Reviews

I think, in a way, this book is far more about Judaism and the experience of queerness in a Jewish community than it is an against-the-odds lesbian romance. The latter of which I think I, and a lot of people, went into it thinking it was. That's not what it's marketed as, but I think the new movie coming out has more than implied that. It took a while to sort of re-wire my brain to enjoy the story for what it was, but I did. I didn't particularly like a lot of the characters, which the exception of maybe Dovid. Ronit is an extremely unlikable character, but I don't need my characters to be nice people to like them, so I was more than okay with her. The representation of Esti and Ronit's queerness were far from conventional, but there were moments in the text where I really enjoyed the depictions of their sexuality, even if I didn't like them as a couple. I also really learned a lot (this is starting to sound like a book report rather than a goodreads review, sorry!) about the Orthodox Jewish community, and it was nice the way Alderman didn't really try to tell you how to feel about the way these characters lived, but it wasn't without comment.

kitt_can_read's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

devrose's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

3.5

I loved the musings on Torah at the beginning of each chapter; they’re a great way to give the reader insight into the community’s way of thinking. I just wanted sources because I felt like I was learning something!

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