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Riva Pomerantz - Diamond Dust
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bashinda




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Mar 13 2012, 6:36 pm
Hashem loves me: it's all good. Great name, btw, because that's exactly how I feel. I really feel that Hashem loves me and B"H, I think I finally was able to see the good in these experiences eventually. Even so, it is hard reading those scenes. But because of these and other experiences I ended up realizing that there's only One who I could turn to. It sounds corny, but it's really true.
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intrigued




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 14 2012, 2:35 am
It never occurred to me that it wasn't Yalli. One week it even mentioned the name Ayalah Chaya.

Why else did she react like that at the date? Also in seminary when a girl remembered her from her childhood.

The only thing that didn't add up is that the way how it was described you would think she came from a Nebech dysfunctional background but her family seems far from that. Just not rich.
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Mrs.K




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 14 2012, 2:44 am
I too had a really hard time in school and when reading one installment of Diamond Dust I had to put it down and walk away and come back later. I think it shows what a great writer Riva is to be able to stir up that much old emotion in some of us.
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sarahd




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 14 2012, 2:49 am
seeker wrote:
No, in the beginning it was especially mysterious. She is always referred to as "the girl" or something.


Now I remember. In one of the first chapters, or maybe even the first one, "the girl" has new barrettes. She brushed her hair for a long time that morning and she knew she looked good, "even Tova told her she did". Tova is Yalli's two year younger sister.
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Izzy




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 14 2012, 3:37 am
intrigued wrote:
It never occurred to me that it wasn't Yalli. One week it even mentioned the name Ayalah Chaya.

Why else did she react like that at the date? Also in seminary when a girl remembered her from her childhood.

The only thing that didn't add up is that the way how it was described you would think she came from a Nebech dysfunctional background but her family seems far from that. Just not rich.


What occurred to me is that maybe her speech impediment made her a real target and outsider, and her parents may have been relaxed about having the stutter addressed due to lack of money.

I'm really, really enjoying the story. It does make clear that money doesn't solve everything. I would be so disappointed, though, if the author left it with the typical message - money doesn't buy happiness, poor people can have just dandy lives. Want does create its own problems, and attitudes like Fraidy and Zelig's work only for some people, some of the time.
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Annie




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 14 2012, 11:03 am
Anyone else think that the divorced boy's sister is the one who tormented Yalli?
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sarahd




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 14 2012, 1:17 pm
No, her name is Henny and the tormentor is Dina.
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bashinda




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 14 2012, 6:42 pm
Although it could be that she's Henya Dina and later she started going by Henny, but I don't like that answer Very Happy
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TranquilityAndPeace




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 14 2012, 6:53 pm
Remember a few months ago when Riva asked on this board (screenname: write on) about women's experiences marrying into money?

I think the moral is going to be the regular - that money can't buy happiness.

How do you think the story will end?
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 14 2012, 7:07 pm
Why does there always have to be such a "moral?" I'd be fine with a novel that leaves you with the message "life is complicated and interesting because people are different and their experiences shape them, too. Here's what some realistically fictitious people went through, make what you want of it." I have enjoyed a number of books that seemed to have that kind of flavor rather than clubbing you over the head with some overdone message.

I could see that theme working for this story Smile

Oh and wasn't there already one about money not buying happiness? Was that the message of Green Fences or something? I don't have a great memory for this stuff. I get wrapped up in the current stories and then when they end I leave them behind. It's a blessing, how much room can I possibly have in my life for all these people who don't even exist!
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realeez




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 14 2012, 7:21 pm
TranquilityAndPeace wrote:
Remember a few months ago when Riva asked on this board (screenname: write on) about women's experiences marrying into money?

I think the moral is going to be the regular - that money can't buy happiness.

How do you think the story will end?


Was just reading another thread where you wrote about what a good memory you have---you really do!!!!
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feigeleh




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 14 2012, 7:29 pm
Can't believe I'm posting "mevinus" about this, but here it goes: while I believe the tormented girl is indeed a younger Yalli, the turnaround must have happened before seminary because in the latest installment, she has some kind of admirer from highschool. Other than that, I agree with what most have said. Riva is a very good writer, and she manages to make the story both dramatic and believable in many ways. She is great at portraying the complexities of some of the characters. On the other hand, some of the descriptions of the 'rich people' don't reach that level of complexities and some of the descriptions of what they are eating, wearing blahblah focus on the outside instead of the emotions within.
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TranquilityAndPeace




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 14 2012, 7:31 pm
Of course, having a good memory means that there are lots of things in my brain I wish I could delete!

Green fences - I suppose that part of the moral was that money doesn't make for a perfect life, but we saw all along that Ruth was quite imperfect. That story really bothered me. Remember when Batya spent way more than she could afford getting purple orchids for her son's Bar mitzvah because Ruth said she should, and all that? What kind of grown woman goes out of her way like that to impress her friends? My friends are my friends because I don't need to impress them- they like me as is!

If anyone from Mishpacha is reading this thread- if the whole Diamond Dust were available as an ebook right now, I would probably pay good money to download the rest of the story now:)
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ceo




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 10 2012, 10:27 am
I'm really, really into this story now. But I don't get it....why are zelig and fraidy so upset about the whole thing with Yalli and Tzvi? It's not really clear to me, is it because he has money? I mean, he seems like a nice (fictional) guy. Did we ever find out the details of his divorce?

Something big has to happen...maybe Eli will lose his fortune and Tzvi and Yalli will be paupers? we're only at chapter 20!
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Bleemee




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 10 2012, 10:45 am
TranquilityAndPeace wrote:
Remember a few months ago when Riva asked on this board (screenname: write on) about women's experiences marrying into money?
And also about brand names and stuff. Wink
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Mama Bear




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 10 2012, 11:29 am
ceo, Fraidy and Zelig are not aware that yalli was bullied in school and that most of it was due to her family's frugal financial situation. (hey, Seraph, see what frugality can do to a girl's self esteem? Wink ) They are tgherefore extremely confused why she so much wants to marry into money, they always envisioned having a son in law a true ben torah, not a from a wealthy, money-minded family. To their values, throwing a million bucks into a wedding is a terrible thing to do. For them, such a family isnt one they envisioned themslelves being meshadech with. hope this helps.
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ceo




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 10 2012, 12:10 pm
Mama Bear, thanks for the explanation. I didn't realize that Fraidy and Zelig don't know that Yalli was bullied. I also didn't realize that her being bullied was because of their very poshut lifestyle.....I mean, I was definetly bullied/made fun of in elementary school, and my parents are NOT poor. Huh, interesting.

am I correct that the details of the divorce were never explained? didn't Shira exhibit some sort of narcissist personality traits, and it's been left at that?

I agree, I would read it as an ebook in a second!! (not that I have an ereader, but still....)this one is much more interesting than Riva's previous serials. It's more exciting than finding out if Bracha is going to be set up with Yonah Kirsch in Pass or Fail. Very Happy
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Mama Bear




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 10 2012, 12:19 pm
The funny thing is that Shira waS SOOOOOO money minded, which led to Tzvi's divorce. Therefor it's baffling why he wants to go out again with a girl who so much loves the finer things in life. I guess Yalli will end up using Tzvi as her therapist, the therapist she needed years ago, and will finally see that unconditional acceptance and [totally unromantic, kosher for print style] love was what she craved all along, not tangible things. or she'll finally get her money and still not find the acceptance she wanted. something like that....
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TranquilityAndPeace




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 10 2012, 12:48 pm
Mama Bear wrote:
The funny thing is that Shira waS SOOOOOO money minded, which led to Tzvi's divorce. Therefor it's baffling why he wants to go out again with a girl who so much loves the finer things in life. I guess Yalli will end up using Tzvi as her therapist, the therapist she needed years ago, and will finally see that unconditional acceptance and [totally unromantic, kosher for print style] love was what she craved all along, not tangible things. or she'll finally get her money and still not find the acceptance she wanted. something like that....


I was just wondering exactly what Tzvi sees in Yalli. She seems like a girl whose spirituality is robotic rather than intrinsic, going for speech therapy because everyone does that, who sometimes does chessed, but underneath it all is simply a gold digger.

After reading yesterday's issue- do you think there might be a tremendous rift between Yalli and her family from now on, and that the idea of parents trying to choose a child's shidduch without really caring what the child wants, is the main theme?
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sarahd




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 10 2012, 1:12 pm
How could that be the main theme in a magazine catering to the frum community?
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