The Seventh Beggar

by Pearl Abraham

Book Overview

Set in the Chasidic world of Monsey, New York, a brilliantly original, provocative novel about storytelling and the limits of creation. The Seventh Beggarbegins with a contemporary young man's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573222852
• ISBN13: 9781573222853
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 355 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

By Accident!

By accident, I happened to be in Barnes & Noble at the same time Pearl Abraham was giving a reading from her book, The Seventh Beggar. This was fortuitous for me; I was not familiar with Ms. Abraham's work and after listening to her wonderful presentation, I bought the book and read it in two days. It is a beautifully written story about stories and storytelling. I enjoyed reading The Seventh Beggar immensely and am now reading other works by Pearl Abraham...such a talented writer. Gloria Casey, Ct.

Intriguing! I loved it!

If you read to fall asleep, this book is not for you. I found it a challenge, but a good one. I agree with the reviewer who wrote that "the pursuit of the pure soul was a matter of asking the right questions rather than of memorizing the right answers. That, in essence, is what each of Nachman's stories illustrate; and that is also what Abraham, to her credit, points us toward in this absolutely brilliant novel."

A Modern Tale

I have enjoyed Pearl Abraham's other books and was looking forward to this latest release, The Seventh Beggar. This is wonderful tale that weaves together characters from the past to the present - Abraham is a brilliant storyteller. There is so much food for thought in this book you won't be hungry for a long time. Congratulations Abraham!

A challenging and rewarding read

Abraham's work challenges conventions of narrative and the result is a complex and rewarding piece of real literary value. I was riveted from beginning to end and can't wait to use this book in one of my classes -- its themes of creation and story-telling would make it a complement to any great piece of fiction, but the characters are accessible to everyone. As an English professor, I am consistently disappointed with the quality of works that pass as "fiction" these days. There is no such disappointment with Pearl Abraham's "7th Beggar."

Her best book yet

I've enjoyed Pearl Abraham's previous novels but this one is her best book yet. The summary above makes the story seem complicated, its not. But it is a story that defies summation. Any summary of the events in the book misses the point. So I will not summarize the book. But I will say this. This book is about stories and story tellers. We meet a famous story teller whose final story was left incomplete. A family matriarch tells her tales at the family table. A badchan (a ritual storyteller) tell an unusual tale at a wedding feast All stories and storytellers are connected and this book explores these connections. Everybody has a story to tell, and this is a good one.