xtinamariet's review
4.0
A very honest, sad but ultimately hopeful story of one woman's path away from her marriage and her religious experience. I would have liked to heard more about her actual faith rather than just her observances of it.
kem1883's review
2.0
In the end, I read about 75% of this book, but I don't think I'll bother with the sections I skipped. I think what this, is a book of maybe 5 or 6 self-contained essays extended into twice that. The good parts are really good -- if you just read New Year, New You; Israel; Pizza; and Passover; and maybe Not Ours if you're really into it -- you'll be able to see most of Ms. Mirvis' journey and miss some of the more self-indulgent sections. I don't doubt that this was a difficult transition for her, but it gets very repetitive. I do wonder as did the people I read it with, if it would resonate more with me if I had ever been in a community as strictly structured her as hers was.
cully630's review
5.0
This book was AMAZING! I’ve wanted to learn about Orthodox Judaism for a while and this was definitely the best way to. The author explains the religion and also provides her criticism of her previous religion and how it didn’t mix with her personality and her beliefs. The book is back and forth in time but its amazing and SO EDUCATIONAL! There’s no doubt about how brave she is for making such drastic changes in her life where she knew she’d upend her entire life and she not only did it anyway, she blossomed.
nickimags's review
3.0
This was a fascinating account of one woman’s escape from a unhappy marriage, and a religion full of laws she no longer felt comfortable with.
I was drawn to this book as I’d been through a similar experience when I left my church community a few years ago. As I was reading this I was nodding my head, and also cringeing as I remember having had the same experiences as the author. I too went through the same feelings of relief and worry about not believing in the same way anymore. I remember worrying about how to behave if I encountered people in the street that I used to share Sunday mornings with.
I was equally fascinated and horrified by the author’s descriptions of all the laws Orthodox Jews have to keep, even the more liberal ones. It certainly opened my eyes to a whole new community of people I’d knew about but had never read about before.
It was beautifully written, and I recommend it if you enjoy faith memoirs.
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for my digital copy.
I was drawn to this book as I’d been through a similar experience when I left my church community a few years ago. As I was reading this I was nodding my head, and also cringeing as I remember having had the same experiences as the author. I too went through the same feelings of relief and worry about not believing in the same way anymore. I remember worrying about how to behave if I encountered people in the street that I used to share Sunday mornings with.
I was equally fascinated and horrified by the author’s descriptions of all the laws Orthodox Jews have to keep, even the more liberal ones. It certainly opened my eyes to a whole new community of people I’d knew about but had never read about before.
It was beautifully written, and I recommend it if you enjoy faith memoirs.
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for my digital copy.
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