Sotah [Hardcover]

Naomi Ragen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 1992

Dissatisfied with her arranged marriage, beautiful Dina Reich flirts with a charismatic married man and finds herself condemned by Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. By the author of Jephthe's Daughter. 30,000 first printing. BOMC Alt. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ragen's second novel (after Jephte's Daughter ) revisits the insular world of ultrareligious Jews, focusing on the Reich family's three daughters and how they fare in the elemental rite of passage--marriage. In the Haredi community (made up of Jews who observe "the tiniest dictate of law" and have "boundless contempt" for all things secular), a matchmaker handles--and sometimes mishandles--nuptials based on dowry, piety and family ties, and only incidentally on love or compatibility. Harsh as these customs may seem, Ragen's detailed and thoughtful evocations of daily life in such an enclave offer insights into its members' beliefs. The drama centers on the Reichs' devout middle daughter, Dina, who tries to reconcile her desires and dreams within the confines of her narrow world. How she becomes a sotah (a woman suspected of adultery), her banishment from see ing her husband and young child, and the ultimate reconciliation of her strict faith with the meaningful aspects of a secular society form the heart of this very readable, but at times simplistic novel. Ragen is most successful when she tells the story from the vantage point of the haredi world, less so when her characters are secular Jews. A stronger work of fiction than Jephte's Daughter , the narrative holds the reader's attention throughout.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 5 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1st edition (September 22, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 051758977X
• ISBN-13: 978-0517589779
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,416,357 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!!