Helpful Score: 1
Congratulations to Jean Meltzer for publishing her debut novel The Matzah Ball! This was an enjoyable step into the holiday reading season.
The premise: Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt, daughter of a highly regarded rabbi, loves Christmas. She's written many best-selling Christmas romance novels and her home office is decorated in red and green from ceiling to floor. The problem? Rachel is Jewish, very very Jewish. Jacob Greenberg created a successful entertainment corporation that plans lavish events (think Coachella). He's back in NYC to host Matzah Ball Max, the ultimate Hanukkah celebration, and wants Rabbi Goldblatt, Rachel's father, to be involved to give it credibility. Rachel and Jacob haven't seen each other since they were sweethearts at Jewish summer camp at age 12 when their brief 'romance' ended in hurt feelings for both. As they're brought together nearly 20 years later, will sparks- or insults - be flying?
This story has all the customary components of a romance: hero and heroine have long-held resentments over trivial issues, forced proximity renews attraction, something happens to create tension in the relationship, and then all is resolved for the HEA ending. What adds interest is the Jewish customs, terminology, and foods that permeate the plot and the fact that the heroine has an often misunderstood chronic illness that impacts every facet of her life.
I appreciated that the novel acknowledges that Hanukkah is a minor holiday in Jewish tradition. I was frustrated with the portrayal that Christmas is a wonderful, magical, secular holiday for every non-Jewish person and was glad when the characters admit that fantasy doesn't reflect reality for all. Because the author shares the heroine's chronic health condition of myalgic encephalomyelitis, I understand her strong emotions, but the frequent references to the condition's badly-worded name of chronic fatigue syndrome became repetitive and annoying. I enjoyed all of the secondary characters, especially Rachel's best friend Mickey and Jason's bubbe Toby.
Thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for the review copy; all thoughts are my own.
The premise: Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt, daughter of a highly regarded rabbi, loves Christmas. She's written many best-selling Christmas romance novels and her home office is decorated in red and green from ceiling to floor. The problem? Rachel is Jewish, very very Jewish. Jacob Greenberg created a successful entertainment corporation that plans lavish events (think Coachella). He's back in NYC to host Matzah Ball Max, the ultimate Hanukkah celebration, and wants Rabbi Goldblatt, Rachel's father, to be involved to give it credibility. Rachel and Jacob haven't seen each other since they were sweethearts at Jewish summer camp at age 12 when their brief 'romance' ended in hurt feelings for both. As they're brought together nearly 20 years later, will sparks- or insults - be flying?
This story has all the customary components of a romance: hero and heroine have long-held resentments over trivial issues, forced proximity renews attraction, something happens to create tension in the relationship, and then all is resolved for the HEA ending. What adds interest is the Jewish customs, terminology, and foods that permeate the plot and the fact that the heroine has an often misunderstood chronic illness that impacts every facet of her life.
I appreciated that the novel acknowledges that Hanukkah is a minor holiday in Jewish tradition. I was frustrated with the portrayal that Christmas is a wonderful, magical, secular holiday for every non-Jewish person and was glad when the characters admit that fantasy doesn't reflect reality for all. Because the author shares the heroine's chronic health condition of myalgic encephalomyelitis, I understand her strong emotions, but the frequent references to the condition's badly-worded name of chronic fatigue syndrome became repetitive and annoying. I enjoyed all of the secondary characters, especially Rachel's best friend Mickey and Jason's bubbe Toby.
Thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for the review copy; all thoughts are my own.
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