3.5/5 I hadn’t heard of this book, which was first published in 2006, until I saw a movie trailer in the theater for the motion picture version. I’m always curious to read books about people who were once part of strict or fundamentalist religious groups and who leave those groups to live outside the bounds of that strict group. And this book does offer one such character: Ronit, who is the daughter and only child of the great Rav (lead Rabbi) of their synagogue in her closely-knit north London

Until not so many decades ago they hardly existed, yet the literary world went merrily round without them. Now they abound. Universities have them, adult education organisations have them, country retreats have them, seaside resorts have them, private individuals organise their own – ‘creative writing’ courses.In my view, the most they can achieve is to produce a few competent writers from among the multitudes who pass through. But invariably missing is the magic, the sparkle, the extra somethin...

i wish straight people would expend more energy uplifting lgbt stories from actual lgbt writers, instead of writing from a perspective they could never understand. the ending of this book is terrible. we don’t need more endings like this. we have them all, all the lesbian pulp novels where the lesbian ends up with a husband in the end. ronit’s affair with her (married) boss’s boss hints to her bisexuality as well as her fears of commitment; a fear that becomes clear as she desires esti after est...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0076x3sDescription: By the age of 32, Ronit has left London and transformed her life. She has become a cigarette-smoking, wise-cracking, New York career woman, who is in love with a married man.But when Ronit's father dies she is called back into the very different world of her childhood, a world she thought she had left far behind. The orthodox Jewish suburb of Hendon, north London is outraged by Ronit and her provocative ways. But Ronit is shocked too by the co...

I pretty much just read this bc of the rachel/rachel movie that's coming out. realised I don't know anything abt judaism, so I learnt some stuff which was cool

Sometimes a book comes along that you just click with. Sometimes you can't even fully explain why. Its strange for me to favourite a book that I don't resonate with in some way but this book is just so well written, has such a soft, warm essence, and is such a pleasure to sink into. Disobedience is an unexpected, yet delightful new friend. I took my time with it and relished every page.

The only force that pushed me to read this book was the trailer of its film adaptation starring the two Rachels (Weisz and McAdams). Only having a vague idea that this included lesbianism (one of my favourite topics) in the Orthodox Jewish community—deducing from the nicely made trailer—I was surprised with how this came across as lesbophobic. Sadly while I found the religious aspect strong and educational, even going at length to detail some Orthodox Jewish practices and beliefs (and how these

For the most part I enjoyed reading Disobedience, but it's one of those books that's somehow greater than the sum of its parts. I was having a hard time putting my finger on what exactly was working for me about this, because when I started to pick it apart, I realized there wasn't a whole lot to praise. It wasn't the writing, certainly, which I found rather sophomoric (more on that in a minute); it wasn't the plot, which was quite paint-by-numbers; and it wasn't the characters, who were pretty

Life in the orthodox jewish community in Hendon is directed by rules in every minute detail. What to eat, how to prepare it, when to eat it, how to speak, when and to whom, whom to take by the hand, how to dress and many, many more. Whatever you need, The Book has an answer to every conceivable question. It explains why every believer needs it like water, why gossiping is forbidden, why certain things, like meat and milk, need to always be kept separate, why women are different from men, why mar...

Ronit, estranged daughter of a famous London Rabbi, returns to her childhood home after the death of her father. This Jewish Orthodox community looks at her with suspicion and curiosity. Ronit is everything that the women in the community aren’t supposed to be. She’s independent, she hasn’t married and probably doesn't want to, she doesn’t observe the Shabbat, she eats non-kosher food. Oh, and she’s loud. She doesn’t keep silent. Every day, every moment, she tries to be the opposite of what she

Interesting and some of the parts are certainly thought-provoking, but overall Alderman's writing just doesn't agree with me. I loved the exploration of some of the customs in that particular conservative Jewish community that the story is set in. I loved the juxtaposition of Ronit's thoughts on her own life, which is messy but in which she is herself, and Ronit's former life, which seemed to be dominated by conformity and submission. It’s difficult to work out the meaning of life in Hendon. I m...

Well written. Wouldn’t exactly say it’s “queer-friendly”

What a stunning book. I've been wanting to read it since I saw the film version earlier this year, which I liked quite a lot. Books about religion and the struggle with it are of particular interest to me, since it's a subject in my own writing. And this book is definitely one of the best of the few out there that really dive into the topic.Perhaps it's not a surprise that it's a book about a community of orthodox Jews, as there's much more of a literary tradition around Jewish life than most ot...

3.5 starsIf you're wanting to learn more about the Orthodox Jewish culture, this is a very enlightening read. If you're looking for a lesbian romance, this isn't your book. And if you've seen the film version of this, it focused more on the relationship between Ronit and Esti than the book did.Each chapter begins with a prayer or blessing and then continues with a several paragraph explanation of what should be taken from it. Then the story returns to how the relationship between Ronit, Esti and...

Disobedience started out well, but steadily declined as it went along. At first, I was immediately drawn in by the splendid writing, which had a lyrical quality to it, but even that grew stale as the book went on, becoming not delightful but pretentious and annoying. But I think the main issue I had was that I expected something from this book that I didn't get. The plot is...bare-bones. When Ronit returns to her Orthodox Jewish community and finds her old lover Esti married to a man, I expected...

Winner of the Orange Award for New Writers. I picked up the book for two reasons, and discovered this accolade on the front cover. For one, it had looked interesting to me and was on my TBR. Its also the July read for the Jewish Book Club, whom I occasionally write a review for. I actually hope I'm not the only one to read and review it this month. I thought it was great - really great!The story is told in its blurb to be about a gay daughter of an Orthodox Jewish Community in London. Which is a...

You know, I put a great deal of thought into how I wanted to present this review. I hated this book. With a passion. And when I hate things I tend to tear them apart with humor or passive aggression or just flat out snark. And I thought of a lot of humorous rant filled speeches about this book. But. I’m not going to do that. This book doesn’t really earn the right to have amusing reviews. Frankly, I think it’s a little bit dangerous, especially to young LGBT people. It presents homosexuality in