THE LADIES AUXILIARY: Tova Mirvis: Ballantine Books: Fiction: 336 pgs.Batsheva moves into a strong Orthodox Jewish community in Memphis, Tennessee. She is a convert to Judaism and a recent widow trying to find a close-knit community in which to raise her young daughter. Batsheva is shockingly modern and fervently spiritual and from the very beginning the other women in the community don't trust her.
As Batsheva adds her own twists to rituals, traditions and holidays some women in the community are inspired while others are shocked. When several of the teenage girls become close to Batsheva and then make some bad decisions, she is the first one the community blames.
The author, Tova Mirvis, grew up in a neighborhood similar to the one portrayed in this novel. She does an excellent job of conveying the everyday happenings of an Orthodox Jewish community in the South. She also explores the effect fear and intolerance can have on everyone involved. There is a lot of humor in the book and it was fascinating to learn about a different religion.
AL
1 comment:
I also enjoyed the cultural aspects of this novel. Though, towards the end I found myself skipping some of the descriptions of rituals and holidays.
The voice was entertaining but I felt it was restrictive since I was told what all the "members" of the community felt and did, but the actions and thoughts of the "outsiders" were never explained. Maybe that was the point, but I finished the book still wanting a little more light to be shed on several of the main characters.
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