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Title details for The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem by Sarit Yishai-Levi - Available

The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem

A Novel

by Sarit Yishai-Levi
Anthony Berris
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

Now a Netflix Series, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is a dazzling story about mothers and daughters, secrets and betrayals, and a binding curse.
The #1 International Bestseller
Gabriela's mother Luna is the most beautiful woman in all of Jerusalem, though her famed beauty and charm seem to be reserved for everyone but her daughter. Ever since Gabriela can remember, she and Luna have struggled to connect. But when tragedy strikes, Gabriela senses there's more to her mother than painted nails and lips.
Desperate to understand their relationship, Gabriela pieces together the stories of her family's previous generations—from Great-Grandmother Mercada the renowned healer, to Grandma Rosa who cleaned houses for the English, to Luna who had the nicest legs in Jerusalem. But as she uncovers shocking secrets, forbidden romances, and the family curse that links the women together, Gabriela must face a past and present far more complex than she ever imagined.
Set against the Golden Age of Hollywood, the dark days of World War II, and the swinging '70s, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem follows generations of unforgettable women as they forge their own paths through times of dramatic change. With great humor and heart, Sarit Yishai-Levi has given us a powerful story of love and forgiveness—and the unexpected and enchanting places we find each.
Finalist for the Book Club category of the 2016 National Jewish Book Awards.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 5, 2016

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781466890503
      • File size: 959 KB

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781466890503
      • File size: 3901 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      February 1, 2016
      A tale of several generations of women cursed to love men who love other women. As the book opens, Gabriela Siton relates the story of her mother Luna's death, and in describing her final year, Yishai-Levi, a journalist and nonfiction author, captures the family dynamic and lays out the drama--Luna doesn't get along with Gabriela; she's unhappy with her husband, David; she didn't get along with her mother, Rosa; and all this has left Gabriela at loose ends. Gabriela seeks answers from her Aunt Allegra in Tel Aviv, trying to understand the family "curse," and then the book shifts mostly to Rosa's and Luna's viewpoints. It abruptly shifts back in the end to Gabriela's, skipping over years, when earlier, the narrative plodded slowly through days. There are so many characters that we only get a brief look at some of them, and so many disappointments and heartbreaks that they begin to lose their impact. Ordinary lives can be made beautiful, but when they belong to characters who are either unsympathetic or rudimentary, they are rendered ineffective. The characters' faith, which influences so many of the important decisions in their lives, mostly comes across as routine, habit, or even superstition. Some of the characters become involved in the struggle for modern Israel, and their political fervor is similarly underdeveloped. None of the characters shine enough to inspire or enlighten readers.

      COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      November 15, 2016

      This international best seller and Israeli award winner presents a sweeping family saga that follows four generations of Ladino-speaking Sephardic women in Jerusalem who all fear that the family curse--that the husbands don't love their wives--will continue with future descendants. This novel is currently being adapted into a feature film in Israel.

      Read-Alikes Talia Carner's Jerusalem Maiden, Nomi Eve's The Family Orchard, Linda Grant's When I Lived in Modern Times, and A.B. Yehoshua's Mr. Mani.

      We're also seeing more English-language novels set in Israel.

      Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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