Seems like this is a popular book with the LDS reader. It should be! There are so many parallels between the Observant Jew community in the book and an active LDS community. Really, you get any group of like-minded people, whether it's through religion or race or whatever, and you're going to get a lot of the same situations: A newcomer to the community makes people question their own roles and lives and question the newcomer's motives. The community doesn't readily accept the newcomer, and is too willing to blame her for any change that may occur within the community. In this story, our newcomer is Batsheva, a Jewish convert from New York, and the community is a close-knit community of Jews in Memphis. I also found many, many parallels in the observance of Judaism to my own religious and spiritual upbringing. I loved some of Batsheva's observations of faith and her quest for learning. She really wanted to know *why*, and I completely related with her in that. The narration was interesting: It was a first person narrative of a group. Always "we", never one specific person. In this way we really saw things as the community saw it and I think it helped get rid of a lot of the bias you get from having one character narrate.The book actually felt really sad for a lot of it, but in the end there is hope. I'll take it. I look forward to my book club's discussion, and this is one I'll read again. I really enjoyed this book, like really really enjoyed. Its about a women's group of Jewish women in Memphis. I think any woman who has been apart of religious womens group, an outsider, or anyone who is afraid of an outsider disrupting the group, can relate to this book. Its written so you hear the voice of the group worried about the outsider, which was insightful since I've had much more opportunity to feel like the outsider. It helped me realize maybe "the group" wasn't mean spirited, but instead threatened to the core that this unconventional outsider might ruin the only life they know or understand.As I finished the book, I was slightly disappointed it didn't have more closure, more of a fairy tale ending straight out of a Disney movie, but then again that is what I always complain about Americanized stories, or about modern literature. So I guess it was a breath of fresh air that the story ended realistically. On a side note, it had terrible book group questions in the back.
What do You think about The Ladies Auxilliary (2000)?
I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed what I learned about orthodox jews and their culture and traditions.
—bbyxlu
Loved the characters. Loved the insight into Jewish communities. Loved the setting. Great story.
—hajer
I enjoyed reading about this small orthodox jewish community - nice slice of life.
—Sillydillydonut
Mom/daughter book club (Mom)Tennessee theme
—zaratah
