This was an enjoyable and insightful read even if the characters are often unlikable. I do have to say that I found the book a tad offensive because the characters felt stereotypical and can't we move beyond those tropes? The writing was well done and it was a quick read. The ending left more to be desired. I'm on the fence how I feel about it and I'm struggling to gauge whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. Would definitely make for a great book discussion.

I loved this book. Epistolary novels can be a challenge, but the characters in this book were multidimensional and relatable. It was funny and touching.

At times comical, at other times heart-breaking, told through letters and emails, this is the story of a Jewish pig farmer in Israel. But it is more a story of a fractured family. Correspondence flows freely among Harry the farmer, his friend Rabbi Moshe who disapproves of Harry’s pigs, his adult children David and Annabelle, and his ex-wife Monique.

Through their writings we learn that Harry is getting a lot of heat over raising pigs in the Jewish homeland. David, a playwright, is struggling with his sexual identity. Annabelle is dealing with a romantic breakup. And Monique is dying. Like any family, they complain and argue, and occasionally express their love. But they are all very likeable characters.

You cannot have a book on Israel that does not include some politics. But it wasn’t heavy on it. The issues with the pigs, some discussion about the wall – not enough to spoil the mood of the book.

I love the cover – can’t see it couldn’t put a smile on your face. There is also something about epistolary novels that I really enjoy. Maybe it is because they seem to be more direct.

Very unique story of a family that only connects through a series of letters! The family acknowledges there differences and through these letters are able to articulate feelings to bring themselves together. The author is clever in how she does this. I’m excited this is to be made in a tv series now that I’ve read the book!

Wow!

You can bet I'm on my pogo stick after finishing this gem! Who can resist an Israeli pig farmer, just tell me that! And a dysfunctional family griping, arguing, and pouring their hearts out by letter? I’m all in.

From page 1, I was riveted; I could not put this book down. First, I’m a sucker for letters. They tell you so much about the sender and they seem so personal. Plus there’s the snoop factor—you have to admit it’s fun to peek into someone else’s mail without getting in trouble or feeling guilty.

Letters fly between a pig farmer guy in Israel and a rabbi who disapproves of his pigs. And letters also fly between the pig farmer, his ex-wife, and their grown son and daughter, all of whom live on different continents. The family is dysfunctional but sort of in a normal way (is that possible?). Nothing is over the top, but the dynamic is interesting as hell.

The whole family is endearing; not a jerk to be found. I’m not saying they always make good choices but they all get under your skin, in a good way. They all are hanging out with the requisite guilt, regret, and longing, and they have some heavy conversations by letter. I got excited every time I looked at the name of the sender—oh, goodie, now the sister is writing a letter to her brother! What’s her story now? And how will he respond? You’d think I was the one getting the mail, I was so jazzed.

Actually, I lied. I loved the family letter swaps but didn’t like it when the pig farmer and the rabbi exchanged letters. That’s because they got into religion, politics, and history—three of my most unfavorite things. The discussions weren’t all that dry but they weren’t cool and refreshing either. I could feel myself tense up; I wanted to rush through those boring letters so I could get to the gold: The letters to mom, dad, sis, and bro. That’s my only complaint, in fact, and it was pretty short-lived because the snoozy “idea” conversations petered out as the book moved on.

Oops, I do have one other little item for the Complaint Board. I didn’t like it when people said “goy” a few times; got my dander up a little. But I’ve just wheeled the Complaint Board back to the shed because that’s it, baby. Everything else in this book rocks to the tune of 5 stars!

They advertise this book as a tragi-comedy, and that it is. I found myself smiling a lot—some of the observations were a riot. But there is a lot of serious stuff going on, too. The author did a great job of sneaking in sobering stuff, like 9/11. The brother asks his sis where she was on 9/11, for example. Bingo, a good story right there.

I liked the cultural immersion into Jewish life, and the writer did a great job as the immerser. It’s so cool when I get to peek into a culture completely different from mine.

Combine this with my love of the letter format, good characters, good dynamics, good writing, and some levity, and we have us here a 5-star gem. It’s so short and so readable, you might be able to finish it in one sitting. I read it over two days, and I’m a super slow reader. The book reminded me a little of novels by Jonathan Tropper, one of my favorite comic writers. And it also reminded me a little of The Nest, except the people are nicer here. This book comes out on January 22, 2019, so get in line now.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Beautifully short epistolary novel which includes a Jewish pig farmer (living in Israel) and his delightfully rich family.

Holy Lands a cardiologist with a thriving practice a father who has moved to Israel to become a pig farmeryes a pig farmer a quirky family full of humor family tensions and loads of love.Highly entertaining looking foward to the movie,#netgalley#holyland#bloomsburybooks,

Told through sentimental letters, Holy Lands follows a Jewish father named Harry wanting asylum from the outcomes of his mistakes. He's fled his ailing ex-wife Monique and his unmarried, wanderlust of a daughter, Annabelle, but it is David, a rising playwright, to whom he hasn't seen nor spoken in six years since he revealed he is gay.

Harry is quite an obstinate, unlikeable character who never failed to disappoint me. He forgoes his estranged wife, who is intensely ill, judges his daughter's romantical choices and is especially critical of his son's sexuality. Despite their dysfunction, Harry's displaced prejudice bars him from making himself vulnerable to the fact that the members of his family are living outside the confines of the Jewish teachings he contemplates with Rabbi Moshe. It becomes evident that Harry, himself, is a walking contradiction — but this revelation arrives all too late. They always do.

This book took me through it all, even though I was upset throughout most of the story. Not because it was bad — Amanda Sthers' writing hit every soft spot I never knew was there — but because of how much it mimicked my own. Certainly, this book is less a gay coming-of-age than it is a story about a family clinging on to one another for dear life, but that's how it read for me.

Nevertheless, Harry really bothered me. Empathy doesn't come easily for him in the way of his wife and children unless he is pressured, and I could not respect that. Acceptance is one thing, but to willfully disown a child because of who they are is the most disgraceful offense a parent can commit. That sort of neglect can be forgiven, but the side effects will stay with them forever. I should know. I sound upset — and I am, in a good way — because Sthers' true-to-life depiction of a family's being held hostage to their religious and cultural beliefs was so familiar to me it hurt.

God bless, Annabelle. She was shamelessly herself and her introspection was so pure and honest. She loved shamelessly, she lived brazenly, all while keeping herself, and her family, from going over the deep end. I love her and adored the way she comforted David through his predicament — because even by book's end I wanted to know where these characters' stories would go after the final page.

That is the sign of an unforgettable novel, which Sthers has crafted so eloquently here. Thank you, Bloomsbury, for gifting me an advanced edition for review. <3

Totally odd, but fun and poignant at the same time. In a series of letters and emails, we learn about the trials and tribulations of four family members, who are at odds yet deeply connected to each other. Harry is a former cardiologist living in Israel trying running a pig farm, to great consternation by a local rabbi and others. Monique is his French ex-wife. David is their gay son, who is a successful playwright and estranged from his father. And Annabelle is their daughter, who seems to be trying to hold the family together, but is a bit wayward herself. Lots of wry humour with some real emotions. This is a fast entertaining read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

“Does keeping the memory fresh prevent history from repeating itself? Surely not. Memories are meant to be forgotten. History is meant to be repeated. That of Jews, of women, of Arabs, of people who suffer, of Little Red Riding Hood. And the grandmother always, always has sharp teeth.”

Seldom do I make a decision to read a galley based almost entirely on the book’s cover, but really. A dancing pig in the Holy Land? How can that story not be interesting? Big thanks go to Net Galley and Bloomsbury. This book will be available to the public January 22, 2019.

The whole book is a series of letters and emails sent between five characters. We have four family members: Harry and Monique are divorced, yet it’s one of those complicated divorces where there’s no clean break; David and Annabelle are their adult children. Harry is an American expatriate who has moved to Israel, but instead of embracing his culture and homeland in a more conventional way, he has opted to become a pig farmer in Nazareth, one of the few places in this Jewish nation where the animals are not straight up illegal. And so the fifth character is the rabbi, who entreats Harry to give up the pork business. He’s upsetting people, and he should respect his roots a little more. Jews have been through enough, nu? And before we know it, there’s mention of the Holocaust.

Harry wants to keep his pigs, and he thinks it is time for Jews to lighten up about the Holocaust, maybe tell a joke about it now and then. The rabbi is floored. Joke? About the Holocaust? And so it’s on.

You would think that with such edgy subject matter the story would veer over the boundary of good taste, but Sthers—who has many bestsellers to her credit, though this is her American debut—is deft, insightful and very, very funny. The prose is angry, hilarious, and aching all in turns, not unlike our feelings for our kin.

Families are such fertile territory, and this one is among the best fictional families in literature. David, Harry and Monique’s son, is a gay playwright whose father has not come to grips with David’s sexuality. David writes him endless letters; Harry won’t respond. We see how Harry thinks and feels about David through his correspondence with the rabbi, and with the things Annabelle learns when she comes for a visit. Meanwhile, David’s new play is about to open, and it’s titled “Kosher Pig.” It’s about his father. Oh, how he wants Harry to be there for the opening! But Harry remains incommunicado.

This is a slender little book, just 176 pages, and so I expected a casual romp, but it’s more than that. It’s a quick read, not because it’s lightweight literature but because it’s impossible to put down. I recommend you should get it and read it, and then…maybe you should call your parents. Better yet, go visit them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for gifting me an ARC of Holy Lands. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.

This epistolary novel is a combination of silly and sincere, witty and wild, hilarious and heartbreaking. David, a retired NY cardiologist leaves behind his ex-wife and two grown children to become a pig farmer in the land of Israel. Yes, that’s the hook...What follows is the dissecting of what went wrong and ultimately trying to piece it all back together. From snail mail to email, this dysfunctional family plus one hippie Rabbi ruminate on the current political & social crisis facing their world and the greater world. Definitely a timely story that is more relatable then you might imagine.