Sotah [Mass Market Paperback]

Naomi Ragen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1993

Raised under the strict laws of a Jerusalem haredi sect, Dina Reich enters an arranged marriage but is tempted by another man, a transgression that brands her an adulteress and results in her exile to America. Reissue. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Ragen's latest look at the women of Israel's Orthodox communities (after Jephte's Daughter), a rabbi's daughters deal with love and the fallout of adultery. The story begins as three sisters reach marrying age with limited options due to family finances and the inherited disgrace of an adulterous ancestor. The eldest at 20, Dvorah dutifully accepts the hand of a man who is short and overweight and slurps his soup. Meanwhile, independent-minded youngest sister Chaya Leah meets secretly with a Hasid (improper marriage material) about to enter the Israeli army. The saddest of the three, middle child Dina, must give up her first love and marry instead a laconic woodcarver. Eventually, unfulfilled emotional needs and a lecherous neighbor drive her to sin; after the Morals Patrol catches up with her, she's exiled to New York. Detailed descriptions of weddings and sexual politics offer much insight, showing both the strength and limits of the Orthodox code of conduct. The pleasures of Ragen's book arise not so much from her characters or plot but from thought-provoking comparisons of Israeli Orthodox and American Jewish life. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

Love-conquers-all genre takes on deep philosophical questions as Ragen (Jephte's Daughter, 1989) continues her exploration of orthodox Jewish life in this story of a woman accused of adultery- -the sotah. The setting is the ultraorthodox milieu of Jerusalem, where the men study the Torah in yeshivas while their wives bear numerous children, clean and cook, and find outside work to supplement their meager incomes. Here, heroine Dina's struggle to be independent and still religiously observant provides the more profound concerns of a story that, despite its religious background, is basically your typically rosy fade-out into a technicolor sunset, with all problems--and they are not insubstantial--wrapped up in the last chapter. Dina Reich, the beautiful and dutiful daughter of Rabbi Reich and his remarkably energetic and saintly wife, yearns for love, for knowledge of a wider world than the narrow one she is confined to. A brief romance, ended because her family could not pay the requisite dowry, means that Dina must accept a husband chosen by the sect's matchmaker and approved by her parents. She marries good but painfully inarticulate Judah, a carpenter; bears a child; then, bored and lonely, begins a relationship with a more worldly neighbor. Though it's not consummated, religious vigilantes threaten her, and at their behest she flees to New York, where she works as a maid for a wonderful family, who, when she breaks down, do all they can to bring about the inevitable happy ending. Not only is Dina reunited with Judah, whose virtues she now appreciates, but she also finds a satisfactory compromise between the comforting security of religion and tradition and the more fulfilling aspects of sectarian life. Richness of faith and family lovingly evoked, with the other side--religious and cultural intolerance--equally given its due, but it all seems too easy. Philosophy lite. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Harpercollins (Mm) (December 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061007072
• ISBN-13: 978-0061007071
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,888,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, May 28, 2003

By 

J. Kelley "dahozho" (Mid-Atlantic coast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sotah (Readers Guide Editions) (Paperback)

This novel is a great page-turner! I admire Ms. Ragen's ability to build both atmosphere & characters at the same time. While the outside world (including jews of other streams of Judaism) usually views the women of the Haredi world with either pity or contempt, the portrait of the women here is sensitively rendered. The distance of new arranged marriages is definitely there, along with how these marriage partners adjust and grow during different phases of their marriage. Excellent novel, hope it stays in print for awhile. Toda rabah, Naomi!!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I ever read, February 3, 2002

By 

Diane Brosh (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sotah (Readers Guide Editions) (Paperback)

I read this book a long time ago but I remember I couldn't put it down. Ragen takes you to many different places. She very effectively points out the consequences of being an orthodox Jew. I'm Jewish and I found this book terribly enlightening. I'm so glad to see her books are back in print. I've recommended her book to many people but they were unable to get it. She is a great writer.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WORTH EVERY SINGLE SHEKEL, September 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sotah (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this phantastic book at a book store in the opera tower in Tel Aviv, Israel.. I started reading right away and have to say, after ending it: it's worth every shekel; it's one of those books/stories you wish never to end. It gives the reader a authentical view (as I imagine) of the life of religious Jews in Israel.... I loved it and HAVE to recommend it to everyone!!