The Outside World

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing¿ Doesn¿t Live up to the Promise of The Ladies¿
Review: I seem to be among the small minority who felt sorely disappointed in Tova Mirvis's second book, The Outside World. True, The Ladies' Auxiliary is a hard act to follow, but The Outside World is more than merely anticlimactic. In contrast with the lyrical quality and light touch which distinguish The Ladies' Auxiliary, The Outside World is heavy-handed and ponderous. While other reviewers and customers praise Mirvis for her detail and character development, I feel she violates that cardinal rule of writing: "Show, don't tell."

In fact, despite (or perhaps, because of) Mirvis's laborious narration of her various characters' inner lives, I did not come away from the book with a sense of who they really were. Bryan, Tzippy, and their various relatives felt like pawns, dutifully moving the plot where Mirvis wanted it to go. Rather than creating complex, multifaceted personalities, Mirvis gives each character one or two salient traits (Shayna's conformity, Joel's cynicism) which seem to define them wholly. The one character with some dimensionality, Ilana, remains peripheral to the story and, as such, under-explored.

The characters' interpersonal conflicts, like their intrapersonal ones, are not developed to their potential. For example, why did Mirvis choose to have the Millers and the Goldmans share a past? Wouldn't the clash of cultures have been far more compelling had it been compounded with the awkwardness between strangers, the growing pains of forced association inflicted by marriage between two families with no common ground or history? Naomi, a perpetually Polyannish peacemaker, would have been more interesting to read about had she had the courage to clash with her various family members and in-laws. What about the relationship between Tzippy and her mother-in-law, or Tzippy and her sister-in-law? These potentially explosive interactions would have added some fire to an otherwise banal novel.

It's true that Mirvis knows the Orthodox world well and can write about it authentically; however, many details fail to ring true. The divide between Stern College and Boro Park is underestimated in this novel; Shayna's transition from one to the other could not have been smooth. Yet, to read the book, one would assume that Shayna's choosing to live in Boro Park is as natural as Naomi's (far more consistent) settling in Tean-oops, I mean Laurelwood.

In addition, Tzippy's decision to attend seminary in Israel at the ripe old age of 22 would, at a minimum, place her at odds with her 18-year-old seminary counterparts. A 22-year-old girl in an Orthodox seminary is an anomaly, except perhaps in a seminary for baalot tshuva (returnees to the faith) - a place sheltered Tzippy would probably never hear of, much less enroll in. Because most seminary girls are 18, not 22, shidduch-dating in seminary is far from commonplace. Finally, the idea of a girl of Tzippy's background and apparent temperament deciding to brazenly seek out a young man on her own is contrived at best. Surely, Bryan and Tzippy could have met (or reunited, apparently more convenient for Mirvis) in a more realistic way.

In sum, while the premise of the novel is interesting, neither the characters nor the various plot contrivances live up to their potential. I'm hoping that Mirvis's next novel, reportedly focusing on a multi-generational Southern Jewish family saga, will return her to more familiar territory as in The Ladies' Auxiliary. To invoke another writing cliché, Mirivs appears to write best when she follows that time-honored writing advice, "write what you know."

Rating:
Summary: The Outside World is a JEWEL!
Review: Let all who are hungry for deliciously fine fiction, come read the Outside World and immerse yourself in a rich inside world of vibrant and real characters, struggling and yearning for something larger than themselves--so unique and yet so universal-- a compassionate and joyously funny and poignant look at the human condition through filters of bridal veils, chopped liver, blue jeans and talmud study. Mirvis has done it again!! What a gift for those who love and value superb storytelling and riveting literary fiction!

Rating:
Summary: A Gem of a Book
Review: On the way down for a needed vacation, picked up a copy of The Outside World, started it in the waiting area - flight delayed - and kept going, had it finished before I landed, then went back for more... more choice scenes, more great dialogue and descriptions... the book such a delight. There's a subtlety here -an argument, if you will -- that one might not notice. The modern Orthodox community is a community, and like all others, is composed of members who live their lives in real time, concerned mostly with the decisions of everyday life-not the big metaphysical quandaries of theology. They live their lives in their kitchens, on their living room couches, in their laundry rooms, shopping in their supermarkets and butcher shops, visiting friends, worrying about livelihoods, arranging weddings and all the rest. Mirvis' characters are real people stirred to try new experiences and defend old ones, undertake forays they relish or regret, and make sense of their families as they begin their own. What you'll find here is intelligent empathy, insightful psychology, terrific writing and a terrific read. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: pleasant, engaging, superficial
Review: Pleasant and engaging novel about an ultra-orthodox girl with a suffocating mother who ends up turning down 40 dates and marrying a baal tshuvah from a modern orthodox family. He has turned down Columbia for yeshiva, marriage at 21, and a job starting a kosher deli in Memphis (for his manic failed businessman father in law). Done with gentle satire, warmth and a light touch. Characters are superficial: each has a dominating dilemma that can be summed up in a sentence. Doesn't seem to get the ultra-orthodox relation w God or the world - Tzippy's flight out of Brooklyn is far too easy, no one turns to a rabbi or to prayer for help with their troubles. The ultra-O especially are portrayed as ultra-materialistic: the wedding-crazed mother who would mortgage the house to buy extra flowers and fancy cakes to impress the neighbors, and her husband with his get rich schemes certainly counter common images of ultra-Orthodox values. The community is not a source of support for even one second (no friends for anyone), only of competition, judgement and gossip. I imagine those are problems among the ultra-O but certainly not the whole story. The love story is erotic and touching.

Rating:
Summary: As kosher as it gets!
Review: Reconstructionist, Reform, Conservative, Conservadox, Modern Orthodox, Orthodox, Ultra Orthodox, it is wonderful to read about one more group of Jews who live their lives around their beliefs and respect for Judiasm. Mirvis' book spotlights the Modern Orthodox as they attempt to remain faithful while also trying to be part of the Outside World. All I can say, living in a community replete with Modern Orthodox Jews, it never ceases to amaze me how they accomplish this odyssey. Her characters are placed in situations that are so characteristic of the Modern Orthodox. A wonderful example is the angst felt by one of the character's rushing home in time for the Sabbath. Before reading her book, I thought I was the only one who noticed the frenzy going on around me before the Sabbath. Now I can fully appreciate how they feel before the Sabbath begins. According to Mirvis' characters, the depth of their feelings go way beyond frenzy. What a refreshing, sweet story. There is no ending, however, because it is merely a snapshot of the on going lives of some very special people.

Rating:
Summary: An intriguing portrayal of a demanding faith
Review: This book does an excellent job of highlighting the balance that some people manage to strike between faith and modern life. Tzippy's family rejects much of the American lifestyle in favor of a smaller world of faith; Naomi feels fulfilled in a very careful balance between the two; Joel finds the strictures of his faith confining precisely because his faith is weak.

Its setting at the intersection between the ultra-Orthodox and modern Orthodox worlds (equally foreign to an agnostic Methodist like myself) makes this love story more than a love story. Mirvis treats Orthodox customs with respect, always illustrating what those customs mean to those who practice them; her portrayal of a courtship in which the lovers may not touch is exquisitely moving and almost erotic. Ultimately, the characters are believable precisely because they behave as inconsistently as real people (especially young people) do.

The ending is rather Norman Rockwell-ish--but what's wrong with ending on one of those really nice moments that we've all experienced at one time or another.

Rating:
Summary: Could not put the book down!
Review: This book is a masterpiece in writing. Every sentence is a joy to read. The story speaks to the challenges of living a religious life in a modern world but also helps us all remember the simple pleasures of family, history, and tradition.

I opened the book and did not close it until it was done. The mental imagery the author creates in every sentence makes the book more like a movie than a novel.

Rating:
Summary: Mirvis gives us a beautifully written novel
Review: Tova Mirvis has followed-up her best-selling literary debut with a beautifully written book that captures the conflicts inherent in living a spiritual or religious life in the secular modern world. Mirvis skillfully shows the reader how each individual's personal struggle affects their relationship with their spouse, their children and their greater community. I was eagerly awaiting Mirvis' next book after reading The Ladies Auxiliary. It was certainly worth the wait! The Outside World is a gem.

Rating:
Summary: The Inside World
Review: Tova Mirvis' "The Outside World" wonderfully depicts the tensions inherent in a community's constant struggle to define its own contours. The primary characters in this novel, a pair of young lovers from different segments of the Orthodox Jewish community, are drawn to each other precisely because their respective backgrounds epitomize the other's desires. Baruch (Bryan) is attracted to Tzippy because her family's version of their shared religion emphasizes punctilious observance and a more severe break with their contemporary world. Tzippy is attracted to Bryan (Baruch) because his family's version of their shared religion allows and encourages a fuller integration with contemporary society. While all of the novel's characters struggle to balance their faith against a completely outside non-Jewish world, the young couple illustrates the degree to which the definition of inside and outside in any closed ethnic community is always being negotiated. As each of the novel's characters (children and parents) develop and find their way within their communal world, each struggles with a community that encourages conformity by incorporating their own needs and wants into the "inside world." As a study of the nature of community and conformity, the novel is an excellent choice for people of all faith and ethnic backgrounds.

Rating:
Summary: Inside The Outside World
Review: Tova Mirvis' novel, The Outside World, is a sometimes, funny, sometimes poignant depiction of the many joys and conflicts that result from living in an Orthodox Jewish world. The outside world in this novel is not just the non Judaic world at large;it is also the smaller and narrower world of the liberal, modern Orthodox Jew.The conflicts that arise as the main characters collide with all these worlds is the basis of the novel.There are conflicts that arise out of religious duty and fervor colliding with assimilation and self-actualization. Other conflicts grow when liberal, watered down religion crashes with the letter of the law in Ultra Orthodoxy.There are conflicts in the Ultra Orthodox world when characters wrestle with doubt, temptation and complacency.......when the Biblical incantations ring hollow.........when the young seek some freedom through rebellion. There are conflicts that develop when traditional women's roles change through education. As the characters struggle to find themselves and stay religious in a modern world ,we are drawn into the story of the Goldmans and the Millers......Shayna, Tzippy, Hershel,Naomi, Joel, Bryan and Illana. They are tested as individuals and as families as they ultimately come to terms with all that faith, love and being an Orthodox Jew entails. From blind dates at the Marriot,to kosher Oreos to shopping for wigs,to preparing for Shabbos............Tova Mirvis brings the world of Orthodox Judaism into the light in a humorous, sensitive and realistic way.