Customer Reviews

The Ladies Auxiliary (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I LOVE this book. My book club read it and we had a great discussion. I could identify with all the characters. They are all amazingly well-developed and each one is unique and comes to life. The plot -- a convert moves into a close and insular world -- was fun and filled with suspense. I read it in one sitting because I couldn't want to put it down, (even though my husband kept asking me when I was going to be done reading!)

What made it even more interesting was that I have a friend who lives in the Memphis Orthodox Jewish community, where the novel is set, and she said it's exactly like the way Tovah portrays it in the book. Apparently, the people my friend knows there think they can figure out who all the ladies are. Maybe, but I think I know them too in my own community in New Jersey.

This was truly a memorable read made all the more so since a few weeks after reading this book, I listened to the author speak about this book in person.
Like the characters from The Ladies Auxiliaryairy, Tova Mirvis was raised in the Orthodox community of Memphis, Tennessee. And like some of the younger characters from this book, the reader wonders how much Ms. Mirvis questions the way she was raised among Orthodox Jews and their strict compliance to their religion.
The Ladies Auxiliary opens as the women of a suburban Memphis community prepare for the Sabbath or Shabbat, the holiest of days among Jews the world over. Into their midst, arrives Batsheva, a new neighbor. For this is no ordinary new arrival, but the young widow of a former resident of the communtity who comes with a daughter. As if that doesn't set them apart enough, Batsheva is also a convert. Almost from the beginning Batsheva seems different than the other women. It is almost as if she forgets everything they hold in high regard. How can a young woman question what the Laws of Moses and study of Torah (which only the men can do)has taught these women? Batsheva sets herself apart from the religious women and this community in the manner of her dress, compliance to certain household traditions and her attitude towards the other women. But worst of all, Bartsheva goes so far as to question rituals in the synagogue and a woman's right to participate in services. What Batsheva fails to realize is that in her own way she's having an effect on some of the congregation particularly the young Orthodox women she teaches. More importantly, the Rabbis son home from his Rabbinical studies for the summer, spends way too much time talking to Batsheva. Its only a matter of time before he also begins to question these religious ways, his interest in becoming a Rabbi and his ability to faithfully lead a congregation. And what the ladies of the auxiliary gradually suspected about Batsheva is happening before their eyes. Not only is Batsheva questioning their ways but somehow beginning to change their children and even themselves. And they cannot allow this to continue. Finally, how Batsheva with her visions of growth and change, and the ladies auxiliary with their time honored traditions will finally come to terms with each other is the stunning climax of this book. This is the first book by an author who certainly knows her material first hand and gives life to her characters. The ladies of this community are microcosms of many women each of us may know. They interfere, they're concerned, they tell tales, they mean well while they hurt other women, they want to eat foods which their religion forbids, they're funny, overwhelmed by their husbands and children, witty and humorous, repressed and sometimes sad. You can laugh at them, nod you're head in agreement with them or astonishment at their views, you may even know them or you may even be them. But you will never forget them or Batsheva. For it is the ladies of the auxiliary and Batsheva who form the very fabric and importance of this book. And the real strength of Tova Mirvis' book is in her portrayal of Batsheva, a wowan who forces the women and men of this community to hold up a mirror to themselves and question what they truly believe is important to them.
In the tradition of The Chosen and The Promise by Chaim Potok, Tova Mirvis allows her readers to enter the world of Orthodox Jews living and worshipping in a Southern communtiy. And it is a world we know much better after reading The Ladies Auxilary. Nwo I look forward to reading more titles by her in the future. Shalom!

This tale plunges the reader into the midst of a contemporary Orthodox Jewish community as it reacts to the presence of a young widowed convert and her daughter. Batsheva brings a refreshing enthusiastic approach to her chosen religion that acts as a catalyst in the community. Some find her differences dangerous, others are inspired by her actions. Written to reflect the women's view, the story is narrated in a communal voice. Yet each of the many characters is revealed by her own personal truth as she measures herself and her feelings against Batsheva's actions and opinions; the women in the Auxiallary, the high school girls, and finally the rabbi's son. Although it may appear orthodoxy is being challenged by change and modernity, the message gently reminds us that human beings even in orthodoxy must consult their hearts and minds to live a meaningful life. Ultimately both sides are given a sympathetic hearing. Along with a good story, the author paints an affectionate view of holidays and Jewish life.

but I just couldn't do it. As many other reviewers have said, it was slow-moving in the extreme. I skipped a good 200 pages and don't feel I missed anything except more gossip and the slow (achingly slow) poisoning of the town against the outsider.

The characters were fuzzy - it was hard to get inside their heads. Tova Mirvis has an annoying tactic of telling us what someone is feeling, instead of showing us. Thus we have sentences like, "Knowing that she would finally be leaving washed away a glare from her eyes and she saw that she had never belonged in Memphis. This had never been a real home to her, even if she had spent her whole life here." Awkward, stiff, and didactic.

But the worst problem for me is the lifeless writing style. Ms. Mirvis probably uses the word "said" one thousand times in the course of this book. No one exclaims, screams, spits, snarls, stutters, laughs, or giggles. No one even says anything witheringly, or confidently, or quietly. It's as if there are only two verbs and no adverbs in her dictionary. Her characters speak in great chunks of dialogue that suggest monologues rather than conversation - especially in the first half of the book when everyone's backstory is still being set up. This is annoying.

The best part of the book is the description of the Orthodox way of life. Ms. Mirvis can write beautifully when she's describing something tangible, like the night sky or a table laden with food. But she hasn't gotten inside her characters. She doesn't seem to know or care who they are, so she can't convey that information to us. All we see are outlines: beatific Batsheva, Mrs. Levy the battle-axe, Helen the sycophant, Mimi the voice of tolerance and reason. None of these people live. They simply walk from scene to scene, recite their lines, and exit on command. They're not real. And that's sad.

I found this book to be enjoyable reading for several reasons. Not only is the story of a young widow joining an Orthodox community in the South a unique and compelling one but the traditions and values of the Jewish community were intriquing and interesting to read about. The book revolves around a young widow and her young daughter who have moved to Memphis to begin a new life in a neighborhood where all the Orthodox Jews have known each other for years and years. The arrival of the new woman starts tongues wagging and the other women in the community are particularly intrigued by her rather unique ways of behaving - she manages to remain just within the acceptable boundaries of Orthodox Judaism but barely so. She wasn't raised as an Orthodox Jew but converted before her marriage. Even so, her fervor and passion are actually stronger than many of the women who were born and raised in the Orthodox tradition and they often fall short of her whole-hearted adherence and faithfulness to this way of life. There is a great deal of humor in this book and it is clear that the author is familiar with the lifestyle of Orthodox Jews living in the South, from the women's use of, "Shalom, Y'all" to their frequent discomfort with wearing the traditional long skirts and full-sleeved blouses in the heat. I look forward to reading more of this author's books in the future. This had some of the stiffness and erratic flow of a first novel but even so I found it to be a fascinating book to read.

There must be something to be said about being pregnant and on bedrest ~~ there are so many books out there I would have never dreamed of reading ~~ nor have the time to really appreciate reading ~~ and this book is definitely one of them! This book promises to touch your heart and soul ~~ especially if you like reading books about mothers and daughters.

It all begins in Memphis, in an orthodox Jewish community, where Batsheva moves into this tiny and close-knit community. With Batsheva's arrival, the precarious relationships between the Ladies Auxiliary and their daughters are shaken to the core. Their daughters long to be free of the traditions that they deemed to be restricting ~~ and their mothers are just as stubborn as to holding them to the traditions that make them the women that they are. And soul-searching questions have been brought into this book ~~ religious freedom ~~ what exactly is that? The struggles between mothers and daughters ~~ fighting against tradition and beliefs and self, and personal revelations. This is a book that every mother and daughter should read ~~ even if they are not Orthodox Jews.

I really enjoyed this book for its witty conversations ~~ how Mirvis takes you into each character's minds and souls as they struggle through each day with new revelations that comes their way. Mirvis brings the age-old questions into mind as you read this book ~~ just exactly what do women want from their lives as they work together in a religious community? What exactly do mothers expect from their daughters? What do their daughters expect from their lives and from their mothers? Mirvis explores those questions thoroughly in this book ~~ and also adds the old-fashioned southern charm and wit into this book! It's a guaranteed read ~~ you will not be able to put this book down till the last page is turned!!

6-26-02

The Ladies Auxiliary is cause for rejoicing. Tova Mirvis has permitted us to examine the delicious strengths and corrosive weaknesses of the tightly-knit Jewish Orthodox community of Memphis, Tennessee. Her atistry derives from the multiplicity of voices and perspectives used in detailing the heroic struggle of the novel's protagonist, Batsheva, to gain a sense of spiritual peace and community while exhibiting behaviors which go against the grain of an established, and ultimately, oppressive community.

Mirvis writes with extraordinary insight and compassion, both for Batsheva (whom she clearly respects) and the community (whose stability and values she admires and whose unwillingness to engage in self-examination she condemns). Batsheva's quests for belonging and religious authenticity become scapegoats for the other women in the community, who feel threatened by Batsheva's religious spiritualism and her uncanny ability to communicate with their daughters.

Those who extol ritual over authentic spiritual commitment may be uncomfortable with this novel. Mirvis herself writes about Orthodox Judaism's move to the right and warns self-satisfied members of her community that repressing young women's desires to know more of the world has more dangerous consequences than permitting them the right of discovery. Those who see themesleves in the Memphis community will receive the greatest pleasure, for the author has written a particular novel with universal implications.

Rest assured, you will immediately call other family members even before finishing this wonderful novel and urge them to savor the many gifts of Tova Mirvis.

In "The Ladies Auxiliary," Tova Mirvis delves into the world of the Orthodox Jews of Memphis, Tennessee. Mirvis exposes the close-knit nature of this community as well as the hypocrisy and the intolerance of some of its members. This novel could have been very heavy-handed, and at times the message that we must be open-minded and less judgmental is laid on a little too thickly. However, the author makes some very canny moves. Batsheva is an outsider who comes to Memphis as a convert to Judaism who was formerly married to a native of Memphis. Her husband had tragically died and she is now alone with her small child. Batsheva wants her child to grow up in a loving environment. She winds up shaking up the community with her "original" ideas and boundless enthusiasm to try new things. However, Mirvis does not portray Batsheva simply as a free spirit who is unjustly maligned by a parochial group of busybodies. Batsheva makes mistakes that are very serious and the members of the Ladies Auxiliary are not totally wrong about Batsheva's impulsiveness and her lack of judgment. Although Batsheva may have acted as a catalyst to bring out the problems in the community, she didn't cause them in the first place. Mirvis points out that we are all human; we are all flawed. Blaming one another for our problems instead of working together to solve them may not be the best way to go. The writing, although not always elegant, is honest, fresh and clear. We care about these characters and their problems. The author offers no pat solutions. Mirvis has done a fine job of shining a light on a special community, showing both its strengths and its weaknesses.

With a stunning, lyrical clarity, Ms. Mirvis elegantly depicts the unspoken forces and complexities that govern life within the vastly stratified orthodox community. Those in the know will immediately relate to her dead-on portrayal of the archtypical (and not so typical) citizens of such a community, but Mirvis' greater accomplishment lies in the fact that the book has not been written for the "insider." Rather, the story is told in such accessible terms that its characters and setting are appealing to readers of any background. By succeeding in this manner, she has elevated her novel well beyond the "Jewish Writers" genre, to something far more universal.

This interesting first novel by the 28-year old Mirvis takes place in an insular Orthodox Jewish community in Memphis. Nervous and suspicious after the arrival of a beautiful newcomer, Batsheva, in their midst, the women of the community react in various ways.

Batsheva is from New York, a convert to Orthodoxy when she married Benjamin, a member of Memphis' Jewish community . After he was killed in a car accident, she decided to move to Memphis with their daughter, Ayala, so the young girl could be brought up in the same community as her father was.

At first the community is intruiged by Batsheeva and her different ways. She is hired to teach art at the girls' high school and befriends many of her students. But when the girls become just a bit too independent and Batsheva is seen with the Rabbi's son Yosef, the suspicious women begin to blame many of the community's problems on her.

With their fear of the outside world and of non-conformity, the Ladies turn against Batsheva, the stranger in their midst. What follows is a latter-day witch hunt.

This book was narrated in the first person plural, which was very interesting and effective, as if the narrator spoke for the entire community of women. Mirvis did a fine job of explaining the rituals and customs of an Orthodox community and making the reader see both sides of this story. Especially interesting was that, although the men held the positions of authority, it was the "steel magnolias" of the Ladies Auxiliary who really ran the community. The men were rarely mentioned in the book and even Yosef, the rabbi's son, was hardly a well-developed character even though he played a major role in the book. I am sure that Mirvis did this deliberately, to show the great influence of the women.

The author has created an excellent depiction of the conflicts between this community and one of its members who wishes to remain an individual.