The Book of the Unknown : Tales of the Thirty-six (Paperback)

from TheCriticalTimes

We're so extremely used to the known fairytale formulas from Andersen and Grimm that when we come across an innovative, yet familiar approach we might go: but this is ............... good! At least that's what happened to me when I read the short stories in this novel. My notion of what a fairyta...

from wishanem

Charming and folkloric in pacing and style, but full of modern themes and attitudes towards morality. It is very quickly clear that the exact settings aren't an important part of these stories. Their magic lies in the choices of the characters and the emotional impact of the stories. Some of the ...

from tloeffler

Different, interesting and enjoyable stories (? fables), ostensibly Jewish, but could actually qualify as simply human! Good is Bad, and Bad is Good, and the stories are told without moral or judgement. I'm not sure how necessary the Foreword and Afterword were--I found the book to be utterly ind...

from kylljoi

I received this book through the Early Reviewers program on LibraryThing. The book puts forth many important philosophical contemplations. While it is based on Jewish lore, the themes that is contains are universal. If you don't have time to read it in one sitting I would suggest keeping it on yo...

from dchaikin

An LT Early Reviewer book A collection of short Jewish- shtetl-ish based folktales. In the fictional premise a researcher feels he might have come across a list (from an unspecified time in the past) of the Lamedh-Vov - 36 righteous people needed at any one time, according to the Talmud. He begin...