Point Books Toward The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
| Original Title: | The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz |
| ISBN: | 0671028472 (ISBN13: 9780671028473) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Setting: | Montreal, Quebec (Montréal, Québec)(Canada) |
Mordecai Richler
Paperback | Pages: 384 pages Rating: 3.72 | 7741 Users | 276 Reviews
Details Regarding Books The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
| Title | : | The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz |
| Author | : | Mordecai Richler |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 384 pages |
| Published | : | March 1st 1999 by Gallery Books (first published 1959) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Cultural. Canada. Classics. Literature. Canadian Literature |
Relation To Books The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
From Mordecai Richler, one of our greatest satirists, comes one of literature's most delightful characters, Duddy Kravitz -- in a novel that belongs in the pantheon of seminal twentieth century books. Duddy -- the third generation of a Jewish immigrant family in Montreal -- is combative, amoral, scheming, a liar, and totally hilarious. From his street days tormenting teachers at the Jewish academy to his time hustling four jobs at once in a grand plan to "be somebody," Duddy learns about living -- and the lesson is an outrageous roller-coaster ride through the human comedy. As Richler turns his blistering commentary on love, money, and politics, The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kravitz becomes a lesson for us all...in laughter and in life.Rating Regarding Books The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
Ratings: 3.72 From 7741 Users | 276 ReviewsArticle Regarding Books The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
My first Mordecai Richler read but certainly not my last. Really snappy prose and dialogue, and a very enthralling plot. Despite being written nearly 60 years ago, the character of Duddy Kravitz feels like he would fit right into a modern prestige dramas on HBO, and his whole arc is very satisfying. Really interesting to get some historical takes on what Montreal was like in the early 50s as well.In The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Mordecai Richler tells the tale of Duddy -- a young Jew from a poor, 1940s Montreal St. Urbain Street neighbourhood. Duddy is a complicated character. He has a rough-and-tumble childhood, acts out in school, and becomes a n'er-do-well and sort of gang leader, who few expect to succeed, unlike his 'gifted' older brother, Lennie. Duddy doesn't receive the same love and affection from his father or wealthy uncle that Lennie receives, and only his grandfather,
Duddy Kravitz, a Canadian Jew, scrambles to make something of himself. Not bad. I want to see the movie starring Richard Dreyfuss.
I found myself rooting for the Jewish anti-hero Duddy Kravitz despite the fact that he's a swindling low-life self-centered jerk. His ambition is infectious and the multi-generational story of his family, quite heart-warming.
Maybe Montreal was a different place in the late 1940s/50s when young Duddy Kravitz was taking on the world. A poor, motherless Jewish boy, he had big dreams; most of all he wanted to fulfill his grandfather's mantra: "a man without land is nothing." In order to do so, he knew no bounds. Nothing would or could stop him in his quest for money and power. In the wake of his brash single-mindedness he leaves the detritus of his actions: the teacher's disabled wife who dies trying to get to the phone
Mordecai Richler was a giant of Canadian lit, some people said. Most people also said he was a complete and utter asshole. A few chapters in on audio, those asshole vibes were starting to gather force in the story, so I read the plot summary on Wikipedia and decided to bail. This is a Canadian classic I do not need to read. Maybe a Canadian writer I can skip, too, although I hear his Barney's Version is good.
Basically, toxic masculinity before toxic masculinity was a thing.The pacing kind of felt uneven, but I guess this was one of Richler's early works. I hated almost all the people in this book, and it was only the authenticity of the setting, and the few brief glimpses of decency that tricked me into thinking this was a redemption story, that kept me reading it. I really wanted Virgil and Yvette to shack up, keep Duddy's land, and leave that jackass out to dry. ... that being said, a couple of
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