Engaging Story

I read this novel engaged all through with Gila Green's story of finding God in family relationships.

Set in the near future in the Middle East, where Israel divides into two states, one secular and the other religiously following orthodox practices. Eve builds a life with her Rabbi husband Manny because she is visited by a yet-to-be-born son. In the second half of the book the son is in danger. Ms Green tells an engaging story while giving the reader insights into Jewish culture and practice.

Lee Joanne Collins

A Breath of Fresh Air

It has been a while since I have read such a unique novel. Gila Green paints a beautiful tale that follows a young woman through her philosophical challenges. This book is full of creativity as it is set in a future time, in a country that does not yet exist. Although the setting is foreign, the human characters' personality and motivations are easy to relate to. That contrast makes King of the Class a satisfying read.

The cover combines various themes throughout the book. The blue eyes, that seem to be begging for attention, are a portrayal of Ben's blue eyes that follow Eve and propel her through her journey. The Israeli flag, which catches my attention next, is a hint as to where the story takes place. Although, it is not quite the Israel that we know today. The soldiers on the bottom of the cover can represent the physical battles in the book as well as the philosophical schism.

The story line reminds me a bit of a Mary Higgins Clark book, in that you follow a character, meet her surroundings and peers, but do not know who will be most significant until the last few chapters. I also found it similar to a Higgins Clark book in that there is a touch of adult behavior, but nothing explicit.

I would say that this book is great for someone looking for an atypical novel that will tickle your intelligence and allow your mind to wander.

Ben H.

Gripping, A Real Page-Turner

I just finished reading King of the Class. This is a novel I could not put down. It is fast-paced, witty and imaginative, yet deep and insightful.

We are in Israel and the year is 2021. As an Israeli reader, I found this book to be very powerful as it captures the religious and political tensions in Israel with acuity and incisiveness. Yet, it is broader in scope. King of the Class is also about love, loss, and faith and will engage all readers.

Green's vision of the future made me smile. I dream of the day when I too can own a cyberpet watch dog complete with roll-down screen eyelids and a robomaid that does carpool and cooks. However, her future Israel made me shiver. I sincerely hope this tiny country will never be split by hatred and civil war. We must take Green's vision to heart and think deeply about where Israel is heading.

King of the Class presents a fine balance of magic realism, social commentary, humor and detective fiction. I don't want to give away plot details, so have a read and find out!

Nicole Nathan

Unique and Excellent Book by one of Israel's Great New Writers

Gila Green combines futuristic science fiction with a close, intriguing and comprehensive knowledge of Israel's past and present... the result is this unique and excellent book by one of Israel's great new writers.

Sari Friedman

The King of Something Different

Using masterful diction and dialogue, Green thoroughly explores all facets of how a single change within a relationship creates explosions within people. The explosions do not occur in a vacuum. They change everything around them. Roles, attitudes and perspectives are all touched. People have at least three choices when this happens. Accept them, reject them, or do nothing at all. Green examines the complexity of these choices within her characters and how they propel personal growth within them.

The tale is a wonderful mix that follows in the tradition of early Sheri S. Tepper novels. Well written and rich with literary devices that involve all the senses, Green has written a novel that puts us inside a world we become part of and are reluctant to leave at the end. While it is a political satire set inside a slightly futurist world, one does not have to be familiar with either of those genres to enjoy the book. Green does an excellent job of showing us time and place in subtle ways that don't interfere with the plot. Since Green writes about universal themes with believable characters, the book has cross-over appeal.

Holly Helscher

Welcome to the Fun House

Our heroine Eve is a Canadian immigrant to a future Israel which has divided post-civil war into two states, one fundamentalist religious and one secular. Her fiancé Manny, a South African immigrant, disappears from her bed, blows her out at the appointment to choose wedding invitations, disappears for a week, then re-appears in a yarmulke and drops a bombshell: he wants to be religious and wants her to be religious too.

It is no small feat to turn the religious lives of a few thousand Israelis into a drama you could make into a movie of the week. And the book is funny as well as angry and sad. Worth going along with for the wild ride.

Atar Hadari

Hooked from First Sentence

"Eve is alone in a kibbutz guest room. With her eyes closed she can smell Manny's cologne on the pillow next to her and she sneezes."

From the first sentence I was hooked straight into Gila Green's debut novel, King of the Class. The author handles a large cast well and it is hard to choose a favorite character, although Eve stands out as the most appealing. She carries the story throughout,with her distinctive attitude towards Manny and responsibility to Ben, the soul, and later, Ben her son. Gila Green is a great storyteller; I could not stop turning the pages to see what happens next.

I applaud Gila Green and was fascinated by her witty portrayal of the religious and cultural tension that is the backdrop of this book.

Pia W.

Original, Interesting, Page-Turning and Thought-Provoking

Gila Green's debut novel is absolutely captivating from the first page. It's original, interesting, page-turning and thought-provoking. It's a book you won't want to put down and one that you'll be thinking about when you have to. It's well-written with characters who jump off the page and into your heart.

King of the Class is set in post civil war Israel in the future (although not too far into the future) and explores the lives of people living in a constant state of questioning their personal lives, religious beliefs and the government. There's even a bit of magical realism thrown into the mix, which makes this novel even stronger.

This is one of those books that's almost impossible to predict: Green keeps readers guessing until the very end.

Amazon Customer