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    The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel
    The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel
    The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel
    Audiobook19 hours

    The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel

    Written by Helene Wecker

    Narrated by George Guidall

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    “An intoxicating fusion of fantasy and historical fiction. . . . Wecker’s storytelling skills dazzle."" —Entertainment Weekly

    A marvelous and absorbing debut novel about a chance meeting between two supernatural creatures in turn-of-the-century immigrant New York. 

    Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay by a disgraced rabbi knowledgeable in the ways of dark Kabbalistic magic. She serves as the wife to a Polish merchant who dies at sea on the voyage to America. As the ship arrives in New York in 1899, Chava is unmoored and adrift until a rabbi on the Lower East Side recognizes her for the creature she is and takes her in.

    Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert and trapped centuries ago in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard. Released by a Syrian tinsmith in a Manhattan shop, Ahmad appears in human form but is still not free. An iron band around his wrist binds him to the wizard and to the physical world.

    Chava and Ahmad meet accidentally and become friends and soul mates despite their opposing natures. But when the golem’s violent nature overtakes her one evening, their bond is challenged. An even more powerful threat will emerge, however, and bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their very existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

    Compulsively readable, The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of Yiddish and Middle Eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, in a wondrously inventive tale that is mesmerizing and unforgettable.

    Editor's Note

    Beautiful and thoroughly researched…

    Helene Wecker’s beautiful debut novel is steeped in Jewish and Arabian folklore. The golem and jinni’s attempts to blend in with the humans surrounding them forms a refreshingly frank look at what it means to be human.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateApr 23, 2013
    ISBN9780062263056
    Author

    Helene Wecker

    Helene Wecker received a BA from Carleton College in Minnesota and an MFA from Columbia University in New York. A Chicago-area native who has made her home in Minneapolis, Seattle, and New York, she now lives near San Francisco with her husband and daughter. The Golem and the Jinni is her first novel.

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    Reviews for The Golem and the Jinni

    4/5

    2,364 ratings223 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Great story. Fantastic narration.
      They live amongst and within us.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful, unique story! A fascinating combination of two cultures legendary mythical beings. Looking forward to the sequel.
    • 5/5
      Wow. I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. It's been on my to-read list for a long time. I finally picked it up because the author is going to do a program for the library system I work for and I want to be ready!

      There are many stories, many characters that all slowly but surely become entwined for the climax. Despite the fantasy elements and unlikely friendship between the Golem and the Jinni this book touches on a lot of more serious topics. I found myself oddly thoughtful for the duration of the story.

      I want to leave this review pretty bare and open- this is a book that I think is better experienced on your own. =) I'm eager to jump into The Hidden Palace next.
    • 4/5
      I really had no idea what I was in for when I started this book. Like many others, I would suppose, I chose this book based on the beauty of the cover, the intrigue of the title, and the knowledge that many others enjoyed it.I really do not want to say too much, as I believe going into this book, as I did, with little-to-no knowledge of the plot, is the best way. The story follows the two characters, the Golem and the Jinni, and how they both arrive on Ellis Island and how their stories connect. Each of their stories is fully realized and neither story is stronger or weaker than the other. When the characters meet, the story becomes that much stronger as their lives intertwine.Personally, I preferred the story of the Golem, Chava, to that of the Jinni. At the end of the book it is her that I feel compelled to continue following. I am left wanting to go with her to the dock and see what comes next.I know none of this is helpful as a "review", but I find that the nature of this tale is one that makes it difficult to encapsulate in any kind of summary. At the heart of The Golem and the Jinni is a unstructured look at human nature from an outside perspective. Overall, it is a post-modern fairy tale filled with unsteadiness, doubt, and violence. If either of those ideas sound interesting to you, I would recommend you give this a read.
    • 3/5
      I picked this book up when a friend recommeneded it, and I finally got around to reading it. The first few chapters I was hooked, but then I was finding it harder and harder to get through. The book is good, but just so slow to read. When I finished I felt like I read a 800 page book. I really enjoyed the characters. They were all beautifully written and their stories were so interesting. I know that there was some symbolism in the writing style tying in with how the two main characters were feeling, thinking and seeing the world, but I just struggled with getting through the book. Chapters were 20+ pages each, and were slow, the writing felt slow, and I was reading the book slow. I'd recommend this book, but maybe have a more fast paced book that you're reading too.
    • 5/5
      Beautifully written story, sensitively narrated by an actor who really gets the Jewish community in New York.
    • 5/5
      Great book. I believe I just read a future blockbuster movie.
    • 4/5
      I was surprised that I liked this book, because supernatural beings from different cultures ending up in Ellis Island didn’t seem to make sense. But being strangers in a strange land was a great comparison. This was a fun book, a little history, a little fairy tale, and a little more than a beach read.
    • 5/5
      Excellent doesn't even begin to describe how awesome this book is! The characters and their lives breathed from the pages and seared themselves into my mind. The jinni and the golem where creatures made of opposites. Fire. Earth. Yet they shared traits of curiosity, mirth, seriousness. I'm having trouble explaining all that happened in this book and why it's necessary for one to read it to understand that this story is as relevant today as it will be , as I feel, forever. Fear, longing, friendship, a sense of belonging and a sense of being different. The strains of belief and magic intertwine with friendship, being a stranger, love, and betrayal are beautiful as they are strong. In the golems case it is like watching a young child growing into adulthood and learning independence. The jinni learns compassion and that actions just may truly hold consequences. Distrust is misplaced often and true friendship is more than mere words on a page. This book came alive for me and is one of the best books I've read this year. I heartily wish there was more but the ending was perfect.
    • 5/5
      Wow-
      This was an amazing story! And the reader definitely did the story justice.
      This story was completely different than anything I’ve ever come across and I am delighted to see that there is a sequel!
      Can’t stop to say more- I need to get on to the second book to see how these complex and memorable characters continue…!
    • 5/5
      I absolutely love this book. It’s so different from anything I’ve read before. Definitely worth a shot.
    • 5/5
      Such a great story with stories within stories and wonderful characters. Kept me entertained while driving on a trip out West and back.
    • 5/5
      This was an excellent and compelling story. I didn't want it to end.
    • 3/5
      A well written novel about character growth, I only wish the author went further than the dandy and modest woman pairing when the set-up and setting could do so much more.
    • 5/5
      A wonderful fantasy with historical undertones. I found it engaging. It kept me wondering how all the divergent characters would come together. A very interesting listen.
    • 4/5
      This novel is really well structured. Slow to start, but it features great characters that you absolutely have to know how they fare in the new world. A great debut novel by Helene Wecker if you ask me.
    • 5/5
      Very enjoyable! The characters were well developed and entertaining. The storyline flowed well with building tension. The book is like a modern day Frankenstein but broader in scope with deeper and more realistic characters.
    • 5/5
      As much as I prefer listening to a British narrator, this was so well narrated that it brought old New York and the characters to life, in my minds eye. A wonderful love story, though unusual. I couldn’t stop listening to it! 5*
    • 4/5
      The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

      ★★★★ ½

      I have to admit, even with the other great reviews I’ve read, I was hesitant in reading this book. The description just didn’t seem like my type of genre but with so many people suggesting it, I had to give it a try. I was not disappointed by this debut novel! I loved the characters so much and I found myself completely invested in what would happen. I adored Chava and Ahmad, through the good and the bad. Even the secondary characters all play important roles – there was not one character that I felt was unneeded in this wonderful book. There were times I was baffled with where the book was going and where the menagerie of characters were leading me but the author did a great job of answering all my questions, no stone was left unturned. And the ending just seemed so perfect to me. Towards those last 80 pages I was completely entranced on where everything was going – so entranced that my husband talking got nothing but dirty looks and shushes from me. He was not to talk to me until I was able to finish and wrap my mind around this tale. Amazing indeed, a favorite for the year!
    • 4/5
      Chala is a Golem, a creature made of clay created for one man. Ahmad is a Jinni, a creature born of fire, bound by man in a cuff of iron. Both find themselves in New York City at a time when many immigrants are coming in. Both are trying to find who they are and how they fit into this place populated by people. Chala and Ahmad have very different natures that conflict and yet they find themselves in an odd friendship that helps with their loneliness. A force is at work however that threatens to tear not just their friendship but their very existence apart - the man who created one and bound the other is also in New York City searches for immortality and trying to gain it from them.A well-told story that was entertaining and thoughtful. I enjoyed reading about New York City and all the neighborhoods - I could almost hear, feel and smell myself in that place and time. I found I enjoyed learning the stories of the characters, not just Chala's and Ahmad's but the other characters as well. Am looking forward to the next book.
    • 5/5
      An intriguing tale, fascinating and rich with every emotion looking forward to the sequel
    • 5/5
      Fantastic narration of a fantastic tale. I was sucked into the story of this unlikely couple - two supernatural beings with very human desires and emotions. And the narrator is one of the best I've ever heard.
    • 5/5
      A wonderful read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Will read the next part as well... the hidden Palace.
    • 5/5
      So perfect, I read it shortly after it was released. Later in life it’s still rich, still amazing.
    • 5/5
      Great book
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this story. I enjoyed the thoroughness of each character's background story and how they intertwined together.
    • 4/5
      This is a nice blend of historical fiction and fantasy. Lovely characters. Even the ending avoids being too pat. Fun.
    • 5/5
      Riveting story and beautifully read. I didn't want it to end.
    • 4/5
      For most of the book, I found this tale of a golem and a jinni in turn-of-the-century New York compelling; on finishing it, I suddenly find I have a much more jaundiced view. Perhaps the book deserves credit for not taking an easy way out to its characters' problems, but the climax and resolution of the plot highlighted some unpleasant facets of the book - facets that had been there all along if I had paid sufficient attention. Criticisms aside, it's a cold book, set in a version of our world where genies, golems, and transmigration of souls are not merely plausible, but factual; and yet there is ultimately no moral metaphysics underpinning these metaphysical details. The plot is a melodrama. Here are the criticisms (spoiler): the author plays favorites - certain characters' lives are charmed; no matter how much danger they are in from others or from themselves, they'll survive; while other characters are basically fodder, available to die to make a point (such as, this villain is ruthless). Surely that's always true, but it shouldn't be so obvious. Characters can be counted on not to open up to one another when they ought, but for their secrets to emerge indirectly, in ways that cause the most dramatic ruptures. Finally, near the end of the book, various characters act in ways - make threats, give up - that don't make sense given what the characters know about each other. Still, for most of the book, I enjoyed where I thought it was going.
    • 4/5
      A nice twist on folk mythology, the consequences of superhero/superpower pairings, and a bygone New York city. Very much driven by the story on the page without being overly literary.