Bells and Pomegranates / Till Then - by Rachel Pomerantz???

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Hobbies, Crafts, and Collections -> Reading Room

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

September June

Tue, Dec 25 2012, 8:15 pm

Finished it. It seemed a bit short. There wasn't much action and I like Till Then much better.

Hidden:

Rina and Gila were fun to read about and you get to 'meet' their father in this book. Ronny and Devora did date but it didn't work out.

There was nothing in the book about Aviva/Danny Chaya/Dudi and Barbara/Chaim.

One thing I was wondering about: In Bells and Pomegranates Ronny's yeshiva is called Sfas Emes. In Till Then, he is learning in Pnei Menachem. Did he switch yeshivas in the 2 month time gap btw the two books or was it a mistake? (I personally think the latter Smile

)

penguin

Tue, Dec 25 2012, 10:40 pm

They are both names of Gerrer Yeshivos. Switch threads. (No, never mind, those threads got deleted.)

Last edited by penguin on Tue, Feb 05 2013, 9:33 pm; edited 1 time in total

OOTBubby

Mon, Feb 04 2013, 9:46 am

I just bought Bells & Pomegrantes in the Feldheim store in Meah Shearim and read it on my plane back to the US. It was okay, but kind of disappointing compared to her early books. I also have the feeling that we're supposed to be familiar with Yoel Berman's family from someplace, but I sure don't remember them. I did read Til The as an e-book and preferred this one, but neither was like the earlier books.

Cookies n Cream

Mon, Feb 04 2013, 10:31 am

OOTBubby wrote:

I just reread all her books this past week and definitely don't remember anything about a person Berman.
When did the book come out? I went to Eichler's last week and did not see it.

GetReal

Mon, Feb 04 2013, 12:30 pm

I emailed her again and she said that the hardcover book arrives at the publisher today.
And that the Bermans appear only in Bells and Pomegranates, Till Then, and a new book she is writing, which will be the last of the Wildflower series.

thatslife

Mon, Feb 04 2013, 8:09 pm

Get real how do you email her. Im trying to find cactus blossoms and was told that by emailing her she might be able to help me out. thanks.

GetReal

Mon, Feb 04 2013, 10:06 pm

I'll pm you.

penguin

Tue, Feb 05 2013, 9:34 pm

I ordered the book from the publisher a few weeks ago. I guess I will try to call them tomorrow, cause I can't seem to get into my account.

OOTBubby

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 10:21 am

I bought Bells & Pomegrantes in the Feldheim store in Yerushalayim (Meah Shearim) this past Sunday.

spinkles

Mon, Mar 04 2013, 11:10 pm

Bells and Pomegranates arrived (I had preordered). I read it. So confused. I have no idea who many of these people are. And I've read all the earlier books. I wish that she had focused on the parents (Barbara etc.) and their thoughts and feelings. I would have loved to see how Barbara is *feeling* about her really young daughter dating, etc. And I wish Mrs. Hirsh (Barbara's mother) had actually appeared as a character, rather than being mentioned in one line and that was it. How is she aging? Same personality? I want to see! The book where Barbara becomes a BT, and Mountains Around Jerusalem, are old favorites of mine because the characters show struggle and growth and multidimensionality. No one in this book did. They just kind of wondered aloud whether they could get a good shidduch or not because of their background, and then sort of meandered to the chuppah or not.

September June

Mon, Mar 04 2013, 11:31 pm

Chana_f, Mrs. Hirsch is mentioned plenty in Rachel Pomerantz's next book Till Then. She aged rather nicely LOL

.

You can buy that book as an e-book from jewish-e-books.com.

Now, if only she would tell us what happened to Randy....

GetReal

Mon, Mar 04 2013, 11:40 pm

September June wrote:

Now, if only she would tell us what happened to Randy....

Let's make a shidduch for him!
Didn't Aviva's brother become frum at some point? I think she would have mentioned if Randy did. He's probably comfortably somewhere in corporate America.

She's writing another book in the series now; maybe we'll get a peak at him.

spinkles

Tue, Mar 05 2013, 12:27 am

Thanks for the info about the e-book! I'm thinking I'll have no time till after Pesach, but maybe if I read it in short bits....

GetReal

Tue, Mar 05 2013, 7:42 am

The focus of Till Then is more on the point she is trying to make and less on character development. The first time I read it I didn't like it, but the second and third times it really spoke to me.

chocolate fondue

Tue, Mar 05 2013, 7:52 pm

I just got Bells and Pomegranates today and I finished it tonight. In genaral it was entertaining and I didn't have difficulty following that characters.

I was a bit disappointed. I read 'Till Then' last year and I thought that B&P would fill in a lot of the gaps in the story, but it didn't. It was all about young ppl's obssesions with getting good shidduchim.

But they all seem to be really young to be dating (a bit ironic seeing that I got married at 19).

It didn't feature very much of the actual meetings, like it did when Nosson and Beth or Chaim and Barbara met - I wanted to see what made Yoel and Naomi into a good shidduch.

The part about Sarah Luft and her family background was interesting (and now I finally understand who the Rappaports are).

I really expected that 'crashing argument' between Rina and Ronny (mentioned in Till Then) would take place in this book - but it didn't; it must have taken place earlier. Is Rachel Pomerantz planning to write a book that goes in between Cactus Blossoms and B&P? Also, when did Barbara write 'Matchbox'? In btween B&P and Till Then?

Now I really want to know who Gila does end up marrying!

Also, why do Rachel Pomerantz's books always feature courtcases? I thought she's not a lawyer - she's a mathematician.

Cookies n Cream

Sat, Mar 23 2013, 9:18 pm

bump

GetReal

Sun, Mar 24 2013, 1:01 am

I haven't seen the new book in the stores yet. I ordered it online - wondering when it will arrive.

GetReal

Thu, Apr 04 2013, 3:44 pm

Got it and read it all in one shot. I need to read it again slowly and absorb it all - lots of characters and plots going around. Drew me right in.

Tova

Thu, Apr 04 2013, 7:25 pm

Read it over Pesach. Random thoughts:

- Too much obsession with shidduchim at too young ages. I wonder if this is cultural.
- In A Time to Rend A Time to Sew I'm pretty sure Beth's oldest daughter is Tzippy. In B&P all of the sudden it's Shevy.
- In A Time to Rend A Time to Sew the Cohen's moved to Williamsburg. Interesting that they now bought a house in Flatbush. Also interesting that it was mentioned several times how "comfortable" they are. I get that he's a tenured math professor and she's an endocrinologist, but I wonder how "rolling in the dough" they are after 8 yeshiva tuitions, house in Flatbush, etc.
- I wanted Rivky and/or Esty Weingarten to at least have speaking parts. Are they happily married? I wanted to hear more about Rivky in particular.
- Do Reb Shmuel and Leah Weingarten ever argue/disagree? I want to hear what their issues are! Instead of this impression of this couple that are always in perfect sync.
- Remember Leah's fears in A Time to Rend after her marriage about being accepted/fitting in? How did that all pan out? Did she have any cultural adjustments in the raising/marrying off of her step children?
- I was annoyed at how the dean "mussar'd" Gila about reverse snobbery...couldn't the same thing have been accomplished with a more loving approach?
- I want Mrs. Robinson to get remarried, never mind all the young folk! She's never lived with a husband b'kedusha u'vtahara and I want her to have that zechus :-).

GetReal

Thu, Apr 04 2013, 7:39 pm

Is it possible that Shevy is her second daughter? I also wondered about that.

In Time to Rend Beth mentioned that when she finishes her residency she'll move to another hospital and probably to another neighborhood to be closer to work.

I think the mentions of Beth and Meir being comfortable are from an Israeli kollel perspective. From that view, two professional salaries are a lot. Interestingly, even though they viewed the Cohens as well off, everyone agreed that the mortgage should be split evenly.

In Mountains Around Jerusalem there is more of a look at Leah and her husband and a glimpse at their relationship. It would be nice to see more of them and their kids. I think in her earlier books you get to know a few characters much more. In the newer books, she is more into her theme and so there are tons of characters and we get to know each of them less.

That scene with Gila was really badly done. Very good point, very badly done.

In Till Then Ruth mentions that she refused to hear about shidduchim for herself until the twins were married. Maybe in the last book in the series that is being written now, Gila will get married and then Ruth will?

Page 5 of 6

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next