The Ladies Auxiliary [Turtleback]

Tova Mirvis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2001

When free-spirited Batsheva moves into the close-knit Orthodox community of Memphis, Tennessee, the already precarious relationship between the Ladies Auxiliary and their teenage daughters is shaken to the core. In this extraordinary novel, Tova Mirvis takes us into the fascinating and insular world of the Memphis Orthodox Jews, one ripe with tradition and contradiction. Warm and wise, enchanting and funny, The Ladies Auxiliary brilliantly illuminates the timeless struggle between mothers and daughters, family and self, religious freedom and personal revelation, honoring the past and facing the future. An unforgettable story of uncommon atmosphere, profound insight, and winning humor, The Ladies Auxiliary is a triumphant work of fiction.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The world of this confident, insightful debut novel is the tightly knit Orthodox Jewish community of Memphis, Tenn., a social structure that unravels when an unconventional New York convert settles there with her five-year-old daughter. Newly widowed Batsheva Jacobs is both shockingly modern and fervently spiritual. She lovingly raises her daughter, Ayala, in the Orthodox tradition, but she sings loudly and enthusiastically at shul (perhaps a sign of unseemly ego), visits the mikvah to cleanse herself (an act that raises eyebrows, since she has no husband), and she wears flowing clothes that show her figureAall of which is noted suspiciously by the local women whose common goal is to preserve tradition. In Memphis, where Shabbos dinner includes fried chicken and black-eyed peas, that task isn't easy. Taking a job as art teacher at the girls' school, blonde, green-eyed Batsheva is soon a beloved confidante of the community's female teenagers, but when she allows them to wear makeup and miniskirts on a ski trip, and becomes close to the Rabbi's beloved 22-year-old son, she's the subject of cruel gossip. After one of her students runs away with a non-Jewish, older boyfriend, Batsheva is blamed. The narrator, one of the housewives fiercely protective of the insular community, tells the story in third-person plural: "little changed in this city where we have always lived"Aa statement rendered untrue, of course, as the community breaks into discord. Caught in the middle are Ayala and the respected and goodhearted Mimi Rubin, the rabbi's wife, who begins to believe rumors about her son's attachment to Batsheva, and panics. Generous with humor and compassion, Mirvis paints tenderly nuanced portraits of strong female characters while scrutinizing an entrenched religious subculture whose traditions are threatened by modern temptations. Guilt, passion, prejudice, loneliness and independenceAcommon themes in Jewish literatureAare explored with sensitivity in a gentle story that captures its milieu with tolerant understanding, and plucks the heartstrings. Agent, Nicole Aragi. 7-city author tour. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Life in Memphis's Orthodox community is as it always has been, until a free-spirited widow arrives with her young daughter. Now alone in the world, Batsheva is looking for a close-knit community and has heard that Memphis, the hometown of her late husband, is pleasant. Uninhibited and artistic, she raises suspicion immediately among the Orthodox women in the community. A convert to Judaism, Batsheva observes the holidays and rituals with more joy and abandon than some believe appropriate. When she becomes the art teacher at the Jewish school, the teenage girls finally have a sympathetic ear. Unfortunately, their rebelliousness and the decision of the rabbi's son to leave yeshiva have to be blamed on someone. As the outsider, Batsheva becomes a scapegoat for all the ills in the community. A well-wrought tale of fear and intolerance that is universal.AKimberly G. Allen, MCI Corporate Information Resources Ctr., Washington, DC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606197370
• ISBN-13: 978-0606197373
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,466,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one's for the book clubs, May 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ladies Auxiliary: A Novel (Hardcover)

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.

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life among Southern Jews, August 30, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: The Ladies Auxiliary (Ballantine Reader's Circle) (Paperback)

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!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Ladies Auxilliary, a Timeless Tale, January 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ladies Auxiliary: A Novel (Hardcover)

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.