Book Reviews of Snow in August

Suprisingly addicting book. Hamill transports you to a place and time when life was simple AND more complicated. A teen develops an unlikely friendship with a rabbi who is new to the States. Set in the forties, the two discover new worlds together and realize the real meaning of friendship.

I enjoyed the writing - the history and the sense of wonder. The author takes you there.

11 yr old Michael Devlin (100% Irish), living in a post-war tenement with his widowed mother, beriends Rabbi Hirsch in 1940's Brooklyn. After witnessing a hate-crime, Michael is terrorized by The Falcons ~ a gang of youths doling out anti-Semitism and other harrassment. Finally, Michael finds he has to evoke the spirit of the golem to help him and his neighborhood.

Pete Hamill brings post-war Brooklyn tangibly to the page. He weaves a heartrending tale of human vulnerability and myth that I enjoyed and will look forward to reading more of his work.

I would give this book a 5 star rating. Wonderfully writen, the author does a wonderful job of pulling you into the story and the suspense is great, a defnate page turner. This definately a must read!

This was one of the best books I read. Very heart warming.

Another wonderful book by Hamill. It deals with the faith of a little boy and his friedship with a Rabbi. This all takes place during late 1940 in Brooklyn.

Great book! Takes place in 1947 in Brooklyn, NY. Michael Devlin befriends a Rabbi during a time that relations with the Jewish community did not exist. Their friendship teaches each of them about themselves and about others.

Life in Brooklyn in 1947, told by an 11 year old boy. Part reality but also a wonderful fantasy in which the good guys win.

I really liked this book and the characters. Very good story

A beautiful tale of pain, evil, retribution and hope.

A tender novel. When it comes to evoking the sights and sounds of postwar brooklyn streets Pete Hamill has no peer.

From the back cover:
"In the year 1947, Michael Devlin, 11 yrs old, is about to forge an extraordinary bond w/a refugee of war named Rabbi Hirsch. Standing united against a common enemy, they will summon from ancient sources a power in desperately short supply in modern Brooklyn - a force that's forgotten in most of the world but it know to believers as magic. ... masterful, astonishing story of gritty streets, awakening youth, and undying wonder."
I enjoyed this book both for its reading entertainment, but also for its historical value -- post WWII and Jewish culture.

pete hamill is a wonderful writer.If you like books that have a little depth,are well written,with just a little bit of the mystical you should order this book and then read all of his others.

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