Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of The Romance Reader

The Romance Reader
The Romance Reader
Author: Pearl Abraham
The Market's bargain prices are even better for Paperbackswap club members!
Retail Price: $16.00
Buy New (Paperback): $12.79 (save 20%) or
Become a PBS member and pay $8.89+1 PBS book credit Help icon(save 44%)
ISBN-13: 9781573225489
ISBN-10: 1573225487
Publication Date: 9/1/1996
Pages: 304
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 26

3.7 stars, based on 26 ratings
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

9 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed The Romance Reader on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Really fascinating book that gives you a look inside the secretive world of Hassidic Jews. Rachel Benjamin is a young girl who rebels against her family and her arranged marriage, wishing she could be more like a 'regular' American girl in New York.
reviewed The Romance Reader on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A Jewish girl has problems with her very strict feminist family. A really good book, difficult to put down, about a young romance novel reader's struggle against the pressure for her to change.
reviewed The Romance Reader on + 21 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I found this book a voyage into self awareness and questioning of who we are.Are we destined to be what our parents want us to be or can we escape?This book did give a glimpse of what life as a Hassidic Jew is like,For us non-Jews it may seem rather oppressive.I found it very interesting ,I personally love learning about cultures and traditions other than my own.
reviewed The Romance Reader on + 20 more book reviews
Great book!
buzzby avatar reviewed The Romance Reader on + 6062 more book reviews
"What Rachel wants is to wear sheer stockings, to swim in a bathing suit, to sing at the top of her voice and wander the world like men do. But as the eldest daughter of a Hasidic rabbi, she is expected to follow in her mother's footsteps; caring for the young ones, helping at home, submitting to an arranged marriage and shaving off her hair. The world of Orthodox Judaism is strictly controlled, and
Rachel can't quite imagine what life is like outside. But the forbidden paperback books that she secretly devours tell her of a world filled with daring, seductive men and sensuous, rebellious women. A world she yearns fo even as her wedding day draws near. A world that she's not even sure really exists....
reviewed The Romance Reader on + 151 more book reviews
This book assumed some basic level of knowledge about Judaism and the greater NYC area. As a midwestern Christian, I was hoping for a glimpse into another world, but I was just kinda confused instead.

The book did seem to be well written, if you already had some inside knowledge. The phrase "spare prose" comes to mind.
TarynC avatar reviewed The Romance Reader on + 213 more book reviews
I enjoyed this book since I work as a Neonatal nurse in the community Ms. Abraham describes in her book. Her descriptions can only be written by an insider and gives what I believe to be an accurate account of an extremely interesting community.
reviewed The Romance Reader on + 194 more book reviews
This is an excellent book. A Review, "Wonderful...sheds light on two intriguing mysteries: life within an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and the bittersweet passage through female adolescence."
Yoni avatar reviewed The Romance Reader on + 327 more book reviews
A very sweet and endearing story about a young Chassidic girl who longs to be "modern". Not only a great book, it provides a look into the secluded and mysterious world of Chassidic Jews.