Reviews

• 期待はずれの2010年ブッカー賞受賞作

  さえない元BBCラジオ番組プロデューサーのJulianには２人の旧知のユダヤ人の友がいる。ベストセラー作家で有名な哲学者の Sam Finklerとは学校時代からの親友だが、その友情は複雑なライバル意識に支えられている。もう１人はJulianとSamの学校時代の教師Liborである。 非ユダヤ人であるJulianは、子ども時代にユダヤ人はすべてSam Finklerのようだと思い、内心ユダヤ人のことを「Finkler」と呼ぶようになっていた。チェコからの移民のLiborは親イスラエル派で、Samは反シオン主義者である。会うたびに議論を交わす２人のユダヤ人の間で、Julianは取り残された気分を味わっていた。だが、ある日路上で襲われた彼は「反ユダヤ主義」の犠牲になったと思い込み、ついに「ユダヤ人になりたい」と願い始める。 メインのトピックは「ユダヤ人であること」。 中東問題の影響を受けて、ユダヤ人に対する暴力が増えるロンドンや、ユダヤ人としてイスラエルの立場を擁護する者と反対する者の複雑な内情を描いているのは、ユダヤ人やそのコミュニティをまったく知らない人には興味深いものがあるかもしれない。 だが、ストーリーらしきストーリーがないし、主役格のJulianの心理にまったく信憑性がない。この信憑性のなさ、つまり説得力のなさが、この作品の最大の問題点である。思考の堂々巡りにも退屈する。 2010年ブッカー賞受賞作で、ユーモアに満ちているという解説だったが、一番つまらないウッディ・アレンの作品をさらに５倍ほどつまらなくした感じだった。「ユダヤ人であるということは、どんな感じなのだろう？」という好奇心が強くないかぎりはおすすめできない。

• A worthy winner - don't believe all the negative reviews here

  It is outrageous that such a wonderful book should have been awarded one star by nearly 50% of the reviewers on this site. I hope that my review goes some way to addressing that anomaly. This year I decided that I would like to read the Booker shortlist. I added David Mitchell's "One Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet" to that list as it was widely believed to have been unlucky to miss the cut. I deliberately waited until the winner had been announced before starting, as I wanted to be sure that I could judge the best against the rest. As time passed I read some good books, some excellent and at least one stinker ("Room"). However I also began to dread the day that I would have to read the dreadful, boring winner. So much is my respect of Amazon's readers. Well let me say, now that I have read all seven, that Amazon's average punter doesn't appear to know his bottom from his elbow. "The Finkler Question" is a wonderful novel. The prose skips along at a smart pace. Yes, it meanders rather than following some linear predictable storyline, but it's all the better for that and never lags. It is also genuinely funny. I was reminded at times of the satire of Evelyn Waugh. Whilst there is no moment in this book as wonderful as the "great crested grebe" passage in "Scoop", some come very close. I loved the part about half way through the book when we learn of a fight breaking out in Trafalgar Square between the "Ashamed Jews" and "Christians for Israel" . I cannot square the quality of this worthy winners with the swathe of negative comments here. My only explanation is that if you read the negative reviews you get a feeling that these people are just reading the wrong book for them. They complain of a lack of action more often than not. Well, if action means Dan Brown or John Gresham then I can see that this is not their cup of tea. But if you love Waugh, I bet you'll love this. Oh, and if you are interested, here's my judgement on the shortlist: 1. Finkler Question 2. In a Strange Room 3. Long Song 4. Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet 5. Parrot & Olivier in America 6. C 7. Room All these books are a good read apart from Room, which as I wrote earlier is dire dire dire.

• Excellent book!

  This is the book you don't want to put down for a second. Howard Jacobson's wit and sense of humour make you laugh hard and cry at the same time. A truly enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

• Un Woody Allen anglais

  Trois amis, deux hommes dans leur cinquantaine et leur ancien prof, deux veufs et un troisième incapable de rester avec une femme, deux juifs et un troisième qui rêve d'être un aussi! Une réflexion sur la judaïté, sur l'amour en couple, sur le succès, sur la paternité - et tout cela raconté par un personnage qui fait penser à Woody Allen. A recommander vivement!

• Five Stars

  Thank you!

• Black Humour at its Poignant Best

  One of the finest books I have read. Every page makes me wonder at the amazing sense the of the author's incredible sense of humour. Thoroughly enjoying, in fact relishing the savour of reading to the fullest. Hats off to Howard Jacobson. I did not know much about the ASHamed Jews of London. The characters of Sam Finker and Treasolve will be there with me for long time, so much a like any Shakespearean Heroes. Treasolve is the modern day Hamlet, only differing in the sense that he hits his aim and is back to being the square one with some more frustrations.

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