The Golem and the Jinni

A Novel

By: Helene Wecker

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Fiction, 2014

Helene Wecker's dazzling debut novel tells the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 New York. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York Harbor. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.

Struggling to make their way in this strange new place, the Golem and the Jinni try to fit in with their neighbors while masking their true natures. Surrounding them is a community of immigrants: the coffeehouse owner Maryam Faddoul, a pillar of wisdom and support for her Syrian neighbors; the solitary ice cream maker Saleh, a damaged man cursed by tragedy; the kind and caring Rabbi Meyer and his beleaguered nephew, Michael, whose Sheltering House receives newly arrived Jewish men; the adventurous young socialite Sophia Winston; and the enigmatic Joseph Schall, a dangerous man driven by ferocious ambition and esoteric wisdom.

Meeting by chance, the two creatures become unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures, until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful menace will soon bring the Golem and the Jinni together again, threatening their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

Marvelous and compulsively listenable, The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of folk mythology, historical fiction, and magical fable into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.

©2013 Helene Wecker (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

MUST READ!

Book Recommendation!
The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker

Walk through 1899 New York with the Golem and the Jinni. Chava is a Golem, a creature made of clay. Ahmad is a Jinni, a being of fire.

The story is told through the perspective of both mythical beings whom are experiencing America through the eyes of their people as new immigrants(Jewish and Syrian).
This book beautifully blends fantasy and historical fiction to illustrate a developing America. Wecker does a beautiful job illuminating the joys, struggles of the lives of America's early immigrants.
Wrecker's astonishing debut novel immerses you into a past reality, when Supernatural beings were thought to walk amongst us; will these beings find a place to belong among the immigrants or will their distance from their origins change them beyond recognition?

Worth the Long Listen

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s length of upward 18 hours is intimidating, and even though the plot drags a little in the middle, it is well worth investing the time. The narrative pivots between the two titular characters and past recollections, but that structure is still relatively straight-forward and easy to follow.

A platonic romance between Jewish and Syrian outsiders, who happen to be in the melting pot of nineteenth-century through less-than-orthodox methods, is especially topical (but also doesn’t call attention to itself). Anyone who knows about the Kabbalah or the Arabian Nights will delighted by how well elements from either are interwoven into the story.

loved it

Very encapsulating story, narrator was tough to listen to at first but got over it and very glad I did. A gripping story worth the listen.

Great story

I really enjoyed this. The narrator was easy to listen to. I wanted both to be free and I guess they are.

might read this one again

I enjoyed this book so much. the characters of all kinds were interesting. I highly reccomend.

Engaging Story

As I started listening I thought, who is Helene Wecker? Why haven’t I heard of her? She’s a good writer! I enjoyed her prose and the plot is full of twists and turns than kept me listening longer, adding more minutes to the sleep timer.

So strange yet entertaining

when I started this book I had no idea what it was going to be like. It was so interesting and I enjoyed a lot of the historical fiction. The fantasy, mythology, and folklore made it fascinating.

One of the best.

Delicious, and super fun to listen to. Now I will fill out eight more words to be able to give stars 😀

different and the same

this feels like an introduction to the fantasy of a culture I don't know much about. easy though because it is just a dip and there is much familiar to this white western reader. well done with interesting characters.

A great read, great audible performance too

This reminds me of one of my favorite adult fairy tales, The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. Both books have a dreamy quality and commentary that is relevant for modern life. The Golem & the Jinni is well written, and adds the push and pull of personal impulse and accountability while touching on questions of faith too. Throw in a dash of allegory for immigrant or expat life, and the layers of this story are wonderful. I do wish the story moved a smidge more quickly early on, but once the threads of the story began to weave together, the pace quickened and it was really hard to put down. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.