The Saturday Wife [Hardcover]

Over the years, I've been following the novels of Naomi Ragen, set in the modern world as seen through the eyes of her Orthodox Jewish men and women. Throughout temptations and blows, they all manage to come through questioning their faith in a world that doesn't understand them, and still being themselves.

In this one, however, that doesn't look to be the case. The tale of Delilah Goldgrab is a sad one, where a beautiful girl from working class parents longs to be accepted and in with the people who have money and good things. Instead of relying on what she does have -- namely terrific good looks, and parents who adore her -- Delilah decides at an early age to do everything that she can to be one of the popular ones. With a bit of scheming and trolling for her best prospects, Delilah lands one Chaim Levi, a young rabbinical student who clearly adores here, but sadly, can't seem to thread his way through Delilah's schemes to have it all.

First the congretation that Chaim is 'inheriting' from his beloved grandfather isn't good enough, full of aging members who view Delilah with quite a bit of suspicion, the apartment in the Bronx isn't good enough, her mother-in-law treats her with suspicion, and even poor Chaim isn't up to scratch either. Bored and unhappy, Delilah pesters and nags, until she finds out about a community in Connecticut that has been blacklisted by every rabbi in America.

The how and why of that exclusion, and what happens when Delilah suddenly starts to find all of her dreams coming true is the turning point of this novel. Delilah, sadly, is a character that the reader can't really summon up much sympathy for. She's shallow, greedy, not very charitable, and her entire world begins and ends just beyond her nose. She doesn't have any friends, she doesn't try to keep the ones that she does have, and worst still, she tells little lies in the vain hope that it will keep people impressed with her. Even Chaim, the husband who is clearly smitten with her, and willing to do anything for her, isn't that interesting either -- I kept hoping that he would grow a spine throughout the novel.

Despite several very funny scenarios -- most amusing is the one where Delilah gives birth to a son without really knowing what is involved -- this sad novel lumbers along to a ridiculous ending. I'm not quite sure where Ragen was going with this, was it a satire on modern Orthodox life? The materialism and greed of the turn of milliennium? The end result was that it's a tragic novel, not really worth the time that it takes get through it, and despite giving it an interesting twist at the end, where it seems that everyone gets exactly what they desire, it's not a very impressive or entertaining read.

No one really grows up, except for maybe Chaim, and he's such a sad-sack of a character that you really don't care if he discovers what an immature brat that he's picked. All of the people who inhabit this story are selfish and self-absorbed, striving for another conquest in bed, or more in their upscale homes, more clothing, more shoes, more more more, that I had a nearly impossible time feeling anything. I didn't care anything at all for them, and that to me, is a fatal flaw in a story. If you really don't have a plot, and the characters who stumble about blindly, then what's the point?

It's clear that Ragen was striving for a modern adaptation of Flaubert's Emma Bovary, who hungers for passion and the grand life in provincial France, and gets none of it in her ever-increasing spiral towards self-destruction. But Delilah Goldgrab Levi can't even get that far.

Naomi Regan has written far better stories than this one, but this one is a waste of time and paper. Here's hoping that the next one is more entertaining, or at least, she learns from the mistakes that she made from this one. Two stars, and not recommended at all.

Most recently, Naomi Ragen, an Orthodox Jewish woman, staged a fight against the religious establishment that literally banished women to the back of certain Jerusalem buses. Now, in a poignant work of fiction she exposes the underbelly of the religious Jewish-American society. In "The Saturday Wife," Ragen sheds light on the convoluted ways in which religious practices have morphed from well-meaning decrees that had been the bedrock of Judeo-Christian values into feeble attempts of a confused society that has become hypocritical, not the least because of the duplicity in which it still views the role of women vs. men.

The amazing way in which Regan accomplishes this feat is satire. In page after page of humoristic portrait of people, places and customs, Ragen pulls out details with the keen eye to society's nuances that is a cross between Candace Bushnell's and Tom Wolfe's. "The Saturday Wife" could have been called "A Jewish chic lit" had it not been for its other dimension--the real message--which is its sharp criticism of the Jewish religious establishment that relegates women to roles set in biblical times. Since men hold all the cards--or magic wands--for any change, modern times have not been integrated nearly enough to release Orthodox women from the mold. Do not be fooled by the light tone deliberately chosen by an accomplished writer to drive home a message. If Delilah, the unsympathetic heroine of this novel reads like a stereotype, it is because she is trapped now as women have been for generations. A 21st century Madame Bovary, Delilah, who dreams of life of comfort--but is not permitted to freely shop around for the right partner who'd share her views--is compelled to marry the only man who asks, a rabbi.

With Delilah's efforts to improve her lot, we get a view of the excesses of a rich Orthodox Jewish community that has lost its way while trying to stay the course of religious life. By hiring the benign rabbi Chaim Levi, Delilah's husband, members of the community hope to not be pushed too hard into the uncompromising path of righteous living, yet to feel good about themselves as they desert their values and grovel to the riches of a Russian oligarch who's appeared in their midst.

I cannot think of another work of fiction that so clearly describes, exposes and criticizes the Jewish religious establishment while giving the reader page after page of entertainment.

Talia Carner, author,
Puppet Child and China Doll

The heralding of a new Naomi Ragen novel is always cause for celebration, and this latest offering from Ms. Ragen does not disappoint. Though satire is not something we're used to from Naomi she captures aspects of modern Orthodox life in America in a terrific "tongue in cheek" way, and also subtlely imparts lessons and wisdom. A working knowledge of Judaism in general, and modern Orthodoxy in particular, may be helpful, but all in all, this is a great read that I for one, read in one sitting. My advice to Sabbath observers - buy it now, but save it for Shabbos!
Way to go, Naomi! Thanks again!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 44 reviews  3.4 out of 5 stars