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The Covered Wife
Sarah is a smart, young lawyer living in Bondi when she falls head over heels.
Daniel is handsome, passionate and is part of the kind of large, chaotically loving family Sarah longed for as an only child.
When Daniel introduces her to a charismatic young couple, rabbi Menachem Lev and his wife, Chani, despite herself, Sarah is drawn in by the vibrant community at the beachside synagogue. By the time the couple move to the Jamison Valley, where Menachem and Chani have established a community of believers, Sarah can't imagine life without the joy, purpose and love she's discovered.
Four years on, youthful passion has given way to something darker. The community will celebrate its first wedding, between the beautiful convert, Avital, and a much older divorcee, but no one seems to be able to give a clear explanation of where Rebecca, his wife, has gone. In the lead up to the wedding a series of terrifying truths emerges that rock Sarah's world and cause her to question everything - her faith, her marriage, and her future.
Daniel is handsome, passionate and is part of the kind of large, chaotically loving family Sarah longed for as an only child.
When Daniel introduces her to a charismatic young couple, rabbi Menachem Lev and his wife, Chani, despite herself, Sarah is drawn in by the vibrant community at the beachside synagogue. By the time the couple move to the Jamison Valley, where Menachem and Chani have established a community of believers, Sarah can't imagine life without the joy, purpose and love she's discovered.
Four years on, youthful passion has given way to something darker. The community will celebrate its first wedding, between the beautiful convert, Avital, and a much older divorcee, but no one seems to be able to give a clear explanation of where Rebecca, his wife, has gone. In the lead up to the wedding a series of terrifying truths emerges that rock Sarah's world and cause her to question everything - her faith, her marriage, and her future.
364 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2021
101 people are currently reading
589 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
March 24, 2021
The Covered Wife is such a gripping story! Sarah, a young professional, lives and works in Sydney. She feels trapped in her monotonous, lonely life with only her mother and a handful of co-workers for company. While attending after-work drinks with her colleagues Sarah happens to meet a charming man named Daniel. Daniel introduces Sarah to a Jewish community lead by the charismatic Rabbi Menachem and his beautiful young wife, Chani. Sarah is a non-practising Jew but is drawn to The House community where she feels a sense of belonging but, soon the Rabbi has bigger and better plans for his followers. Lisa Emanuel's debut book gave me a sense of unease throughout and was nothing like I had read before. Thanks to Better Reading for my ARC.
June 26, 2021
Brave, complex topic. Brilliantly drawn characters. And such a slow smoldering build up - I didn’t even notice I was gnawing at my fingernails for the last quarter of the book.
April 7, 2021
The Covered Wife by Lisa Emanuel is a brave and compelling debut novel that I simply could not put down.
The story centres around two lawyers, Sarah and Daniel, who meet and fall in love. Daniel’s from a big, boisterous, non-practising Jewish family. Sarah, a Jewish only child, craves the comfort she imagines a large, inclusive family will bring her.
But Daniel has other ideas, and soon they are embarking on a new life within a Jewish synagogue.
But is this synagogue really embracing a higher spiritual calling? Or, is there something far more sinister hidden within its welcoming community?
The subject of religion is deeply personal—one that can incite heated debate as easily as feelings of faith, love and gratitude. Choosing Judaism, with its long history of persecution, as a vehicle for a story involving repressive acts against women, a cult, and the subtle ways an intelligent but vulnerable woman can be slowly manipulated is definitely flirting with danger. And yet Emanuel has done exactly that, using exquisite prose and a single person perspective—that of Sarah, to tell the story. This is clever writing, and it draws the reader into her world in a very immediate, intense way.
I felt so much compassion for Sarah, who must make impossible choices and heartbreaking sacrifices as a result of her faith and love for Daniel. My heart ached for her to be strong even as I felt angry and frustrated by her actions. I was as seduced by this slow-burning story as Sarah was by her synagogue’s enigmatic leaders.
An intelligent, dark and intense novel, Emanuel has tackled some serious and sensitive issues with grace and wisdom. It’s a story that will evoke strong emotions and leave you with a sucker-punched heart at times, but ultimately, it’s worth the journey.
This is a book that needs to be unpacked and begs for a lively discussion—it would make an excellent book club choice.
My thanks go to Better Reading and Pantera Press for the advanced reading copy of this book to review.
The story centres around two lawyers, Sarah and Daniel, who meet and fall in love. Daniel’s from a big, boisterous, non-practising Jewish family. Sarah, a Jewish only child, craves the comfort she imagines a large, inclusive family will bring her.
But Daniel has other ideas, and soon they are embarking on a new life within a Jewish synagogue.
But is this synagogue really embracing a higher spiritual calling? Or, is there something far more sinister hidden within its welcoming community?
The subject of religion is deeply personal—one that can incite heated debate as easily as feelings of faith, love and gratitude. Choosing Judaism, with its long history of persecution, as a vehicle for a story involving repressive acts against women, a cult, and the subtle ways an intelligent but vulnerable woman can be slowly manipulated is definitely flirting with danger. And yet Emanuel has done exactly that, using exquisite prose and a single person perspective—that of Sarah, to tell the story. This is clever writing, and it draws the reader into her world in a very immediate, intense way.
I felt so much compassion for Sarah, who must make impossible choices and heartbreaking sacrifices as a result of her faith and love for Daniel. My heart ached for her to be strong even as I felt angry and frustrated by her actions. I was as seduced by this slow-burning story as Sarah was by her synagogue’s enigmatic leaders.
An intelligent, dark and intense novel, Emanuel has tackled some serious and sensitive issues with grace and wisdom. It’s a story that will evoke strong emotions and leave you with a sucker-punched heart at times, but ultimately, it’s worth the journey.
This is a book that needs to be unpacked and begs for a lively discussion—it would make an excellent book club choice.
My thanks go to Better Reading and Pantera Press for the advanced reading copy of this book to review.
September 5, 2021
***SPOILERS BELOW***
The 4-star average rating of this book stuns me. I really struggled with it. I questioned several times whether to continue and I ultimately decided to go all the way hoping, praying, PLEADING, that the female protagonist would somehow redeem herself. Spoiler alert: she didn't!
I don't know if others hated the book for the same reasons I did because the only reviews I could find were from people who liked this novel. The people who rated it low obviously just wanted to be rid of it as soon as possible so didn't leave a review. I totally understand that. I'm only writing this because the story made me so angry I need to vent about it.
I don't even know where to start with what I hated about this novel.
The byline on the front of the book reads, "Love or freedom, which would you choose?" Seeing as how I saw no love whatsoever in this novel, I'm not really sure what the author was thinking here. The female protagonist, Sarah, could have had freedom but every time this was offered to her, she turned her back on it and continued having her life controlled by others. She was completely dependant on her husband, but there was no love there.
Sarah, is so unbearably pathetic that I struggled with her as soon as she met Daniel. I really hate weak protagonists, men or women, but, if I'm honest, the weak women especially annoy me. So I've got this weak woman, this weak, pathetic woman, who has fallen for this man, Daniel, who has no desirable qualities at all. He does not come across as attractive, intelligent, compassionate, caring, loving, or even human. What her attraction to him is eluded me through the whole novel. I mean, lie after lie he tells and she still sees him as flawless and seems to want him even more. Even when, finally, she learns something all readers saw coming 30 pages away, like her friend being murdered by this group and everyone being in on it, including her husband, she puts this aside. Even the husband's ambiguous (and possibly sexual) relationship with the cult leader, is accepted by Sarah. She seems to continually search for ways her husband will "approve" of her and "be proud" of her and accepting lies, murder and infidelity seems to be how she will earn that praise.
The most telling part of the book for me happened around page 346. Daniel decided early on in the relationship that he wants to be a more committed Jew and joins a fundamentalist group who starts their own community. The rules get stricter every day and Sarah goes along with this believing her husband is suffering as much as she is. However, when Sarah confronts Daniel about going to the movies and eating at non-kosher restaurants and leaving her behind when he knows she's struggling with the baby, he says to her, "You chose this." She replies, "I chose you". This was a lightbulb moment, showing the danger of choosing people over beliefs. I don't think Sarah really believed in anything she was doing - the wig, shaving her head, not working, not associating with anyone outside the community, not questioning the leader and his equally demented wife Chani, not questioning any man, not having any contact with her husband because it was seen as against the Torah. The changes she made, the sacrifices she made, were all about getting approval from Daniel.
At first, I felt a little sorry for Sarah. I saw this girl as being so desperate for love and intimacy that she would do anything to get it. I mean, she wasn't an idiot. Sarah was a lawyer, so I guess I expected more from a character given this intelligence and drive and then letting herself become the city's most used doormat. I'm not sure, however, if it was deliberate on the author's part to show the obviousness of her desperation to the reader, while Sarah seems completely blind to it. The alternative, that the author really does see this as Sarah showing love to this man, is too sad for me to contemplate.
Nearing the end of the book, when Sarah is faced with a grunting, sweating, abusive rabbi who is offering to fuck her against his table so that she can become pregnant, and she plays out how this will be responded to by her husband when she tells him about it, makes me realise that this girl is not only broken, she is a fucking idiot. Her belief that everything will be made right when she tells her husband what the rabbi did and Daniel will threaten to strike back at the man who has dared to treat his wife like this, that Daniel will be so enraged that he will be unable to control himself, and how she will beg him to not do anything and tell him that it's not worth it, and lovingly calm him down as Daniel realises how much he loves her, is difficult to read. It should raise some sympathy for Sarah in me but it only makes me realise just how broken this character is.
I guess this book was plainly not for me. I've always found something relatable in the books I read, whether it's the characters or a decision made or not made. I related to nothing in this book. Every single character was the absolute worst of their type. The "wise" women were arrogant and unlikeable in the way they knew everything about everyone; the men were bullying woman haters who wanted to control everything about every woman around them; the women were easily led sheep who were quite ok with accepting their new lives of total and complete submission.
Ok, I've vented enough.
Bottom line, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. The two stars were for the writing. The author is obviously talented and I would look at something else she wrote. But I wouldn't suffer through it if her characters were in any way this despicable.
The 4-star average rating of this book stuns me. I really struggled with it. I questioned several times whether to continue and I ultimately decided to go all the way hoping, praying, PLEADING, that the female protagonist would somehow redeem herself. Spoiler alert: she didn't!
I don't know if others hated the book for the same reasons I did because the only reviews I could find were from people who liked this novel. The people who rated it low obviously just wanted to be rid of it as soon as possible so didn't leave a review. I totally understand that. I'm only writing this because the story made me so angry I need to vent about it.
I don't even know where to start with what I hated about this novel.
The byline on the front of the book reads, "Love or freedom, which would you choose?" Seeing as how I saw no love whatsoever in this novel, I'm not really sure what the author was thinking here. The female protagonist, Sarah, could have had freedom but every time this was offered to her, she turned her back on it and continued having her life controlled by others. She was completely dependant on her husband, but there was no love there.
Sarah, is so unbearably pathetic that I struggled with her as soon as she met Daniel. I really hate weak protagonists, men or women, but, if I'm honest, the weak women especially annoy me. So I've got this weak woman, this weak, pathetic woman, who has fallen for this man, Daniel, who has no desirable qualities at all. He does not come across as attractive, intelligent, compassionate, caring, loving, or even human. What her attraction to him is eluded me through the whole novel. I mean, lie after lie he tells and she still sees him as flawless and seems to want him even more. Even when, finally, she learns something all readers saw coming 30 pages away, like her friend being murdered by this group and everyone being in on it, including her husband, she puts this aside. Even the husband's ambiguous (and possibly sexual) relationship with the cult leader, is accepted by Sarah. She seems to continually search for ways her husband will "approve" of her and "be proud" of her and accepting lies, murder and infidelity seems to be how she will earn that praise.
The most telling part of the book for me happened around page 346. Daniel decided early on in the relationship that he wants to be a more committed Jew and joins a fundamentalist group who starts their own community. The rules get stricter every day and Sarah goes along with this believing her husband is suffering as much as she is. However, when Sarah confronts Daniel about going to the movies and eating at non-kosher restaurants and leaving her behind when he knows she's struggling with the baby, he says to her, "You chose this." She replies, "I chose you". This was a lightbulb moment, showing the danger of choosing people over beliefs. I don't think Sarah really believed in anything she was doing - the wig, shaving her head, not working, not associating with anyone outside the community, not questioning the leader and his equally demented wife Chani, not questioning any man, not having any contact with her husband because it was seen as against the Torah. The changes she made, the sacrifices she made, were all about getting approval from Daniel.
At first, I felt a little sorry for Sarah. I saw this girl as being so desperate for love and intimacy that she would do anything to get it. I mean, she wasn't an idiot. Sarah was a lawyer, so I guess I expected more from a character given this intelligence and drive and then letting herself become the city's most used doormat. I'm not sure, however, if it was deliberate on the author's part to show the obviousness of her desperation to the reader, while Sarah seems completely blind to it. The alternative, that the author really does see this as Sarah showing love to this man, is too sad for me to contemplate.
Nearing the end of the book, when Sarah is faced with a grunting, sweating, abusive rabbi who is offering to fuck her against his table so that she can become pregnant, and she plays out how this will be responded to by her husband when she tells him about it, makes me realise that this girl is not only broken, she is a fucking idiot. Her belief that everything will be made right when she tells her husband what the rabbi did and Daniel will threaten to strike back at the man who has dared to treat his wife like this, that Daniel will be so enraged that he will be unable to control himself, and how she will beg him to not do anything and tell him that it's not worth it, and lovingly calm him down as Daniel realises how much he loves her, is difficult to read. It should raise some sympathy for Sarah in me but it only makes me realise just how broken this character is.
I guess this book was plainly not for me. I've always found something relatable in the books I read, whether it's the characters or a decision made or not made. I related to nothing in this book. Every single character was the absolute worst of their type. The "wise" women were arrogant and unlikeable in the way they knew everything about everyone; the men were bullying woman haters who wanted to control everything about every woman around them; the women were easily led sheep who were quite ok with accepting their new lives of total and complete submission.
Ok, I've vented enough.
Bottom line, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. The two stars were for the writing. The author is obviously talented and I would look at something else she wrote. But I wouldn't suffer through it if her characters were in any way this despicable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2022
This one started off a little slow for me, but to be fair I think that could have been more to do with my reading schedule than anything else, because wow, I was absolutely gripped once I got into it. Being inside Sarah's mind and hearing her thought processes through what she experienced had me riveted. I've not read anything that deals with this subject matter quite like this before. Dark and intense.
January 3, 2023
I am conflicted about what to say about this book. It was well written, but large parts of it were confronting, and made me think of coercive control, and charismatic zealotry. The two timelines showed two different facets of the same person, and as the story built, there was more of a sense of how the situation was balanced. The climax was gripping, but also horrifying, and I found it difficult to keep reading, but also could not look away. There was zero resolution, which did not help matters.
August 6, 2021
This was a fascinating read, I really enjoyed it.
I’m not religious at all & know even less about the Jewish religion so I can’t comment on the authors knowledge but she’d obviously done some serious research so kudos to her. I did find the references to the Jewish components, religious aspects, rituals, tedious at times but realised i needed to overlook that to see the bigger picture.
This book centred around one woman’s transitioning to a non-conformist Jew to a fully fledged ‘frum’ in what can only be seen as scary! This particular Jewish community were more of a cult than anything else! It was hideous & whilst it was only a story I’m sure this misogynistic approach & disgusting behaviour towards women is well & truly alive in many cultures & religions.
It was obvious Sarah was vulnerable & easily led but to blame her childhood & mother would not be fair. She was much loved & her mother had good reason for not following the Jewish religion which she attempted to explain to Sarah throughout but was chastised for it.
Sarah angered me at times with what could only been seen as stupidity! Throughout the whole book she questioned the motives & actions of the community & had ample opportunity to flee but never did. I wanted to shake her.
I was not expecting the ending & whilst it didn’t tie up nicely I think this makes for a more realistic finish.
To think she knew the community murdered Rebecca & she was about to finally flee & put her nightmare life behind her, Sarah, again, chose to stay! WTF! To choose to live such a barbaric & difficult life showed to me her weakness as she had a son & unborn baby to protect & she chose to continue subjecting herself & her children to a horrific future that even she knew was unacceptable!
I’m not religious at all & know even less about the Jewish religion so I can’t comment on the authors knowledge but she’d obviously done some serious research so kudos to her. I did find the references to the Jewish components, religious aspects, rituals, tedious at times but realised i needed to overlook that to see the bigger picture.
This book centred around one woman’s transitioning to a non-conformist Jew to a fully fledged ‘frum’ in what can only be seen as scary! This particular Jewish community were more of a cult than anything else! It was hideous & whilst it was only a story I’m sure this misogynistic approach & disgusting behaviour towards women is well & truly alive in many cultures & religions.
It was obvious Sarah was vulnerable & easily led but to blame her childhood & mother would not be fair. She was much loved & her mother had good reason for not following the Jewish religion which she attempted to explain to Sarah throughout but was chastised for it.
Sarah angered me at times with what could only been seen as stupidity! Throughout the whole book she questioned the motives & actions of the community & had ample opportunity to flee but never did. I wanted to shake her.
I was not expecting the ending & whilst it didn’t tie up nicely I think this makes for a more realistic finish.
To think she knew the community murdered Rebecca & she was about to finally flee & put her nightmare life behind her, Sarah, again, chose to stay! WTF! To choose to live such a barbaric & difficult life showed to me her weakness as she had a son & unborn baby to protect & she chose to continue subjecting herself & her children to a horrific future that even she knew was unacceptable!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2021
This is not like any other cult novel I have read. It is not so much about the shock value but about the evolution of the group and its leaders and about the main character's thought processes and justification of what she was being subjected to. The main character is so believable and the plot develops so naturally that I have no option but to give this five stars.
July 20, 2022
3.5 recommended.
This story gives an over view of the Jewish faith. It was a little slow to start.
This story gives an over view of the Jewish faith. It was a little slow to start.
October 16, 2021
Not the sort of book I would usually read but it came highly recommended so I ordered it from the library. It took a long while to become available so clearly it has been popular.
I went to school with a few Jewish kids and have lived in what was regarded as predominantly 'Jewish' suburbs. I've also had a couple of Jewish friends and lived for a short time in a Jewish household so I know a little about their culture. I have generally found them to be very exclusory, rarely mixing with others outside their religion or culture. But the people in this book take exclusion to a new level.
Religious ideals are okay for those who need them but the idea of being inveigled into a cult is horrifying... a panacea for weak people. But this is exactly what Sarah is. In the first few pages she comes across as a smart, strong and hard-working lawyer, someone who is least likely to get caught up in something as ridiculous as a religious cult. But then she falls in love... disaster is about to strike!
She not only craves romantic love but familial love too which she finds when she meets Daniel, an equally smart, strong and hard-working lawyer. But Daniel, to the horror of his family, has come under the influence of a charismatic rabbi and slowly draws Sarah into his world. (Other reviewers have explained the storyline so I won't concern myself about that.)
I found the book hard to get into at first but persevered and gradually got sucked in though I would not call it a page-turner as it took me two weeks to complete it. The writing did not always flow easily and several times I had to re-read passages to work out what was meant.
There were a few questions which I thought would be explained later but I was still wondering about at the end of the book. Why did Sarah's mother Barbara remove herself from her family, even after her disapproving father died? Reference was constantly made about her self-imposed ostracism from her sisters but the reason was not explained. And why was her aunt Naomi always at weddings, even for those she didn't know?
I also found it disconcerting that so many Hebrew terms were used though they were necessary for the feeling of the book. A glossary was to be found on the publisher's website but I think a copy should have been included in the book. Who wants to run to the computer every time to look up a word?
Both Sarah and Daniel annoyed me for their weaknesses but the fact that this was so clearly portrayed is a credit to the author. Sarah's fluctuation between what she wanted to do and what she felt she should do is also well expressed.
The ending was a surprise at first but after consideration, not unexpected. Weak people generally stay that way even after a serious wake-up call.
I went to school with a few Jewish kids and have lived in what was regarded as predominantly 'Jewish' suburbs. I've also had a couple of Jewish friends and lived for a short time in a Jewish household so I know a little about their culture. I have generally found them to be very exclusory, rarely mixing with others outside their religion or culture. But the people in this book take exclusion to a new level.
Religious ideals are okay for those who need them but the idea of being inveigled into a cult is horrifying... a panacea for weak people. But this is exactly what Sarah is. In the first few pages she comes across as a smart, strong and hard-working lawyer, someone who is least likely to get caught up in something as ridiculous as a religious cult. But then she falls in love... disaster is about to strike!
She not only craves romantic love but familial love too which she finds when she meets Daniel, an equally smart, strong and hard-working lawyer. But Daniel, to the horror of his family, has come under the influence of a charismatic rabbi and slowly draws Sarah into his world. (Other reviewers have explained the storyline so I won't concern myself about that.)
I found the book hard to get into at first but persevered and gradually got sucked in though I would not call it a page-turner as it took me two weeks to complete it. The writing did not always flow easily and several times I had to re-read passages to work out what was meant.
There were a few questions which I thought would be explained later but I was still wondering about at the end of the book. Why did Sarah's mother Barbara remove herself from her family, even after her disapproving father died? Reference was constantly made about her self-imposed ostracism from her sisters but the reason was not explained. And why was her aunt Naomi always at weddings, even for those she didn't know?
I also found it disconcerting that so many Hebrew terms were used though they were necessary for the feeling of the book. A glossary was to be found on the publisher's website but I think a copy should have been included in the book. Who wants to run to the computer every time to look up a word?
Both Sarah and Daniel annoyed me for their weaknesses but the fact that this was so clearly portrayed is a credit to the author. Sarah's fluctuation between what she wanted to do and what she felt she should do is also well expressed.
The ending was a surprise at first but after consideration, not unexpected. Weak people generally stay that way even after a serious wake-up call.
July 17, 2021
I vacillated between 3/5 and 4/5 - ultimately landing on 4/5 because even now, hours after finishing the book, I am still sitting with the unease and discomfort Lisa Emanuel was able to stir up through her writing. My heart aches for Sarah, and the way her life took a direction she could have never foreseen. The book highlights how our need for community and belonging can sometimes cause us to push away those butterflies whispering "something isn't right".
I read an interview transcript in which the author describes her own background and the research process for some of the community and religious themes in the book. As someone not of Jewish background, I can't comment on the accuracy of this book, but it does seem that Emanuel has done her best to collect a wide range of perspectives.
I read an interview transcript in which the author describes her own background and the research process for some of the community and religious themes in the book. As someone not of Jewish background, I can't comment on the accuracy of this book, but it does seem that Emanuel has done her best to collect a wide range of perspectives.
September 26, 2021
Not for me. I'm sure it was well written... I was engrossed but the more it went on the more awful it was. I wasn't personally triggered but it's more hideous men and organised religion destroying women. Revolting. I already lack respect for a those who live their life to the letter of an ancient text this sealed the deal. I tried to learn and appreciate but nope 🤮
And the end.. she just stayed? Was I missing something? I thought her eyes were open? She had a place to go (her mum/aunt playgroup friend) the police were into the body of her friend rebecca. Would not recommend!
And the end.. she just stayed? Was I missing something? I thought her eyes were open? She had a place to go (her mum/aunt playgroup friend) the police were into the body of her friend rebecca. Would not recommend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2022
I was enthralled by this novel with its wonderful characterisation, its current day setting in cosmopolitan Bondi and by the well paced and tension filled plot.
I also learned a lot reading Lisa Emanuel's debut novel and if you, like me, do not know what it means for a person to be 'frum' by novel's end you will definitely know!
Recommended.
I also learned a lot reading Lisa Emanuel's debut novel and if you, like me, do not know what it means for a person to be 'frum' by novel's end you will definitely know!
Recommended.
April 26, 2022
It's very rare that a book engrosses me so much that I stay awake reading well after midnight, and then pick the book up again first thing in the morning. The Covered Wife is an exciting page-turner, exploring the slippery dark tunnel of religious cults, and how near impossible it is to crawl back out.
August 22, 2022
wowee!! what a book! This is definitely a book if I've ever seen one before. More twists that cinnamon scroll and shocks galore. I would 100000000000000% recommend this book to anyone who breathes, or even those who don't. Thank you Lisa... Thank you
January 6, 2026
Really enjoyed this insight into a cult built from seemingly innocent beginnings and the normal people swept up by it.
January 1, 2023
Beautifully written and compelling. But the protagonist annoyed me all the way through. Especially at the end!!!
That’s how good the writing and pace is. I was endlessly irritated by the protagonists who refuses to save herself or see the reality around her and yet, I could not stop reading.
That’s how good the writing and pace is. I was endlessly irritated by the protagonists who refuses to save herself or see the reality around her and yet, I could not stop reading.
March 27, 2023
An interesting and frightening book. The well written narrative gave me an insight of a person's slow journey from a 'normal ' life to that of essentially a cult member.
Her swings from hope to terror to determination escape were heart breaking.
Her swings from hope to terror to determination escape were heart breaking.
November 26, 2023
This was an amazing book that I didn’t want to put down.
Super interesting and started off soft and easy but then got really intense!
The ending surprised me and I hated it at first but now I’ve calmed down I think it was a good choice haha
Super interesting and started off soft and easy but then got really intense!
The ending surprised me and I hated it at first but now I’ve calmed down I think it was a good choice haha
July 18, 2025
Umm. No. Nope. Nope.
I iust Can’t even. I got through it. I appreciate the writer telling a story. A crafted works. But thats about it. Gripping yes. Disappointing Also.
I iust Can’t even. I got through it. I appreciate the writer telling a story. A crafted works. But thats about it. Gripping yes. Disappointing Also.
January 30, 2022
The Covered Wife kept me interested, intrigued and fascinated right to its very last page. Sarah, a young lawyer falls head over heels for Daniel, a devout Jew. Daniel introduces her to a charismatic young couple, Rabbi Menachem Lev and his wife, Chani and she is drawn to their world of prayer and feasting and friendship. After marrying Daniel, they move to Jamison Valley where they build a community of believers. But not all is as rosy as once perceived.
There are so many layers to this book. I found myself supporting Sarah, then feeling sad and frustrated by her but all the while hoping that she finds peace and eventually regains her own sense of worth. This is a great read!
There are so many layers to this book. I found myself supporting Sarah, then feeling sad and frustrated by her but all the while hoping that she finds peace and eventually regains her own sense of worth. This is a great read!
April 29, 2021
When young lawyer Sarah meets the smart, handsome Daniel, the attraction is instant. Influenced by the charismatic Rabbi Menachem Lev and his wife Chani who take the new couple under their spiritual wing, Sarah finds herself increasingly appreciating the meaning that can come out of Jewish traditions. She and Daniel become mainstays of the ultra-religious congregation led by the Levs in Bondi and once married, at the would-be utopia set up for the sect’s devotees as a cloistered religious community in the Blue Mountains.
The proverbial frog placed in a pot of pleasantly tepid water which is gradually heated, remains and ultimately boils to death without hopping out of its confines. Sarah, likewise, faces ‘stay or flee’ options as, over time, she finds herself increasingly sequestered with a growing list of restrictions imposed on daily life (even her sex life with Daniel).
Lisa Emanuel’s impressive debut examines what makes a person allow themselves to become devoted to extreme fundamentalism, even when it may be to their own detriment. What is it about a sense of belonging or a heightened spiritual plane that convinces an otherwise educated and intelligent individual to blindly accept religious despotism and normalize behaviour they would have formerly found abhorrent? At what stage does religious devotion move along the scale to fundamentalism and then cross the line to cult-like extremism that threatens personal freedom or even physical safety?
As the screws tighten, Sarah’s plight is both engrossing and terrifying. Like Offred’s story in The Handmaid’s Tale, Sarah’s restrictive world is hard to disengage from and readers will want to discuss her choices and contradictions with gusto. This makes The Covered Wife a perfect book club choice for discerning bibliophiles.
The proverbial frog placed in a pot of pleasantly tepid water which is gradually heated, remains and ultimately boils to death without hopping out of its confines. Sarah, likewise, faces ‘stay or flee’ options as, over time, she finds herself increasingly sequestered with a growing list of restrictions imposed on daily life (even her sex life with Daniel).
Lisa Emanuel’s impressive debut examines what makes a person allow themselves to become devoted to extreme fundamentalism, even when it may be to their own detriment. What is it about a sense of belonging or a heightened spiritual plane that convinces an otherwise educated and intelligent individual to blindly accept religious despotism and normalize behaviour they would have formerly found abhorrent? At what stage does religious devotion move along the scale to fundamentalism and then cross the line to cult-like extremism that threatens personal freedom or even physical safety?
As the screws tighten, Sarah’s plight is both engrossing and terrifying. Like Offred’s story in The Handmaid’s Tale, Sarah’s restrictive world is hard to disengage from and readers will want to discuss her choices and contradictions with gusto. This makes The Covered Wife a perfect book club choice for discerning bibliophiles.
March 9, 2021
I couldn’t put this book down. It’s a gripping story set in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and one I could easily relate to … a professional young woman from a fractured family meets a charismatic man from a warm loving family and is slowly drawn in to something which is not what it seems. There were twists in the plot that I didn’t see coming, and it illustrates so well the way in which a person can find themselves in a situation that would seem unimaginable, because it happens so incrementally. My heart was racing in many parts. I loved the style of writing and can’t wait to read the next book. A stunning debut!
February 10, 2023
Loved this book. Until I hated it.
January 5, 2022
This is a book that builds up slowly and almost deceptively tugs you into its complex maze of the journey protagonist Sarah goes on. Ever heard someone say they are too smart to fall for "that"? Read this and be scared. As a reader I know the present, and want to reach out to this smart, accomplished lawyer and warn her of what's coming, show her the danger in her future... Her close friends and family do try actually. But, like many others who have been manipulated into abusive relationships, been drawn into cults or otherwise fallen for a scam - she is vulnerable enough and yearning for belonging enough, to be the perfect victim. When the first signs of danger show up, she thinks "Why fuss about this bit when everything else is so perfect". After suffering for years, she still feels a mixture of love with her fear. She still dreads losing what she has while yearning for freedom. When challenged by her husband - "You chose this", she retorts "I chose you". But choosing "love" comes with consequences...
This is a book that made me think, made me feel real fear, made me uneasy and left me somewhat uneasy even after I finished it. This is a book that sits comfortably in the grey and pushes the discomfort of thought and choice to the reader instead. Highly recommended.
This is a book that made me think, made me feel real fear, made me uneasy and left me somewhat uneasy even after I finished it. This is a book that sits comfortably in the grey and pushes the discomfort of thought and choice to the reader instead. Highly recommended.
August 18, 2021
In this moving, gripping novel Lisa Emanuel takes us into the private, intimate worlds of faith, family and friendship. She brings to life the wonder, mystery and wisdom of Judaism and in doing so, highlights the struggle between two great forces: the yearning for pure commitment to principle, and the importance of recognising the diversity and fallibility in each of us.
In The Covered Wife we see the benefits of belonging, but also the conformity that belonging can demand. We see the very human need for independence and freedom, but also the price - banishment - that freedom can demand.
As a lawyer, I recognised the experience that the main character, Sarah, had in a busy city law firm. I cheered on her search for meaning. As a woman, raised in a strict religious and cultural community, I deeply felt the pressures, politics and tyrannies the group imposes on the individual. As a writer, I loved the intimate voice of this novel, the deeply personal way it was crafted and I look forward to the next one from this emerging Australian novelist.
Thank you, Lisa, for giving us this novel.
In The Covered Wife we see the benefits of belonging, but also the conformity that belonging can demand. We see the very human need for independence and freedom, but also the price - banishment - that freedom can demand.
As a lawyer, I recognised the experience that the main character, Sarah, had in a busy city law firm. I cheered on her search for meaning. As a woman, raised in a strict religious and cultural community, I deeply felt the pressures, politics and tyrannies the group imposes on the individual. As a writer, I loved the intimate voice of this novel, the deeply personal way it was crafted and I look forward to the next one from this emerging Australian novelist.
Thank you, Lisa, for giving us this novel.
March 23, 2021
Thanks to #BetterReading for another interesting advance copy : The Covered Wife. While reading this I kept wondering how it'd go down ( if noticed at all ) in Bondi... I always appreciate all the local references in books set in Sydney, and The Covered Wife was an added surprise, being (initially) set partly in and around Bondi Beach and Bellevue Hill, where I used to live. The reminiscences and recollections provoked by the names of familiar streets and places though soon gave over to a Bondi I'm not aware of in any way; I could understand Sarahs ' attraction to this new way of life ( and as she saw it, a return to her roots ), while also increasingly hoping she'd run very fast in the opposite direction!
January 5, 2022
I found it hard to rate this book. It was very well written and the story was gripping with some well researched insights to Jewish traditions (although it did get little tedious in parts). Overall it was a good read. However while the author did an excellent job describing Sarah's state of mind and the emotional conflicts she experienced, I found myself increasingly frustrated with her poor decisions and rationalisations in the face of so very many red flags. Finally I just decided she was very weak, and never more so than at the end. Her choice then was unforgivable when her children, born and unborn, are also considered. I like complex characters such as Sarah, but not when they are also so weak they consistently ignore the outcomes of their own analysis.
March 6, 2021
Sarah is a smart educated woman, works with law firm, until she is blinded by her love to Daniel. Daniel loves congregate with a Jewish community lead by Rabbi Menachem and his wife, Chani.
How deep you take religion into your life?
Is it for all or nothing? Will Sarah and Daniel cope with their new way of life as the community guided them to do?
It's an interesting thought provoking story from Lisa Emanuel. This reminds me of a mini series I watched at Netflix, The Unorthodox.
I'm lucky I have a chance to get this ARC of this book from Better Reading Preview. This book should be published by June 2021 and not to be missed as your TBR.
How deep you take religion into your life?
Is it for all or nothing? Will Sarah and Daniel cope with their new way of life as the community guided them to do?
It's an interesting thought provoking story from Lisa Emanuel. This reminds me of a mini series I watched at Netflix, The Unorthodox.
I'm lucky I have a chance to get this ARC of this book from Better Reading Preview. This book should be published by June 2021 and not to be missed as your TBR.
June 18, 2021
A gripping read from the first page, you will not be able to put this book down. The story is fast paced and so intelligently written in it's format and style. Emanuel weaves an incredible tapestry of characters together replete with backstories to hold you through the narrative, peeling layers of understanding as she goes. The scenery of Bondi and later the Jamison Valley are vividly written and provide a stunning backdrop to this thought-provoking and moving novel. It is not often that one thinks 'this book will stay with me for some time', but this one definitely will. Powerfully crafted, an absolute must read.
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