In this honest, daring, and compulsively readable memoir, Reva Mann paints a portrait of herself as a young woman on the edge—of either revel...
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Mar 11, 2008
Susan
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The Rabbi's Daughter is a book about carnality, the often uncontrollable desires and appetites of the body, and the religious codes that are used to control them. It is not for the faint-hearted reader, or for people who prefer to have sex with the lights off, or for those who are offended by open lewdness. That said, this memoir is a beautiful book, written by a woman whose life has been a bridge between the holy and the profane.
Reva Mann is the father-identified daughter and grand More...
Reva Mann is the father-identified daughter and grand More...
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May 31, 2008
Jenny
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This is one of those memoirs that I read and think, "I want to be friends with this woman." Fascinating account of Mann--who is the granddaughter of the former chief rabbi of Israel--who strayed as far from orthodoxy as you can get but then went to the opposite extreme, becoming an Hasidic wife. She then reverts back to the other extreme. I wish there was more on how she lives her life today, but overall, I learned a lot about the ultra-conservative lifestyle and generally was glued to
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Dec 13, 2010
Ruth
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Very hard to put down but at the same time hard to read what this woman has put herself through. There seem to be some people in this world who from nature or nurture or both go to extremes in the way they live and it doesn't seem to matter what direction the extreme is. This is a first narrative tale, based on truth, of someone trying to find balance in her life after living through self-destructive hedonism then swinging totally the opposite way to also harmful fanatical religious orthodoxy.
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Apr 25, 2011
Shani
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 16, 2009
Iva
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I couldn't stop reading this fascinating story of a British women in an arranged marriage.Her attempt to lead a strict Orthodox life breaks down when she realizes she really liked her old life of sex and drugs which she spends the bulk of the book telling us of her youth as a rabbi's daughter and granddaughter in London. (And of course how her parents didn't do right by her.) Most interesting was her portrayal of her immersion in the strict orthodox life, and the customs of the traditional bath,
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Sep 26, 2009
Laura
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Interesting read...it was a peek into the world of the ultra-Orthodox from the perspective of an outsider. The book's flow was a little odd; it ocvered a lot of events without much commentary or explanation, and the chronology was a bit hard to follow at points. I think it could have been better written, but she had a really interesting life story. If anything, I think she condensed events too much without enough discussion of what led her to make such sweeping decisions, such as to leave a mor
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Jul 29, 2011
I didn't care for this memoir, though it did spark some interesting conversation in our book club. Reva Mann, a rabbi's daughter who grows up in London, first rebels through excessive drugs and promiscuous sex, then tries her hand at life as an ultra-Orthodox wife and mother in Jerusalem. She's so selfish and immature that she doesn't seem to hesitate to leave a previous life behind, regardless of how much harm she does to lovers or even her three children. I'm not sure I've read a less contempl
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Aug 05, 2011
Berenice
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If you were expecting lots of sex and drugs (as per the blurb on this) then you'll be disappointed, however it is a vivid recounting of Reva's life as she bounces from one extreme to another in an attempt to find herself. The family's tragic dark secret is gradually revealed, along with the psychological damage inflicted on all of the members. One can only hope her own children were not too damaged by her behaviour, in the way she was affected by her own parents. We can look forward to reading t
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Jul 28, 2010
Sea Urchin
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Oh man, did it take me a long time to finish this book! 1 or 2 years I think. I dropped it midway, and picked it back up where I left... I would give it 2.5 stars but unfortunately, goodreads only allows whole numbers :)
Anyway, I really got glued to the first half of the book and thought it was great! It talked about all the laws in Judaism that the orthodox people in Israel follow, a real eye-opener and very interesting.
It was also interesting to see how a girl who was More...
Anyway, I really got glued to the first half of the book and thought it was great! It talked about all the laws in Judaism that the orthodox people in Israel follow, a real eye-opener and very interesting.
It was also interesting to see how a girl who was More...
Jun 06, 2008
marg
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Wow this book was bad. Instead of successfully trashing orthodoxy all she basically does is depict herself as a severely messed up person - and writer - who is self pitying, victimized and incredibly weak and selfish. Instead of rebelling against a theology (and the one she comes from actually sounds refreshingly normal) she looks for love in all the wrong places and can't seem to find the very balance that her ancestors preached. I'm not sure how much of this story can be true - but believe
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Dec 20, 2008
Nimave
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January 2008:
I really enjoyed this book and felt it was easy to read and extremely hard to put down.
Saw it at the library by chance and was drawn to the picture on the cover, thinking "whoa, cool blouse".
Reading the book itself, I smiled and laughed, cried and sympathised, and nodded my head in agreement with so much of what the author talks about.
Growing up in a country that was occupied during WW2 and still has many Jewish people living there, I had Jew More...
I really enjoyed this book and felt it was easy to read and extremely hard to put down.
Saw it at the library by chance and was drawn to the picture on the cover, thinking "whoa, cool blouse".
Reading the book itself, I smiled and laughed, cried and sympathised, and nodded my head in agreement with so much of what the author talks about.
Growing up in a country that was occupied during WW2 and still has many Jewish people living there, I had Jew More...
Nov 13, 2011
Charmaine
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This book gave me insight into the beauty of Judaism. Reva Mann is honest about the darker side of Orthodox Judaisim but also provides a balanced view of the higher motives of individuals wishing to please God. As a Christian it reminded me that when we are extreme in our beliefs by either filling our "God void" with secular practices that are self destructive or over zealous religous practices that make a relationship with God laborious and tedious, we miss the beauty of relationship
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Nov 02, 2011
Sean
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A deeply moving book, with an honest account of how it is to be a rabbi's daughter. We all have a rough idea, how hard it is, to be a child of someone of great importance. This book exposes our ignorance at how much we really don't know - until now that is!
The demands and pressures this daughter has to live up to, as daughter to the line of the chief rabbi of Jerusalem, can lead down a path that can only be understood, as human frailty at its best.
The demands and pressures this daughter has to live up to, as daughter to the line of the chief rabbi of Jerusalem, can lead down a path that can only be understood, as human frailty at its best.
Dec 24, 2007
Khaya
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So now I finished it, and my initial pure smut impressions remain. The author's conflicts about Orthodoxy are depicted through her various sexual experiences and other bad decisions, basically. She's a messed-up chick, and while I occasionally felt sorry for her, I mostly felt disgusted by her choices, many of which were just ridiculous. I do give her credit for writing a pretty readable book (if you can handle the content, with its self-destructive misery and frequent graphic sex), and for d
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Sep 21, 2009
Jessica
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This book is trashy but very entertaining. I was bothered by how poorly observant Jewish people are represented. I am sure some religious people act the way Mann represents them in the book but I also think it is unfair for people to read this book and view all religious Jewish people in this light. I think Mann's story is very interesting and really was surprised by how many interesting turns her life took.
Jun 18, 2009
Dina
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 04, 2010
Rosie
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Amazing look into orthodox Judaism. I first learned when I was 19 years old working on the psych ward that too much religion can make you crazy. The book shows how hard it is to find balance after being exposed to extreme religious customs/beliefs/rules. Everyone has to search for their own spiritual space, but a distorted start makes it much more difficult.
Jan 04, 2010
Colin
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I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy back when I still worked at Borders, and I finally got around to reading it now. This is a memoir - unusual reading for me - of a woman raised in a religious Jewish household in London, who sought her path by moving to Israel, starting (and ending) an orthodox Jewish family, dissipation in drugs, and various other means. Well-written, though not really my kind of book.
Dec 20, 2009
Stephanie
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I always thought memoirs should be uplifting or, at the least, a story from which to learn. This memoir does neither. Well, ok, I learned that I don't like memoirs and will likely not read one for a very long while. This is for someone who thinks self-indulgent, thoughtless, behavior is inspirational.
Feb 24, 2009
Jamie
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This book is crazy. I wanted to read a little more about Jewish Orthodoxy so I chose this memoir. It has some very interesting information about the far right of Judaism. I think the lead character is incredibly flawed and hopelessly sad. She turns to orthodoxy after being raised as a secular rabbi's daughter in London. She moves to Israel, studies at a yeshiva, and has an arranged marriage with a Hassid. She reminds me of a rebellious minister's kid because she immerses herself in all sor
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Dec 23, 2008
Krysia
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Halfway through this memoir, I was thinking TMI TMI (Too much information, Reva Mann), but then I realized that her honesty, particularly about sexuality, was necessary. She does a great job juxtaposing her "modern" or ultra-conservative Judaism with the extreme Hasidic Orthodox of someone like Simcha. This book gave me a better understanding of halacha and how it can be interpreted by different sects/rabbis.
Apr 13, 2010
Ari
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This was an amazing book. It was so interesting, to see the culture that Reva lived through. I got a great historical lesson of life as a Jew, and also a deep personal look at someone struggling to come through with her religion. I would recommend this to any memoir lover, but especially those who are trying to get through something that is largely apart of their lives. I thank Jennefer for the recommendation!
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Jan 01, 2011
Jeanne
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A very honest, no-holds barred memoir. Made me uncomfortable in its brutal openness, as she really only very thinly disguises names and places. I felt it was disrespectful to the memories of her illustrious forebears, and wouldn't want to be recognized as one of her children either!
Apr 19, 2009
Raquel
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This was the grossest book i've read in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jewish people are SO not like that and it killed me that that this book portrayed them so unfairly. If someone wants to know what Jews are all about they should read Sun Inside Rain-my fave jewish book out there.
Jan 17, 2009
Vicky
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Sad, depressing and irritating!I could not find any sympathy for the heroine. Even if her insights into the ultra-orthodox community are very honest, the constant change of direction in life and lack of understanding what exactly she is looking for made me uncomfortable.
Oct 08, 2011
Sam
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I had REALLY high expectations for this book and on top of that it was always rented from the library when I wanted it, it took over a year to get. Yet, when I read it, although it really was an easy read, the character disappointed me. I know it's a true story but I just kept feeling sad that the character kept making bad choices and towards the end, I wanted that to change. The last chapter gave a glimpse of that but it just wasn't enough for me.
May 28, 2008
Elizabeth
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Riva comes from a religious family, but does embrace her Judaism until she is in her early twenties and then she does so with vigor. she moves to Israel to study midwifery, but gets drawn to study her religion more closely. she becomes orthodox and marries a man that is newly indoctrinated as well. Riva believes this life will bring her closer to God and to being a good Jew, but she is not able to give up much of what she enjoyed in the secular world - including passionate lovemaking. An int
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Aug 06, 2011
Rebecca
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I thought this was an amazing book - it far exceeded my expectations! I knew there would be tantalising sexy bits and I knew there would be fascinating insights in the inner world of the ultra-orthodox. But I wasn't expecting the depth of emotion, honesty & pain. I felt it wasn't so much about a woman torn between her search for God and a desire for sexual abandonment. At it's heart it was much more fundamental than that. It was really about the same things all of us want - love, safety & protec
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Dec 19, 2007
Neelz
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Really, really depressing, from start to finish. Less a commentary on Orthodoxy or Ultra-Orthodoxy than the author's opportunity to castigate her dead parents for being unfeeling and self-absorbed. The most notable thing about the book is the author's raw description of sexual encounters. I've never read such a graphic memoir. If you're into that kind of thing - and can feel sympathetic for a whiny addict who longs to be holy and pure - you'll enjoy this book. If you would rather not be caught u
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Aug 10, 2011
Antoinette
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I was really interested in the aspect of the orthodox Jewish religion, but apart from that it was blah! I wished I had of borrowed it and not bought it!!
