Rating: 
Summary: A super book
Review: A fascinating glimpse into the world of Orthodox Jews and a bittersweet coming of age story. I read it in one day and thought about the charactors for days afterwards. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Unusual perspective, but trite coming-of-age novel..
Review: After perusing some of the other reviews as well as thinking over this book, I find I have more reason to give it only two stars. "The Romance Reader" attempts to show us the closed world of the Chasid, but it really is a delayed screed against the Orthodox traditions of Judaism, as well as a fairly dull coming-of-age novel that reads very juvenilly. Now, the novel follows Rachel Benjamin, who we know is much like the author, who at the start of the novel is at bat mitsvah age(12), and she is starting to question her parent's traditions. She grows into a fairly modern Jew, who loathes matchmaking and loves the ways of the "Goyishe". The father is a hopeless dreamer, a rebbe without a following, who is constanly put down by his wife, who does a very drastic thing at about page 100. As ohter reviews have said, Abraham uses some of the real names for fictional situtations which is a big no-no.
Rating:
Summary: Claustrophobic and compelling
Review: I had this book sitting in the to-be-read pile for a very long time. I don't know why. Perhaps the cover and/or the title led me to expect something very different than what the book actually delivers: a beautifully rendered portrait of a religious group wherein women are little more than programmed chattels. Rachel is a finely delineated character, wanting what is supposed to be beyond her grasp, wavering under intense family pressure, and ultimately succeeding in getting her feet planted on the road that leads both to personal freedom and to an understanding of the people who populate her immediate family.It is a testament to Abraham's skill that the reader is with Rachel every hard-won step of the way; when she falters, we are anxious; when she wins a round, we're elated. The family is very real, the small daily dramas resonate across racial and religious lines. And every character comes to life as a result of Abraham's unaffected prose and her eye for the telling detail. This is an exquisite and satisfying book, educational, too; pleasurable, painful reading, and highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm surprised I finished
Review: I have to admit that this book was a gift and that is probably the real reason I finished reading it. The writing wasn't bad -- for fifth grade level. However, there is way too much talk and too many fantasies about sex for a fifth grader. And her opportunity too "escape her marriage" was too convenient. I don't recommend this book at all.
Rating:
Summary: A True-to-Life Portrayal of a Rebel Within Ultra-Orthodoxy
Review: I loved this book. I was raised within Orthodox Jewish tradition myself, and feel that this is an accurate portrayal of a rebellious daughter within an Ultra-Orthodox family. I know many of the customer reviews disagree with me; however, I do feel that within every single culture there are naturally bound to be certain individuals "who want out"! (Just as there exist secular Jews who want to be ultra-Orthodox). At any rate, the writing is excellent. And I especially enjoyed the part around her wedding; her horrible feelings around her mother shaving her head; and before that, picking her husband, sadly feeling that it didn't matter whom she picked; she had to pick him or someone similar. I had two criticisms: one, that the main character showed no affection for any of the ultra-Orthodox traditions. (There must have been something she liked about her life!) The other is the ending; I felt it was too concise and superficial, didn't really answer what happened after she returned to her family. But overall, this is a wonderful book, and lets us see a world that is mostly hidden from view. I only wish the author would write a sequel, so we can see how the main character deals with non-Orthodox life. I am waiting impatiently!
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I really liked this book. It is a very provacative look into the life of a young girl who wants to be something other than what she is. The only things I wasn't sure of were the daydream sequences. I also had a hard time with the passage of time (there was no warning between now and four years later). And I wasn't exactly sure how the book actually ended. I loved the languange and the structure of the book. I also loved the subtle movements and actions of their everyday lives. I felt like I had learned something secret and new and wonderful by the time I was finished.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I really liked this book. It is a very provacative look into the life of a young girl who wants to be something other than what she is. The only things I wasn't sure of were the daydream sequences. I also had a hard time with the passage of time (there was no warning between now and four years later). And I wasn't exactly sure how the book actually ended. I loved the languange and the structure of the book. I also loved the subtle movements and actions of their everyday lives. I felt like I had learned something secret and new and wonderful by the time I was finished.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating look at a closed society
Review: I thought the book was fantastic-the characters were compelling and Abraham provides a tight tension (I was never quite sure what Rachel would do). As I am extremely interested in strict interpretations of Judaism (while being very glad I live in a secular world!), I found the background of the story deeply fascinating. That said, I don't think the book is simply a story about the Chassidic world. It's a story about a closed community and the desire of some of its members to remain in the closed community while others push at and seek to explore the unknown world outside the closed society. There are innumerable parallels to this-for me, having a mom who grew up in an extremely rigid immigrant community and whose mom rebelled in a big way (going to college in the 1940s, marrying "out" and marrying someone of a different religion-a WASP whose family came here in the 1630s), the story was really insightful (made me understand my mom and her choices in a new way-and why many people from her childhood still see her, 40 years later, as a dangerous rebel). But it also provided me with insights into some of the closed societies to which I have belonged and the reluctance of the members of these grps to acknowledge the validity of the lives of those outside the society. Abraham writes well and the characters are well-drawn and highly complex people (with all sorts of contradictions within themselves). This was a book I literally couldn't put down. I strongly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: A very good read, interesting look into Chasidic Judaism
Review: Rachel is a great heroine, struggling between tradition and
freedom. She manages to straddle both of her worlds throughout
most of the book, although we're left hanging about where she
ends up. Does she stay with her (oddly forgiving) family? If
so, how far is she able/willing to break with the Benjamin
family culture? The author leaves several such blank spots, in the novel, like
when we think Mr. Gartner is about to ravish Rachel's teenage
self, but I guess nothing like that happens with her boss after
all. I was unhappy with the sexism in their religious community, and
shocked at the insensibility of requiring newly married women to
shave their heads, then wear wigs just like their old hairstyle.
The author never explains why this was considered necessary. Despite the holes in the plot, the characters, especially Rachel's sister Leah and friend Elke are likeable, and Rachel's
courage and commitment to herself made this an enjoyable novel.
Rating:
Summary: A very good read, interesting look into Chasidic Judaism
Review: Rachel is a great heroine, struggling between tradition and
freedom. She manages to straddle both of her worlds throughout
most of the book, although we're left hanging about where she
ends up. Does she stay with her (oddly forgiving) family? If
so, how far is she able/willing to break with the Benjamin
family culture? The author leaves several such blank spots, in the novel, like
when we think Mr. Gartner is about to ravish Rachel's teenage
self, but I guess nothing like that happens with her boss after
all. I was unhappy with the sexism in their religious community, and
shocked at the insensibility of requiring newly married women to
shave their heads, then wear wigs just like their old hairstyle.
The author never explains why this was considered necessary. Despite the holes in the plot, the characters, especially Rachel's sister Leah and friend Elke are likeable, and Rachel's
courage and commitment to herself made this an enjoyable novel.
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