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Book Club Selection #1: The Saturday Wife

Well, our book club is official. We had three books to choose from and the majority of you picked The Saturday Wife. Special thanks to Ciaran for suggesting it.

Amazon says this about The Saturday Wife:

Like Emma Bovary, Delilah Goldgrab longs for a better life. A Queens yeshiva girl, Delilah is prayerfully remorseful after fornicating with young, opportunistic Yitzie Polinsky, and quickly marries mediocre rabbinical student Chaim Levi, who is unable to provide her with a house, much less the glossy upper-middle-class life she longs for. When Chaim accepts a position as the rabbi of an affluent Connecticut congregation, Delilah has the opportunity to indulge her ideas about happiness as the congregation’s rebbitzin, with deliciously disastrous consequences. It’s hard to like selfish, clueless Delilah or anyone else here: the pleasure of this novel is in its mercilessness, with Ragen (The Covenant) raising the stakes until the very end.

Ciarian wanted to pair it with Manischewitz, but at some point I have to be friendly to all of you. I would never suggest anyone drink more than a thimble full of Manischewitz. I do, however, enjoy a glass of Baron Herzog during Peseach, so I’ll recommend the 2007 Cabernet.

Our book discussion will be twofold, I’ll read the book within the next week or two, and come up with a few questions (for easy posting), I’ll post them here, and ask y’all to discuss the book (either here on your blogs), and we’ll do a big link round up. This way we’ll all be able to find each other. Hopefully everyone can post sometime between July 15 and 21st.

Early in the evening on July 22 I’ll have a few local bloggers over for wine and a round table chat. We’ll go ahead and stream that on UStream (I’ll have exact links for you the day before), and hopefully get at least a few of you to virtually connect.

Let me tell you what excites me the most. This is officially an International Book Club (watch out Oprah).

SavvyMegz will be joining us all the way from Delhi. If moments like this don’t make you fall head over heels in love with the Internet, I don’t know what will.

If you’re participating in our inaugural Book Club please use Mr. Linky below so we can all find you. Don’t forget to pick up a copy of The Saturday Wife and a bottle of Baron Herzog Cabernet

29 thoughts on “Book Club Selection #1: The Saturday Wife”

      1. I read Madame Bovary when I was very young… I’m going to have to re-read, because though I didn’t LIKE the main character, I really LIKED the book, which is a little odd for me.

  1. I have never read this book…going to head to the library and to the store to stock up on the wine…you did say we have to drink a glass while we read the book, right? Like a glass per chapter or something!? ;) Oh, what fun it would be to live local, but I can’t wait to dig in to this book!

    1. So bummed. Library doesn’t have the book….hopefully it will only take a couple of days to arrive…and now I hope I can find the wine locally.

      1. Jessica,
        Tried to do that w/Mr. Linky – doesn’t work. Soooo is this one bloggers only? Or should non-bloggers comment only? (which is fine by me – really) Just wondering.

  2. Ok.. I’ll read it.. but I’ll admit that I’m already tripping over the names and am not sure what a “yeshiva” is. I AM familiar with Madam Bovary though.. so maybe it will be okay. Ribbitzin? I might be in trouble here.
    Actually, I am appalled at myself. My closest friend is Jewish and we never discuss religion or family traditions. And, although I attended her daughters Bat Mitzfa, I wasn’t paying attention at ALL. The Temple part bored me to tears ( well come on! I couldn’t understand any of it!) and I ended up day dreaming for about three hours. The Jewish religion is a mystery to me. This book might be a good read for someone like me. Especially since I have just realized that I’m a self absorbed as#hole.

  3. Wondering about the wine selection? I am struggling to find it locally in my little area of choices to shop. If I have to take the route of ordering online, any suggestions for best price (with shipping) or is there something comparable that I would more likely find at a local retailer?

  4. Baron Herzog has some good selections- I am kind of fond of some of the wine from the Golan, but Manischewitz makes me think of seders long ago and bad hangovers. Oy.

  5. Enough. Enough mompreneurs. Enough mommy blogs. Somewhere along the line, you mistook pithiness for pointedness, opinion for analysis, attitude for humor. Sure, general-interest publications don’t cover parenthood as in depth, but if you’re reading this you’ve gone too deep. Yet too shallow at the same time: a half hour of “General Hospital” has more to say about the human condition than an hour on blogs like this. Pull yourself out, dust yourself off, and broaden your horizons–read something by a real writer, a book perhaps, recommended by a real publication, and fill your spare time with real ideas and real friends.

    1. I’d thought about not posting this comment. I’m accostomed to anonymous people being surly, but my readers may not be.

      I guess I’m publishing, and hoping at the same time that y’all remember that folks who aren’t part of your lives really shouldn’t have much power.

      1. Wait.. is pithiness a bad thing? Because I’ve grown quite fond of posts that get straight to the point.
        Opinion for analysis? Attitude for humor? Eve…I think you’ve gotten this blog mixed up with Fox News.
        I understand Eve’s concern about us mommies that succumb to the evil’s of books that aren’t “real”. How will we persevere? How will we take care of our families and continue to communicate with our fake friends when all we are reading is fake books? Is the wine fake, too? Shit! All I need is fake wine to go with my fake book. Jessica you are corrupting people! Look at this mess! What will happen next? OH.. for the LOVE OF G-D! It’s just too much. Eve is right! Shut this horrifying travesty down now before it gets out of control.

    2. And did you just write that comment and randomly dump it on a blog…..Jessica’s blog, no less? It’s especially comical since it’s on a BOOK CLUB post! Seriously?! No really…are you for real?
      Okay, I’m done now! Can’t wait to turn pages in that book and pop the cork on my wine!

  6. I am going to the library on Monday and I can’t wait!! I am also not a big wine connoisseur so I’m excited to give it a try!! Thanks Jess for putting this together! How fun!!

  7. Jessi!! I am really honored and a lit’l bit embarassed to be featured in your blog post.. I had to be a part of your book club (couldn’t miss it for world) as I really like to start my day with your posts.. I am not a mom as yet (though it is part of my plans) and not an entrepreneur or blogger either (though I do hope to be one in near future) but reading your blog, i know that I am not exempted from being a part of this group as long as I can think on my feet. Ordered my copy of Frank and Zooey as well!!

  8. I’m in, I’m in! (or at least I hope I am, Mr. Linky is being testy with me, probably because I am bloodless, but I will find a way!) book ordered, wine being searched for tomorrow!)

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