I thoroughly enjoyed the humor drenched in both the novels. My personal favorite was Motl, with his childlike quips and anecdotes. Only qualm is the sad one, that the book was never finished so the story was neither. Tevye was more of a story to warm into, despite seeing the musical, but regardless I found Sholem Aleichem’s blend of comedy and tragedy to be masterful and a highlight. I feel like especially Tevye the Dairyman requires some sort of understanding of Jewish history, particularly Russian Jewish history in the shtetl, as well as biblical scripture, but I imagine it can be read and enjoyed without.