The Covenant [Paperback]

Naomi Ragen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2005

Living in terror-torn Jerusalem, Elise Margulies constantly fears for the safety of her loved ones. Confined to bedrest during a difficult pregnancy, she happily awaits the return of her husband and little girl from a ballet recital, only to find that her worst fears have finally been realized. All seems lost until a phone call to her grandmother in America unexpectedly revives a decades-old oath, creating a force that transends time and place, to rescue her loved ones. Over the course of five terror- and hope-filled days, the ties that bind two generations forge a potent alliance against contemporary evil.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ragen, an American writer who's lived in Israel for more than 30 years, blends tragedies of the past with headline news of today in her gripping, emotionally charged sixth novel. It's 2002, and the Margulies family—oncologist Jonathan; his pregnant, American-born wife, Elise; and their daughter, Ilana—are contentedly living in a Jerusalem settlement, until one day, on their way home, Jonathan and Ilana are kidnapped by Hamas. Elise's frantic call to her Bubbee Leah in Brooklyn reunites four women—now grandmas and great-grandmas—who, as girls, made the titular covenant: if they survived Auschwitz, they would become "one person, risking everything, giving everything, to help each other live in happiness all the days of our lives." Leah gathers up fellow New Yorker Esther, now a cosmetics millionaire; Paris nightclub owner Ariana; and Polish political activist Maria to help find the kidnap victims. It's a race against time, as the women wield their considerable influence and the Israeli army desperately tries to intercede with the kidnappers before the captives are killed. Ragen weaves in deeper, more serious undertones than the thriller plot suggests, touching on the stubborn pride and the serious purpose that keeps Israelis fighting (or, in some cases, not fighting) for their fragile country, "the land that God promised to the Jewish people in his Covenant to Abraham."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

When Elise and Jon moved into their home in Maaleh Sara, Judea, they didn't realize that they would soon be considered "illegal occupiers" and that terrorists might be "laying in wait." Indeed, one day the unthinkable happens: Jon and the couple's young daughter, Ilana, are taken hostage at gunpoint and ransomed for an impossible political price. When Elise calls her grandmother Leah in America, she sets in motion a series of sprawling events that spring, at least in part, from an oath made at Auschwitz. Blending past and present, Ragen outlines some of the hugely complicated issues that exist in the Middle East today, and though her political sympathies seem clear early on, as events play out and more characters (perhaps too many) enter the mix, there are some welcome surprises. Innocents become political pawns, and politics becomes personal in this raw, poignant novel wrapped around a decades-old conflict. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312335067
• ISBN-13: 978-0312335069
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I attended The Hebrew Institute of Long Island. I then decided that I wanted to be a writer. I got a B.A. from Brooklyn College, while simultaneously attending Sara Schneirer's Hebrew Teacher's Seminary in Boro Park. I loved God. I still do. But it wasn't so clear to me whether people who wore the black outfits and wigs were truly more pious, or just stuck in some social groove. I got a Master's Degree in Engish from Hebrew University in 1977. I only started writing novels when I was in my late thirties, after the birth of my fourth child.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Will Remember This Covenant!, January 25, 2005

By 

Nancy R. Katz "NancyK18" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Covenant (Hardcover)

The Covenant by Naomi Ragen, which is set in Israel also flashes back to the Holocaust where four women make a pact in this case to be known in the future as a covenant. The covenant is not only to survive Auschwitz, but to help each other in the future when any one of them is in trouble. And this time each of them is called upon to help when in Israel the husband and young child of one of their granddaughter's is kidnapped by the Palestinians. While we read about Elise Margulies, her husband and daughter, it is her elderly grandmother who recalls her days in the camps. Through her memories we come to know Ariana, Maria and Esther. After the war each of them continues in the their own way to right some of the wrongs of the world, but never have they banded together through even their grandchildren to save Elise's family.

Naomi Ragen, the author of this book, has written several previous books which were also set in Israel. Born in America she has lived in Israel for the last three decades. It is because of Ms. Ragen's first hand knowledge of the area and issues that the events in the book are well described. And the characters, especially the members of the covenant, will become truly inspiring to readers everywhere. This was a compelling and interesting read with questions concerning the Mideast for which there are few answers. I recommend this book to readers who enjoyed books like Exodus by Leon Uris and War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Ripped from the Headlines"--and still thoughtful, August 17, 2005

By 

L. Ligett "lligett" (Toronto, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Covenant (Hardcover)

So many books, TV shows, and movies that feature stories "ripped from the headlines" end up being shallow or callous. While this is not the perfect book, The Covenant managed to exceed my expectations.

Although some characters are a bit under-developed, the story of the Covenant between the elderly women is wonderfully told through flashback memories and their current actions. I also appreciated the portrayal of a terrorist attack. It humanized the victims and some of the terrorists without making the terrorists sympathetic. This is certainly a tricky thing to do!

There is certainly a pro-Israel bias to the story, which should not surprise anyone. However, this is fiction, so I can stand a bit of editorializing and artistic license in the portrayal of good and bad guys. All in all, if you have any interest in the Middle East or are just looking for a compelling story with interesting characters, The Covenant is worth your time.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Portrait of Reality, September 6, 2005

By 

Gary Selikow (Great Kush) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Covenant (Hardcover)

This is a novel based on the reality faced by the people of Israel , a reality which a prejudiced and biased media will not tell you about.
. The reality of a people living in the shadow of Arab terror , relentless , brutal terror aimed at driving the Jews out of their ancient homeland.
It also brings us face to face with the ugliness of the international media , in their campaign to prepare the world for the genocide of the Jews in Israel.

The reaction of British journalist to the murder of a Jewish baby by an Arab sniper encapsulates the callous hatred of the British media towards Israel's Jews too well " Oh , a settler's brat got herself shot and then the IDF went in and demolished someones house'.
It is 2002 and pregnant Elise Margulies receives the news that her husband , Dr Jonathan Margulies , a cancer specialist at Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, and their five year old daughter Illana have been kidnapped by Hamas. The evil organization , epitomised by the psycopathic monster Marwan Bahama , threatens to execute both of the hostages unless their insane demands are met.
When her 'Bubbee' Leah in Brooklyn , hears about this she gathers together three of her old friends , all survivors of Auschwitz , to fulfil an oath they made in the death camp, to always act as one.
Also in play are the British media, featuring self-hating Jewish journalist Julia Greenberg , , who sees Arab terrrorists as dowtrodden noble savages , and blames their own Jewish victims , and who manages to slant even this cruel act , to show more pro-Palestinian propaganda , so typical of the British media today, which would make Josef Goebbles proud.
The Covenant is a story of how the People of Israel love life -theirs and those of others (such as the many Arab patients treated by Dr Margulies) .
It is a portrait of reality.
It is a portrait of the strength of the Nation of Israel.
The Jewish Nation has survived many enemies - the Egyptians , Amalekites , Phillistines , Babylonians , Greeks , Romans , Spanish Inquisiotrs , Russian and Polisg pogromchiks and the Nazis , and will also triumph over the terror network of Hamas , Islamic Jihad , the PLO et al and their international supporters in the media and universities.
It highlights the indestructible spirit of the Jewish and Israeli people:
As Menachem Begin states : "If we learn and remember, we shall overcome our enemies, They will never succeed in enslaving us again. Never. Even if they overwhelm us we shall throw off their yoke...They will not break us.'

Those engaged in the current campaign to destroy Israel , should remember those words.