tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘This book is about shadows. The shadow of the past on our past.’
Meet Rhonda. Meet Judith, and her sister Belinda. And as you gradually become familiar with their lives, their loves, their fears and their pasts, you’ll find yourself wondering what the future holds. For each of them, and for those who matter to them.
While each of these women thinks they want an ordinary, uncomplicated life, it’s never going to be that easy. Why? Well, apart from the fact that the past has its own impact, there are the shoals of relationships to be negotiated. And there is magic as well. Judith and Belinda have a family mystery to explore: just who is this great-grandmother that non-one talks about? Judith’s past includes wonderful children. Can she ever move out from under the shadow cast by family violence? And Rhonda? Free-lance work through an agency may have its benefits, but her manager is not one of them.
In Rhonda, Judith and Belinda, Ms Polack has created three quite different women. Their lives are separate, although they intersect and overlap. For me, Rhonda was the most intriguing character. I found myself, in a quite motherly way, concerned about some of her choices and hoping that things would work out. Judith held my attention as well: her wonderful children Nick and Zöe, her lemon tree, her interest in magic. While I don’t care in the least about pink tutus (and I may or may not believe in magic), there is a certain unicorn that I’d like to meet.
‘It’s very humiliating to be laughed at by a lemon tree.’
I enjoyed this novel, with its gentle reminders of the complexities of life. I was reminded too, and less happily, of the horrors of the Canberra bushfires in 2003 and of the impact of violence on people and communities. Ms Polack has written a novel in which well-developed characters grapple (sometimes successfully) with the kinds of issues many of us are familiar with. Either through our own direct experience, or the experiences of friends and family members.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Meet Rhonda. Meet Judith, and her sister Belinda. And as you gradually become familiar with their lives, their loves, their fears and their pasts, you’ll find yourself wondering what the future holds. For each of them, and for those who matter to them.
While each of these women thinks they want an ordinary, uncomplicated life, it’s never going to be that easy. Why? Well, apart from the fact that the past has its own impact, there are the shoals of relationships to be negotiated. And there is magic as well. Judith and Belinda have a family mystery to explore: just who is this great-grandmother that non-one talks about? Judith’s past includes wonderful children. Can she ever move out from under the shadow cast by family violence? And Rhonda? Free-lance work through an agency may have its benefits, but her manager is not one of them.
In Rhonda, Judith and Belinda, Ms Polack has created three quite different women. Their lives are separate, although they intersect and overlap. For me, Rhonda was the most intriguing character. I found myself, in a quite motherly way, concerned about some of her choices and hoping that things would work out. Judith held my attention as well: her wonderful children Nick and Zöe, her lemon tree, her interest in magic. While I don’t care in the least about pink tutus (and I may or may not believe in magic), there is a certain unicorn that I’d like to meet.
‘It’s very humiliating to be laughed at by a lemon tree.’
I enjoyed this novel, with its gentle reminders of the complexities of life. I was reminded too, and less happily, of the horrors of the Canberra bushfires in 2003 and of the impact of violence on people and communities. Ms Polack has written a novel in which well-developed characters grapple (sometimes successfully) with the kinds of issues many of us are familiar with. Either through our own direct experience, or the experiences of friends and family members.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
anna_hepworth's review against another edition
5.0
Difficult to get in to at the start, partly because the story starts rather abruptly, slowly fleshing out the characters and their relationships instead of spelling them out up front, and partly because there are some fairly intense aspects that I had to walk away from, interrupting the flow of the story.
Once I got in to it, this story of the somewhat ordinary lives of supposedly ordinary people galumphed along at quite a rate. I did find some of the later plot details a little forced, but my guess is that for each of the really weird 'real world' plot elements, someone I know can tell a story that roughly matches that -- that life is weirder than the things that are credible in fiction (and it seems weird, that in an urban magical story, it is some of the more 'real world' details seemed too far out there).
For some, the ending will be unsatisfying -- many of the story threads don't resolve, in the same way that they did not start abruptly at the beginning of the story -- there is less a resounding finish than a gradual fade to black as the characters move away from the view of the writer.
Disclaimer: Gillian is a friend. While I don't think the fact that I heard the book read in her voice changed the way I related to it, knowledge of her politics and views on a number of topics gave the book a greater resonance that I might have expected without that background.
Once I got in to it, this story of the somewhat ordinary lives of supposedly ordinary people galumphed along at quite a rate. I did find some of the later plot details a little forced, but my guess is that for each of the really weird 'real world' plot elements, someone I know can tell a story that roughly matches that -- that life is weirder than the things that are credible in fiction (and it seems weird, that in an urban magical story, it is some of the more 'real world' details seemed too far out there).
For some, the ending will be unsatisfying -- many of the story threads don't resolve, in the same way that they did not start abruptly at the beginning of the story -- there is less a resounding finish than a gradual fade to black as the characters move away from the view of the writer.
Disclaimer: Gillian is a friend. While I don't think the fact that I heard the book read in her voice changed the way I related to it, knowledge of her politics and views on a number of topics gave the book a greater resonance that I might have expected without that background.
rivqa's review
4.0
A wonderful, subtle, almost tricksy book. At first glance, the protagonists' challenges may seem inconsequential, but it soon becomes clear that's not the case, not with the book's nuanced treatment of domestic violence, estrangement from family, antisemitism and politics. Beautifully written, too: I particularly loved the dialogue.
(Disclaimer: the author is a friend of mine, which hopefully hasn't unduly influenced my admiration of her talent. Gillian, I didn't throw it against the wall! Pluralities of existence!)
(Disclaimer: the author is a friend of mine, which hopefully hasn't unduly influenced my admiration of her talent. Gillian, I didn't throw it against the wall! Pluralities of existence!)
laurenmitchell's review against another edition
5.0
I feel that this is one of those books that I will come back to and appreciate something new in it each time. On the first read-through, the one I have just completed, I felt most drawn to Rhonda's story.
I really liked how matter-of-fact the usage of magic was throughout the book. It went so well with how matter-of-fact everything was: there wasn't a whole lot of infodumping about the characters' backstories; everything just came out organically. It seems like that's something basic that any book should provide, but unlike some books I've read I never had a sense of frustration that I didn't know enough about the characters to understand what was going on.
There is just so much gentle wisdom in this book that I know I'll be rereading it more than once.
Spoiler
I felt an affinity with her, and I spent most of the book sure that it would turn out that all her online friends would be other screennames of her own. The fact that they didn't speaks to Gillian's ability to challenge her readers' expectations, and it's only one example of how she does.I really liked how matter-of-fact the usage of magic was throughout the book. It went so well with how matter-of-fact everything was: there wasn't a whole lot of infodumping about the characters' backstories; everything just came out organically. It seems like that's something basic that any book should provide, but unlike some books I've read I never had a sense of frustration that I didn't know enough about the characters to understand what was going on.
There is just so much gentle wisdom in this book that I know I'll be rereading it more than once.
calissa's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The author is a friend. I have done my best to give an unbiased review.
The Wizardry of Jewish Women is a complex book of literary fantasy that focuses on the lives of three women. Judith and Belinda are sisters who have just inherited two trunks of their great-grandmother's papers. Rhonda is a historian and prophet whose historical articles trigger a need to blurt modern-day prophecies on the same topics in online chat rooms.
The book has many of the typical themes and characteristics of the author's previous novels. It is a very feminist book, with Judith explicitly identifying as feminist and being involved in political activism. The domestic sphere is valued, as the story focuses on the daily lives of these women and their relationships. Judith and Belinda trade many phone calls as they try to sort out the mystery of their great-grandmother's papers, and it seems fitting that the magic spells they find are mixed up with old family recipes. Judith must also contend with raising two kids on her own. Rhonda's domestic life looks different, as her home also functions as her workspace. Being cut off from her family, she is very much alone and finds company instead with a few valued friends both locally and online.
Family is certainly an important theme of the book, but for me the heart was about ethics. When Judith discovers that her great-grandmother's magic actually works, she is tempted to use it against her abusive ex-husband. However, Jewish magic should not be used to harm, as Belinda's research informs her, and Judith is faced with setting a good example for her magically talented, young teenage daughter. Belinda herself must decide whether to withdraw to safety when her synagogue is firebombed or whether to stay and support the community. And Rhonda must deal with privacy violations from her own ex-husband and from online enthusiasts keen to root out the mysterious online prophet. She also fends off sexual harassment from her case manager at the temp agency.
As is typical of the author, there are some unusual things going on with the style. There's something interesting going on with the numerology of the chapters. Each chapter is comprised of numbered sections. The amount steadily diminishes, making each chapter progressively shorter. Judith's story also slips back and forward between third- and first-person, often with little or no warning. These choices made it a challenging read, particularly in the beginning when the chapters are long and I didn't yet have a grip on who was who and what the relationships were. This is not a book that spells out parallels or connections clearly. Rather, the reader has to work for them.
All in all, I found The Wizardry of Jewish Women was a challenging book, but rewarding. It's definitely my favourite from this author so far.
This review first appeared on Earl Grey Editing.
The author is a friend. I have done my best to give an unbiased review.
The Wizardry of Jewish Women is a complex book of literary fantasy that focuses on the lives of three women. Judith and Belinda are sisters who have just inherited two trunks of their great-grandmother's papers. Rhonda is a historian and prophet whose historical articles trigger a need to blurt modern-day prophecies on the same topics in online chat rooms.
The book has many of the typical themes and characteristics of the author's previous novels. It is a very feminist book, with Judith explicitly identifying as feminist and being involved in political activism. The domestic sphere is valued, as the story focuses on the daily lives of these women and their relationships. Judith and Belinda trade many phone calls as they try to sort out the mystery of their great-grandmother's papers, and it seems fitting that the magic spells they find are mixed up with old family recipes. Judith must also contend with raising two kids on her own. Rhonda's domestic life looks different, as her home also functions as her workspace. Being cut off from her family, she is very much alone and finds company instead with a few valued friends both locally and online.
Family is certainly an important theme of the book, but for me the heart was about ethics. When Judith discovers that her great-grandmother's magic actually works, she is tempted to use it against her abusive ex-husband. However, Jewish magic should not be used to harm, as Belinda's research informs her, and Judith is faced with setting a good example for her magically talented, young teenage daughter. Belinda herself must decide whether to withdraw to safety when her synagogue is firebombed or whether to stay and support the community. And Rhonda must deal with privacy violations from her own ex-husband and from online enthusiasts keen to root out the mysterious online prophet. She also fends off sexual harassment from her case manager at the temp agency.
As is typical of the author, there are some unusual things going on with the style. There's something interesting going on with the numerology of the chapters. Each chapter is comprised of numbered sections. The amount steadily diminishes, making each chapter progressively shorter. Judith's story also slips back and forward between third- and first-person, often with little or no warning. These choices made it a challenging read, particularly in the beginning when the chapters are long and I didn't yet have a grip on who was who and what the relationships were. This is not a book that spells out parallels or connections clearly. Rather, the reader has to work for them.
All in all, I found The Wizardry of Jewish Women was a challenging book, but rewarding. It's definitely my favourite from this author so far.
This review first appeared on Earl Grey Editing.
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