Customer Reviews

The Covenant

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
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1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Wow, where do I start? THE COVENANT has so much depth, with characters so rich you want to telephone them for an interview and a story so frightening that it will leave your spine tingling for days, if not weeks. With its contemporary theme, it brings the horror that was Auschwitz to the present, and contrasts that historical inhumanity with today's terrors.

American Elise Margulies lives in the holy land, thrilled to own a piece of it where she and her husband, Dr. Jon, can raise their toddler Ilana and unborn child. The one drawback to the house is its distance from the hospital where Jon gives cancer patients treatment and hope. In the past few months, it has become increasingly dangerous to drive through the rural areas so vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Refusing to live in constant fear, the Margulies family continues life as usual, in the naïve belief that something is being done to keep the roads safe. But then one day the unthinkable happens. The car in which Jon drove Ilana to her ballet recital is found, empty --- and riddled with bullets.

With no bodies at the scene, Elise allows herself to hope. But she has forgotten that death isn't always the worst that can happen. A videotape arrives, showing her husband and her daughter in the hands of Muslim extremists, making unmeetable demands in exchange for their lives. Elise despairs, until she makes a call to her Grandmother Leah.

A petite Jewish lady, Leah has survived Auschwitz. And she has friends --- three powerful, determined, loyal old women who formed the Covenant during their encampment. There is little the world can throw at them that would hurt them more than they already have been. Injuring a granddaughter or her family is one of them. The members of the Covenant join together once again, this time to free Jon and Ilana. These women do not have government's limitations or its political paralysis. Favors are called in and the rescue operation begins. But it's a sticky business, and keeping faith that Elise's family will return home becomes an almost insurmountable task. To make matters worse, Elise starts to worry that she will lose her unborn child from the stress of it all. She sorely needs Grandmother Leah's strength. Thankfully, Leah has strength enough for them both.

The author lives in Jerusalem, so despite the fact that this is --- technically --- a work of fiction, it is very real. Her knowledge of the tensions between the Palestinians and the Israelis stems from dealing with it daily. Everything about this story rings with chilling authenticity.

I came away from my experience --- and, yes, it is an experience --- reading this book with a far better understanding of who today's terrorists are and how they choose their course in life. Ms. Ragen exposes them as bloodthirsty extremists with no real care about peace or the teachings of true Islam. If peace were to settle over the land they claim to be fighting for, they would need to stir up trouble elsewhere, simply to feed their passion for violence. It is all they know.

It is very rare indeed that I consider a book a must-read, but THE COVENANT is a definite must-read.

--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

This book was marvelous. I have been a fan of the author for a while, and I think this is perhaps her finest book. I highly recommend it as a remarkable insight into the lives of Israelis today... and check out the author's website: naomiragen.com so you can read her regular columns. While I don't always agree with her, I find her thought-provoking and always timely... This book is not to be missed!

Naomi Ragen's latest novel is a powerful brief against Arab terrorism. That idea forms both its strength and its weakness. The book packs an emotional punch, depicting the horror and the wanton destruction that terrorism has wrought in Israel since the "second intifada" began. On the other hand, this book is not fully successful as a novel since nearly all the characters amount to one-dimensional figures, not real people. A British Jewish TV reporter, especially, seems to be the embodiment of the demonization of the media that one encounters all too often among pro-Israel writers. I share their support for Israel but not their palpable anger at the media. Ragen knows how to tell a story, but in several places, this book is just too "over the top" to be effective.

How can the Israeli people survive when brutal enemies surround them? The Palestinian terrorists are willing to commit any atrocity, including strapping explosives to themselves and detonating bombs in public places, in order to destroy and demoralize the Jewish people. The issue of terrorism and its consequences drives the new and timely novel, "The Covenant," by Naomi Ragen.

Ragen draws a parallel between the Nazi terror during World War II and the Intifada in the Middle East. Four women, Leah, Maria, Ariana, and Esther, met in Auschwitz, and they made a covenant that if they survive, they will join their lives together forever. They do survive, and many years later, the four elderly women are in touch sporadically. Leah's granddaughter, Elise Margulies, is living in Maaleh Sara, Judea, with her family. Elise is devastated when Hamas terrorists kidnap her husband, Dr. Jonathan Margulies, and their daughter, Ilana. Elise is pregnant and is in fragile health. She knows that the Israeli authorities have a policy of not giving in to the terrorists' demands. What will become of her family?

Fortunately, grandmother Leah has powerful friends in the Covenant. Esther Gold has made a fortune in the cosmetics industry and Ariana Feyder is a woman of vast influence who owns an exclusive cabaret in Paris. Both women marshal their considerable forces to find Dr. Margulies and Ilana before it is too late.

"The Covenant" works on some levels better than others. Ragen's characters too often border on caricature. The idea of rich and influential Jewish matrons who, with a few phone calls, can move mountains is an irritating stereotype. A heavy-handed subplot deals with an aggressive and ambitious British reporter named Julia Greenberg who sympathizes with the Palestinian cause. Will she get her comeuppance?

The most effective flashbacks are those that take place in Auschwitz. To research the events in this infamous concentration camp, Naomi Ragen listened to taped interviews by survivors who recorded their memories for the Shoah Visual History Foundation and for Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. The scenes in Auschwitz are poignant and heartbreaking.

The rest of the book is uneven. There are too many characters and too many storylines and the book eventually loses some of its focus. Ragen describes in detail how the terrorists plan to carry out their nefarious schemes. In another subplot, the author explores the isolated life of Esther's granddaughter, Elizabeth, who has converted to Islam and spends six months a year in Saudi Arabia as the wife of a wealthy Arab, Whalid Ibn Saud. Ragen also includes a young man named Milos, a Catholic filmmaker, who is the grandson of Maria, a member of the Covenant. Maria convinces Milos to do whatever he can to help Elise.

"The Covenant" would have been more effective had Ragen pared her story down to its essentials. She goes too far afield, flitting from one place to another and from one character to another, and this reduces the story's impact. I wholeheartedly agree with her message that terrorism is a cruel and inhuman way to make a political point. However, a work of fiction must stand on its own, and cannot be judged on whether the author's heart is in the right place.

A title is not appropriate for this review....should it be "Ragen's best" or "multi-generational thriller"?

There is no way to categorize this book, I think. It presents thought-provoking ideas about the Intifada, Israeli and Palestinian culture, and the Middle East as a whole. Other books by this author have been more involved in Hassidic (sorry if I spelled that wrong) culture.

Read other reviews to find out about the story (or read the book).

What I found most interesting is how the author pointed out how "history repeats itself". This was never stated, but that is what I found most fascinating.

Other than that, I pictured her characters, "warts and all"...I knew them through her writing. I felt some small understanding of the life of an Israeli today.

This is a book that is worth reading.

I always get totally immersed in Naomi Ragen's books, this one is no different. Elise, the main character, is an American immigrant to Israel, trying to make a healthy, happy transition to life and a future with her young doctor husband and family.
Then today's reality sets in, and everything normal is turned upside down.
Naomi tells this story with warmth, empathy and detail. It reads almost like a journalistic non-fiction story of a family caught up in today's political mayhem. I hope there will be a sequel. Of course I've hoped that with ALL of Naomi's books -- and instead she goes on each time to new characters, new situations, new and even better stories.

The Covenant is a novel full of incendiary material. In the post 9/11 world, we have all had to take sides in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the Arab/Israeli conflict which is at the heart of this novel.

No matter which side you are on, living through the lives of the characters in The Covenant can open your eyes. Ragen doesn't try to convince, doesn't argue points, doesn't indulge in diatribes or polemics. She simply shows you what the entire situation looks like from several different points of view.

When I started to learn fiction writing in my early teens, I learned that a writer sets an imaginary camera on the main character's shoulder and lets the reader view the entire situation through that camera lens.

The reader knows only what the character knows, and thus can enter into that character's emotional life through the character's point of view.

The Covenant uses many points of view which dilutes and disturbs the emotional bonding with the characters, but also promotes objectivity about the total situation. This is an example of excellent craftsmanship at its shining best.

Ragen does character sketch essays for each of the main characters so marvelous that they sneak up on you and suddenly you're wrung out with overwhelming emotion.

The novel amasses an astounding breadth and depth of facts that shower down upon you as you read. All those facts are juxtaposed and arranged with the spare clarity of a Japanese Brush Painting.

You don't have to judge whether the facts are true or not. You are riding on the shoulder of a character for whom that fact is true, and you can learn something about what it feels like for that fact to be true.

Only a novel can deliver an emotional reality with such clarity.

I recommend this book for beginning writers to study in depth.

Jacqueline Lichtenberg
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