A Perfect Peace

by Amos Oz

Book Overview

Set in Israel just before the Six-Day War, this novel describes life on a kibbutz, where the founders of Israel and their children struggle to come to terms with their land and with each other. Oz's "strangest, riskiest, and richest novel" (Washington Post Book World). Translated by Hillel Halkin. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 015171696X
• ISBN13: 9780151716968
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P
• Length: 374 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Conflicts in the land of Israel

Yonaton has spent all his life on the Kibbutz and wants to leave his wife and parents to start a new life. Azariah has been a wanderer all his life and wants to settle on the Kibbutz.... Set in 1966-67 when the state of Israel was coming of age,its first generation of youth is also coming of age and are looking for new ideals;to find that elusive perfect peace that their parents thought would come about with the creation of a Jewish homeland.But surrounded by enemies on all borders,its not been that easy. The book explores the theme of conflict;how it is part of the human process-the generations are in conflict;supporters of the same political party are in conflict on the best way ahead-conflict oils the human process and also causes it to move forward at a snails pace. Is the perfect peace we all desire ever really achievable? Oz really takes you to Israel.I visited there some years ago and this book really rekindled memories of a land in conflict. Humour and wisdom permeate throughout this novel in equal amounts.A good book.

Classic Oz

A Perfect Peace is classic Oz, and contains all the elements we expect from one of his novels, especially those which depict kibbutz life: there is the young man who is disenchanted with the narrowness of the kibbutz, his feebleminded wife, his harsh mother, the ruthless party functionary father, the true-believer party functionary and his family style of socialism, humane and non-totalitarian. There is the fascination with non-traditional sexual arrangements, here a young woman married to two men (and here bordering on the homo-erotic). There is the avaricious Diaspora Jew who Oz paints in somewhat anti-Semitic colors. For those who have read many Oz novels, there is nothing really new here. But Oz's approach is so forceful and uncompromising that it hardly matters. A Perfect Peace is mesmerizing reading, and if Oz recycles, he uses great oringinal materials.

A tale that tells the soul

This story bears with it one of the loftiest titles I have met in all of literature, which in fact is what made me pick up this book from the bookstore, besides how can a "perfect peace" not sting anyone's curiosity? Isn't what we thought we all wanted? Well, I have not read other Oz's works, but so far this has been satisfying.I think the story runs in purely simple plots. It is the usual what-a-man-thinks-and-dreams kind of tale, he pursues it, he creates a turmoil within him and his society, he finally realizes his pursuit, and he comes back and concludes his life. However what makes this novel appealing is its way of narrating some chapters by the different personas, thus giving a reader a whole range of perspectives, and offering a story that is rich in ideas, less naive and more active. And it all started with a man's search for his soul, or his irritation of his banal life, so to speak. So a certain Yonatan walks out from conventions, that is from his society, disappears and wanders to the enigmatic deserts of Israel; uncertain of what he is looking for except that he has to fill in some emptiness within him, However the arrival of Azariah Gitlin, a man who is similarly searching his meaning has found it at the kibbutz that Yonatan was going to leave. It turned out that this newcomer has filled in some of the void within Yonatan and the physical void that he would leave behind at the kibbutz. In the end, both of them found sharing each other's joy and love. This is in fact an amusing cycle of events where life shows to us that a chink created by destiny will not remain cracked because life has always a way of patching up differences, and of reconciling angst. It tells us that we can all learn from each other's struggles because basically another man's actions will ultimately reflect our own. I feel that the story renders a lesson in life that is subtle and yet powerful. Reading it will take you to deserts, to fear, to strange relationships, to absurd ideas, and to pleasurable encounters with admirable and funny characters.

I loved this book!

Having spent some time in Israel and having become more and more interested in the country and it's people I was excited to discover this book set in Israel, on a kibbutz. However, as I read, this book provoded me with a greater understanding of the complexities and the daily fears of the characters. Because Amos Oz has done such a wonderful job at interpreting the inner struggles and dreams of his characters it becomes a way to understand so much about the subject matter. I cannot reccomend this book highly enough. It is unique and expertly written. Read it.

This hauntingly captivating novel explores our true nature

A Perfect Peace is hauntingly captivating. It is set in Israel, yet its story will grip readers everywhere. The reason? By using its characters to represent the inner workings of our own souls, our very beings - it is relevant to all. In his story of a kibbutz in the mid 1960s, Oz is one of the first to deal with the issue that has arisen since dreams became reality in the establishment of the state of Israel: corruption. Oz observes with amazing detail the flaws within legendary figures, the harsh effects on the women and children, the treatment of arabs; in effect, what happens to all beautiful, idealistic dreams - human nature. Oz, in what distinguishes him as an author, goes beyond the issue to examine the very heart of the matter which is often forgotten, the true people involved. In this, A Perfect Peace is honest and uncompromising. The characters are all engaged in their own way of searching. They are all encompassed with a feeling of desperation. Yonotan is restless, as the son of the kibbutz secretary he feels the effects of being the first generation raised in the experimental ideals of kibbutz life. He is desperate for meaning and love. He feels, as we all do, isolated and a need to find peace within himself. He leaves because of the restraints of kibbutz life. Yolek, his father, must deal with having deeply hurt his wife and son. He is disturbed by the corruption of the state he worked so hard to bring into existance and shuts himself down because he cannot deal with the raging in his soul. Rimona, Yonotan's wife, is the only one who remains together despite the intense strageness around her. Many say she is not mentally stable, that she's a little off in the head. In reality, they are just trying to explain her simplistic approach to life, her immediate acceptance of everything. Inside, though, she is tortured by the loss of a baby daughter. Finally, Azariah. The newcomer to the kibbutz is full of ideals and flails wildly about looking for admiration and acceptance everywhere. While Yonotan looks for his peace in being on his own, Azariah looks for his in being accepted,and in others, Rimona, in normalcy and routine, Yolek in power and the fulfillment of dreams. All of the characters in Oz's rich drama illustrates the story of our own existance. The story of our desperation, our longings, our flaws, our quest for understanding, and most of all, our search for our own perfect peace. Whether or not it can be found, Oz doesn't say. But his portrayal of the search is what captivates us. A Perfect Peace is a beautiful novel that should be read by all who strive to understand.