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

Book 2, please.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Golem and the Jinni?

I can't tell you, it'll spoil the story.

Which scene was your favorite?

Again, spoilers.

If you could take any character from The Golem and the Jinni out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The Jinni, hands down. Sarcastic, dark, moody. He's dreamy.

Unexpected travels around the world!

Arabian Nights meets Newsies meets Britt-Marie was Here, along with a 1/2 cup of Aladdin, with a dash of Harry Potter. . .mix with fire and earth, throw in artistic metallurgy and you've got it The Golem and the Jinni.

I enjoyed it to the very last and hope for more to come.

Loved it.

Tried to hold off listening so it wouldn't be over. Great narrator! Fell in love with the characters.

I didn't want it to end.

This story takes some fairy tales of the past and brings them to life with rich culture, wonderful story telling, fantastic character development and on top of all this? Delightful narration. If you are interested in losing yourself for a few days, by all means..dive in.

IMAGINATION

Helene Wecker’s first novel opens a new world of imagination. As in all stories built on myth or legend, “The Golem and the Jinni” draws on universal human interest. Wecker explores differences between men and women, faith and religion, caring and not caring, love and friendship. The choice of George Guidell as narrator makes a good story even better.

Forget what you think you know about a golem or jinni as a monster. In Wecker’s novel, the monster under the bed, or in your dream, is not a golem or jinni. The monster is you, a human being. Wecker cleverly reveals myths of Jewish and Islamic demons in a story that blends human nature with a perception of differences between masculine and feminine mystique. Along the way, Wecker raises issues of faith and religion; caring and not caring; love and friendship. Wecker creates two powerful mythological characters with a supporting cast that contrast and reveal the nature of human beings. Wecker’s golem is feminine; her jinni is masculine.

At the story’s end, one hears an echo of the author’s view of love and friendship. Love and friendship lays somewhere between trust in what one says and the reality of what one does.

one of the best stories I gave heard in a while

I loved this book. It is a deep and detailed story of two mythological entities who are stuck outside of their comfort zone.

the story is a slow burns that brings the whole thing to an unexpected, but satisfying ending. please read this book as soon as you can.

Fabulous Story

So many twists and turns, I was completely engaged the entire time. The story is a beautiful and complex tapestry of 2 deeply rooted traditions, each explored in a brilliant visual and fascinating way. Helene Wicker has an amazing mind, she is an amazing story teller. I will listen to the entire book again very soon.

Beautifully written beautifully preformed

I enjoyed every minute. wonderful story telling. captivating performance bought every character to life. Brilliant

Magical in many ways.

This book kept getting better and better. The further into it that I listened, more I enjoyed it. I was sad to reach the end. Filled with Wonderful, rich, characters in impossible circumstances, and yet the author and the reader bring them to life. I loved the performance and would gladly listen to him read other books. As for the author, she is new to me but I plan to locate other novels by her if any yet exist. I love the way this story takes New York City and populates it with the average and the unheard of. I highly recommend this.

Interesting Story

Great narrator. He would have been my choice to read this fantasy story. This story is told with a great deal of conscience for all actions. You don't get to fall in love with these characters but their story may move you.