The Ladies Auxiliary ~ by Tova Mirvis, 1999, fiction (Tennessee), 8/10
When free-spirited Batsheva moves into the close-knit Orthodox community of Memphis, Tennessee, the already precarious relationship between the Ladies Auxiliary and their teenage daughters is shaken to the core. Tova Mirvis takes us into the fascinating and insular world of the Memphis Orthodox Jews, one ripe with tradition and contradiction. This novel illuminates the timeless struggle between mothers and daughters, family and self, religious freedom and personal revelation, honoring the past and facing the future.
I rated this book 8 out of ten (meaning it's "very good"), and I live in a retirement center provided by the Jewish community in St. Louis. The Crown Center is overflowing with activities and has a lot of very lively and involved residents. I mentioned this book to Gert as we passed each other in the hallway, so she read it after I did. In the meantime, Alyssa said she wanted to read it, too. When Gert gave it back to me, she said Edie wants to be on my list of readers. Alyssa read it and returned it to me, so I'm on my way now to hang it on Edie's door and tell her that Randi wants it next, when she's finished reading it.
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| Judy, Donna, and Nancy shelving books (that's a very young volunteer on the floor) |
Then it will end up in the Crown Center's small library, where others may decide to join our line of folks wanting to explore the Orthodox Jewish community of Memphis, Tennessee, in a novel written by someone who obviously knows her subject.
4 comments:
That's so wonderful that you have a community of readers around you. You should all have lunch to talk about the book! I felt that way about "The Samurai's Garden" when 11 of my colleagues all read it within a few months of one another. We all loved that we all loved the book. Hope you are doing well!
I've met over lunch to discuss several books with other residents, and we do have a regular book club here at the Crown Center for Senior Living. Randi works in the office, so she probably wouldn't be able to meet with us at lunch in our Circle@Crown Café. I read the book in August, so I'd probably forget details by the time several people finish it, but it's an idea.
By the way, I loved The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama and have read it more than once. The first time was before I started this blog, so it's only mentioned in passing:
http://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com/2007/08/language-of-threads.html
The list is growing. I was with Barbara when Randi stopped to tell me she's reading the book, so now Barbara wants to read it after Randi. That's six of us (so far) reading the same book, not counting whoever read it before I got it: Bonnie, Gert, Alyssa, Edie, Randi, Barbara. Who's next?
Sounds like a wonderful book. I have not read much Jewish fiction. I will add it to my library hold list.
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