The Ladies Auxiliary

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Summary: Gorgeous Writing, Great Story
Review: I heard about this book from a few people at work -- everyone seemed to know about it, so I picked it up. I really loved reading this book. It was funny and serious, at the same time. I could really identify with the characters, and felt for all of them, even ones I didn't necessarily agree with. I'm not Jewish or from the South, but I did grow up in a strict religious house, and this made me feel like the book was about me too.

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Summary: A truly wonderful and inspiring novel!
Review: What a wonderful novel! Reading the Ladies Auxiliary was such a pleasure that I could hardly put it down. Mirvis has created a novel that is so humourous and inspiring that I found myself laughing and crying throughout. I highly recommend this great southern novel to all of YALL readers out there!

Rating:
Summary: Subtle and skilled, gripping and generous
Review: Mirvis has written a powerful and important novel. Though set in the parochial South, the themes could hardly be more universal. In rendering Batsheva's tortured and complex relationship with her new community, Mirvis forces the reader to confront a set of issues that are at once familiar and foreign. I recommend this satisfying book in the strongest possible terms.

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Summary: A rich, vibrant and delightfully refreshing account...
Review: Tova Mirvis's beautiful and poignant depiction of a social group in inner turmoil reflects the strengths and flaws of a community whose very humanity is exemplified by its members' perceptions and representations of human nature, as conveyed by the 'eavesdropping' afforded by the author's ingenious 'we'. A rich, refreshing and often humorous account of a community forced to acknowledge that it is at odds with itself, that it has been so for some time, and that, in the wake of the turbulent winds of change, it will never be quite the same again...

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Summary: a bitersweet commentary on Orthodox culture
Review: I enjoyed this book immensely. While I was quite skeptical before I picked it up, my past experience with "Jewish/Orthodox/American" literature being quite negative, I found this book to be a breath of fresh air, and the first time I can remember completely relating to a story. The story is multi-layered and quite personal to anyone who lives in that kind of community- Tova Mirvis highlights our strengths and our weaknesses. I liked the use of the character Batsheva as a central theme, the use of the we technique, fading in and out of the story, and the well developed characters and story lines. I would recommend it to anyone- no matter what their religion.

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Summary: I couldn't put it down and didn't want to!
Review: Incredible! As both a woman born and raised in Memphis and the wife of an enthusiastic convert to Judaism, I related to so many aspects of this book. Mirvis accurately captures the best and worst of Southern Judaism. Even if I did not relate to the story on an intimate level, it is an entertaining, gripping story on its own merit. Mirvis' command of the English language is impressive; she weaves words and images to make a beautiful tapestry.

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Summary: Engaging, perceptive, with an authentic voice
Review: The way story is told in the "we" voice of the Ladies Auxiliary is incredibly effective. It is as if the women of the Jewish community of Memphis are embodied by one voice that, like an individual, has emotions, reactions, sympathies and biases, yet is not the voice of any particular character in the story. The story is about a small community with set ways encountering a challenging new perspective, yet that is not only what it is about. The writer clearly knows this community from the inside, and the subtle presentation of the backdrop for the story of life inside a modern Orthodox Jewish community is the best I have ever read. You sense that she has constructed the character of Batsheva specifically to challenge issues that she herself wants to change, yet you also sense a great deal of sympathy in her for the perspective in the community that resists the change. I suspect most non-Jewish and non-Orthodox readers will be surprised to discover what the issues are that communities like this one struggle with. I am sure that this debut novel is a harbinger of even greater things to come from this author.

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Summary: A magnificent novel!
Review: Tova Mirvis does an incredible job of taking the reader inside the orthodox Jewish community. With her ability to weave back and forth seamlessly from individual characters to the omniscient "we", the reader is both a member of the community and an entertained eavesdropper. The writing style alone is incredible--combined with the plot, the book is unresistable! A truly magnificent novel.

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Summary: Offers a insiders look at the Southern Jewish experience
Review: Though fiction, you get a distinct sense that the author is writing from first hand experience. You almost feel that she is one of the children in the story observing what is going on around her. The charcter development is exceptional! The women in the story are not bad, just perpetuating what has been going on for generations. The author makes it clear that the women truly want what was best for their families. In addition to a wonderful story, the book gives an acurate picture of what growing up in a small Orthodox community must be like. The holidays, food, atmosphere, and southern hospitality make the characters seem more Southern than Jewish.

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Summary: The best book group discussion of the year
Review: Like Jane Austen, Tova Mirvis makes everyday events seem as important as major world news, and I could not put The Ladies' Auxiliary down. I feel like the women in the story are people I know. I would also recommend it for a book group--mine read it and had a very lively discussion.