An observant wife by Naomi Ragen

Name of Book: An Observant Wife

Author: Naomi Ragen

ISBN: 978-1-250-26007-9

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Part of a Series: Sequel to An Unorthodox Match 

Type of book: Contemporary, orthodox Judaism, prayers, repentance, growing up, troubled teens, secrets, married life, love, beshert, life, sacrifices 

Year it was published: 2021

Summary:

From the joy of their wedding day surrounded by supportive friends and family, Yaakov and Leah are soon plunged into the complex reality of their new lives together as Yaakov leaves his beloved yeshiva to work in the city, and Leah confronts the often agonizing restrictions imposed by religious laws governing even the most intimate moments of their married lives. Adding to their difficulties is the hostility of some in the community who continue to view Leah as a dangerous interloper, questioning her sincerity and adherence to religious laws and spreading outrageous rumors. In the midst of their heartfelt attempts to reach a balance between their human needs and their spiritual obligations, the discovery of a secret, forbidden relationship between troubled teenage daughter Shaindele and a local boy precipitates a maelstrom of life-changing consequences for all.

Characters:

Main characters include Leah, a baalas teshuva who has recently married an Orthodox widower with five children, although she only cares for three, the eldest daughter Shaindele, and two younger siblings, Chasya and Mordechai Shalom. Leah is doing her best in this new life, and to an extent is succeeding, but then she is becoming disillusioned and isn't sure how to talk to her husband about her feelings. Yaakov is a widower who often feels guilty for negligence of his first wife, Zisselle, and often makes sacrifices to his lifestyle in order to atone for the past. Shaindele is a troubled teenager who is afraid of intimacy and is afraid of life. There is Fruma Esther, Yaakovs former mother in law who continues to be a strong presence in everyone's life, and of how she dares to change her life to being less lonely.   

Theme:

Fantasy is different than reality 

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative namely from Leahs, Esthers, Yaakovs and Shaindeles points of views. The tale immediately begins with marriage of Leah and Yaakov, but as time passes and Leah begins to attempt to live a life of an observant wife, both with beautiful and ugly events, as well as being on a receiving end from the ugly parts, she starts to question her choices and does a lot of growing. For a Jewish tale, I was surprised that there isn't a lot of information about Jewish holidays, and it's a bit surprising that the story covered about three years yet it seemed no Rosh Hashanah or Chanukkah or Purim celebrations run through the story. 

 
Author Information:
(From goodreads)

Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and playwright who has lived in Jerusalem since 1971. She has published seven internationally best-selling novels, and is the author of a hit play. Naomi also publishes a regular column that deals with Jewish subjects, especially Israel.

Opinion:

When I read AN UNORTHODOX MATCH,  a prequel to AN OBSERVANT WIFE, all I recall was how much Leah detested and disliked the modern world. I guess reading the sequel, one could call her naive when it comes to changes she has decided to make in her life. In this tale, can she carry on with her optimism, especially when catastrophes keep happening to her and her family? While I enjoyed this one, and it did surprise me in a lot of ways, I felt as if Leah was growing and becoming disillusioned, much to my sadness, because I wanted there to be more Jewish romances. Having said that, I sincerely do hope that Naomi Ragen will continue writing Jewish inspirational stories, ( or Jewspirational)    

This was given for review 

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)