--- product_id: 11850032 title: "The Assistant: A Novel" brand: "bernard malamudjonathan rosen" price: "€ 36.67" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.at/products/11850032-the-assistant-a-novel store_origin: AT region: Austria --- # The Assistant: A Novel **Brand:** bernard malamudjonathan rosen **Price:** € 36.67 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Assistant: A Novel by bernard malamudjonathan rosen - **How much does it cost?** € 36.67 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.at](https://www.desertcart.at/products/11850032-the-assistant-a-novel) ## Best For - bernard malamudjonathan rosen enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted bernard malamudjonathan rosen brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Assistant: A Novel ## Images ![The Assistant: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41BqddH-hOL.jpg) ![The Assistant: A Novel - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/417FkQQGiEL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This Masterpiece is all about Redemption. *by D***G on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 16, 2022* Sadly there are only a handful of books that you find yourself spending a lot of time discussing with anyone who cares to listen, a book that changes your perception, that helps you look at life from a somewhat different perspective, that touches your heart.Bernard Malamud's book The Assistant is that kind of Gem.The change that Frank, one of the main characters, undergoes, is gradual and great and, for me it defines the word Redemption. The story is also about Love and Obsession, for the two may at times be inseparable, and in Frank's case it certainly is.Malamud makes all the people in the book solidly real, full of many of the biases, contradictions, loyalties that virtually all of us carry within us.I found this book deeply moving, and for a long time I could not find the words to explain how and why. But, now I think I found what it is. At least for me, this story, these characters speak directly to my Soul.There is a hard to find movie version of the Assistant, which is fairly good, but as expected nothing as good as the book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well-written story *by B***A on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 11, 2013* I enjoyed this story. It never felt dated even though the book was first published in the 1950's. The story takes place in New York around 1925 and focuses on one family, a poor Jewish grocer and his wife and adult daughter. The economy is bad, so times are tough, and the grocer has never been a particularly inspired businessman. Under strange circumstances he takes on an assistant he really can't afford. The relationships that develop between this assistant and the grocer's family is intense, in both positive and negative ways, and transformative for all involved. I liked the way the story ended also. Elements of the story include the religious biases of the time between Jew and non-Jew, the economic struggles in the poor economy, the disappointments borne by the daughter who is in her twenties but without prospects, the disappointments of the grocer who has struggled all his life with nothing to show for it, and the internal struggles of the assistant with himself regarding the kind of person he is and how he always manages to ruin his luck. The character development is impressive. There's a great deal going on in this tale. ### ⭐⭐⭐ dreary, depressing, overrated *by H***N on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 28, 2020* Just hasn't aged well. I'll try to finish but it's a crawl for a short book. Seems like an aging writer that was pushing at this point in his career (didn't bother to check on Wikipedia but it was one of his later works). There's a sense of a intellectual Jewish writer who was cribbing his tone from James M. Cain and so on. I'm a little mystified how this book can be put on the same level as A Walk on the Wild Side which some do. That book isn't an easy read either, but it is a work of genius that will endure forever. This one can't endure because it never got there in the first place. Malamud should've stuck with Morris the grocer who he clearly knew well and left his imagining of an Italian hoodlum in the drawer. --- ## 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.at/products/11850032-the-assistant-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.at/products/11850032-the-assistant-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Austria* *Store origin: AT* *Last updated: 2026-05-13*