It was sweet, so sweet, she (Jenny) thought, to be part of something bigger than yourself, to be joined together with a whole that accepted you and let you mingle your voice with theirs, your clapping hands with theirs. All her pent-up sorry and isolation welled up inside her small chest and flew out of her heart in the songs, like a great shout of joyous pain, it flew from her, rising and hovering and disappearing like polluting smoke dashed against the sky by the clean wind. (p. 97)For all the trappings of impermeability, all the careful constructed dams and intricate stone breakwaters put up by parents to reserve the cherished values of the past, the streets of Orchard Park were flooded by the immense power of the American dream,which swept away effortlessly the minds and hearts of the American-born children who lived there. Their parent never even suspected. (p. 107)Tamar is thinking for herself, a change of character:Girls were supposed to go from their father's house to their husband's house. They were always under some man's protection and control. I always used to think it was strange that even though our school was all girls, and almost all women teachers, that we always had a male principal. I guess that's one of the reasons I don't want to go to a rabbi now. I don't want another man telling me what to do. None of them were there to protect me when I needed them. I want to make this decision myself. (p. 218)Sometimes she wondered if people had really be ome frumer--sincerely more religiously observant--or simply farchnyokt, outlandishly obsessed with making up new strictures that helped them showily display their superior piety, similar to the way people had once bought cars with bigger and bigger tail fins. Would the Jews of Orchard Park ever decide that less was more, the way people had concerning their cars? She somehow doubted it. (p. 268)
The only highlights in this book was the opening chapters. It was heartbreaking to learn about Tamar sexual violation and how she tried to keep it hidden from her husband. Trapped in a marriage of guilt and shame, she tries to hold her values dear to her but is afraid of being exposed as a frail victim. Other than that, the lack of consistency was appalling. Not to mention how poorly these characters were written, none of their virtues shined. Also there were too many things going on at once,way, it had more unanswered questions then solutions.I have read Naomi Ragen other novels and enjoyed them. I love her writing style and how she turns fictional characters to memorable ones, but this one fell short on many areas. The plot quickly lost it's direction and starting shifting from unknown to relevant characters. Needless to say, I was gravely disappointed in how it turned out.Naomi Ragen is a talented writer but this one was not her best work.
What do You think about The Sacrifice Of Tamar (2002)?
This excellent novel offers a rare and detailed glimpse into the lives of Orthodox Jewish women and couples and the struggles they face to maintain their faith in the modern world. The questions raised in the book strike to the heart of the religion it explores. How do we interpret ancient writings? To what extent do the interpretations depend upon the interpreter? And how do we stop walking the religious tightrope that is orthodoxy to find our own understanding of God? The plot is gripping and the message has many layers. This was a satisfying read.
—Barbara
About a devout Jewish woman who is raped, and whose pregnancy turns her world upside down. I'm giving this three stars because it was a quick read and I did not want to put it down once finished.That being said, I kind of hated it. I feel like Ragen barely tried. The rape scene was so unrealistic, the characters are all flat and predictable, and I was seriously irritated with Tamar. It's hard to read a book when you can't stand the main character. Did anyone else majorly doubt the fact that she goes home and has sex with her husband immediately after the rape? Does that not strike anyone as completely absurd?As for its message on the Orthodox community in Orchard Park, I get it. Yeah, they can be extremely close-minded and their women are raised to be married and nothing else, but I don't think it's at the point when a woman can't report a rape without worrying about becoming ostracized.Blech.
—Sylia
I have read some of the other reviews of this book and I think I read the book differently. I saw the 'plot' (rape of an ultra-orthodox jew by a black man) as a vehicle to explore an extreme 'what if?' situation. In particular, following the written 'rules' that have to be obeyed by orthodox jews. The rules are detailed and complicated and Tamar doesn't really understand them but she can't ask anyone (particlarly her husband) as she fears she will become cast out by her family and friends. It is the dilemma of her situation and the choices she has to make, faced with the constrictions of her faith, that drive this book. The rest is just detail. I felt that 'the rules' are like the tail wagging the dog - that people are so caught up in following the rules and working out the right thing to do they lose sight of instint, human feeling, love and trust. So I found it very interesting. Outside of the story, what I feel about ultra-orthodox jews and their relationship to gentiles is neither here nor there.
—Lynn Preston
