Jerusalem Maiden

by Talia Carner

In the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, a young Orthodox Jewish woman in the holy city of Jerusalem is expected to marry and produce many sons to help hasten the Messiah's arrival. While the feisty Esther Kaminsky understands her obligations, her artistic talent inspires her to secretly explore worlds outside her religion, to dream of studying in Paris - and to believe that God has a special destiny for her. When tragedy strikes her family, Esther views it as a warning from an angry God and suppresses her desires in order to become an obedient.

But when a surprising opportunity forces itself on to her preordained path, Esther finds her beliefs clashing dangerously with the passions she has staved off her entire life - forcing her to confront the most difficult and damning question of To whom must she be true, God or herself?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Jewish, Israel, Book Club, Religion, Historical

Audible Audio

First published May 12, 2011

About the author

Formerly the publisher of Savvy Woman magazine and a lecturer at international women economic forums, novelist Talia Carner’s heart-wrenching suspense novels, PUPPET CHILD, CHINA DOLL and JERUSALEM MAIDEN and HOTEL MOSCOW have garnered rave reviews and awards. As each touches a social issue never explored before, they are often the choice of reading groups in the USA and abroad.

THE THIRD DAUGHTER, a novel about sex trafficking in Buenos Aires in the late 1800s, (HarperCollins 2019) was named Finalist by The Jewish Book Council (in the Book Club category.)

Talia Carner's 6th novel, THE BOY WITH THE STAR TATTOO, was released in February 2024 by HarperCollins. It is an epic historical novel weaving two yet-untold events set in France, the first set in 1946 in the aftermath of the Holocaust, when agents from Eretz Israel roamed the European countryside to rescue hidden Jewish orphans (Youth Aliyah). The second is set in 1969, about the daring escape of the boats of Cherbourg, in Normandy, which were commissioned and paid for by Israel but whose delivery was blocked by a French arms embargo.

Sharon, the assistant to an Israeli naval officer stationed Cherbourg, is set to unravel the mystery of his journey from a French village to Israel. She is unprepared for the moral dilemma she will face upon solving the mystery.

Talia Carner's addictions include chocolate and social justice.

The author keynoted over 650 in-person events, in addition to 350 Zoom presentations during the two years of the pandemic. Please check www.TaliaCarner.com.

Reviews

[Talia Carner · Rating 5 out of 5]

UPDATE:
My apologies to my readers and honest reviewers for giving myself 5 starts. It's a minute response to the anti-Semitic attack announced on me and my books on December 17, 2023 until HarperCollins "deplatforms" this Jewish author, as the call for harassment states. It brought a shower of 1-stars on my books, especially the most recent one, The Boy With The Star Tattoo.

In November 2011, JERUSALEM MAIDEN won the Forward National Literature Award in the "historical fiction" category.

Please view the book trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZHsWO... .
It includes rare footage of old Jerusalem, and I narrate it on location. For those who have read the novel, you will enjoy actually seeing what Esther's home looked like....

Thanks,

Talia Carner

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

UPDATE JUNE 2020 ... I read this a second time prior to joining Talia on a ZOOM earlier this week ... it was even better the second time ... and her discussion of the book and how she wrote it was both entertaining and instructive

***

This is a spectacular book. The story of course weaves around the evolution of the character, but never straight forward, never certain, every outreach strains and verges on collapse.

As you might imagine, such a book cannot be easy to write. Talia Carner does a masterful job, always exploring, testing, taking risks, allowing "the maiden" to succeed and fail.

The setting is the stifling world of the Jewish ultra-orthodox; the reader is made to feel the containment as much as the character living in it, breaking out, falling back, trying again. It can be exhausting.

And ... the ending is a new beginning!

[Dora Mossanen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me begin by saying that when I finished reading the engrossing Jerusalem Maiden by Talia Carner (Harper Collins, $14.99), two thoughts flashed through my mind. First, that the inevitable ending was quite satisfying! And, second, that a number of the ancient cultural and religious rituals and practices among the ultra Orthodox Charedi Jews in Jerusalem at the onset of the twentieth century are still being followed, and not just by Charedim. I remember my own grandmother cracking one egg after another to search "its clear part for a red vein of fertilization that would render it impure." A practice I continue to follow. I remember my father reciting "Woman of Valor" from the Book of Proverbs to my mother on Erev Shabbat, as does Aba in "Jerusalem Maiden." I also remember that despite my own joy at giving birth to two beautiful daughters, to say that my mother-in-law was less than pleased would be an understatement. Not until I read the richly detailed Jerusalem Maiden did I realize that the Talmud, Kiddushin decrees: "Happy the man whose children are boys and woe to him if they are girls."

Jerusalem of 1911, at the end of the rule of the Ottoman Empire, was a mixture of isolated individuals -- Arabs, Charedim, Zionists, Chassidim and even a few Parisians -- with such conflicting religious and cultural beliefs you might think they lived on different planets. The animosity between Jews and Arabs is well documented, perhaps not so the resentment of Orthodox Jews toward the "brash" Zionists for fighting, for drying swamplands and for planning vineyards, instead of "waiting for the Messiah to bring salvation." Zionist women were disliked for their slack ways, their lack of respect to men, for speaking up in mixed company. Jerusalem was a miserable place for conservative Charedi women, yet, accustomed to familial and financial struggles, to the laws of the book and of the land, most of these women did not consider their lives that miserable. Working hard and bearing sons was a small price to hasten the arrival of the Messiah.

But the talented Esther Kaminsky, who has the courage and insolence to paint, a forbidden act, refuses to accept this life. Nor will Esther's Parisian teacher, Mlle Thibaux, who recognizes Esther's exceptional talent and does everything in her power to nurture it. But despite Esther's love and respect for her liberal teacher, "None of Mlle Thibaux's arguments carried weight with God." When Esther's God strikes her family with one misfortune after another, certain she is punished for the grave sin of "drawing Hashem's image," she sacrifices her dream, steps on her overwhelming desire to paint and swears to stop creating art.

After a short reprieve from misfortune, Esther allows herself to believe again, believe that her sins might not have brought "Sodom-and-Gomorrah-like wrath" after all, and it would be safe to leave her three children with her sister and join her husband in Europe. But once in the city of lights, the lure of Paris proves irresistible. Esther ignores her husband's letters to return home. Relishing her newfound sense of freedom among a community of Avant-garde artists, she allows her passions free rein, cuts her hair short, wears fashionable clothes, picks up her brushes and paints again. Perhaps Hashem intended her to be an artist, after all, she reasons. This is why He facilitated her journey to Paris and guided Mlle Thibaux and her son, Pierre, back into her life -- the goy sculptor Pierre, who is unfortunate enough to fall in love with a "woman who would be forever claimed and reclaimed from me by her God." The story gathers speed when Esther experiences a short period of happiness as a vibrant woman and an artist. But her wrathful God strikes again. This time more forcefully. The devastated Esther is certain that her sinful conduct in Paris instigated this last tragedy. But why would God punish an "innocent bystander for her sins!"

The main thread running through the story is Esther's continued struggle with her deep-rooted guilt and with God -- the story's main protagonist -- and the ongoing clash between her sense of responsibility to her religious mores on one hand and to her passions and desires on the other. Esther's tumultuous journey leads the reader to 1968 and back to Paris and to the gripping epilogue. We care for Esther. We pray that the older woman has learned to make peace with her God.

[Jessi Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll first start by saying that I received this book as early-review copy from the publisher. The publisher may still make corrections between now and when the book is released in June. My review also contains information that might be considered a plot spoiler (although I don't really think so.)

Jerusalem Maiden is a story of a young, ultra-orthodox Jewish woman in the beginning of the 1900's. Forbidden to paint by her religion, she goes through religious and emotional turmoil because of it. The book follows her life as she is married off at a young age to a man her family scorns, but viewing her as damaged goods anyway, it matters little to them. Eventually (but not until well after 75% of the book) she travels to Paris, meets her childhood painting instructor, and tries to confront the big questions about who she is.

When you describe it that way, it sounds like a pretty good book. In reality, I found it to be infuriating. The main character, Ester, lives the entire book inside her head, which is a confusing place to be, to say the least. I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that most of the readers of this book are not going to be overly familiar with Orthodox Jewish beliefs and customs, I'm certainly not. In the book, the main character spends a lot of time agonizing about a belief system which is only explained in bits and pieces. This makes the story a little difficult to connect with.

If that wasn't bad enough, you have to follow her back and forth, pingponging logic about her religious beliefs. She paints, then feels guilty about painting, then tragedy strikes. In her mind, the misbehavior directly caused God to punish her with family tragedy. Some time goes by, and her family wants her to marry. She doesn't want to marry, so of couse when something else happens, then that is also punishment for her supposed sin of not wanting to get married.

This continues in a predictable way throughout the book. Her less than perfect relationship with her daughter must be punishment for not wanting to get married and have children in the first place. Her husband's distance is punishment for having an orgasm, and so on and so forth.

The only time when her thought process changes is when she goes to Paris toward the end of the novel. At that point, it does a complete 180. Almost overnight she changes to the belief that God wants her to be happy in Paris, with new clothes, a new boyfriend, and free of her husband and children. I actually found her to be more real and sympathetic in the last leg of the book, and was disappointed that it took so long for me to care. I would have liked to know what she was experiencing after she eventually returned home to her husband and children, but that information is only glanced at, second-hand in the epilogue.

Overall, I'd skip this one

[Maggie Anton]

I read this novel as a pre-publication galley, so I don't think it's appropriate to review it since it was revised afterwards. I haven't seen the final edition, so all I'll say is that the story was intriguing and I learned a lot about this forgotten time period. I enjoyed the version I read, and I assume the one eventually published was even better.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm… Well one of the reasons I picked up this book, is that recently there was a list posted of the top 100 Jewish historical fiction novels, and this one seemed to be on everybody's list. The list itself surprised me, and others, and sparked a number of people to create their own. A number of us had felt that many well known and beautifully written novels and authors were missing. For me, this list should have contained (and mine did) Alice Hoffman, Anita Diamant, Maggie Anton, India Edghill, and and Eva Etzion Ha Levy, by the way, I have probably read each and every one of the books written by these five authors. And I had a few more singles in there. Jenna Blum, Those Who Save Us, was on my list, as was Chris Bojahlin's Skeletons at the Feast, City of Women, and Jodi Piccoult's the Storyteller. I am a huge lover of Jewish Historical Fiction, so its possible that I might also be a strong critic. That said, Talia Carner has huge shoes to follow.

I think had this book not been on the original top 100 list, (plus a few others that emerged), I would have enjoyed it more. Part of the problem, is that its a very difficult community to describe, at a very different time period. Ok - its not a difficult community to describe, the hared in Meah She'arim, it was described well. Its just that its hard for us to sit with. Particularly as women, as modern women, and as practicing faithful Jewish women. Its feels pejorative and angering, and devaluing. And much of the book centers on Esther's devotion to precepts and concepts that are quite far from pretty much anyone's way of experiencing the world, with very little observed benefit to her. The way her parents spoke of her and treated her - and her young friends was difficult enough, not to mention the tragedies that continued to ensue… But the worst of it, is that Esther is not all owed to "see" colors, much less paint them, capture them, transform them. The idea that she could be such a talented natural artist, and be forced to believe that this gift from God was the cause of all of the tragedies that happened to her family, for her failure to supress them in even the slightest of ways - that is the hugest tragedy of the book. And I'm sure that experience was and is common to the Haredi experience. Its just that if you are familiar with Judiasm, and religious Judaism, there are supposed to be joy, look at the Hassidim dancing and singing, just blocks away proximally, and less than a hair away in religious orientation. There is supposed to be art, music, books, learning, travel, and there is supposed to be growth. This small sect of Judaism, takes away the beauty and ideals that I care about and am proud of. So its not bad writing, its just hard to read. The main character herself, has little depth, entirely no backbone, (yes she was raised that way), and while she grows in the book, her growth is incremental, and doesn't get that far. She is deprived of love, even mothering love to an extent, and this is really sad. I found her not close to the God she feared at all, and that was tough. Love is what drives us, and to be devoid of everything connected to it, creativity, hope, savoring the moment, connection, growth, joy, well that to me is God's gifts and life's gifts. So its hard to see one's faith distorted in this kind of a way, that doesn't reflect the beauty that I see. That said, just become something is difficult to read, doesn't make it an unworthy tale, its just another story that needed to be told. In that vein, I am reminded of the Buddha in the Attic. Also not easy to read, and very sad about how an entire community of people were unvalued and disappeared, but it was a story that needed to be told.

Out from the library is the Book of Esther. I'm very much looking forward to reading that one. But right now, I have just hit 30% of The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley, which is an implausible premise, but an engaging and fun read so far. I can't wait to review it, and I'm only a third way through. Happy Labor Day everyone. School starts tomorrow.

[Blythe Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw what the author was trying to do here, and yet I still couldn't bring myself to like this book. The heroine's painful habit of alternately blaming God for her misfortunes and then - incredibly - thinking he was telling her to cheat on her husband were just too much for me. At what point was she just going to wake up and realize that bad and good things happen to everyone? Seemingly never. I really have a problem with people who use religion as an excuse to act immorally. I don't even think that Esther HAD a moral compass. Just a childish, irrational fear of punishment and an equally immature response to her first taste of freedom. And do I think growing up in a repressive, sexist culture excuses her behavior? Not really.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
"When a book passes my way that makes me stop, think and utter “wow!”, I know it is a book I shall be sharing and Jerusalem Maiden by Talia Carner is just such a book."...My full review may be read on my book review blog Rundpinne.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerusalem Maiden: Author Talia Carner

Reviewed by Fran Lewis
Caught in a web of traditions, customs and family obligations Esther Kaminsky is torn between adhering to the stringent rules of an orthodox Jewish woman’s life or pursuing her passion, her talent for creating pictures using her artistic skills, Following her dreams was not an option during the Ottoman Empire. Marriage, children and adhering to the prospects of your God and religion expected. Close friends forever, Esther and Ruthi often go off and discuss their hopes and dreams for their futures. Ruthi hoping to be betrothed by the time she has her mitzvah. Esther, not really wanting to marry or have children. But, fate has a way of deciding for you and not everything in life comes easy as both girls learn. Esther’s, Ima, mother depicts her to the reader as lazy, defiant and maybe just more adventurous than a young girl should be. Wanting more out of life than her mother, speaking her mind even to her elders often puts her in a bad light. But, then one incident would change as she walks through the Arab quarter and what happens results in her being defiled and attacked. Choosing to remember to walk the path of a Jewish Maiden even though she feels that Hashem has planned something special for her is what she reconciles to do. Heeding the words of her Rabbi and bound by religious tenets and obligations, torn and ashamed she decides to lead the life her father and mother required of her.

During one of her art lessons she encounters Mlle Thibaux’s son Pierre, and something inside of her changes. Understanding more of what she was learning and trying not to deviate too far from her culture and beliefs, she envelops herself in the scenery, the food and the company during an outdoor excursion with him. But, something happens during one of her lessons, her cousin Asher shows up discusses his passion for music with her and being taught by a Monk. Esther is concerned, stating her art is a gift from God and his “lure of Satan cloaked as a monk.” Loving the piano and the violin I am glad that I did not have to endure what Esther and Asher did growing up. It’s hard to conceal a passion that burns within you and even harder to hide you are pursuing it.

Esther and Ruthi were close friends but with her upcoming betrothal and wedding that would change. Girls were limited as to what life would bring them. Not permitted to learn Torah, play music or embark on a career until married. Hating her life, the rules and restrictions, Esther wanted more. Hearing her inner thoughts, understanding her frustrations, explanations of a shiddach or match and meeting her Aunt Tova (my mother’s sister was Tova) really brought back so many memories growing up.



As I read the book I hear Esther’s voice, understand her desires and feelings and the Jewish words that I grew up hearing my grandparents and mother say. It was like taking a journey back in time. My grandparents were orthodox Jewish and I was taught, not quite as strict, the same religious values as Esther. Her Ima seemed impatient with her and not as tolerant of her as with the other children, especially her brothers. Esther often felt ashamed and deserving of her wrath. The explanation of the Mikveh and the days of Nidah brought back memories and to Esther added many questions about Hashem and his plan for her. Entering school after the incident was difficult.

Esther spent much time with Mlle Thibaux her art teacher. Entering her home and painting rekindled her and reignited her passion for art, which was her salvation. The Primordial Light: hidden in girls-in every person the author states. Each girl, as Esther must, mind her own way or path to claim it. Could Esther through her oils and paintings seek out her own path or will she truly become a Jewish Maiden?

Bringing back many memories of growing up and going along with my grandfather to Temple, studying Torah and going to Hebrew school made reading this book even more special. Traditions brought to light. Discussions about the role of women, girls and how they differ from both men and boys added by Esther’s strong commentaries and opinions makes this book unique. Women working in the home, men in synagogue praying, and the Sabbath services allow all readers to understand our culture and traditions and Esther’s life. Although she could not have the honor of going up to the Bema and reciting her own Haftorah, on the night of her brother’s Bar Mitzvah her Aba or father announced she had reached her majority which became her Bat Mitzvah, more than she expected. In her heart and mind Esther did not want marriage or a trousseau. She wanted school, her art, and much more. What would happen if anyone knew her secret?

A tragic incident. A mother’s illness and one young girl’s promise made out of guilt. As Esther hopes for her mother’s recovery she makes a promise to God she hopes to keep. Giving up art for her mother’s life would prove noble but not possible. Her prayers spoken, her promise made and the heart broken.

Ima would cost her much. Would she allow it? Two unborn children destroying her mother’s blood system. Her mother’s life more sacred than the unborn children but the outcome tragic and would change the direction her life.

Primitive medicine. Hospitals not equipped or skilled to handle her mother’s illness puts a strain on her when she finally comes home. Still hoping for a miracle and not having to worry about marriage but her time was near and a match would be made. A proposal that would free her from the life but alienate her from her family. Would she accept her cousin’s offer and terms? Asher, wanting to pursue his passion for music and Esther hers for art. But what does happen will surprise the reader and hopefully help you understand Esther’s decision. But, with circumstances the way they were and what she felt God had handed her, Esther assumes the life of a Jerusalem Maiden and marries, Nathan. A daughter’s obedience to follow her father’s wishes and her brother’s kidnapping cinches her fate. Praying for his return and hoping that Nathan could find her brother, made it difficult for Esther to do anything but follow the path that God had chosen for her even if it was not what she wanted.

Traditions and customs plus family values are sometimes so inherent, so strict leaving no room for compromise or release from what others want and what you hope for. Ruthi forced into a loveless marriage, casting aside Esther’s friendship and warning paid the ultimate price. When is it okay to say: Not Me? No, I’ll choose my own path! What will Esther do? Why does she fell less than worthy of a man?

She forbids herself to continue on. Why was she so bound into thinking God was watching her and testing her faith? Marrying Nathan- Why did she struggle so hard to appreciate him for what he tried to give her? Why did she feel he never put her first?

An enlightening encounter on the beach would change everything. One British officer sharing his pencils, charcoals and crayons with her and one special word: Artist. What a precious word to Esther to be finally recognized as one even by a stranger. A decision made. Her sister coming to live with her Esther decides to go to Paris and find out where she really belongs. Her whole world changes along with her appearance, feelings for her husband, children and life and much more. Meeting other artists, working and creating pictures and reconnecting with both Pierre and Mlle Thibaux made her thrive. But, when her painting is sent to the Louvre and is hanging there along with famous artists, imagine how she must have felt. Tours, exhibitions and art studios galore and a show of her own. What more could she ask her? But, once again fate plays a hand in her destiny and something happens that causes her to have to make a more dire decision? What will she ultimately do? Will she stay with Nathan and be the mother of their children? Will she divorce him? What about her role as a Jewish Maiden? What about Pierre? A forbidden relationship and a hidden secret that remains concealed. An ending that will surprise the reader, help you understand her final fate and decision. Will she go and find her Primordial Light or will it be extinguished? What will happen if she remains in Paris and does not return home? Read this heartfelt, thought provoking and outstanding novel by author Talia Carner. Esther is so vividly portrayed. Outspoken, tenacious and definitely not your typical Jewish Maiden with thoughts and ideas of her own and a voice that is definitely heard by the reader. Jewish customs and traditions are beautifully described and one young woman who just wants to find her own way. This is one book that everyone should read filled with so much history, tradition and Jewish expressions I could hear my grandmother’s voice and my mom’s as they spoke in Yiddish in the kitchen and told stories about their youth. Thank you for the honor of reading and reviewing this outstanding novel.

Fran Lewis: Reviewer

[☕Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really did not enjoy this book. I found the writing style somewhat simplistic and flat. I never felt like I really got to know the characters, and their emotions never came through for me. The book would say that Esther missed her children, but this never seemed to be corroborated by her actions, and in the next paragraph she would seem just happy as a clam without them. It never really felt like a struggle. In fact, Esther made many choices which should have come through as much more of an ethical struggle than they did. It also seemed like the author needed to constantly remind us that Esther was Jewish, whether by someone referring to her as "a Jerusalem maiden", which happened repeatedly, or by her making comments such as "I'm a Jewish mother; I want you to eat" or something to that effect. (Can you say "cliché"?) There were also Yiddish words thrown in frequently with no explanation of their meaning, which I found annoying and confusing. Again, it felt like the author just thought we needed reminding that Esther was Jewish. I also found much of the story unbelievable; it seems unlikely that an unknown 12-year-old's artwork would end up displayed in the Louvre. The idea that a woman who was brought up devoutly religious could believe that God had led her to abandon her children and commit adultery seems preposterous, and it seems equally unlikely that a single event, even the injury of the child she had previously abandoned, would suddenly restore her common sense and send her running back to the life she felt God had led her away from. All in all, I am glad to be finished and moving on to another book.

[Jessica at Book Sake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerusalem Maiden is the third book in a row that I have read that deals with a strong female protagonist. I may be running out of nice things to say about these women and their strength, but I have to say that this story deserves praise. It also happens to be the second story of a female leader set in Israel, but this story is set in more modern times, just after the turn of the century. With that being said the story of these people, the Haredi was really fascinating, and a side of Judaism that I have never really experienced. Esther’s struggles were not only with what her family and culture expected, but her own personal beliefs in God, and how they could bring so much heartache as well as joy. There is also a love story that spans decades, but is so unassuming that you really don’t see it play a major role until more than halfway through the book. I really liked this because it allowed for Esther’s story to be her own, and not center on her relationships. The sacrifices Esther makes over and over in the name of God and for her family are astonishing, and her character is so well written I really wanted there to be more of her story. The author also managed to incorporate one of my other favorite settings: Paris, into Esther’s story, so really this novel was a hit with me.

Reviewed by Gabi for Book Sake.

[Beverley Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I was blown away by some of the events. Opens your eyes to a totally different world that I could hardly imagine. Very well-written
The characters actually came to life me.

[Sterlingcindysu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carner must have done SO much research on this book--everything from the fashions and food to all the Jewish history and traditions. I'm glad she put the dates on the chapter beginnings because I couldn't believe the first (1912) wasn't 400 years earlier--no running water, electricity, crowded living arrangements, being barefoot in such an atmosphere. Besides all the details, the story itself was great. There were a few times I thought, Carner will take the easy way out (plot-wise) but all the events were logical, if not merciful. Carner also does a great job of showing Esther's inner conflicts. Two were her belief in not making any graven idols to mean any painted figure and the idea that her "sinful" actions would cause pain to those she loved. Carner doesn't resolve either.

Carner brought this period of time and country that I knew very little about alive in every sense of the word.

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not like the first part of this book, but the middle and end of this book is so good. This book at heart I feel is about a woman fighting with her love of her god and her love of art. I won a copy of this book from a goodreads giveaway, but this review is 100% my opinion. (*)

[Sue Seligman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is one of the best books I have ever read, definitely up there with Sarah's Key and To Kill a Mockingbird. This book depicts the life of a young ultra Orthodox girl living in 1911 Jerusalem. She is conflicted between the strict demands of her religion and the desire to pursue her dreams of drawing and painting which are considered sinful. Talia Carner writes very movingly about the customs and challenges of the ultra Orthodox division of Judaism as well as the difficult and primitive life of Israel in the early days of the 1900s. The reader will get a clear and vivid picture of the environment, religious rituals, the primitive and gritty world. The descriptions are so vivid that the reader will feel as if she is "in the moment", living with Esther and her family in the poverty of Jerusalem. Esther has to decide whether she is willing and able to fulfill the expectation of her role as a "Jerusalem maiden", which is to provide a home and give birth to many children and give up her dreams of art, education, and travel. Constant challenges to her faith, loss of loved ones,anger over the inferior status of women, and confusion over feelings of love and physical urges make Esther's life a difficult one. Not only will the reader learn much about Judaism, but she will also experience every loss, every problem, and every triumph that Esther encounters as if living alongside her. This author is a master storyteller. The word choice, descriptions, and character development are incredible and well done. If I could I would give this book more than 5 stars. My sister in law and I read it at the same time, and we will be discussing it for a long time to come!

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook in English

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esther is born into an Ultra-Orthodox community in Israel during the turn of the century, (during the Ottomen Empire).
The book, (the story), spans several decades and historical changes. Ester desires freedom yet is conflicted by religious beliefs.

There were MANY things I liked about this book: (it was seductive --a pager turner): -historical fiction-tragedy -violence- war- poverty - romance -mystery- questions about GOD and traditions of religion -the family unit - creative expression (artistic talent)--etc.

A Couple of things I was NOT crazy about the book (yet I can forgive it) --as it was still a book "TO REMEMBER".

I think the title of the book STINKS (cheapens the book actually). I also think the 'picture' on the cover of the book is NOT GREAT! (don't like that either)

I found Esther's 'language' about GOD her life often annoying. (the WAY in which she used his name). I'm Jewish --and I don't think I have ever heard 'our community' surrender to GOD ---as in its HIS WILL of what he wants for me --or 'guide' me. (its not a Jewish way of speaking) -- at ANY time in history ---(Orthodox or reform)
We have always been taught to 'question'.

However: I would suggest this book to 'everyone'. (every woman I know) ---and maybe a few men!

[Caryl McAdoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blessed with the privilege to read JERUSALEM MAIDEN by Talia Carner prior to its Harper Collins release this coming June, I simply cannot contain my enthusiasm to review it.

Esther, the Jerusalem maiden, captures her readers with her innocence and ushers us right into experiencing life in early 1900 Jerusalem. We grow with her, empathize with her doubt and devotion, and urge her to make right decisions as we swiftly turn pages to see what comes next. It seems not one thought is left untold. As a Christian, a follower of Yeshua, I ached for her to know the Father’s unconditional love and cursed the traditions of men that caused her so much pain and suffering.

I couldn’t put JERUSALEM MAIDEN down and highly recommend it. While some of her self-discovery might offend a “church lady”, I found Esther’s story true to life and love. I thoroughly enjoyed every page even though many brought me to tears as I shared Esther’s pain; I also laughed aloud with her. Ms. Carner paints lovely pictures with her words and woos me to find everything else she has written. This is an amazing, well written story that I do not hesitate to recommend or award a five star review!

[Cynthia Mcarthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story or Esther Kaminsky, and ultra Orthodox Jew raised in Jerusalem. The story begins in 1911. Esther is 11 and has been raised to believe that she is one of the elite Jews who will save all Jews by following all the very strict rules and regulations imposed upon them by their holy books and rabbis. When Esther discovers her amazing artistic talents, she struggles with believing they are God's gift to her, or believing what her religion tells her is a mortal sin.
This novel itself is a work of art. It follows Esther's heartbreaking decisions all throughout her life, from her best friend's suicide, to being sold into marriage, to Paris and forbidden passion, and a glimpse into the Holocaust. I read this book slowly so that I could absorb every word, thought and phrase in Esther's journey. Her story was honest, heart-breaking and bittersweet. The author portrayed so vividly all the images, ideas, and experiences that Esther pieced together to make her impossible decisions. This is what I would call a Must-read book.

[Beth Stromberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story of an independent, free thinking girl trying to reconcile her own needs with her stringent religious upbringing and strongly embedded beliefs. Excellent story of self realization finding oneself, yet remaining true to what you believe.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the writing style of the author, the story was extremely interesting and I learned so much about Haredi Judaism during that time period. The writing seemed slow at the beginning but my interest in the main character, Esther Kaminsky kept me turning the pages. I was entranced from the first page.

When the story opens, Esther is a young girl living in Jerusalem in the most conservative of ultra-orthodox communities of Haredi Judaism in 1911. The book’s dedication is to another Esther, the grandmother of the author. When I finished this book I was so full of questions. So I searched for an interview with the author and found an excellent on Blog Talk Radio. I highly recommend listening to that interview after reading the book because you may have nagging questions too.

Esther was supposed to marry young and bear children, nothing else. There is quite a bit of suffering in the book but the women were supposed to bare it because accepting the sorrow and bad living conditions was supposed to bring the Messiah sooner.

But Esther had a talent that was forbidden to be used in Haredi Judaism. It all depends on how the Second Commandment is interpreted. This is a very controversial commandment if you research it.

Esther’s talent provides one of the biggest conflicts for her. Should she remain to true to God as seen through her upbringing or give in to her yearning to be an artist? Esther is constantly struggling, and just when you then she had made a decision, something happens and she is thrown back into her turmoil.

This book is extremely well researched and although I knew something about Judaic traditions, I did not know anything about Haredi Judaism traditions or particular religious beliefs. You could taste the food prepared with her description, know where you are by the sounds of the city or town, easily imagine the main characters and even smell the fragrant flowers or the smell of sweat

The only thing that bothered me besides the slow beginning was the radical shift in behavior of the main character. I wondered if she would really do what she did. I still have not decided.

I recommend to anyone interested in historical fiction.

I received this book from the Amazon Vine program, but that did not influence my thoughts for this review in any way.

[Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will surely stay with me for quite a while. Poetic, beautifully written prose, the story of Esther asks and answers so many questions. I am Jewish and although I have a solid understanding of my religion and its various sects, this was my introduction to the Haredi. I loved reading a bit of Yiddish, which I understood due to my grandparents (not necessary to know to read novel) and I love the way the author wove in French and Hebrew as well. I was at once frustrated, and totally in love with Esther and her journey. My one true criticism is that the first part of the book could've been edited not due to error but length...it took a little too long to get to the action or center of the story, so much so that a few times I felt like giving up BUT PLEASE DON'T!!!!!!! The twists and turns that this novel provides is totally worth it!!!!!

[Ruthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very beautifully written book about the little known sect of Jews who lived in Israel during the Ottoman Empire. They are almost cult like in the orthodoxy. Quite frankly I usually avoid books like this because reading about ultra-orthodox religions of any kind annoy and infuriate me. Inevitably woman are subjugated, people are encouraged never to think for themselves, and irrational "laws" govern behaviour, often to horrible results.

In this case the writing was so good that I was somewhat able to shelve my personal emotions about religion from the equation and just delve into the characters and their lives.This is a novel that came from the author's family history as well as a great deal of research. Having read Carner's blog further enhanced my enjoyment of the novel.

[Miriam · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author did not do her "homework." She got many of the religious practices of Orthodox Jews wrong. And I think even made some things up like having to pluck your pubic hairs before getting married. I have never heard of such a practice and doubt it is accurate. In addition, she repeated many of the stereotypes that secular people have about religious people, for example that they are rigid, cruel, and cold. Many of the characters were one dimensional and I did not like the main character, Esther, nor could I relate to her. It really turned me off how she simply abandoned her young children so that she could "live her dream" in Paris. Very shallow person. I truly did not like this book and would not recommend it.

[Jetta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the beginning of the book to be the start of a great story, even if it had its sad parts. But the book lost me when Esther married out. Although I can relate to the feeling of not being sure who you are, where you fit and how it works into your beliefs and social expectations I felt that Esther's development was really selfish and I couldn't relate to that. Her betrayal of her husband is also something that really didn't jive with me. In the end I just didn't like Esther's character.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Jewish girl in the early 1900's always struggling to please God and wanting her freedom too.

At twelve she had a teacher that taught her French and art of painting. The painting and being able to express her art was difficult because of her tradition, family and being a mother of three children.

She had to ask herself.To whom must I be true? God or myself.

I won this free book from Goodreads First Reads. Thanks Goodreads.

A wonderful story.

[Hermien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains all the ingredients to make it one of my favourites. A beautifully told story about a sympathetic heroine set in a fascinating cultural and historical background. One of the best books I have read this year.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping for an immersive and sympathetic look at a time, place and culture with which I am unfamiliar. What I got was exaggerated, non-sensical, off-the-rails crazy, predictable, sentimental chaos.

[Pratibha Suku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Declaimer - I didn't mean any disrespect to the old culture-customs-religion but if felt, I sincerly apologize.

“If life is a party, you should be the one throwing it!”

Faith or Passion? A dilemma!
For some it is quite easy to follow one of the path but a majority stays on cross road forever. This is the very subject of novel.

Highly reseacrhed novel of ultra-orthodox Jews. The fashion, customs, food habbit everything that takes us to 1900s. Very vivid pictures is being drawn without any sensatisation. You grow with charcter(s), you empathize, you sympathize, you get shocked, you get the surpise, you live each and every page.
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I was in graduation when I chance read about Jewish customs, the strict rules, the kashrut etc and trust me it was a shock to me. In shock I read whatever I could get online (in my limited capacity) ,which was bewildiering because the Isreal I had know till then used to be the most advanced country, someone which boast the technological development and Jews I felt very the most modern people without any hard history like the rest. Growing up I had always known the tough customs/practices of some other religion, so it was unfornutanely quite normal to read about the brutality but Jews?It is still amzing to me how people follow the tough rules even after being a generations of immigrants.
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The word orthodox is surrounded by so much negativity I wonder with all the curosity how people see ultra-orthodox!

Must read.

[ruzmarì · Rating 4 out of 5]

The experience of reading Talia Carner's debut novel is a whirlwind in which hope, expectation, thrill, solemnity, and heartbreak vie for pride of place. Her heroine, narrator Esther Kaminsky, is one of the Haredi – ultra-orthodox Jews who believe themselves "the chosen of the Chosen." The novel is set mainly in Jerusalem in the early years of the twentieth century, a time when the Ottoman Empire was crumbling and Jews and Arabs struggled to maintain a difficult balance as power shifted. Abuses are rampant – one of the first scenes of the novel shows Esther beaten and assaulted by a spice-merchant in the souk that is forbidden to Haredi, to Haredi women especially. The ensuing mixture of personal and cultural shame and family ruin is one that haunts the novel as a whole, this early scene serving as a microtext for the complications and conflicts that will force Esther into an ultimate choice of sacrifice at the expense of her own creative spirit and self-expression.

Esther is a talented artist, and according to Haredi law, visual art is forbidden as it creates idols, representing the image of God. Esther debates with herself on this question, struggling with the conflict of inspiration versus interdiction. If she paints, is she not responding to God's gift to her, His call? Or is she rather interpreting for selfish purposes an "urge" that distracts her from her true destiny as one of the Chosen people? Throughout her childhood and adolescence (a period cut far too short by her mother's tragic death and her taking over the responsibilities as home-maker for her family), Esther creates in secret, marvelling at what God has inspired her to do – and marvelling at her own brazenness in flauting Haredi rules and codes for female behavior. As she juggles the life of an artist with that of a Jerusalem maiden, she paints for us in words a rich cast of characters, all with their own shadings and complexities : Ruthi, her best friend from childhood, who does not dare go against Haredi decrees and ends up married to a (conveniently ugly) abuser; Asher, Esther's cousin, who himself lives with the knowledge of his own gift from God in the form of music, who inspires Esther to take artistic risks and offers her a paradoxically orthodox way out of the constraints that bind them both; Mlle Thibaux, the teacher from Esther's European-model school, who welcomes the harsh young prodigy into her home and shows her a different way of living both femininity and art; and Pierre, Mlle Thibaux's son, himself a painter and sculptor, who sparks Esther's desire for things she cannot name but which she knows are forbidden. And there is Nathan, the good man whom Esther's father tricks her into marrying.

The most passionate part of the novel comes when Esther travels to Paris, where she constructs an independent artistic life for herself. She reconnects with Mlle Thibaux (and with Pierre), leaving behind the frayed end of a family life that never did suit her and in which she is treated as a secondary character by husband, in-laws, and children alike. In Paris, she discovers her true vocation, and connects with her own true desires as a sexual body. She divests herself of shame and opens her eyes to alternative ways of experiencing sacrality, outside the limitations other people (men and women) have imposed on her. This section is the most vividly and energetically written, and it is clear that Carner spent time in this very Paris, the Paris of artists and exiles and outcasts who find each other mysteriously and create new communities – for this Paris is the same now as in the 1920s when Esther discovers it. Sadly, though evocative and beautiful, the Jerusalem sections of the novel do not possess this same realism, this same "I can see it"-ness. (Perhaps because today's Jerusalem, in which Carner would have done her research, is simply so far removed from the city she tries to depict in the beginning of the last century, a city of untold holiness and poverty? Jaffa, where Esther goes after marrying Nathan, is much more realistic and palpable in this way.) The descriptions of Esther's Shabbat preparations are by turns mouth-watering and awe-inspiring; they make you want to go light candles and touch the crawling-forward evening as something sacred.

If the novel holds frustrating qualities, they are in the believability of Esther's story – the story of a woman torn between art and duty, independence and tradition. She decides for the one and then the other, in a quibblingly repetitious way, and it takes the novel's coda (printed, unfathomably, in a different, supposedly "more modern"?, font that is hard on the reader's eyes) to bring Esther's passion back to the surface and reveal a happier end to her story. This is a narrative gimmick, but it's a welcome one, as it shows continuity of personality and passion, which the last scene of the Paris chapter literally destroys. Talia Carner makes a great point, in the character of Esther, that traditional social constructs do not leave room for art in a woman's life. It takes a unique character to step outside those bounds and let God move through the hands, in creation.