Changing Faces by Batya Ruddell is out as a book

SMTIMA

Wed, Feb 20 2013, 10:55 pm

I've been hearing so much about this book when it was running as a serial, and I am a big fan of Batya Ruddell's writing, so I went and got a copy as soon as it came out last week. What a great read! True to life characters, real issues, and no tacky "and they lived happily ever after" ending. They added a cute little interview with the author at the end of the book too. I hope Batya writes a sequel one day. I feel like the book could have been double the size, but I guess that's a limitation in a book that was originally a serial. Anyone else out there read this yet?

MyTimeNow

Wed, Feb 27 2013, 2:29 pm

Hi,

I read it right when it came out. I had caught a few chapters when it was serialized, and liked it so much that I didn't read the serial- I wanted to start from the beginning, so I waited for the book. It's really well-written, and I couldn't put it down, which is NOT something I say about many books. Did you catch Chapter 1 of her new serial? It appears in today's Inyan.

PinkFridge

Wed, Feb 27 2013, 7:40 pm

runningmom wrote:

Ooh! Can't wait. Didn't know there was one coming.
Batya, with everything that's been going on in your life I hope you have the energy to create and entertain for many years to come, till 120.

Bundy

Mon, Mar 18 2013, 11:01 am

C B wrote:

I didn't read the book & I'm looking to get a gift for a 14 year old. Is this book appropriate for this age?

It's hard to say if it's appropriate or not. Every family has its own standards and rules as to what kind of reading material they let in the house. All I can say is that I recently gave a writing workshop for teenage girls in Boro Park and they loved the serialized version.
I suggest you read the back cover and decide if it's appropriate for your daughter.
Hatzlocha!

muzik

Sun, Apr 07 2013, 12:09 am

I too am a fan of Batya Ruddell's writing style and this novel did not disappoint. Batya's writing has her trademark imagery and clever use of language as well as natural, lively diaglogue.

I had not followed the serial when it was in Hamodia, (I am not a regular reader of Hamodia) and I'm glad I did not, because when I read the book - I couldn't put it down - the material was fresh and new to me. I was hooked from the first page. Literally. I read the entire novel in a day, turning the pages and being completely engrossed in the characters.

I found her characters to be real and complex, discovering that I liked some characters, and disliked others. To me, that's one sign of a good author - if the reader roots for the characters as a friend would. I also was fascinated with the topic - since I learned about the pathology of compulsive lying, a disorder I had not known existed formally. Batya must have done a tremendous amount of research to accurately portray the issues that she covers in her novel because there is a lot of detail in the book that reminds me of real people I might know.

I agree with the above poster who said that a sequel would be great as I also would want to see how the characters fare in the future. My favorite characters were the mom and sister of the main female protagonist. I would love a sequel to be from multiple POV's of these 2 characters. That would be fascinating.

All in all, I think Batya is a talented writer of fiction and non-fiction, and I will continue to follow her writings in Binah and elsewhere. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good, engrossing read!

yummymummy

Sun, Apr 07 2013, 12:41 am

I read it in the serialized version and I thought she did a good job creating realistic characters and a decent story line (which was ok for a serial but I would not have enjoyed as a book). However, I am not a fan of her writing style. I could not stand all the similes and metaphors she used, which did nothing to enhance the characters, emotions or situations she was trying to portray. I don't mean to be too harsh but writing that a character was so torn that she felt like a ship being tossed and turned at sea (or some other such example) would barely make the grade in a high school writing assignment, let alone a published novel. It's a credit to her character development and storyline, though, that I was interested enough to find out how things turned out and was willing to grit my teeth and continue reading each installment.

September June

Sun, Apr 07 2013, 12:49 am

Read it this Shabbos.

I did NOT like how the Yaakov and Sarah bit panned out. I know Batya said in her interview in the end that she left things hanging and did not necessarily want them to end up together but IMO Yaakov gave in to Sarah too easily and too quickly. Also, Sarah's therapy seemed to work like magic. One or two sessions with a therapist and boom magic she got all her self-confidence back. I do not understand why frum books on this subject seem to always give the abusive husband a second chance (and he almost always becomes the perfect husband after that), from what I have seen abusive husbands rarely correct their behavior.

Shmaichel

Mon, Apr 08 2013, 5:45 pm

I agree to the posters above who wouldn't reccommend this book for younger teens. I was asked to pre-read this book before going into our elementary school library, and I thought it was extremely inapropriate for them to be exposed to the abuse/therapy explicitly talked about etc- (although I enjoyed the book myself and would definitely recommend for adults)... I agree that there should have been some sort of disclaimer on the book.

realeez

Mon, Apr 08 2013, 7:57 pm

SMTIMA wrote:

I totally agree! Only question I had was if rabbi Mendel who set up therapy changed to rabbi heber or if I missed something?

September June

Mon, Apr 08 2013, 10:42 pm

realeez wrote:

SMTIMA wrote:

I totally agree! Only question I had was if rabbi Mendel who set up therapy changed to rabbi heber or if I missed something?

R' Haber ran the abuse shelter. R' Mendel payed for the therapy.

realeez

Mon, Apr 08 2013, 10:46 pm

September June wrote:

realeez wrote:

SMTIMA wrote:

I totally agree! Only question I had was if rabbi Mendel who set up therapy changed to rabbi heber or if I missed something?

R' Haber ran the abuse shelter. R' Mendel payed for the therapy.

I just finished the book today-- rabbi Kramer ran the shelter (pg 222), rabbi Chaim heber gets called the next page that it will be his fault if yaakov has a heart attack bc he sent for therapy, but way back earlier in the book she tells Tami that Rabbi Mendel sent her...