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Title: GOD KNOWS by Joseph Heller ISBN: 0-684-84125-8 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 12 November, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.44 (9 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Blasphemy at its most hilarous and biting
Comment: Although I would not say that this book is entirely on the level of Heller's first three books (all masterpieces), as it does not, perhaps, resonate with the vibrancy and poignancy of everyday life as those works do, God Knows is nevertheless an entertaining, blasphemous, and laugh-out-loud hilarous Bibilical parody. Many an author has turned their skills to the task of setting a famous Bibilical character into the universe of modern literature and re-telling their story that way, but few have done it with the intelligence, wit, and sheer knowledge of Heller. This is the work of a man that, though perhaps a Jewish atheist (I'm not too sure of what Heller's religious views were), nevertheless clearly had a vast and perhaps encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible - or the Old Testament, at any rate. Here, we have the story of King David ("the best story in The Bible", as the narrarator himself repeatedly tells us), told through Heller's first-person satiric lens, casting the famous and mythical character straight into the pantheon of modern literature. Many may well consider this book blasphemous (although I am glad, and pleasantly surprised, indeed, to see in some of the other reviews here that members of the clergy have read and enjoyed it), it is all in good fun, and quite an entertaining read - as well as also hitting home at several points. Although there are several laugh-out-loud segments, Heller, beneath the farce, is also asking existential questions, as well as tackling some complex moral issues: God's apparent inclination towards punishing the innocent for the crimes of the guilty is given a good bit of attention here. Although this book may well have some sort of a built-in audience due to it's Bibilical leanings, it probably does not have a more or less universal audience as his first three books did - being steeped heavily, as it is, in its subject matter. I think that you will enjoy the book a lot more, and will certainly find it funnier, if you are familar with The Bible - or at least the parts that it deals with. Indeed, if you are highly steeped in Bibilical subject matter, you may well consider this Heller's best book. I reccommend it regardles, however: even if you are not knowledgable with its inherent subject matter, you will still find the book enjoyable, especially if you are a fan of Heller's particular style and liked his other writings.
Rating: 4
Summary: Pull Out Your Bible and GIGGLE!!
Comment: In what can only be called the shear GENIUS of Joseph Heller, God Knows crosses the line between biblical irony and just plain FUN!! As a member of the clergy I found this book a refreshing and oftentimes TOO POIGNANT look at one of the greatest biblical heroes! Heller breathes life and REALITY into a character of mythical proportions. . . just in time to remind us that we are all HUMANS and a part of God's work. I am sorry for those Catch-22 fans that cannot let go of their IDOL WORSHIP for Joseph Heller. They are missing out on good writing and some downhome chuckles. . . GO FIGURE!!
Rating: 5
Summary: God Knows How Great This Book Is
Comment: Joseph Heller has once again shown his mastery of irony and the absurd. His portrayal of King David is both hillarious and blasphemes. It is not often that I laugh out loud while reading a book. By breathing life into the Old Testament charachters, Heller is able to add flesh and bones to a somewhat boring Biblical account. But God Knows is something more than just a risque telling of Kings, it is also a story about aging, love and religion. He ponders great questions on the fallacy of a God that allows the innocent to die. All in all, a great read.
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Title: GOOD AS GOLD by Joseph Heller ISBN: 0684839741 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 12 November, 1997 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: SOMETHING HAPPENED by Joseph Heller ISBN: 0684841215 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 12 November, 1997 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: CLOSING TIME : THE SEQUEL TO CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller ISBN: 0684804506 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 15 September, 1995 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Picture This by Joseph Heller ISBN: B00007CWQR Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: September, 1988 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Harlot by the Side of the Road by Jonathan Kirsch ISBN: 0345418824 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 03 March, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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