An Observant Wife: A Novel by Naomi Ragen

An Observant Wife: A Novel (original 2021; edition 2021)

by Naomi Ragen (Author)

Series: An Unorthodox Match

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"An Observant Wife" is a follow-up to Naomi Ragen's "An Unorthodox Match." Yaakov Lehman and Leah Howard are now married. Leah was brought up in a secular Jewish household but now follows the Torah's commandments. After the wedding, the newlyweds live in Yaakov's house with three of his five children (two older boys attend yeshiva in Baltimore). Leah runs a successful computer business from home; cooks, cleans, shops, and does laundry; and takes care of Yaakov's six-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. Unfortunately, seventeen-year-old Shaindel, who has never gotten over her mother's tragic death, is struggling emotionally. Meanwhile, Yaakov works full-time at an accounting firm and pursues his religious studies in the evenings. The sweet-natured Leah handles her responsibilities with her usual grace, but she is exhausted, and wishes that her husband would spend more time with her.

Leah, Yaakov, and Yaakov's former mother-in-law, Fruma Esther Sonnenbaum, are appealing characters who regret their past mistakes and are devoted to promoting their family's happiness. However, Ragen's writing style is florid and her plot is melodramatic and predictable. She once again disparages a sizable segment of the Jewish community, giving the impression that a significant number of those who live in a particular Brooklyn neighborhood are gossipmongers. In addition, readers may be dismayed if not downright offended by Ragen's portrayal of a predatory male "therapist" to whom prominent rabbis refer troubled girls for psychological help.

Naomi Ragen decries those who "keep to the letter of the law but forget its spirit." She is justified in suggesting that not everyone who professes to be pious is committed to performing acts of kindness and charity. There are hypocrites in every segment of society, and they deserve to be condemned. The problem is that "An Observant Wife" divides people into overly neat categories. Good-hearted and compassionate Orthodox Jews are pitted against their mean-spirited counterparts. The latter range from the verbally malicious to those who resort to physical violence in order to intimidate those who threaten their authority. Ragen stacks the deck to make her point, and then offers a pat resolution to end on an upbeat note. This author, who has long been critical of certain elements in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, allows her heavy-handed message, not the story, to take center stage.
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booklover1801 | Aug 9, 2024 |

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booklover1801 | Aug 9, 2024 |

Leah, a Baalat T'shuva, marries Yaakov, and becomes step-mom to his 5 children. She is excited about becoming part of the orthodox Borough Park community in Brooklyn. But while she loves Yaakov, and the children, she finds some of the religious restrictions grating. She also is way too busy running a household, and working as a graphic artist to have the fun she is accustomed to. She is also concerned about Yaakov's dissatisfaction working full-time instead of learning Torah at a Kollel which he loved doing.

17-year old Shaindel is having a hard time processing her mother's death, feeling guilty she starts questioning her faith in G-d who permitted it to happen. She lets her religious guard down, allowing her growing curiousity about young men make her believe that Duvie, her school principal's son, will help calm and heal her restive spirit. Before long she realizes that Duvie is not mature or caring, nor able to help her with her problems.

Soon the family's issues attract the community's attention but rather than offer help, many neighbors and acquaintances exaggerate and spread rumors that make matters worse. Leah is appalled and hurt; Yaakov shocked. They agree to get counseling for Shaindel hoping this will help end the brouhaha circling their family. But...no, they end up being pushed down a rabbit hole.

If intrigued I suggest you read this novel to learn what happens to this beautiful family. You will not be disappointed.

Bookish59 | Apr 19, 2022 |

Excellent book. Bit difficult reading about Boro Park. There are bad apples in every society. However, this was a sweet love story - actually love stories. (

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shazjhb | Dec 4, 2021 |

A sequel to An Unorthodox Match, this novel can also stand on its own. It will be especially meaningful for those readers who are intrigued by Orthodox Jewish customs as they exist in the cultural prison of Boro Park, Brooklyn. Leah, who was not born into the life, had fallen in love with Yaakov, a widower with five children, whose wife had suffered from mental illness and taken her own life. As the novel opens, they are marrying, and Leah, already subject to the contempt of the Judgy McJudgeface neighborhood, scandalizes those who peer into her window and see her dancing to rock music with the two youngest children and without a head covering. It gets worse when Shaindel, seventeen and eldest daughter, sneaks around with the bad boy son of a rabbi, unsupervised. Each chapter is a crisis due to the unforgiving nature of the community. It's melodramatic but well written and full of condemnation for the rigidity of the religious life, while still interjecting some joy from the true nature of what HaShem (literally, the name of God) expects and rewards. (

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froxgirl | Oct 22, 2021 |

Brilliantly written with a powerful message, this is a continuation from Naomi Ragen's previous book, "An Unorthodox Match."

A wedding sets the stage in Boro Park, a borough of Brooklyn, between Leah (formerly known as Lola) and Yaakov. His wife Zissele died two years from that time and Leah was now accepted in the ultra Orthodox Jewish community. Yet she knew she would always be known as an outsider. She was instantly the stepmother of five children: two older boys now in college, a 17-year-old teenage daughter, Shaindele, a toddler, Chasya and little Modechal Shalom. It was Leah's happiest day as she loved them all from a job she previously had as their babysitter.

However, soon after becoming a wife and mother, Leah noticed how she felt distant in the community with strict religious rules and laws to follow. She couldn't wear socks and athletic shoes, couldn't attend movies, plays or go ice skating and swimming at Coney Island, She also had rules to follow with her husband. She quickly learned there was no such thing as a private life in the Haredi world and "what will the neighbor's think?" It was a harsh lesson when some onlookers one day saw her dancing with the two little ones to loud music.

Yaakov was worried that it may have been too much of a change from her former life in California with a great job and lots of money to buy whatever she wanted. When she moved to NY, she made a radical change with her religious views. Now, however, she questioned her new life. They were living on the edge with bills. Her teenage daughter was sneaking out at night and she didn't have a lot of friends. Could their love be strong enough to keep them together?

The reader instantly feels immersed in this community that is dark and dusty with very few trees - where everyone is making judgements. It's like going to a foreign country with its own language and dress. Yet, it's within New York City. The story weaves in and out of what it's like to walk in their shoes and feel accepted.

The book is highly recommended. While it may be helpful to read her previous book, it could also be enjoyed as a standalone. The best way to understand the story is to have the glossary of Jewish words and phrases found at the end within easy reach.

My thanks to Naomi Ragen, St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book to be released on September 14, 2021. (

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Jacsun | Oct 5, 2021 |

In this rich and compassionate novel, An Observant Wife, Naomi Ragen continues the love story between newly observant California-girl Leah and ultra-Orthodox widower Yaakov from An Unorthodox Match.

HandelmanLibraryTINR | Sep 16, 2021 |

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