Our next book for discussion is The Covenant by Naomi Ragan. We will meet on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Martha Merrell's/Cuddles. We need someone to present the author's biography and lead the discussion. Please contact me if you would like to help. Thanks!
Here is a description of The Covenant:
The Covenant, Naomi Ragen (2004); Fiction; 276 pages; 4.2 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com; 3 copies in CAFÉ system; one large-print copy; accessible from the library; available in paperback for 15% off at Martha Merrell's/Cuddles.
From Publishers Weekly
Ragen, an American writer who's lived in Israel for more than 30 years, blends tragedies of the past with headline news of today in her gripping, emotionally charged sixth novel. It's 2002, and the Margulies family—oncologist Jonathan; his pregnant, American-born wife, Elise; and their daughter, Ilana—are contentedly living in a Jerusalem settlement, until one day, on their way home, Jonathan and Ilana are kidnapped by Hamas. Elise's frantic call to her Bubbee Leah in Brooklyn reunites four women—now grandmas and great-grandmas—who, as girls, made the titular covenant: if they survived Auschwitz, they would become "one person, risking everything, giving everything, to help each other live in happiness all the days of our lives." Leah gathers up fellow New Yorker Esther, now a cosmetics millionaire; Paris nightclub owner Ariana; and Polish political activist Maria to help find the kidnap victims. It's a race against time, as the women wield their considerable influence and the Israeli army desperately tries to intercede with the kidnappers before the captives are killed. Ragen weaves in deeper, more serious undertones than the thriller plot suggests, touching on the stubborn pride and the serious purpose that keeps Israelis fighting (or, in some cases, not fighting) for their fragile country, "the land that God promised to the Jewish people in his Covenant to Abraham."
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http://www.amazon.com/Covenant-Naomi-Ragen/dp/product-description/0312335067/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1330133542&sr=1-1
A reading group guide with discussion questions for The Covenant is at: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/covenant1.asp
Naomi Ragen's web site is at: http://www.naomiragen.com/ and a Wikipedia article about her is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Ragen
Looking forward!
Naomi Ragen's web site is at: http://www.naomiragen.com/ and a Wikipedia article about her is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Ragen
Looking forward!
