Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Doubleday & Co. (1958), Hardcover
Description
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:�Passionate summary of the inhuman treatment of the Jewish people in Europe, of the exodus in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to Palestine, and of the triumphant founding of the new Israel.��The New York Times Exodus is an international publishing phenomenon�the towering novel of the twentieth century's most dramatic geopolitical event. Leon Uris magnificently portrays the birth of a new nation in the midst of enemies�the beginning of an earthshaking struggle for power. Here is the tale that swept the world with its fury: the story of an American nurse, an Israeli freedom fighter caught up in a glorious, heartbreaking, triumphant era. Here is Exodus�one of the great bestselling novels of all time.… (more)
Subjects
Awards
National Jewish Book Award (Winner — 1959)
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member BrendanPMyers
All through high school and into college, I had a friend who worked at our local library. Stopping in to visit every now and then, I’d sometimes leave with discards or old beat-up books that were being culled from the shelves. Though I believe by that point I’d already read Uris’s excellent
Engrossing after even the first few pages, Exodus is, of course, the story of the creation of the State of Israel. Picking up not long after World War II ends, with the displaced Jews of Europe still living in refugee camps, their homes long gone or stolen, they are simply looking for a place to live and call their own. With the British cracking down on emigration to Palestine, those Jews wishing to make the trek must rely on luck or skill or guile. The book continues the journeys of these people from a shattered Europe, into Palestine, and toward a hard-won statehood.
So engrossing is the book that one day, about halfway in, I decided to take the old beat-up hardback into the bath with me. I don’t normally take baths. Think I just wanted to escape even further into the book. So there I was, halfway in, enjoying my bath, in the middle of an exciting scene, when I turned the page and . . . there was about a forty page chunk in the middle missing. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I blinked, looked again, but there was no doubt about it. It went from something like page 232 straight to page 280. You could even see the hollowed out chunk in the spine where those pages used to be.
Damn!
So frustrated was I that I did give passing thought to simply jumping ahead. I might even have read a sentence or two further, skipping over the missing chunk, before thinking better of it. Flinging the book aside, I dried myself off, got into my car, went to the bookstore, and bought another copy. And if the same thing happens to you?
You will too.
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tale of Ireland, Trinity, and Mila 18, his tale of the Warsaw ghetto, for some reason, I hadn’t yet read Exodus. That’s how I stumbled upon my first copy of this book.Engrossing after even the first few pages, Exodus is, of course, the story of the creation of the State of Israel. Picking up not long after World War II ends, with the displaced Jews of Europe still living in refugee camps, their homes long gone or stolen, they are simply looking for a place to live and call their own. With the British cracking down on emigration to Palestine, those Jews wishing to make the trek must rely on luck or skill or guile. The book continues the journeys of these people from a shattered Europe, into Palestine, and toward a hard-won statehood.
So engrossing is the book that one day, about halfway in, I decided to take the old beat-up hardback into the bath with me. I don’t normally take baths. Think I just wanted to escape even further into the book. So there I was, halfway in, enjoying my bath, in the middle of an exciting scene, when I turned the page and . . . there was about a forty page chunk in the middle missing. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I blinked, looked again, but there was no doubt about it. It went from something like page 232 straight to page 280. You could even see the hollowed out chunk in the spine where those pages used to be.
Damn!
So frustrated was I that I did give passing thought to simply jumping ahead. I might even have read a sentence or two further, skipping over the missing chunk, before thinking better of it. Flinging the book aside, I dried myself off, got into my car, went to the bookstore, and bought another copy. And if the same thing happens to you?
You will too.
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LibraryThing member Maggie.Anton
This was the book that introduced me to the Holocaust, something nobody talked about in front of children way back in 1962. I was so affected that I not only vowed to name my first son "Ari" [which I eventually did], but I told that to every boy I dated.
LibraryThing member jmcdbooks
Rated: A
Great book. Sets the historical stage for the reestablishment of the nation of Israel in Palestine. It brings to light the bigoty, hatred and atrocities suffered by the Jewish people by various nations and people from ancient times to today. One cannot recognized the determination of the
Great book. Sets the historical stage for the reestablishment of the nation of Israel in Palestine. It brings to light the bigoty, hatred and atrocities suffered by the Jewish people by various nations and people from ancient times to today. One cannot recognized the determination of the
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Jewish people to return to their promised land without recognizing the God Who gave it to them. Show Less
LibraryThing member fuzzi
I was only vaguely aware of "Exodus" by Leon Uris before I saw it listed as a challenge book for the month of May in 2013. My only recollection of it was that it was made into a movie starring Paul Newman. Go figure.
After deciding to read it, I checked with the local public library, but they did
Normally I don't read any book this slowly, but "Exodus" was different: there was so much information, interesting information, that I felt I needed to take my time with it. I found myself reading way past my bedtime, until I was falling asleep with the book in my hand.
While a large book of over 600 pages, it never seemed like a chore to read, but more like a joy to read, to savor and meditate upon.
The content of the book shows that Leon Uris obviously did a tremendous amount of research, but his characters are also well-fleshed out, believable, and likeable.
Highly recommended.
After deciding to read it, I checked with the local public library, but they did
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not own a copy. I ordered a used paperback through an internet source, and commenced reading on about May 9th, finishing up on May 29th in the wee hours of the morning.Normally I don't read any book this slowly, but "Exodus" was different: there was so much information, interesting information, that I felt I needed to take my time with it. I found myself reading way past my bedtime, until I was falling asleep with the book in my hand.
While a large book of over 600 pages, it never seemed like a chore to read, but more like a joy to read, to savor and meditate upon.
The content of the book shows that Leon Uris obviously did a tremendous amount of research, but his characters are also well-fleshed out, believable, and likeable.
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member BookConcierge
From the book jacket: The Exodus was a ship that held 300 Jewish children, orphaned by World War II and the Nazi destruction. The ship was docked in Cyprus, and the British would not let more than its ‘quota’ leave for Palestine, which was under British rule. Ari Ben Canaan, a freedom fighter,
My reactions
This is an epic novel covering the history of the Jewish people’s efforts to return to Palestine and form an independent state.
I found the writing uneven. I felt that Uris couldn’t make up his mind whether he was writing an epic romance, a war novel or a history of the formation of Israel. The reader is immersed in the plight of the orphans held “hostage” aboard the Exodus, and then taken back to the late 19th century for a history of the Jewish people in Russia, and Ari’s grandfather, father and uncle. By the time Uris comes back to the romance I’d forgotten about the couple. Then the novel concentrates once again on the political maneuverings and historical references to the formation of the country, and some very exciting battle scenes in the last half of the book. Sprinkled throughout are quite a lot of very anti-Arab and anti-British “observations.”
Still, it certainly made me think. And I am fully aware of how woefully ignorant I am of the details of this episode in history. I remember the movie (and especially the movie’s music score), which came out when I was nine, but I never actually saw it. I’ve read a couple of other books by Uris (Trinity and QB VII), and I remember liking them, so when a book group chose it for a monthly read I signed on. I’m glad I finally read this novel.
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will not allow the children to return to the horrific conditions of the displaced persons camp, where the British had been keeping them. This incident sets in motion a series of events that depict the inhuman treatment of the Jewish people, and the triumphant founding of the state of Israel. My reactions
This is an epic novel covering the history of the Jewish people’s efforts to return to Palestine and form an independent state.
I found the writing uneven. I felt that Uris couldn’t make up his mind whether he was writing an epic romance, a war novel or a history of the formation of Israel. The reader is immersed in the plight of the orphans held “hostage” aboard the Exodus, and then taken back to the late 19th century for a history of the Jewish people in Russia, and Ari’s grandfather, father and uncle. By the time Uris comes back to the romance I’d forgotten about the couple. Then the novel concentrates once again on the political maneuverings and historical references to the formation of the country, and some very exciting battle scenes in the last half of the book. Sprinkled throughout are quite a lot of very anti-Arab and anti-British “observations.”
Still, it certainly made me think. And I am fully aware of how woefully ignorant I am of the details of this episode in history. I remember the movie (and especially the movie’s music score), which came out when I was nine, but I never actually saw it. I’ve read a couple of other books by Uris (Trinity and QB VII), and I remember liking them, so when a book group chose it for a monthly read I signed on. I’m glad I finally read this novel.
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LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
An Israeli friend of mine first recommended Uris--particularly his The Haj, about Arab/Israeli relations, and I remember liking that novel. Maybe it's that my tastes have changed, or just that this was one of Uris' first novels, but my impression of this one is that it had the materials to be a
Uris attempts to tell the story of the birth of modern Israel--and maybe takes on too much. The story, set in 1946, is framed as being about the refugee ship Exodus, and attempts to force the British, who rule over Palestine, to allow the survivors of the Holocaust being kept in camps in Cyprus to sail to the promised land. Studded through this tale are flashbacks of various characters to help us understand what helps drive these immigrants.
There's the tale of Karen Clement, a German Jew who found refuge among the Danes, whose King said in a broadcast to his occupied country, that if any in his kingdom had to wear a band with a yellow star, he'd be the first--and whose people then evacuated their Jewish population to Sweden rather than let the Nazi's have them. But then Karen found the Holocaust orphaned her. There's Dov Landau, who as a young boy took part in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, and then captured by the Nazis wound up shipped to Auschwitz. There's Ari Ben Canaan, whose father fled from the "Jewish Pale" of Russia and helped reclaim the land from the desert.
The style is pretty pedestrian--very simple syntax, intrusive tagging, and boy, someone please take away the exclamation key from this man. But by and large what kills this story is that it violates the first rule of writing--show, don't tell. Too many stories are laid out in narrative, as dry history, so that I wonder what is the point of making this fiction. Like another recent novel with fascinating historical detail but less than strong storytelling (one about Josephine Bonaparte) this left me wishing I had picked up a non-fiction book about the events and movements touched upon--Zionism, the Warshaw Ghetto and uprising, the founding of Israel--the Danish resistance to the Nazis, rather than this work of novel.
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gripping, first-rate story if only Uris got out of his own way.Uris attempts to tell the story of the birth of modern Israel--and maybe takes on too much. The story, set in 1946, is framed as being about the refugee ship Exodus, and attempts to force the British, who rule over Palestine, to allow the survivors of the Holocaust being kept in camps in Cyprus to sail to the promised land. Studded through this tale are flashbacks of various characters to help us understand what helps drive these immigrants.
There's the tale of Karen Clement, a German Jew who found refuge among the Danes, whose King said in a broadcast to his occupied country, that if any in his kingdom had to wear a band with a yellow star, he'd be the first--and whose people then evacuated their Jewish population to Sweden rather than let the Nazi's have them. But then Karen found the Holocaust orphaned her. There's Dov Landau, who as a young boy took part in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, and then captured by the Nazis wound up shipped to Auschwitz. There's Ari Ben Canaan, whose father fled from the "Jewish Pale" of Russia and helped reclaim the land from the desert.
The style is pretty pedestrian--very simple syntax, intrusive tagging, and boy, someone please take away the exclamation key from this man. But by and large what kills this story is that it violates the first rule of writing--show, don't tell. Too many stories are laid out in narrative, as dry history, so that I wonder what is the point of making this fiction. Like another recent novel with fascinating historical detail but less than strong storytelling (one about Josephine Bonaparte) this left me wishing I had picked up a non-fiction book about the events and movements touched upon--Zionism, the Warshaw Ghetto and uprising, the founding of Israel--the Danish resistance to the Nazis, rather than this work of novel.
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LibraryThing member Nandakishore_Varma
Even though I was caught up in the book when I first read it, I had to leave it halfway through... and when I went back to it some years later, after learning more about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (not the American-Israeli fiction, but real history), I felt I couldn't read it, it was so
The story of "Exodus" could be summarised in one sentence: "Brave godlike Jews defeat cowardly, evil Arabs and build the beautiful country of Israel."
Yuck.
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nauseating. Now I work in the Middle East, and see the conflict more close at hand. I could talk with many displaced Palestinians, and hear their side of the story. And the aversion to the book has increased.The story of "Exodus" could be summarised in one sentence: "Brave godlike Jews defeat cowardly, evil Arabs and build the beautiful country of Israel."
Yuck.
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LibraryThing member robeik
The history of Israel set against the backdrop of an archaeological dig. A great story going into detail of the suffering of Jewish people throughout the ages, in Spain, in Poland, and other places. Reminiscent of an epic, with a 'surprising' twist at the end.
LibraryThing member blmsday
A life-changing read for me that will never get its due in the annals of fine literature. So much for the classics.
LibraryThing member aliciamalia
This book is fascinating. It has all the elements of a 1970 bestseller: implied sex, wartime heroes, abused and needy children, despots and criminals in powerful positions, and a dramatic, arid landscape that must be conquered. It's really a page-turner. It also ends on an up note - the chosen
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people triumph! The irony is that the book will be 50 years old next year, and the same struggle violently continues. Show Less
LibraryThing member PghDragonMan
The enduring story of the people who fought to create the modern State of Israel. Abandoned and set-up for failure by the British, a small group of Jews struggle against the Arab world, and the world at large, to re-establish a Jewish homeland.
The struggle continues today and he story of these
The struggle continues today and he story of these
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early settlers speaks to people of all religions of what can be accomplished with determination. Show Less
LibraryThing member tinkerbellkk
I was loaned this book by a friend so I had no idea what to expect. While it took me awhile to get into the book, once I did, I throughly enjoyed it. It is a historical perspective on the struggle of Jews and the creation of Isreal. Much of it was eye opening to me.
LibraryThing member VickyKaseorg
If this book doesn't make you rage at the injustice that is visited since time began upon the Jews, nothing will. Exodus is a compelling and beautifully written account of the history of prejudice and torment of God's chosen people throughout history, but especially during the Holocaust and during
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the formation of the nation of Israel. It is heartbreaking and very difficult to read, but it gives a gut wrenching perspective that makes the struggles of the Jewish nation unbearably real. The historical events are told with accuracy and specifics that make the Jewish struggle come alive. While I found this book enormously painful, it is one everyone should read. Show Less
LibraryThing member mzhenya
A must read for anyone who is at all interested to learn of the formation of Israel and the continued struggles of the Jews. I began the book as a skeptic reader not understanding how Jews, 2,000 years later, decided to claim the land as their own. Having read the book, I understood why some Jews
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did not accept French welcome and insisted on going to what was the hostile land of Palestine at the time. With each page you learn and begin to understand the importance the Jews place on creating their autonomous state and begin to appreciate their constant fight. Show Less
LibraryThing member fishhook7
I need to read this again since I am including it on my top-picks and it's been so long since I read it. While I definitely have to be in the right mood for Leon Uris, I love his characters and his story-telling.
LibraryThing member HankIII
I had high hopes for this book, having read Trinity a number of years ago and finding it a good read. However, with Exodus I kept waiting for the story to develop, and when it finally did, it wasn't too surprising. I didn't find any of the characters well-developed, and the dialogue reminded me of
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a bad script from an old black and white movie. I did find the accounts of the various concentration camps to be interesting, but the vast majority of the book became a drudgery to read, which is why I stopped at exactly page 197. Show Less
LibraryThing member alaskabookworm
Much more interesting than I thought it would be. Extremely fascinating to watch the nation of Israel be built from the ground up with sheer determination, passion, and ingenuity. An important read.
LibraryThing member bavly
Excellent book. Please read. Very informative (I feel like its a little one sided, however, I also believe that the Jews of Palestine at that time were the by far the underdogs).
LibraryThing member araneida
I read it in highschool and liked it then. Bought this copy later.
LibraryThing member JamesPaul977
Powerful! Reads like non-ficiton in many ways. A long book, ideal in ebook format to avoid tiny, paperback font. Character development includes lifelong personal and family histories. Fascinating, graphic, tragic, & inspiring.
LibraryThing member tommi180744
A master storyteller puts the Jews' "next year in Jerusalem" Homeland saying into an epic context - full of colourful, exciting characters & a historical slant that reveals the depth of the longing inherent in the centuries old diaspora - it's a riveting read & one of the great books of the second
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half of the 20th Century. Show Less
LibraryThing member MatthewFrend
Exceptional and powerful read. The harrowing backdrop to this story is given great depth by some of the best written characters I have encountered.
LibraryThing member Jean_Sexton
This book is so massive that somehow it should count as two! I read Uris's Exodus long ago before I went to college. I wanted to see if it would hold up to my memories. It succeeded in that. It is a powerful book, especially when it focuses on the past injustices to the Jews. It made me sick at
The difference this time is that back in college, I took a course titled "History as Seen through the Eyes of the Novelist." Taught by a journalist/historian, the main thought came from the final exam question. Paraphrasing it, the question was, "Every novelist has a reason for writing his book. What was the reason for the books you read? Did the novelist achieve his goal?"
It is evident that Uris is pro-Israeli. It comes through in all of his noble characters that I fell in love with. Ari Ben Caanan, his father Barak, his sister Jordana, Jordana's love David Ben Ami, Karen Hansen Clement, and Dov Landau are richly drawn. Kitty Fremont is the American nurse through whom we see so many of the events and people.
However, Uris definitely paints with a broad negative brush when it comes to the Arabs in the stories. "Dirty" and "stinking" are used too frequently to describe the people, and their homes are almost uniformly "squalid." From what I have read about the history, it does seem accurate. However, I feel the loaded words weren't necessary to clarify what happened was wrong. I felt that I was being shoved down a path I would have taken anyway.
My final verdict is this is a 4.5 star book, losing a half star for the reasons above. It certainly accomplishes the author's objectives. It is an important novel in many ways because it clarifies how the roots of what happened during the Holocaust were already in too many countries. The Jewish ghettos, the pogroms, and the existing discriminatory laws made it too easy to ignore what was happening to a people who were already marginalized.
If you haven't read this massive historical novel, it is well worth the time, with the caveat above.
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heart to read of the brutality and atrocities they suffered. The power of what they endured to create a nation sang to me. The difference this time is that back in college, I took a course titled "History as Seen through the Eyes of the Novelist." Taught by a journalist/historian, the main thought came from the final exam question. Paraphrasing it, the question was, "Every novelist has a reason for writing his book. What was the reason for the books you read? Did the novelist achieve his goal?"
It is evident that Uris is pro-Israeli. It comes through in all of his noble characters that I fell in love with. Ari Ben Caanan, his father Barak, his sister Jordana, Jordana's love David Ben Ami, Karen Hansen Clement, and Dov Landau are richly drawn. Kitty Fremont is the American nurse through whom we see so many of the events and people.
However, Uris definitely paints with a broad negative brush when it comes to the Arabs in the stories. "Dirty" and "stinking" are used too frequently to describe the people, and their homes are almost uniformly "squalid." From what I have read about the history, it does seem accurate. However, I feel the loaded words weren't necessary to clarify what happened was wrong. I felt that I was being shoved down a path I would have taken anyway.
My final verdict is this is a 4.5 star book, losing a half star for the reasons above. It certainly accomplishes the author's objectives. It is an important novel in many ways because it clarifies how the roots of what happened during the Holocaust were already in too many countries. The Jewish ghettos, the pogroms, and the existing discriminatory laws made it too easy to ignore what was happening to a people who were already marginalized.
If you haven't read this massive historical novel, it is well worth the time, with the caveat above.
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LibraryThing member bowlees
Novel about the founding of Israel after WW2.
LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
A well written account of the creation of the Israeli army of 1948 from a band of refugees, and the second generation immigrants to Israel. The hero is stalwart, the heroine good looking and constant, and there is very little acknowledgement of the Palestinians as human.
Other editions
Exodus: A Novel of Israel by Leon Uris (Hardcover)