--- product_id: 60449027 title: "A New Life: A Novel" brand: "bernard malamudjonathan lethem" price: "€ 36.24" currency: EUR in_stock: false reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/60449027-a-new-life-a-novel store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # A New Life: A Novel **Brand:** bernard malamudjonathan lethem **Price:** € 36.24 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A New Life: A Novel by bernard malamudjonathan lethem - **How much does it cost?** € 36.24 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/60449027-a-new-life-a-novel) ## Best For - bernard malamudjonathan lethem enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted bernard malamudjonathan lethem brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![A New Life: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/417OsXg4euL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars Go West, middle-aged moralist *by J***S on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 31, 2015* Even though I felt there were weak points in this novel, it contains enough classic passages, often hilarious, and portrays such a memorable character (type) that I will surely have many occasions to refer to it in conversation and will keep it on my bookshelf so that I can read parts aloud to friends.Sy Levin is the tortured moralist par excellence. His combination of solid liberal mensch and hopeless romantic schlemiel rings true for the human oh so human who struggle to find a place for themselves on this strange planet. Levin seeks that place in a small town in the American West after a dismal past in the urban East.But you’d never know you were in for such Sturm und Drang from the book’s opening, which goes along in the most mundane manner. I was contemplating putting the book aside but fortunately kept reading long enough to encounter one of those “classic passages.” Much of the book does consist of episodes in the life of a typical college teacher; they are competently written but hardly the stuff of enduring literature. Yet somehow they all come together with the more intense passages to create a pleasing and memorable whole.My complaints have to do with those intense parts, however. I found some of them unconvincing, especially the first time Levin suddenly opens up about his past. It was just too jarring a contrast to the rather colorless personality we had been introduced to up till then. But after that, the more passionate Levin we have now come to know becomes very real indeed.But another complaint is that the other characters in the book then become, by comparison, mere occasions for Levin to strut his stuff. Now they are the ones who seemed to me to be rather shallow or one-note, and sometimes also speaking and feeling in a manner that was just too rational or else literary.The book’s ending [partial spoiler alert], while not unpleasing, exemplifies a standard literary motif, as also at the end of Dickens’ Great Expectations and Bellow’s The Victim and Elena Ferrante’s Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, which is only to say, against the odds happiness comes, maybe. The ending also cleverly plays on the book’s title.All in all, a book I certainly recommend. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars Great up until the end *by A***R on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 1, 2022* The first three quarters of this novel was my favorite from Malamud. There are some really insightful passages and memorable characters. This one feels larger in scale than many of his other works. That said, the last 50 pages or so were not great and really hurt the novel as a whole. I still recommend it but it’s a darn shame Malamud couldn’t find a better way to wrap this one up. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Great writing! A great author! *by D***S on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 16, 2009* >A New Life< is great writing! A thoughtful, intriguing romance:page 237: Once she drew back back a lock of hair . . . and revealed an ear pinned like a jewel to her head . . . . Lord, thought Levin, how beautiful women are, and how hungry my heart is.page 202: Pauline rubbed her wet eyes against his shoulder. "I sensed it. I knew who you were.""I felt a new identity.""You became Levin with a beard."page 216: Love? Levin eventually sighed. Is it love or insufficient exercise?. . . Consider once more her lank frame, comic big tootsies, nose flying, chest bereft of female flowers . . . . He wanted no tying down with ropes . . . (he) had to have room so he could fruitfully use freedom. If ecstasied out of his senses, he let down his guard . . . Lord help Levin!In an enigmatic forward, Malamud quotes from >Ulysses< by James Joyce, "Lo, Levin leaping lightens . . ."Come experience Levin's amazing journey! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/60449027-a-new-life-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/60449027-a-new-life-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-04-24*