For any young woman, it can be hard to follow the rules … especially when you’re falling in love.
But for Rachel, Hindy, and Leah, it’s especially hard. Because as Orthodox Jews, they live by a whole different set of rules. No touching a guy—any guy!—before marriage. No dating—unless they are considering marriage—and then, only marrying a man who rates high on their parents’ checklists.
All Rachel’s mother wants for her daughter is to see that her daughter marries well. Naturally, this is where the rich, Columbia University educated lawyer comes in. The problem is, Rachel’s already found a guy who makes her heart race. A Rabbi. But how could a struggling Rabbi possibly give Rachel the security her mother demands?
Hindy is very pious and only wants to marry a Talmud scholar. The problem is, she’s in love with an Orthodox Jewish guy she works with. How long can she keep saying no when her heart says yes? And will she be able to stick to her values amidst temptation?
Leah wants to be a doctor, but her mother insists she study computers even though she hates computers. Her mom, a struggling immigrant, has fixed ideas about the course to success and marriage—which doesn’t include any of Leah’s wishes. What will it take for Leah to break out of her mom’s—and community’s—expectations and follow her dreams?
In Brooklyn Love, three Orthodox Jewish women who are caught between crushing guilt of defying their mothers and their desire to be “normal” are there for each other as they try to figure out who they really are … and what they really want.
INTERVIEW WITH YAEL LEVY
Today we have a special visitor with us Yael Levy author of Brooklyn Love. I have to say I read this book is six hours and I just did not want it to end. I laughed and cried reading this book. It’s funny how our parents want us to love who they want but we ending loving who we think is a compromise to our parents. This is a story about finding one’s self and where love takes you. Yael thank you so much for stopping by and answering a few questions for your readers.
What inspired you to write Brooklyn Love?
I was working as a freelance journalist for City Lights, (the weekend edition of The Jerusalem Post) and my editor asked me for an article about how Orthodox Jews date. I realized I couldn’t do the topic justice in just one article and instead, wrote a book.
Are any of the three girls made after someone close to you?
They are all combinations of many people I know.
What music did you listen to while writing this book?
I need complete silence when I write. I retreat into myself, kind of like a trance...
Can you tell us what was really going on in Rachel’s mind when her mother found out she loved a Rabbi? OMG! What am I going to do?!
I loved Hindy she was a hoot, what was she really thinking when she realized she loved her co-worker and not a Talmud Scholar?
How important was something seemingly flighty like love in when trying to make an important decision about something important like marriage?
What inspired Leah to want to be a doctor when her mother clearly felt like she needed to be like her? She truly loved helping people and also wanted to try for a career that was financially stable.
Where is your favorite place to write? My studio in my attic.
Are you a nook girl or Kindle Girl? OMG-- I don’t have any!
Are you currently working on another book, if so what is it and when will it be out?
STARSTRUCK is due out in March, also with Crimson Romance. It is a VERY different book-- a very light, funny, romantic romp about what happens when a Jewish homemaker’s life (literally) collides with a soap opera star. (And her BFF who is an Assistant D.A. with issues of her own!)
TOUCHDOWN should be out in the summer, it’s a Jewish paranormal rom-com about what happens when a New York Jewish woman, murdered on her wedding night, becomes a “dybbuk” and possesses the soul of a Southern football hero, refusing to leave until he promises to break up the wedding between her fiancee and the witch who killed her. Kind of like THE NANNY meets FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS meets GHOST. Whatevah!
I’m also working on a memoir which my agent will be sending out on submission soon with a working title of “CONFESSIONS OF A BURNT OUT JEWISH MATCHMAKER” it is pretty serious and intense because I really delve into where Judaism, and society in general taken such a wrong turn in terms of relationships...and have a nearly done “literary” novel about feminism as seen through the eyes of traditional Jewish homemaker.
Finally, I have 2 YA’s which I need to polish up, a prequel to BROOKLYN LOVE about what the girls were up to in high school and a serious YA about a Brooklyn boy who’s dad is Christian, mom is Jewish and what happens when he flies to Israel for the summer where he befriends a Palestinian boy -- and falls in love with an Orthodox Jewish girl...It’s pretty intense. I hesitate giving the YA manuscripts to my agent for submission, because I really want to connect to the right editor for those. I don’t want an editor who wants my work just because she sees my characters as a novelty...but who gets what I’m trying to do and guides me to polish the books to be the best that they can be.
Thank you once again Yael for coming on A Diary Of A Book Addict and answering a few questions. I loved the book and I know other’s will love it to! Happy Sunday!
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