The Same Sea

by Amos Oz

Book Overview

"In a world full of hype, noise, and confusion, the simple lucidity of The Same Sea is totally unexpected." -- New York Times Book Review

The Same Sea is Amos Oz's most adventurous and inventive book, a novel of lyrical beauty and narrative power. We meet the middle-aged Albert; his wife, whom he has lost to cancer; his prodigal son, who wanders the mountains of Tibet hoping to find himself; and his son's young girlfriend, with whom Albert...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156013126
• ISBN13: 9780156013123
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

deserves to be read more than once

This book illustrates the way in which a gifted author can use words to paint a world filled with beautiful and haunting imagery. Although it was initially hard to keep the story line straight, it was worth the effort. The language hovers on the line between prose and poetry and each section can stand on its own or be read as part of the whole. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Stetches the bounds of conventional fiction!

Accountant Albert Danon lives in the seaside town of Bat Yam, Israel. His wife, Nadia,dies of cancer. Their only son Rico, leaves Dita, his girl-friend in Israel, to travel through the mountains of Tibet and finds himself sleeping with Maria, a Portuguese woman. Meanwhile, Dita, who has been cheated of her money and left with no place to live, convinces Albert to let her stay with him.Here's a poignant story of one family, each member or aquaintance trying as hard as possible to establish control of his life. That's not always as easy to achieve as it seems. The novel describes, in both in prose and poetry, how several people try to achieve that end. The novel slips so easily from prose into poetry and vice versa, that even readers who are not particularly interested in poetry may not mind this writing technique. Although it's a melancholy story, it's also an intriguing look at how several people relate to one another and how their goals at some times in their lives tend to either attract or repel others close to them. At one point, the author himself shows up as a character! That is really an interesting occurence and a situation not oftened encountered in most novels. THE SAME SEA is not hard to read. However, because of the style in which it is written, it would lend itself to being read more than once. For sure, it deserves to be read at least a first time!

beautiful - ezeh yofi

This book is gorgeous. I disagree with the last reviewer who contends that Oz was too lazy to weave disparate strands of thought and expression into a book. Rather, I would suggest that each poem-page constitutes a ripple of consciousness, of awareness, of people and of Israel. I also think that the latitude this medium allows him with language lends itself very well to the story. Approach the book with an open mind (prepared not to view stories linearly) and you will fall in love.

Oz's Glittering Words

An amazing book. Spare language sprinkled as if jewels across the pages. We know very little about the cast of characters and yet they feel like family by the time the story is finished. I will be reading this book again.

Musical and Poetic--Oz's finest work

I was blown away by this book--infused with sadness, longing and ache, all the while remaining a surreal, engrossing tale. It's very intersting how subtly Oz weaves his politics into the book, but never gets distracted from his character's emotional lives. A literary classic--this is the work of a master at the height of his powers.