewer: Ariela Migdal
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Interesting take on Israel
Review: Israeli literature written in English is unusual. The stories are a bit repetitive but well-written and provide a unique perspective.

Reviewer: Library Hound
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Beautifully written
Review: A beautifully written short story collection - you will find yourself in Israel, India, and Canada. Thoughtful handling of family matters, love, fear and forced military seevice

Reviewer: Eileen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Easy, fast read
Review: I read this book for book club and didn't, initially, think I'd enjoy a book of short stories. But the author does a really good job of telling her stories, some, I think, somewhat autobiographical in context. Each story has a somewhat open-ended conclusion, enabling the reader to guess or assume how the story really ends.We had a wonderful discussion during book club. I recommend it! Thanks!

Reviewer: Yael Myers
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Subject matter somewhat squewed.
Review: The dusty story is mesmerizing. The ones that follow are rather distressing and somewhat depressing. Good concepts for Sephardic Israelis, mostly.

Reviewer: David A. Berke
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Wonderful Book
Review: This book is a collection of short stories. The stories are lovely and engaging. The characters come to life whether young or old, male or female.A wonderful book.

Reviewer: Jane L Meyers
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Really enjoyed this unique book!
Review: I rarely read short stories - but this book club selection was a great read and provoked excellent discussions from our group. The stories all center around "finding yourself" or coming of age themes with Jewish or Israeli content. Each one is totally unique from the others, and many have shocking endings. As I reached the end of many stories, I yearned for a few more pages so I could learn what happens next, and how the characters continued on with their lives. I was impressed by the extent of character development the author was able to pack into such short stories. Highly recommend.

Reviewer: amalia phillips
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: ... read short stories but this collection is not only beautifully written but emotionally compelling
Review: I do not usually choose to read short stories but this collection is not only beautifully written but emotionally compelling. I was immediately absorbed in the story-line and when it ended it left me with wanting more.