The Tenth Song

by Naomi Ragen

When life is at its best, the unimaginable can shatter everything you think you know… Abigail Samuels has no reason to feel anything but joy on the morning her life falls apart.  The epitome of the successful Jewish American woman, she is married to a well-known and respected accountant and is in the middle of planning her daughter Kayla’s wedding.  Kayla, too, wakes up that morning with the world in the palm of her hand.  Having lived the charmed life of a well-loved child from a happy family, she is bright, pretty, a Harvard law student who has never really questioned the path she found herself on.
With a shocking suddenness, all that is smashed to pieces in ways they could never have dreamed. When a heartbroken Kayla runs away to a desert commune run by a charismatic mystic, Abigail rushes to save her, only to find that there is nothing more whole than a broken heart.

Genres: Fiction, Jewish, Audiobook, Judaism, Contemporary, Family, Novels

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and playwright who has lived in Jerusalem since 1971. She has published seven internationally best-selling novels, and is the author of a hit play. Naomi also publishes a regular column that deals with Jewish subjects, especially Israel.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/naomir...

Reviews

[Tally · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointment. I've been a fan of Naomi Ragen's ever since I read The Sacrifice of Tamar years ago. It took me ages to get through her first novels, which were incredibly rich and informative. There was depth to her writing, and reading her novels felt like diving headfirst into an unfamiliar world. Unfortunately, this is not something I can say about her more recent novels, and particularly about this one, which only took me two days to finish. The plot wasn’t so great and compelling to begin with, and for the most part, I felt the story was really rushed, like she knew she wanted to include events A, B and C in the book, but didn’t feel like connecting them with proper transition sequences. As a result, the writing was very script-like, which always bothers me in many novels nowadays. The prose is still beautiful in parts, but it feels as though Ragen is only scraping the surface. In terms of quality of writing, narration and character development, The Tenth Song doesn’t come close to its predecessors The Sacrifice of Tamar, Sotah and Jephte's Daughter. Personally, I think I'll stick with old school Naomi Ragen from now on.

[NancyL Luckey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been a great book on how Homeland Security has gone off the deep end and taken the rights of the innocent. The first few chapters were thought-provoking. A wealthy Jewish family becomes involved in a plot financing terrorist activity. Then the book becomes kinda trite when the youngest daughter - a law student at Harvard, of course; who is engaged to a wealthy lawyer, of course - leaves the county for Israel. She meets another young Jewish man who is running away from his life and they fall in love and solve all the family problems. Please.....

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abigail Samuels has no reason to complain, she is married to a renowned account Adam and have an intelligent daughter Kayla. Harvey Law student and well loved by friends and family,are just one of the many incentives to Kayla`s resume. In the midst of planning a wedding for her daughter,Abigail`s life is shattered in multiple of ways: Her husband is accused of a heinous crime and if that is not enough, her beloved daughter flees to Israel, with no plans to ever return,. Abigail rushes to save her daughter, but what she finds is Israel is peace and tranquility, that she always desired but never found in her personal life. Kayl`s love one try to bring her back home, but Kayla is convinced that the life she was living was a dream and the life she has discovered is reality. This is an exceptional novel about restoration and finding one`s calling, one of the best books I read by Naomi Ragen.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really disappointed with this book - it read like a Harlequin romance. I have read many of Naomi Ragen's older books and really liked them but I didn't like this one much at all. The language was too flowery, the story not believable, the characters making life changing decisions in the blink of an eye. The Israel descriptions are very believable having been there but otherwise I think this storyline almost seemed ridiculous. I would not recommend this book - sorry Naomi....

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally love books by Naomi Ragen, but this one is not one of my favorites. I found the characters to be one-dimensional, the storyline to be flimsy & very contrived & the premise to be ridiculous. I kept waiting for something big to happen, and even though the book had big moments, none of them felt big. It just wasn't one of her best works.

[Soby · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was just unbearable. I could hardly finish it. The characters are too perfect, and the flaws they do have are just silly. The ending was improbable. Overall, a disappointing read.

[Vandy]

You know how sometimes you pick up a book out of boredom, with no expectations, only to be swept up by what turns out to be a great story. Well The Tenth Song by Naomi Ragen is exactly that kind of novel. It’s about the dichotomy between complacency and true happiness, guilt and innocence.



One day Abigail Samuels has the world by the tail, the next, her world is shattered. Life couldn’t be any better for this rich Jewish American woman who’s married to Adam, a well respected accountant. Their youngest daughter, Kayla, is a law student at Harvard and they’re in the midst of planning her wedding to the perfect guy, Seth. What could be better, right? Well, just when they thought it was safe to go into the water – BAM! – disaster strikes. Abigail’s husband Adam finds himself in extremely hot water and life is never the same for the Samuels family.



Questioning everything she thought she knew about her charmed life, Kayla takes off without warning, finding herself drawn to an archaeological dig in Israel, run by a mystic named Rav Natan. When her mother comes to “rescue” her and bring her home, magical things happen for all involved. Not only does Kayla experience revelation, but her mom does too.



After much internal struggle, mom Abigail realizes a simple truth: “Whatever path I choose…the path itself has to be its own reward, no matter where it leads…The journey itself is your life, and that has to be good, whatever the eventual goal that may or may not be reached. It doesn’t matter if you succeed or fail, because the journey is everything, and they can never take that away from you.”



Wanting her daughter to experience real happiness, Abigail finally confronts her own ghosts: “Every move she had ever made was calculated to win someone’s approval: her friends’ and neighbors’, her children’s, the rabbi’s, her parents’, God’s. When was it going to end? When would she be able to see herself as a finished product, something whole and beautiful, fashioned in her own image, not someone else’s?”



Author Ragen’s engaging novel exposes the myriad hidden insecurities, dreams and desires in all of us, and shows us how authentic our lives can really be, if we just open our hearts, shed our fears, and dip our toes into the unknown. The world as we know it can become the world we never knew existed, and therein lies the world of possibilities. For other popular reading suggestions check out Richmond Public Library's Web site at www.yourlibrary.ca/goodbooks/.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ragen's proved to be a big disappointment as it came highly recommended. The author has written a cross between a Harlequin romance and a half-hearted mystery. Neither half of the story works to any satisfaction. The romance part is predictable. The characters emerge as thin as cardboard with little to offer in the way of discovery. The mystery part lacks suspense. You just know all will end well. None of these problems would matter as much if the writing leaped off the page, but it doesn't. The author has developed a flat style of prose that forces the reader to work hard to turn the page. Descriptions and metaphors are thrown in at random as if the author learned at a creative-writing class that such an approach was mandatory for success.
The one positive note is the setting. Some insight comes from reading a novel with an strong Jewish flavor outside the Bellow/Roth approach but the Jewish Princess stereotype is predictable and doesn't offer anything new to the genre.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

It happens so often--a writer pens a good novel or two...and (greedy? profiteering?) publishers push for more books. And the reader is duped. The name we see as a byline pulls us in...and we find that the name reveals nothing familiar.

I read the synopsis of this story particularly when a heartbroken Kayla... Heartbroken? Hardly. Kayla was a spoiled brat, an immature, girl, a one dimensional character. The portrayal of Abigail (whose husband's name is Adam--Abigail and Adam...Abigail/Adam...how uninspired!) and boyfriend Seth were no better--so flat and predictable. Boring!

And the convenient conclusion to the "heartbreaking" conflict in the family...really. So amateur.

It really seems that Ms. Ragen wrote this story to please her book-pumping publishers. I hope she one day goes back to stories about people we do not know through cliche. Her other books about the orthodox lives of modern Jewish women offer believable complexities...and interesting stories.

[Susan Bright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naomi Ragen’s newest novel,The Tenth Song centers around the Samuels, a respected orthodox family living in the suburbs of Boston. Adam and Abigail have it all, a beautiful home and three children. Their daughter Kayla is a Harvard Law student and is engaged to be married and Abigail is happily planning the wedding. Adam is a successful accountant. When the FBI storm into Adam’s Boston office and arrest him for transferring money to a terrorist group, their perfect life is shattered.

Somewhere along the line, what started off as an intriguing plot, turned contrived, predictable and even preachy. That said, it was still an enjoyable,thought-provoking read, however it can not compare to some of her earlier books. www.Fridaymorningbookclub.com

[Agnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naomi Ragen does it again. Just love her books. At first thought it would be a whole legal case thing. But was pleasantly surprised when it took a turn. Having everything in life, Abigail and her husband start to plan for their daughter's wedding. They have a beautiful home, money, children and grandchildren. Life is good. But then hubby is taken by the FBI for investing client's money into a terrorist account. He had no idea. Here is where I thought the case would end up in court, but the turn came when their daughter, Kayla, picks herself up, flies to Israel - away from chaos - and finds a different kind of life. What follows is a beautiful story of family, love and awakening.

The Talmud says mankind has ten songs to sing............

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Given that I absolutely loved (and have re-read) several of Naomi Ragen's other novels, this one was disappointing. The characters fell flat, and the plot twists (once two of the main characters end up in Jerusalem) and character development were simply not believable. I kept reading for two reasons: 1 - I kept thinking it would get better (this is, after all, Naomi Ragen!) and 2 - the descriptions of the En Gedi desert were beautiful and made me long to experience the unusual setting for myself.
If you are interested in unusual plotlines, engaging characters, and a deeper understanding of Jewish culture, then skip this book and head straight for Ragen's "The Ghost of Hannah Mendes" and "The Covenant."

[Shelbie Allred · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure what made me try this book. I bought it at the local dollar store and they aren't known for having great reads but this was a pleasant surprise.

It turned out to be nothing what I expected. It wasn't a poor pitiful me story, or a court room drama, or a romance. It's a story of personal growth. A story of finding yourself and the life that allows you to be the best you. I know, sounds corny but that's what I found in this book. I can't wait to read more of this author!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book I listened to while driving, cleaning, cooking, etc. . .interesting read of the life a Jewish American family, whose calm and elite life is suddenly turned upside down. Thought-provoking in the sense that it caused me to ponder on how many people are truly happy in the occupations and lifestyle they have. .and the courage it takes to make the changes to find that happiness.

[Elisheva · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read with in depth characters. I found the women's search for their inner selves to be quite compelling. Favorite quote, "Perhaps, because to be human us so terrifyingly fragile to begin with, he thought, so we surrounded ourselves with illusions of power: money, friends, and shrewd knowledge about how the world works."

[A. Housewife · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half was pretty painful and annoying and I was wondering why I was reading it. The last third got pretty interesting. This book is different from many other of Naomi Ragen's other books in that the main characters are honorable people. Their flaws are interesting but overall they are admirable. She doesn't focus so hard on hypocrisy, which is the theme of many of her other books. She said she wrote this during one of the most challenging experiences of her life. I think this book is a fitting tribute to suffering and what happens in that kind of crucible.

[Kathleen Hagen]

The Tenth Song, by Naomi Ragen, narrated by Karen White, produced by Tantor Media, downloaded from audible.com.

Abigail Samuels, on the day her family’s life was shattered, was joyous of her life. She had a wonderful and secure life, was married to a well-loved accountant, was the center of her synagogue, had a successful daughter who was finishing Harvard Law School and was getting engaged to a boy she considered to be a Jewish mother’s dream. Then, the unthinkable happens. Money transfers that Adam Samuels has made for clients turn out to go, unknown to him, to terrorist groups killing American soldiers and others in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The FBI arrests him and plans to put him on trial for these fund transfers, refuses to believe that he didn’t know where the money was going, and sets out to totally divest him and his family of all their property. As a result of this change in their circumstances, everything is changed. Friends, clients, even synagogue members, turn their backs. Kayla, the youngest daughter, drops out of Harvard and goes to Israel where she becomes involved with a wonderful group of people living on the land and studying with a mystic. Her parents are horrified thinking that their daughter is throwing away a good life, not to mention the prospective husband, also a Harvard grad. And when Kayla says she’s going to live there permanently, Adam sends Abigail to talk her into coming home. But Abigail finds that Kayla is developing her own dreams and desires and is following them, something Abigail did not allow herself to do, so she does not try to get Kayla to go home. This is a study of how we create our values, what underpins those values, and how those values may change in a moment when the entire paradigm shifts. Very much recommended.

[Myra · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read, or a term I use for a book that takes little time and lacks depth, a "candy-bar book", The Tenth Song attempts to tackle a meaty, weighty topic--the indictment of a Jewish man who is a pillar of the community with contributing his clients' investments to a terrorist organization, and the way in which his family is affected--in too tidy a fashion. Much like the "use 100 words or less" instructions for an essay, Ragen may possibly view her readers as being incapable of hanging in there to read a book of substance, and so the book is consolidated into about 300 pages. That being stated, the book kept my interest as I read the stories and point of view of each character. The book's characters, especially the two main female characters, depict the point of view of Ragen insofar as how she views the lives and consciences of well off Jews of today. The main readership will be Jewish; I'd be interested in hearing from nonJews who read this book.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading "The Sisters' Weiss" I ran to get another of her books. The Tenth Song is totally different- about a very well to do Jewish family living in Boston. Their charmed life is interrupted when the husband is arrested for transferring funds to a company that supports terrorists. You are really at a loss as to how this happened, but just as he is about to go on trial, more problems within the family crop up and his arrest almost becomes secondary. One of their daughters runs away to Israel and joins a commune-like community that lives in the Dead Sea. By the time all of these problems are cleared up, it's a disappointment. The major crisis is solved but it's just a throwaway line as if the author wanted to hurry up and finish the book. However, it is a quick read and even 3/4 of the way through you're turning the pages quickly, I was just annoyed at the conclusion of how this family copes. Not realistic to me.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually rated this book at 3.5 I was drawn into this story from the beginning, and it had me thinking what would I do if this happened to me, to my family or someone I know, if one day without warning they or I were suddenly considered aiding terrorist. The story centers around Abigail and her daughter, Kayla and their reaction to the situation and how they come to learn who they are and what is happiness to each of them. The language was beautiful and the storyline was well paced. I especially enjoyed the location description of the desert commune. Enjoyable read of family obligation and tradition as it plays against individual needs that will generate many wonderful book club discussions on the choices made by each of the book characters.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abigail Samuel's husband, Adam, has honestly worked his way up in the world, achieving
high end material comforts and social status in his community. However, when their hard-earned world begins to crumble, the real truth about who are really their friends; even their rabbi, has no loyalty. The youngest daughter, Kayla, who is spoiled to no end is a Harvard law student about to get married, is most affected by the dramatic changes and negative publicity. Kayla makes a selfish decision, which changes her family's dynamics and the course of her family's future. This is a fast pace book that I could not put down. I have read several of Naomi Regain's books, and this is certainly one of the best.

[Sue Seligman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book which is taken straight from today's headlines. I was immediately hooked into the problems of an upper class American Jewish family, and intrigued when the head of the family is implicated in a scheme of investing in a fund which aids terrorists. The repurcussions are felt within the family and their reputation within the community is damaged even though Adam swears he is innocent of any wrongdoing. The plot is centered around his wife and youngest daughter who are rethinking their entire lives. From Boston to Israel...this is a novel which is current and thought provoking. I enjoyed it immensely!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fan of most Naomi Ragen books I've read, I put this one near the top of the list. Set in today's times, it's a riveting, multi-layered book. Every character has some flaws. Some characters you want to hate it at first, then at some point, Ragen makes you even like that person. When I read the phrase "desert commune" on the book jacket, I was hesitant to pick up the book. A book about a cult? Not exactly. It's the type of book that makes you laugh, cry, and simply want to keep on reading.
I loved the scenes in Israel, and Ragen took me back to my own travels there as she put one New Yorker after another on Israeli soil. This book is surprisingly deep and thoughtful.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of this author but just couldn't give this novel a five-star rating. Although I enjoyed the book I was disappointed in its didactic tone. I love stories with a Jewish theme or Jewish characters, but am turned off by anything that proselytizes whether it's my own faith or another. Additionally I almost felt there were cultish tones to some of the characters' experiences once they were in Israel. Ms. Ragen is a wonderful writer and I envy her talent and will continue to read her novels (her newest one is my next read, in fact!) but I hope she'll steer clear of preaching to the crowd!

[Regmg1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shows how everything can change in no time at all. Kayla is a law student wo is engaged to a law student. Everyone has everything to make them happy. The father is a very successful CPA. the mother is a teacher and very sucessfl in her own way. They have 2 other children, all married and spoiled . When tis happens Kayla drops out of lw school, runs away to Israel, meets a girl who helps her, and realizes you don't need material things to be happy. Kayla falls in love with Daniel .Abigail, the mother, goes to Israel to bring her daughter home. The father, Adam,is exonerated . Abigail stays in Israel, Kayla and Daniel marry and we assume everyone lives happily ever after.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a huge fan of this author for the last few years and was very excited to come across this book at the store one night. I went into it thinking it would be as good as all the rest of her books therefore making it a quick read. It proved to be a challenge for me. The first part of the book did not grab me at all. It took me weeks to finish. In all fairness though the last half of the book made it worth the wait. It was like the author woke up and was back to her usual self. Great story but you have to wait for it.

[Shirlyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

These overly dramatic books with the characters "discovering" their-selves and leaving husbands, family, problems and children behind are so selfish. I mean really how many of us "real" people can or would just pick up and fly off to another country to live because YOU FEEL like you found your true self in a remote place of the world away from those that "dragged" you down and your previous life was just so burdensome and no one really ever understood you???? I did listen to it while driving as a distraction to the traffic, if I had been reading it, it would have certainly been put down.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book after hearing Naomi Ragen speak about how her life changed so dramatically when false accusations were made against her. In that context, this book was very interesting, as the lives of the characters in this book were almost ruined as a consequence of accusations made against them. On its own, though, I thought the book was just ok. A good plot and quick read, but a little flat.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have read and liked everything that Naomi Ragen has written, then this will definitely appeal to you. I found this book on my public library's book shelf while I was browsing. I had not read a book by her in a long time and was very pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the characters in the book and their self-discovery. I found the story a bit rushed compared to her other books though. Definitely a book worth looking at.

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a good read. There are too many epiphanies 20 minutes after someone enters a new setting, too many lectures on the meaning of life. The only person in the book I really agreed with was one of the unsympathetic characters who walked into the commune in the Israeli desert and announced he didn't believe any of it. If one person had experienced a revelation that forever changed their life I might buy it but in this book everyone is completely remade.