The Marrying of Chani Kaufman by Eve Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
It was fascinating to get an inside glimpse of an Orthodox Jewish community, but overall I felt this book didn’t present Orthodox Judiasm in a fair and unbiased manner. I know nothing about Judaism in general, but while reading this book, even I could tell that the author seemed to have something against Orthodox Judaism. The women are all so unhappy with their lives and their houses are all a mess. People only seem happy when they dream of escaping the community. Chani and Barach are extremely naive that it seems almost unrealistic. The story itself was fine and very readable. I love the author’s ability to shift the point of view from one character to another almost seamlessly, mid-paragraph. The Hebrew words and cultural elements were interesting. I just didn’t like the author’s overall negative portrayal of the community.
