Charming and folkloric in pacing and style, but full of modern themes and attitudes towards morality. It is very quickly clear that the exact settings aren't an important part of these stories. Their magic lies in the choices of the characters and the emotional impact of the stories. Some of the stories were very strange in a good way, and some in a not-good way. Overall, I enjoyed the book and it gave me a lot to think about.

Words I learned from this book:
Lamedh-Vov: the 36 saintly people who justify to God that humanity does not need to be destroyed.
quotidian: daily, ordinary
maggid: (from Hebrew for “narrator”) an itinerant Jewish preacher
dybbuk: a malevolent wandering spirit that enters and possesses the body of a living person until exorcized.
febrile: feverish
yahrzeit: (from Yiddish) the anniversary of someone's death, especially a parent's
beadle: a ceremonial officer of a church, college, or similar institution.
zaftig: (from Yiddish for “juicy”) having a full, rounded figure; plump.
carillon: (from French for “peal of four bells”) a set of bells in a tower.
connubial: related to marriage, conjugal
trousseaus: the clothes, household linen, and other belongings collected by a bride for her marriage.
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I'm not exactly certain how to describe this book. It's an odd collection of stories featuring persons unlikely to be called saints, but which, to some extent are. It is based on the idea there are 36 such persons. Some of the tales are disturbing. Others are easier to read. I read this because of a book club read. It's not something I would normally pick up. It's definitely a different sort of read and will appeal to those who don't mind some strangeness to their reading content. ( )

This somewhat non-descript looking trade paperback original is one of the best debuts I’ve read in a while. It's a wonderful and amazing collection of connected stories that are infused with folklore and mysticism. Each of the dozen-or-so stories is a quick portrait of a supposed one of “The 36 Hidden Ones” from previous generations… one of the only 36, truly-righteous people that exist at any one time.

These are inventive pieces that have timelessness, playfulness, and mysticism that reminds me of my favorite bits of Salman Rushdie and Italo Calvino.

By the time I had read the intro and the first story or two I realized this is a pretty exciting discovery... GREAT STUFF. ( )

So this was a collection of unconnected stories. It had golems, angels, demons, and miracle healers but it really wasn't a swords and sorcery fantasy collection. It tended more toward "magical realism". Some of the stories ended rather abruptly but most had a nice message about everyday people that could be considered saints. Sometimes the message was a bit subtle but I think I got most of them. ( )

This was an interesting premise for a collection of tales, but in the end, it wasn't really my thing. I even had a hard time making it through the "author's" preface -- the story of the scholar who studies lost Jewish traditions and communities -- which struck, I thought, a rather clunky tone.

I love the idea that there are 36 good people who are keeping the earth from being destroyed. If you're interested in modern fairy tales, this is probably worth checking out, and it's a quick read. ( )