Hailed as the "Israeli Kite Runner" (The Bookseller), this international bestseller and publishing phenomenon is the bittersweet story of one family, one home.
Table of contents
- Book review: Rina Frank's *Every House Needs a Balcony*
- Paperback Editions
- Every House Needs a Balcony: A Novel
Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Every House Needs a Balcony: A Novel by Rina Frank-Mitrani. Hardcover , pages. Published June 8th by Harper first published To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Every House Needs a Balcony , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Every House Needs a Balcony.
Lists with This Book. Apr 20, Arah-Lynda rated it liked it Shelves: Told through a series of anecdotes that float between past and present this is the story of Rina Frank, a daughter of Romanian immigrants, who grew up in Haifa, Israel in a small, cramped apartment with a narrow balcony from which their entertainment played out around and below them in real life. These are the days of their lives.
Book review: Rina Frank's *Every House Needs a Balcony*
Or at least glimpses of them as Rina remembers the people, places and events that coloured her past and influenced her future. A journey of self discovery, Every House Told through a series of anecdotes that float between past and present this is the story of Rina Frank, a daughter of Romanian immigrants, who grew up in Haifa, Israel in a small, cramped apartment with a narrow balcony from which their entertainment played out around and below them in real life. A journey of self discovery, Every House needs a Balcony is a bitter sweet look at the meaning of home and family.
Jun 07, cheryl rated it it was ok. This is a recent translation of a top-selling book by an Israeli author. I've always struggled with processing my reaction to translations.
Paperback Editions
A good translator maintains the spirit of not only the plot but also the language. That said, it can never be flawless and without the translator's imprint.
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The plot is the life story of an Israeli woman. She grows up in poverty, the daughter of immigrants. When she is older, she meets a wealthy man and briefly relocates to Barcelona before returning to her native land to have a child. I expected to really enjoy this novel. The plot sounds up my alley and it is a character-driven story.
The chapters alternate between first-person accounts of the narrator's childhood and third-person accounts of her adult life. While that kept the timelines distinct, it was jarring hopefully the editors will catch the few errors in the voice that are in the proof version. Neither voice captivated me. I like flawed characters so don't need a perfect heroine, but I never felt connected to the main character.
I don't like not liking books. I did a few internet searches and did find a reviewer with similar sentiments Fine story but lost in the telling This reviews is based on a proof-version provided to me by HarperCollins Sep 11, Emily rated it liked it. Had this book not been set in Israel I would have only given it two stars, because my affinity for the country automatically makes me more inclined to seek out Israeli literature and films.
Still, I have not yet been to Haifa where this book is set, although "Every House Needs a Balcony", with its story of a girl growing up in heartbreaking poverty, does not do much to sell the city as a place to visit.
Every House Needs a Balcony: A Novel
I generally have a problem with "novels" that are really autobiographies, and that's what thi Had this book not been set in Israel I would have only given it two stars, because my affinity for the country automatically makes me more inclined to seek out Israeli literature and films.
I generally have a problem with "novels" that are really autobiographies, and that's what this one seems to be. Just like the book's protagonist, the author is Romanian, named Rina and grew up in the Wadi Salib slum of Haifa, and it seems as if this is basically the story of her life.
Why not just write a autobiography then? Anyway, the book had some very touching stories of family life in a one-room apartment shared by 4 people; additionally, the best and most compelling part of the book is the heartbreaking depiction of the grown-up Rina's struggles with a critically ill infant daughter. Dec 20, Kay rated it it was ok. Just couldn't read past the first 50 promising pages where the closeness of lives on a crowded street on Israel, lives lived in view and hearing of the neighbors, was intriguing and warm and fascinating.
After the story got mired in details of people who seemed unrelated and with no depth, it lost its originality and piquancy. Devo dire che non mi ha colpito molto, la trama semplice e realistica senza troppi colpi di scena. Sconsigliato se si vuole fare chiarezza sulla cultura israeliana Sono poche pagine, ma si fanno molte pause a cercare su internet dei termini sconosciuti alla nostra cultura occidentale! Ma 2 stelle - 2 e mezzo - non gliele leva nessuno. Per concludere, non consigliato!
May 24, Mary rated it it was ok. Although a lot of things happen in this book it felt more like a list of family events than a fluid novel.
The chapters move alternately between Rina as a stubborn young girl and Rina as a stubborn — some might say selfish — adult. The bones of a good story are there but I just never felt emotionally drawn to the characters. Perhaps it lost something in the translation. I always read books about Jews and thought it would be interesting to read about Jews immigrating to Israel. Unfortunately I was never able to find a connection with the main character. I found her to be self-absorbed and selfish. More's the pity that this is meant to be partly autobiographical.
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