The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem

 

We've been living in window replacement hell for the past two weeks. It probably would have been stressful in normal times, but that stress was compounded by doing a project such as window replacement during a pandemic. All the people in the house, touching surfaces, using the bathroom. Very stressful! That said, I have  been reading. I just haven't had the time to sit and blog.

Another book club book, this one for my Jewish book club, that I've read months in advance, just hoping that I can remember enough for a good discussion.

In Sarit Yishai-Levi's The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, readers follow the stories of mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, parents and children, all told within the backdrop of the  30 years before and after the creation of the state of Israel.

There's was lots about the days before the creation of the state of Israel that I didn't know. Things about Ottoman rule especially. I did stop to research a little bit while reading, one of the big huge benefits of reading on an electronic device. I also learned quite a bit about Sephardic culture in Israel - and how wide the gulf was between the Sephardic Jews and the Ashkenazic Jews.

My biggest beef with the novel that covers 4 generations is that very few of the characters were at all likable. However, the sense of Israel was strong. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this novel, and I think it will make for a good book club discussion.