To the End of the Land Audiobook

" This novel is unlike any other I've read - in terms of content and knowing the circumstances of the author's own siutation and loss. I enjoyed the book - I felt, however, it was too long at times. The details of the lives of her sons, provided by Ora, could have been truncated without losing the power of the narrative. Overall a very memorable book with powerful imagery and style. If I had been the editor I probably would have shaved off about 100 pages and it still would resonate with the power that it has. "

" This book is one of the most difficult to read I have picked up in a long time. It is set in Israel in the 1960s to the 2000s. It explores the emotional depths of Ora, a woman who married one man, Ilan, had a son with him, Adam, had an affair with her husband's friend, Avram, and had a son with him, Ofer. The husband and his friend served in the Israeli army in the war with Egypt in the Sinai Penninsula, and the friend was captured and tortured. Both of her sons fulfilled their obligatory service in the IDF. When her younger son's service is about to end, Ora plans a hiking trip with him to celebrate. Instead, he reenlists in the IDF, and she takes the hiking trip with Avram, Ofer's father. Because Avram had never been part of Ofer's life, Ora tells him about Ofer's life during the hiking trip as a means of protecting Ofer from harm. She thinks that if she isn't home to get the news of his death, he won't die. The book is a roller coaster of emotion, the gut-wrenching, heart-wrenching kind. At the end, you learn that the author had two sons, both of whom served in the IDF and one of whom died in Lebanon - more than the ultimate irony because he had finished writing the book before his son died. The author obviously isn't a "hawk," and believes in the enduring bond between a parent and child. The book is stunning, but exhausting. "

" I gave up on this one, I'm afraid. The writing is terrific, but it's almost too rich. "

" The story line brief, the thoughts careful and wise, the characters odd, the book compelling. "

" Dreamy yet vivid novel about modern life in Israel. "

" This was a difficult book to read due to the subject matter and the excruciating detail. I came away feeling perhaps I understood war's costs in a way I never had before. Here an Israeli mother unfolds the life of her son for the father he never knew. There is a desperation to the telling...as if the memories alone can save her son from death in the Israeli army. The twist is that his father was badly damaged when he was captured and tortured by the Egyptians during an earlier conflict...and the stories become his own path back to life. When I was near the end (and Grossman reveals this in an afterward), I learned that the author's own son, and one of his most interested readers, was killed on an army maneuver shortly before the book was completed. "

" OMG this was disturbing, and sad. But SO good. "

" This may be the last book I truly loved reading. I finished it last year and am adding it to my list to impress any critics out there. The allegory of this one family's saga with the history of Israel, and being done with such a light touch was a blessing. Recommended. "

" Very disappointing ending. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, but I reading to find out what happened in the end. "

" Israel, very challenging read of mother with anxiety about son in the military, this acutely substantial novel requires slow reading, and knowing the author's personal story...-well I'm glad I read this amazing work "

" I loved this book. Beautifully written and a profound reflection on life - memories love loss sorrow all captured in that unique israeli prose. Wonderful "

" An extraordinary book, but exceedingly difficult to read, especially if you have a 22-year-old son. "

" A devastating book. Beautiful and heart-breaking. "

" I read it in German - I like the German title "Eine Frau flieht vor einer Nachricht" ("A woman flees from a message"). "

" This is an important book to understand the pain Israeli parents live with as their children enter the army. Wonderful "

" It was every best-of list of 2010 for a reason. "

" Heart wrenching and beautiful...all at the same time. "

" Beautiful exploration of the largest themes but also the miniature details of everyday life. "

" What an intense read! When I got to the end, I was sitting in a Le Pain Quotidien on the Upper West Side with tears streaming down my face and people staring at me. "

" Love and war of in Israel, told in such an intimate and unusual way. Like no other book I have ever read! "

" - a good but intense book. "

" Love, love, love this important novel. Perhaps one of the greatest books about Peace written in many, many years. I cannot recommend this author or this work enough. "

" An intense story about an Israeli woman trying to come to terms with her fear and the events in her life by hiking though Israel and trying to describe her sons and her feelings. Beautifully written, captures the difficulty of explaining a person's life and holding that life close. "

" I liked the english title better than the hebrew one. "