A wonderful read a group of novellas about Israelis living in America. ( )

This book is well written. Each character is relatable and familiar. Lends itself to much discussion. Stories are poignant, touching and very real. And I'm only half-way through. In a few months, another book will be translated. Maya Arad is a treasure, and I look forward to reading all the books of hers that will come out in translation. Kudos too to the translator. Each of the three stories leave you on a cliff. At first I thought this was one whole story until the transition of the second story came in. I was left with many questions because the stories were not finished. There was no true ending.
Very well written with plenty of detail. you can feel in the stories what the main character is feeling. The author does very well at making the reader feel the story. I look forward to more from this author in the future.

I received this book as part of the early reviewers for LibraryThing. I couldn’t put this book down. I was very interested in this book the minute I read the short description when submitting a request for the month of February. I am so glad I got picked and I just could t put this book down. It was so captivating. Not being an immigrant myself it is very interesting in this literacy fiction to see life in America through their eyes. The generational gap as well amongst the older Israeli-born Jewish women and younger colleagues is astonishing as well. ( )

I received this book from the Early Reviewers group and found it to be instantly involving. The author, Maya Arad, has published eleven fiction books in Hebrew and is adept at creating believable, sympathetic characters and situations, and the translation by Jessica Cohen was smooth and readable. The theme of the three novellas that make up this book is the generational divide between older Israeli-born Jewish women and their younger colleagues and family members living a more Americanized life. In the first story, a longtime Hebrew teacher at an American university finds that the school has hired a young professor with decidedly negative opinions about Israel and the traditions of the local Jewish community. In the second, an Israeli grandmother flies to Silicon Valley to visit her son and his family and confronts the secrets they've been hiding from her. And in the third, a mother deals with her feelings about her teen daughter's unpopularity which may hit a little too close to home. None of these stories are revelatory, but they are all well-written slices of life that reflect the changing times and attitudes of older women facing the truth of a younger generation not meeting their expectations. It's not life-changing literature, but it is a good read. ( )

I received this book quickly and dove in. Really enjoyed the first novella best. I am a teacher myself so I connected with her passion, also with being disheartened by colleagues with a lack of it.
The food descriptions in the first novella were relatable to me because I had also been a private chef for a mixed Jewish family before becoming a culinary arts teacher.
The rest of the book was harder for me, but that’s probably because this isn’t my typical genre. I like to read something outside my comfort zone once or twice a month. It’s like learning something new or dabbling in a new hobby. ( )