Jerusalem Maiden

De: Talia Carner

Narrado por: Lise Bruneau

In the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, a young Orthodox Jewish woman in the holy city of Jerusalem is expected to marry and produce many sons to help hasten the Messiah's arrival. While the feisty Esther Kaminsky understands her obligations, her artistic talent inspires her to secretly explore worlds outside her religion, to dream of studying in Paris - and to believe that God has a special destiny for her. When tragedy strikes her family, Esther views it as a warning from an angry God and suppresses her desires in order to become an obedient.

But when a surprising opportunity forces itself on to her preordained path, Esther finds her beliefs clashing dangerously with the passions she has staved off her entire life - forcing her to confront the most difficult and damning question of all: To whom must she be true, God or herself?

©2011 Talia Carner (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Strong historical context

The historical description of Jerusalem during the last years of the Ottoman Empire is well done. Only through the poverty, the oppression and the religious practices of the Hasidim on the outskirts of the city does Esther’s character develop and make sense. The author well captures the poverty of the Jewish immigrant and the exciting artistic scene in Paris in the 1920’s, where Esther briefly finds her freedom of expression. While listening, I was conscious that, as the afterword remarks, less than two decades later the Nazis murdered most of the immigrant Jews of Paris. I think the constraints on Hasidic and Haredim women more generally which Esther suffered still exist.

No dreaming, No painting, No thinking . . .

An Orthodox Jewish girl growing up at the turn of the century before WWI, in the holy city of Jerusalem, was expected to be married off in her early teens . . . to a man chosen by her father, unbeknownst to her. Esther, feisty and different than her siblings, and the apple of her father's eye . . . takes over the running of the house after the death of her mother . . . and she does all that she can to delay and discourage her father from choosing a husband for her. At school, she learns French and is introduced to art by her teacher, who becomes a life long friend. Esther finds that she is a talented artist, and yearns to paint . . . but as a Jew, it is forbidden. More and more as Esther grows and matures, she struggles against the desires of her heart . . . and the rituals of the Jewish faith, which seem to restrict her. Finally her father succeeds in marrying her off and Esther becomes a wife and mother. I found the book to be very interesting, sometimes so sad . . . and my heart ached for the confines of those in the Jewish faith . . . as I am Christian, and I am so very thankful for the freedom from "the law". Yet, the Jewish people, are God's Chosen people . . . and He has a plan for them. I was both happy and sad listening to Esther's time in Paris . . . wishing discernment for her . . . but in many ways, it was like a kid in a candy shop . . . wisdom did finally come . . . but with a horrible cost . . . and perhaps a loss of faith, or maybe a letting go of something that never was faith at all . . . I was pleased with the ending . . . and the choices that Esther made as a mature woman. The book is well worth the listen.

A stunning tale with beautiful narration

I enjoyed this story so much that I am going to purchase a hard copy to treasure and read again.

I had so many emotions towards Esther. I sympathized with her as a young girl and the family tragedies that plagued her. Later, I was angry yet empathetic of her behavior as a married mother in Paris. I found her actions infuriating yet liberating.
I relished in her newly found pleasures, but also grew frustrated with her constant attempts to justify her behavior through the will of HaShem.

The author perfectly captured the guilt that only a mother can feel when she is torn between the responsibility of mothering and filling an inner desire. Esther’s situation is even more agonizing, as she is taught to believe that her actions may literally help bring or hinder the coming of the Messiah. In her young mind, her sins not only affect her family, but ultimately all of mankind. And yet, despite this mountain of pressure, she is barred from participating in the study of Torah, something her inquisitive mind craves.

The descriptions of food, neighborhoods and nature were captivating and beautifully detailed. The narrator’s voice was exquisite and did justice to the beautiful writing. The explanations of Jewish laws and customs were laid out perfectly for those unfamiliar with Haredi life.

The ending was perfect. It brought me to tears. The story captures the rawness of humanity and challenges our concept of tradition and sin. Throughout the entire book, Esther struggles in wondering whether HaShem is blessing or punishing her for her actions. The ending is a reminder that those blessings and punishments (if thats what we want to call them) will likely come one way or another, regardless of the paths we choose. It’s the story of life.

Mispronounced words kill the reader

The story is great. The reader is fine..in English. But if you have any knowledge of Yiddish or French or Hebrew, you will be very frustrated by the mispronunciations. I’m very frustrated that the author nor audible checked on this before releasing this book. It was like nails on a blackboard for those words. Otherwise it was very good.

Agony aunt ruins ending to a fine novel.

The story would best have ended 3 chapters earlier. Instead the author came close to becoming an 'agony aunt'. Additional generations should be saved for subsequent books. Poor editing.

A Sad, Aggravating Story

Either the author hates the Haredim and wants to show how they damage people or this is a story of the unluckily, most self-destructive person in the world. The bad things that kept happening became very tedious