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摘要
摘要
Widely applauded when it was published last year, Pearl Abraham's debut novelThe Romance Reader possesses that quality that distinguishes all great fiction-a freshlook at the universal truths that bind us together. Like Chaim Potok, who revealed the OrthodoxJewish world from a young man's perspective in The Chosen, Abraham explores new ground, offering readers a tender story of a young Hasidic woman facing the challenges of growing up and the demands of her religion. Rachel Benjamin is the daughter of a quixotic rabbi who dreams of building a synagogue in thesecluded upstate New York bungalow colony where his family now lives. As the rabbi's eldest daughter, Rachel is expected to set an example for her five siblings and for the other girls in the community: she must wear thick opaque tights with seams; she is forbidden to wear a bathing suit in public; and she can never read books in English. But like all young adults, Rachel bristles at the stringent rules set by her family and her religion, rebelling in ways that become increasingly apparent. Whether sneaking sheer nylons in and out of the house or applying for an illicit library card that will allow her access to the romance novels that she loves, Rachel is determined to do things her way. Dreaming of a life that mirrors that of the heroines in her favorite novels, Rachel craves the independence she will never have as a Hasidic woman in an arranged marriage. And yet, as her impending marriage draws inevitably nearer, the pulls of family and faith weigh against the frightening and unknown world beyond her own. This coming-of-age tale is both unusual and familiar-an intriguing, heartfelt look at the power offamily and religion in the Hasidic community and the universal desire to leave the nest.
评论 (5)
出版社周刊评论
Abraham shows strong talent in her debut novel, the story of a young girl's coming-of-age in an ultraorthodox Hasidic home. The reader soon cares deeply about narrator Rachel, the eldest of six children, who yearns for some of the forbidden fruits of the secular world. Her rebbe father is another endearing character; he dreams of establishing a major synagogue and learning center even while he desperately looks for a 10th man for a minyan for his sparse congregation. Most of the story takes place in a suburban community that receives an influx of Hasidim in the summer months; for the rest of the year, the rebbe's family is the neighborhood curiosity. Rachel is a dutiful child who tries hard to please her mother, an angry woman who belittles her husband's dreams and wants to be part of one of Brooklyn's larger Hasidic enclaves. Rachel's glimpses of the larger world come from casual and often uncomfortable encounters with non-Jews and secular Jews in her town, but especially from romance novels, which she reads secretly. Her seemingly flagrant behavior (she refuses to wear seamed, opaque stockings, opting instead for seamless, and will not wear a cover-up over her bathing suit while teaching young girls to swim) brings shame to her family and endangers a marital opportunity for her brilliant younger brother. Despite her resolve to establish a more independent life, Rachel agrees to an arranged marriage, both to make her family happy and as a first step toward a new existence. When this match goes awry, Rachel's solution is both funny and bittersweet. Abraham's intense, sensitive prose and her ability to create vivid scenes and memorable characters augment this authentic, often disturbing, look at Hasidic home life and beliefs. Literary Guild featured alternate; author tour. (Aug.). (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
《书目》(Booklist)书评
Rachel, romance reader and the oldest of seven children, is only 12 as the novel opens and grows into a 19-year-old married woman in the course of Abraham's first novel. This surreptitious reader of romance novels breaks the rules of her Hasidic parents with her visits to libraries and growing independence of mind. Rachel and her sister take advantage of their mother's visit to Israel to take lifesaving lessons and apply for jobs at a private pool. These adventures leave Rachel totally unsuited to the conventional arranged marriage she finds herself in near the novel's end. Abraham provides a great introduction to the Orthodox Jewish culture at the core of this work with her references to the common everyday practices and the clash of growing up different in such a family. --Denise Perry Donavin
《学校图书馆杂志》(School Library Journal)书评
YAAs the oldest child of Rebbe (Rabbi) Benjamin, Rachel, 12, is expected to follow the traditions of her ultra-Orthodox Chassidic family, and to set a good example for her six siblings. She must be modest, chaste, and obedient, even though, she is bursting to explore the world of her classmates. She wants to be a lifeguard, but wearing a bathing suit is ``improper.'' Her parents protect Rachel from straying from the right-and-righteous way, or bringing shame to herself and her family. Every issue becomes a battle of wills, with Rachel always pushing the limits and sidestepping the restrictions. She surreptitiously obtains some coveted romance novels, which are her only source of sex information prior to her arranged marriage at age 18. Rachel is a memorable character, capable, spirited, intuitive, and difficult. Her mother is brilliantly drawn as a complex, high-strung woman who wants the same kind of life for her daughter that has made her own so unhappy. This fast-paced, easy-to-read, coming-of-age story weaves Chassidic laws and customs into Rachel's first-person narrative. Students will sympathize with the girl's struggle to create a meaningful path that differs from that of her family and friends.Judy Sokoll, Fairfax County Public Library, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus评论
Promising debut by Brooklyn teacher Abraham, the seemingly autobiographical story of a young woman growing up in the hermetic world of ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jews. Rachel is the oldest of seven children of a rabbi and his unhappy wife, highly traditional Jews living in a small town in upstate New York. A bright, inquisitive, and rebellious girl, Rachel defies the conventions of this tightly self-enclosed community: She wears beige pantyhose, tries hard to get a borrower's card from the local library, resists the arranged marriage her parents yearn for. At the same time, her father struggles tirelessly to establish his own synagogue in a community dominated by adherents of one of the older Hasidic sects, while his wife argues just as vehemently against his efforts. Abraham recounts this coming-of-age story with affection and insight. She makes few concessions to the possible ignorance of non-Jewish (or assimilated Jewish) readers, choosing an austerity of method that has the positive effect of giving an unflinching portrait of a world not open to outsiders. To her lasting credit, the author shows a balanced picture of Hasidic traditions and the emerging complexities of a family's lifeundercutting initial perceptions of what the parents' relationship must be like and readers' expectations of a cardboard opposition between a rebellious ``modern'' daughter and her ``repressive'' religious upbringing. Instead, we get a complex family portrait that even manages to suggest the limitations of Rachel's way of seeing her parents and community. The story does begin to run out of steam in its second half, and the title is unfortunate, suggesting an anthology of bodice-rippers rather than a serious novel. Still, an intelligent first novelpoignant and thoughtfulfrom a writer to watch. (Literary Guild featured alternate; author tour)
《图书馆杂志》(Library Journal )书评
Suzanne Toren's heartfelt reading of this first-person narrative lends authentication to this fascinating novel (Riverhead, 1995). In Rachel's Hasidic world, the women wear dark clothes and opaque stockings, even at the beach. Women appear demure to the point of submissiveness. But are Hasidic Jews really so different? Perhaps not. Rachel, a rabbi's daughter, is supposed to set a good example for the community. Unfortunately, she doesn't fit comfortably into the mold that has been chosen for her. However, crossing the line between devout and modern doesn't create instant happiness. Nor does education. Rachel is a voracious reader, and her dreams are embellished upon by the stories she reads. We follow Rachel from teenager into adulthood, from hope to disillusionment. Toren's accents evoke the old country. Although the book becomes repetitious toward the end, the uniqueness of the story makes it compelling. A good purchase for larger fiction collections.Jodi Israel, Norwood, Mass. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.